Natural Beauty Tips Mammy Swears By
As sleeping on silk, a natural fibre, is so good for your skin and hair, I thought to share a few natural home beauty remedies that I’ve grown up with. It may seem a bit strange putting different foods on your face but trust me - my Mum has amazing skin, so much that on her 50th birthday she received ‘Happy 40th Birthday’ cards. I think that was the turning point for me and I started to take note of the various items coming out of the fridge or press and being rubbed onto skin. It does make sense though, especially when I don’t understand practically any of the ingredients on tubs of face creams. At least with these natural beauty tips, you know exactly what you’re using. Everyone’s skin is different though so do a patch test or just use on a small area when trying these natural beauty tips for the first time.
Here’s a few I’ve grown up with and work for me:
1) Porridge oats
Place a heaped teaspoon of organic oats into the palm of your hand, add two teaspoons of water and mix so it turns mushy. Then rub onto your face and leave for 10 minutes or so. The mixture will get hard and look very odd so lay low, especially out of the sight of children. Rinse off after approx. 10 minutes and your skin will feel exfoliated and beautifully soft.
2) Honey
After using the porridge mask, I normally wet my face with water and rub a teaspoon of honey onto my skin and neck in gentle circular motions. Leave it on for 30 minutes and rinse off. Honey is an antioxident leaving your skin soft and radiant. I use both of these home remedies weekly, usually when I’m watching a movie at home so I can hide away in the dark.
3) Coconut oil / Cold pressed castor oil
This is my nightly moisturiser. I find castor oil a little heavy on its own so mixed with coconut oil (50/50) gives a lovely consistency. Castor oil penetrates deep into the skin, softens and hydrates it. The oil helps to promote the production of elastin and collagen, which help to delay the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles. Coconut is an all round wonder. Give your face a massage when you are putting on your night time moisturiser. It’s amazing how much tension you can hold in your face and a gentle massage (no pulling or dragging though) will help stimulate skin cells and lymphatic drainage.
4) Banana peel
Keep a banana peel and rub the inside over you skin as a natural moisturiser. Wash off after approx 20mins. This is a handy one if you eat bananas with your breakfast and wait to put on makeup until after washing it off.
5) Baking soda & sea salt toothpaste
Mix together and dip a wet toothbrush into the mix. Brush with this mixture for pearly whites. Sodium bicarbonate is highly alkaline, and as such counteracts acids in the mouth (acids cause tooth decay), kills bacteria and germs, and combats bad breath. High in iodine, sea salt has antibacterial properties and helps neutralize acids in the mouth. Use a few times per week as well as your usual brushing routine.
Enjoy!
Thanks for reading,
Eva