Going Natural – The Wonder Mask

Tags

Anti-aging, Beauty, Breakouts, Face Masks, Homemade, Natural, Skincare

Happy Monday World!

I have been on a face mask obsession lately and have been dabbling into both commercial and home-made ones. The best part about home-made masks is how customizable they are – it is so easy to substitute, add, or leave out ingredients based on personal choice and skin types! One face mask concoction that I created for myself has become one of my all-time favorites. This has been super good for my oily-combination skin helping with both break-outs and fine lines.

I used clay in this mask to draw out the impurities and detoxify the skin. Rice and oat flours help to exfoliate and brighten the skin. Neem and turmeric are known for their anti-bacterial and skin-refining capabilities, and also are great for anti-aging. Matcha and Rosehip seed oil provide also add to the anti-aging capabilities of this mask. Even though this mask does not have the prettiest color (far from it!), it is an amazing all-natural way to pamper the skin!!

I love to slather this mask on, while relaxing in a hot bath with my favorite candles from Bath & Body Works. The steam from the bath opens up my pores for the mask to work its magic!

 

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What you need:

Organic rice flour – 1 tsp
Organic oat flour – 1 tsp
Bentonite clay – 1 tsp {I use Indian Aztec Healing clay}
Neem powder – ½ tsp
Turmeric – ¼ tsp
Matcha – ¼ tsp
Rosehip seed oil – a few drops
Apple Cider Vinegar – 1 tsp
Water – as needed

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The Method:

Mix all dry ingredients together.

Slowly add the wet ingredients to the dry till you get the consistency desired.

Apply the mask and wait for it to dry (approx. 15-20 minutes)

Wash off and follow with regular skincare.

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Have a beautiful week!

**Disclaimer: I am not a skin expert or an esthetician. This recipe worked for me. Please use caution and your best judgment if you are going to try any of these ingredients based on your personal skin type and allergies.

Going Natural – Anti-aging Exfoliating Mask

Tags

Almonds, Beauty, Bentonite clay, Calendula, Chamomile, Essential oil, Homemade, Natural, Neem, Oats, Rice flour, Rosehip oil, Skincare

I’ve always been a huge proponent of natural beauty products, and am constantly on the lookout for brands that are environmentally conscious as well as use organic and natural ingredients. And even more attractive to me is the idea of making my own skin care products, right in the comfort of my own home!

I grew up with Ayurveda all around me. My father has been a big follower of the art, and would make us strange healing herbal concoctions whenever we had the flu and such. I myself got into it as a young teen when I discovered I could get rid of acne and improve my overall skin quality with natural ingredients from our kitchen (ohh and it worked!!).

After trying Eminence Organic’s Strawberry and Rhubarb dermafoliant (and since I’m obsessed with scrubs and masks these days), I decided to experiment with creating my own dry scrub that would be gentle to the skin and all-natural. Here is a recipe that I used to create an anti-aging and hydrating scrub (since it is winter and this polar vortex never seems to end!).

Anti-Aging Exfoliating Mask (good for all skin types):

• Rice flour: Exfoliates and brightens the skin
• Oats: Great natural exfoliant, especially good for oily skin and healing skin problems like acne. Is soothing and anti-aging as well
• Almonds: Brightens skin and is anti-aging
• Bentonite clay: Extracts impurities from the skin and controls oil
• Neem: A wonder herb from the South-Asian region, helps to stave off all kinds of skin problems and purifies the skin
• Chamomile: Soothes and heals skin irritation, and has anti-aging benefits
• Calendula (or Marigold): Hydrates and heals the skin

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What you need:

Organic rice flour – 3 oz
Organic oats – 2 oz {I use the steel-cut kind}
Ground almonds – 1 oz
Bentonite clay – 1 tbsp {I used the Indian Aztec Healing clay}
Neem powder – 1 tbsp
Chamomile – 1 tbsp
Calendula – 1 tbsp
Rosehip seed oil – 15 drops
Chamomile essential oil – 15 drops

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The Method:

Finely grind all dry ingredients in a spice or coffee grinder. Make sure everything is ground very finely. I like to use a sieve to sift out the thicker particles and grind them again.

Once ground, mix all the dry ingredients together. 

Add the oils, a drop at a time, mixing well after each addition.

Store in a glass container in a cool dry place.

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To use:

This can be used as a scrub or a mask. Mix some of the product with your favorite liquid – milk, rose water, juice or plain old water – to make a paste. Apply on face and neck and leave for 10-15 minutes. Wash off while scrubbing for smooth and radiant skin!

**Disclaimer: I am not a skin expert or an esthetician. This recipe worked for me. Please use caution and your best judgment if you are going to try any of these ingredients based on your personal skin type and allergies.

