Natural Beauty Secrets

Here's a list of completely natural beauty recipes.

Lost in the world of beauty products? Try a few natural alternatives. Believe you me; they are your best source for instant pick-me-ups. Even Cleopatra, the legendary beauty, depended on natural sources to enhance her beauty. So why don’t you try them for a change? Here are a few beauty recipes to give you a head start on homemade beauty products. But, lets start with the face first. Later, we’ll be back with beauty recipes for the hands, feet and body. Remember before applying a mask your face should be squeaky clean for best results. 

Carrot Face Mask

What you need:
1 Avocado 
1 Carrot 
½ cup thick cream
1 egg 
3 tbs. honey


Preparation:
Cook and mash carrot. Mash avocado and mix with carrot. Beat egg and add to this mixture. Continuing mixing all ingredients till the mixture is a medium-thick paste.
Apply contents to your face and neck and rest for 14-15 minutes. Rinse with cool water. You may apply a toner if you like since this mask opens pores. It is not necessary though. 


Benefits:
It helps to improve skin tone and texture while rebuilding collagen. It also helps to fade age spots. This is because avocados are rich in vitamin E and carrots in beta-carotene and antioxidants and cream in calcium and protein. 


Tip: 
You can also combine carrot with honey for a quick and simple mask. Works well on normal and oily skin types. Plus, you still get the benefits of two strong ingredients for smooth and soft skin. 

Rose Oil and Honey Mask 

What you need: 
2 tbs. Honey
2 tbs. Almond 
5 drops of Rose Oil
1 drop of Vitamin E oil


Preparation:
Mix all ingredients and massage onto face and neck. Wait for 15 minutes then rinse with lukewarm water. 


Benefits:
This mask rejuvenates and replenishes your skin to reveal a fresh soft complexion. Almond oil helps soften and nourish skin while honey helps smooth even the most tired skin. This is because honey contains fructose, glucose, water and traces of enzymes, minerals and amino acids. 


Tip: 
Keep honey as your base ingredient and combine it with any one of the following. 
Yogurt – helps clear skin problems while hydrating and soothing. 
Apples – grate apples and mix honey. Good for oily skin types
Strawberry – mash strawberries and mix honey. Good for oily skin.
Bananas – mash bananas and mix honey. Good for dry skin. 
Honey – you can use honey alone too. It’s great help if you want smooth skin in a jiffy. 

Marigold Face Mask

What you need:
1-2 Marigold flowers 
1-2 Chamomile flowers 
1/2 cup Water
Almond oil - as much as necessary 
1 tbs. Carrot - well mashed 
1 tbs. Lecithin granules 
1 tsp. Wheat germ oil 


Preparation:
Pour boiling water over Marigold and Chamomile flowers cover and set aside. Strain liquid from the flowers and add to mashed carrots. Add wheat germ oil and lecithin granules and mix thoroughly. Add almond oil depending on skin type less for dry skin more for oily skin. Wash and steam face for a few minutes. Apply mask in upward strokes while making a thick coat. Leave for 15 minutes and wipe off with tissues then rinse with warm water. And then with ice cold water to close the pores. 


Benefits: 
Marigold and Chamomile flowers heal broken tissues while lecithin, an emulsifying agent also promotes healthy tissues. Carrots rich in Vitamin A helps to promote texture and wheat germ oil is rich in Vitamin E. Almond oil provides a creamy consistency and helps smooth the skin. Use this mask for a smooth and refreshing facial. It helps stimulate facial circulation and muscles. 


Tip: 
Remember the mask consistency is moist on the face and does not harden like clay. 

Banana Mask

What you need:
1 ripe Banana
1 tbs. Honey
½ tsp. Jojoba oil
1 tbs. Yogurt
1 egg white
1 tbs. Kaolin (white) clay


Preparation:
Mash bananas into a smooth paste and keep aside. Mix all other ingredients thoroughly till it turns into a smooth creamy paste. Now add the bananas to this paste and mix well. Smooth over face and neck. Make sure you tuck yourself with towels since this mask is a bit messy. Keep massaging the paste onto your skin while you build a thick layer. Let sit for 10-15 minutes then remove with a warm washcloth. Rinse face with warm water. 


