I found this really fun post from the wellness mama at www.everydaypaleo.com. She shows you great ways to make nautural beauty options with paleo foods. So now you can look great on the inside and out, for half the cost!
*Enjoy another great post from Katie of Wellness Mama!!
Beauty products and toiletries are a major source of chemical exposure for a lot of people. From parabens in make-up and shampoo to sulfates/sulfites in everything from lotion to toothpaste, chemicals can be hard to escape!
Fortunately, there are some easy and natural options for most beauty products, and many can be found in your kitchen!
Natural Lotion:
-Use Coconut Oil straight or in combination with Almond Oil for an extremely moisturizing and firming option. Consuming enough healthy fats like coconut oil internally will also help moisturize from the inside out.
This works for supermodels too!
Oil Cleansing for face:
-Use olive, coconut or almond oil with Castor oil to clean your skin instead of a harsh soap. This will cleanse your skin naturally and keep from pulling out natural oils. My personal blend is 25% Castor Oil (don’t use straight!) and 75% sweet almond oil.
How to do it: Rub a small amount of oil onto dry face and massage into skin for several minutes. To remove, Soak a clean washcloth in steamy water and place on face until it starts to cool. Gently use the washcloth to wipe your face until the oil is gone. Softest. Skin. Ever! Here’s a website with much more detailed info if you are interested.
Natural Make-up and Mascara Remover:
-Olive and Coconut Oils are great for naturally and safely removing make-up and mascara, even waterproof versions. Added benefit: helps smooth or prevent wrinkles around the eyes!
Natural Sugar Scrub:
Sugar is not good for your body. It is, however, great for your skin! Since your skin doesn’t metabolize and store glucose or fructose like your fat cells do, sugar is a great way to tighten and smooth skin! Sugar scrubs in stores are expensive! Sugar scrubs in the kitchen are not!
How to do it: Mix equal parts of white or brown sugar and olive or almond oil and add essential oils of choice (optional). To exfoliate skin, rub the mixture onto skin and massage in for a couple of minutes. Rinse off with warm water. Enjoy!
Natural Hairspray:
-Juicing a lemon and mixing with a couple cups of water in a spray bottle makes a simple hair spray. It works, but has to be stored in the fridge.
-An easier recipe is to mix a cup of boiling water with 1-4 teaspoons of sugar (depending on the level of hold you want). Stir and let sugar dissolve completely and pour into a fine mister bottle. This will hold hair and make it shine. For difficult hair, let first application dry and apply another application.
-For the natural beach waves look, make the above recipe with salt instead. This will give a flexible hold without being dull at all. Supposedly, top stylists are turning to sea salt products lately too.
Natural Exfoliation:
Ever seen those ads for microdermabrasion (not even sure I’m spelling it right!). Well, they look expensive and I’m leery of the chemicals they might contain. No worries though… the kitchen can help! Baking soda is a very effective natural and gentle abrasive that pulls off dead skin cells and makes skin glow!
How to Do It: Wet face with warm water. Pour some baking soda into hands and massage into your face for at least 3 minutes. It will sting a little (its called abrasion!). Rinse with warm water and pat dry.
Natural Intensive Hair Conditioner:
Mix one ripe banana and half of an avocado and puree until smooth. Massage into hair and comb through. Leave on with a shower cap for at least 15 minutes for shiny hair. Use some essential oils if banana isn’t your favorite fragrance!
Natural Skin Bronzers:
Until I switched to eating healthy, I never tanned well at all! I used to try all kinds of natural “bronzers” and self tanning lotions (cringe on the ingredients!) in hopes of golden skin. Now, I’m excited to be able to tan easily, but for days when I want a slightly more bronze look, I head to the kitchen…
How to Do It: Mix cocoa powder, cinnamon and arrowroot (optional) until you get a shade you like. For me, this was at least half cocoa powder, about 30-40% cinnamon and a little arrowroot, but experiment to get your skin tone. Store in a small jar or container and brush onto skin for an instant bronze look. Bonus: it smells good! You can also mix this into lotion for a liquid version!
Fit Chic