Going Natural – Coffee Love

Tags

Beauty, Homemade, Natural, Skincare

I absolutely love body scrubs! They are not only a necessity for smooth glowing skin, but there is also something extremely sensual about them. Rubbing the body with a messy mixture that smells and feels exotic makes me feel extremely primitive and sexy. It is the perfect pick-me-up!

We recently bought a coffee maker. I hated having to throw out the brewed coffee grounds that smelt sooo heavenly, so I decided to use them to make a yummy body scrub. Is it just me, or is my skin glowing?!

Coffee and Vanilla scrub:

Coffee is excellent for cellulite, and removing dry skin. The sugar is a great exfoliant as well, while the oil helps soften the skin. This scrub is especially great in the cold winter months, ‘coz it keeps the skin moisturized and hyrdrated.

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What you need:

Ground coffee – 1/2 cup
Brown sugar – 2 tbsp
Almond or Olive Oil – to mix
Vanilla essence – 1 tsp for fragrance

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The Method:

Mix all the ingredients together till you get the desired consistency. 

Scrub all over body, leave for 1-2 minutes, and rinse off!

Have a sexy bath!

Going Natural – A Natural Bath

Tags

Beauty, Homemade, Natural, Skincare

I love DIY skin recipes. They’re not only fun to make and use, but also provide the skin with excellent nutrients direct from the source ingredients instead of little hints of them that are present in commercial skin products, and without the associated harsh chemicals.

A Cleopatra-inspired milk bath:

Milk is known for its softening and moisturizing properties. It acts like a natural exfoliant and removes surface grease without upsetting the skin’s oil balance. This bath has been used by people for thousands of years for beautiful flawless skin.

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What you need:

Powdered Milk – 3 cup

Oatmeal – 1/4 cup

Dried Orris Root – 1/4 cup

Almond Meal – 1/3 cup

Vitamin E Capsule – 1

Cornstarch – 1/2 cup

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The Method:

Mix all ingredients and store in an air-tight container.

To use, take some of the mixture and tie in a muslin bag, or a facecloth.

Tie to the tap and let warm water to run over the bag into your bath.

Soak in the bath for smooth hydrated skin!

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Something to do this week after work, maybe? Have a relaxing bath!

Rapunzel Rapunzel, let down your hair..

Tags

Homemade, Natural, Skincare

Growing my hair longer is number one on my to-dos right now. I used to have lovely long luxurious locks, but after a very tumultuous 2011, I decided to get a new look which meant chopping all of it à la Alexa Chung at that time. Stepping out of the salon looking so stylish and fresh, I was elated. However, I regretted my decision right after the first wash *sob* *sob*. I am not one to spend hours on hair styling; I am a wash-and-go girl. And the hair looked terrible un-styled. I have since been trying to grow them back. But 10 inches was a LOT of hair!

Recently, my hair was in a terrible state also – it was breaking like there was no tomorrow, was rough and oily at the same time, and the scalp got flaky and itchy. Terrible, to say the least! I started taking a hair and nail supplement, and oiling it at times to help improve it a little bit (which I think it has somewhat).

As a little extra, I am now turning to nature to revitalize and make my hair naturally beautiful. I LOVE herbal remedies and Ayurveda, which is the ancient Indian science of herbal medicine, and so I researched and through a lot of experimenting, have found the things that work best for hair:

Diet 

A friend of my mother’s had amazingly gorgeous hair and I asked her what she did for her lovely locks. “Yeast”, came the answer. Yeast, you say?! Yes, so apparently brewer’s yeast is an excellent source of biotin, that is a nutrient that aids hair growth in the human body, as well as various other minerals and amino acids (aka proteins). Now I’m no doctor, but all those nutrients all sound EXCELLENT for the hair! Other than that, ofcourse a healthy wholesome diet will solve most of our problems.

Hair Masque / Deep conditioning treatment

I have been using Oscar Blandi’s Marine Mud Treatment, which works great, but is just so expensive! As an inexpensive and completely natural treatment, I found the recipe below works wonders for my hair. People always tell you to apply egg to your hair, which I’ve tried and hated since sitting around smelling like raw egg makes me want to throw up. Not to mention that the smell seems to linger long after I’ve rinsed my hair multiple times! What I loved most about this masque was that this has eggs and one doesn’t have to deal with the smell!

What you need:

½ ripe avocado

1 jar of full-fat Mayonnaise

The Method:

Mash the avocado and add double the quantity of mayonnaise. Blend well. You may also add a little lemon juice if you have dandruff. Apply throughout the hair and leave for 15-20 minutes. For better results, wrap with a hot towel or shower cap. Rinse well with warm water and give a final rinse with cold water for extra shine.

Have you been doing anything special for your hair?

Ta ta for now!