By Sahar Ghaffari, LuxEco Living Editorial Assistant
The cosmetic market today is saturated with thousands of products that claim to tighten, moisturize, and smooth your skin; but usually these claims come with a hefty cost, artificial ingredients and not necessarily the results you were hoping for. However, the answers to some of your skin problems could be secretly hidden right in your very own kitchen. Such ingredients as oatmeal, yogurt, lemon juice, and honey are fantastic and affordable alternatives to the chemical-crammed cosmetics we are accustomed to buying.
Oats have been used in the cosmetics industry for decades for its healing properties. They are great for practically any skin type as they help sooth irritated skin and blemishes while still providing moisture and anti-aging effects. When using oatmeal on your face make sure to use unflavored and unsweetened varieties.
Plain yogurt is also a fantastic ingredient to cleanse and improve skin. Yogurt has anti-bacterial properties and contains lactic acid which helps reduce wrinkles and moisturize dry skin.
Lemon juice helps get rid of dead skin cells and also brightens up discoloration or dark spots on the skin. Finally, honey’s antiseptic and antioxidant powers are great for acne and hydrating skin. All of these ingredients can be used alone or mixed together to create your own personalized mask.
For example, you can mix a tablespoon of oatmeal with 2 tablespoons of hot water (depending on how thick you want the paste you can add more or less water) as a base for your mask. You can use that by itself or add a teaspoon of honey for some extra benefits, just make sure to let the oatmeal cool a bit before smearing it on your face. Leave on for 10-15 minutes, rinse with warm water (not hot!) and pat dry with a towel. The same can be done with yogurt, adding the honey and a few drops of lemon as you please.
Just a minor warning: you may look a little frightening with oatmeal or yogurt on your face so I suggest you hang out in your room during that time and just meditate or relax. Other than that you should be on your way to great looking skin with the help of some everyday ingredients.
