How much money have you shelled out on facial masks, bubble bath, trips to the spa, and “miracle skin rejuvenation” products? Too much? It’s okay, we’re here to curb that spending habit and help you ramp up your inner kitchen witch. We’ve rounded up collection of 15 natural beauty tutorials that will cost you under $15 to make, from homemade bath bombs to scrubs (so many scrubs!) to body butter. Let’s start from the top with a few hair and face recipes!
1. Instant Dark Circle and Puffy Eye Reliever: Okay, we know. It’s getting cold and you can hardly imagine putting ice cubes on your eyelids, but hear us out: ice is naturally good at shrinking down puffiness, and it turns out so is green tea. It contains tannins which shrink swollen tissue, plus the caffeine constricts blood vessels just enough to reduce dark circles. (via Delighted Momma)
2. Homemade Face Scrubs for Every Skin Type: Whether your skin is dry, acne-prone, or just needs a good tone-up (see what I did there?), we’ve whipped up 5 super-natural facial scrubs. And don’t worry, they have a healthy balance of sugar + fruits and veggies. Your face will smell ah-mazing. (via Brit + Co.)
3. DIY Sugar Lip Scrubs: Did you know you should exfoliate your lips, too? It’s no use applying and re-applying lip balm if you’re just covering up dry skin. Like the face scrubs above, these lip scrubs contain a few essentials: oils and sugar or salt, plus some chopped herbs, fruits, or spices and extracts for a little flavor. (via Brit + Co.)
4. 2-In-1 Homemade Moisturizing Mask For Face & Hair. Chock full of yummy superfoods like avocado, banana, honey, and almond milk, this mask cleans up toxins and locks in moisture like nobody’s business. It’s perfect for your hair and just as beneficial for your face. (via Free People)
I hope you’re not singing TLC’s “No Scrubs,” ‘cause you’re about to get so many more scrubs. The next four are twists on the classic sugar scrub we all know and lub, er, love ;)
5. Vanilla Coconut Sugar Scrub.This one is a personal favorite ~ it smells so good!! Natural cane sugar works with coconut oil to remove dead skin while the vanilla essential oil helps repair skin damage and ease anxiety. Admittedly, vanilla essential oil can be a bit pricey, but once you buy it, it will last you a very long time. (via Poor & Pretty)
6. Coconut Lime Sugar Scrub:Yes, we have a slight obsession with coconut oil. We love Amy’s combination of coconut and lime here. If you’re making a small amount, you can substitute lime juice for the lime essential oil, as long as you keep the scrub refrigerated and use it within a few days. Anyone else have Harry Nilsson’s “Coconut” stuck in their head now? ♫ You put da lime in da coconut and mix it all up… ♫ (via The Idea Room)
7. How to Make Sugar Scrub Cubes: These are genius because they hold better than regular sugar scrub and aren’t as messy to deal with in the shower. They also make fantastic gifts (hello, handmade holiday!) Stephanie Gerber over at Henry Happened serves up three different recipes here. (via Henry Happened)
8. Gingerbread Scrub: Here’s another great DIY present. It’s got all the spice and warmth of gingerbread cookies, but it’s for your skin. Yummmm. (via Wallflower Girl)
If you’re anything like us, you covet that rare hour every few months when you actually have time for a relaxing bath. Baths are the perfect time to soak up a little extra moisture. Here are a few simple recipes for doing just that.
9. Mint Milk Bath:Milk is wonderful for your skin because it’s rich in alpha hydroxy acids, which promote exfoliation. Because this recipe contains mostly dry ingredients, you can store it pretty much indefinitely, and have it ready at a moment’s notice. For the same reason, it makes a great gift. (via Julie Blanner)
10. DIY Bath Bombs:We love bath bombs! You toss ‘em in the bath, they create little volcanos of fizz and fragrance and make the bath water smell fantastic. Plus, Epsom salts are known for relieving muscle pain while the oils penetrate and soften your skin. Pack these up in a mason jar and give ‘em as handmade gifts. (via Idle Wife)
11. Homemade Bath Salts: One necessary ingredient for any kitchen witch is a bag of dried lavender buds or lavender essential oil. Everything you’ve read about lavender being the queen of relaxation and stress relief is true. (via A Pumpkin & A Princess)
These last four DIYS are an assortment of handmade goodies for all-over body care.
12. How to Shave with Coconut Oil: Yes, we’re back at it with coconut oil. This one is easy because it’s just the one ingredient. Shaving with coconut oil will make such a difference for your legs – less nicks, ingrown hairs, and more smooth! (via In Sonnet’s Kitchen)
13. How to Make Your Own Solid Perfume:How much did you spend on your last perfume bottle? Probably way too darn much. And so many of them contain toxic chemicals and weird animal by-products. These are made with simply beeswax and essential or fragrance oils. We love the idea of pouring it into a locket for a two-in-one perfume and accessory. (via Crafts Unleashed)
14. Homemade Foot Scrub:All of the sugar scrubs mentioned previously can be used on your feet, but this is one meant specifically for your tootsies. Peppermint is great for feet because of its antiseptic and anti-infectious properties. It’s also known to relieve foot pain by boosting overall circulation. (via Blah Blah Magazine)
15. Homemade Body Butter: We always thought whipped body butter was such a pain to make until we found this recipe. It only contains three ingredients and it whips up in minutes. Of course, it has one of our favorite ingredients — coconut oil! ;) (via She Wears Many Hats)
Got any other favorites? We’d love to hear about your own natural cosmetic concoctions in the comments!