Photo: Sakurako Kitsa
We all deserve a treat now and again but as a Mum, you’re probably the one to miss out in that department if money is a bit tight. Rather than forgoing beauty treats altogether, why not try making your own? In most cases you won’t need anything fancy and you’ll probably find that you’ve got a lot of the ingredients at home already. Here are some ideas that you can try out next time you’ve got some ‘me’ time in the bathroom.
Face Masks
No matter what your skin type, you can pamper yourself with homemade face masks.
- All skin types: Plain yogurt (the kind with no flavourings) acts as a toner. Just apply a thin layer to your face, leave on for a few minutes and rinse off.
- Dry skin: A honey face mask will give your skin a moisture boost without drying it out even more and it’s also got antibacterial benefits. Apply some honey to your face and rinse with warm water after a few minutes. Banana and avocado are also frequently used as face masks for dry skin and you can maximise the benefits by mashing them up with olive oil.
- Oily skin: An egg face mask is a simple one to whip up for oily skin but you can also use mashed or pureed apricots (contains fruit acids that help to unblock pores), tomatoes (either the juice or pureed pulp to soak up excess oil), carrots (rich in antioxidants and are thought to be good for blemished skin) and strawberries (a natural source of salicylic acid so they’re a great natural alternative to spot treatments, especially if you find these harsh on your skin).
- Combination skin: A mixture of cocoa powder, honey, oatmeal and water creates a gentle exfoliator. Leave on for ten to fifteen minutes and rinse off.
Body Scrubs
Homemade body scrubs are really simple to put together and you’ve probably got most or all of the ingredients already. You can choose sugar, salt or coffee grounds as the exfoliating element of your body scrub. Mix this with to create the scrub. You can use basic olive oil for this but if you’ve got dry or sensitive skin, you may prefer to use apricot, avocado, almond or coconut oil. For oily skin, grape seed oil may suit you better.
Hair Masks
- To nourish your hair: Try a banana, egg yolk and olive oil mask. Mash the banana, add in the other ingredients and apply to your hair. Keep it on for at least twenty minutes before you rinse it off. Pin your hair up and pop a shower cap on top if you want to get on with other activities while you’re waiting.
- For dry and damaged hair: Egg, olive oil and apple cider vinegar can help to get your hair back into good condition. Beat one egg with a tablespoon of vinegar and a couple of tablespoons of olive oil, and massage it onto your hair. You’ll probably need to detangle your hair with a fine toothed comb at this point but once you’re done, leave the mask on for around fifteen minutes and wash off. Another option for dry and damaged hair involves yogurt, egg whites and mayonnaise. Beat the egg white until it goes frothy and add in the other ingredients. Apply to your hair and cover with a shower cap for half an hour.
- For shiny hair: Mash some strawberries in a bowl and add a small dollop of mayonnaise. Leave on your hair for thirty minutes.
Homemade beauty treats are a great way to save money, so you can still enjoy the benefits even if you’ve had to slash your beauty budget. Whatever your skin or hair type, there’s a remedy out there for you and it’s a lot more natural than most shop-bought equivalents. Why not try these out next time you’ve got a spare half hour?
Have you tried making your own beauty treats at home? Was it a success?