Benefits:
This dual action mask helps in softening and firming your skin. Bananas and clay helps in exfoliating while moisturizing and nourishing. Bananas are also rich in nourishing oils and vitamins while clay helps in firming. Jojoba oil provides lubrication and helps fight roughness, flaking, acne and blackheads. Kaolin Clay is rich in minerals and helps draw oils from your pores while ridding the skin surface of dead cells and dirt. It does not clog pores but helps refine the skin. 


Tip:
Bananas without any additional ingredients work wonderfully as an anti-wrinkle treatment. Just apply mashed bananas, leave for 15-20 minutes, wash with warm water followed by a splash of cold water. Go bananas again but this time add ground oats; milk or cream; a pinch of nutmeg and 2 tbs.whole wheat flour. Mix to a paste, apply and relax for 10-15 minutes then rinse off. The mask’s job is to moisturize, soothe and soften while doubling as an antiseptic and antioxidant. 

Kelp Firming Mask

What you need: 
3 tbs. Yogurt
1 tsp. Organic Powdered Kelp
1 tsp. Honey


Preparation:
Blend all three ingredients into a smooth consistency. Massage face and neck lightly with this paste. Relax for 5-10 minutes then remove with soft washcloth and rinse off residual. 


Benefits:
Remember Kelp contains iodine so those with iodine allergies should not try this one. Besides, kelp blocks pores because of the high iodine concentration therefore blackhead and acne prone and sensitive skin types should avoid kelp. On the other hand, Kelp helps in exfoliation while keeping skin from wrinkling and sagging. Yogurt helps cleanse the skin and eliminates blemishes because of the zinc it contains. This is an excellent treatment to help soften and firm your skin. 


Tip: 
Try yogurt and lime to soften and smooth your hands. Yogurt in your hair moisturizes your scalp while working on that dandruff. Combine yogurt and the juice of an orange for an instant pick-me-up. Very refreshing! Number one wrinkle remover is seedless-grapes. All you have to do is cut the grape in half and gently crush it on areas that are vulnerable to wrinkles. Then rinse with tepid water. 

Clay Mask

What you need: 
4 tbs. French clay or Fuller’s Earth 
5 dried bay leaves 
1 cup distilled water (by boiling)


Preparation: 
Add boiled hot water to bay leaves and let sit till it cools down. Strain liquid and to powdered clay while mixing continuously till it forms into a fairly thick mixture. Apply this paste to your face and relax for 15-20 minutes till the paste dries. Rinse with warm water. 


Benefits: 
French clay draws impurities and excess oils from the skin while preserving the skins natural balance. Its main function is to tone, stimulate and revitalize the skin but it also acts as an anti-aging agent. While the clay dries it helps tighten the skin and shrink pores pulling out whiteheads and blackheads. Bay leaves contain essential oils that help in rejuvenating, circulation and relaxing facial muscles. 


Tip:
Fuller’s earth also has almost all the benefits of French Clay. Mix 1 tbs. fuller’s earth mixed with 1tbs honey and 1 tbs. mashed papaya for instant glow. You will love your radiant skin. Be careful how you remove masks that have clay. Clay dries pulling at your skin therefore use a wet warm cloth to dab the clay making it moist. Then gently wipe small areas and rinse with cool water. 

Papaya Pumpkin Mask

What you need:
2/3 cups fresh papaya - mashed 
15 oz. can pure pumpkin 
1 egg - beaten 


Preparation:
Use only the flesh of papaya avoid seeds. Mash papaya thoroughly to form a paste. Add the well-whisked egg (egg must be frothy) and pumpkin to the papaya mixture. If you cannot find a can of pure pumpkin; use fresh pumpkin and mash well. Mix all ingredients thoroughly to form a smooth paste. Apply a thick coat on face and leave for 10 minutes then rinse off. Follow this by a toner and moisturizer, if you wish. 


Benefits:
This mask comes to you straight from Bali. It is bound to leave your face with a fresh and glowing look. 

Tip:
You can also try a Peach-Honey-Oatmeal mask. Cook and mash peach mix honey and ground oatmeal. Apply and leave for 10 minutes then rinse off with cool water. This mask helps soften wrinkles, sun blemishes, age spots and unclogs pores while softening skin. It also helps moisturize dry itchy skin but works well for normal skin types too.