We all love looking good and being healthy. To achieve that, we’re willing to go for all sorts of treatments and products that are supposed to make us look perfect. However, there’s not enough money in the world to buy all those skin and hair products, so we need to compromise and come up with alternative solutions. Moreover, we really should take all the medical advice from the cosmetics industry with a grain of salt given that they make money of our imperfections.
Words: Brigitte Evans
Photo by taylor hernandez on Unsplash
Luckily, there are natural sources of beauty and health and they’re all around us. Not only is this option more affordable, but it’s also healthier. Of course, it doesn’t mean you need to give up cosmetics entirely, but there are great natural ingredients you can use to improve your beauty routine, as well as your general well-being.
1. Oil for Everything
If you’d like to have softer hair, use melted oil – coconut being the best option. Put it on your scalp and spread it to the rest of your hair. Once you are sure you covered all the areas, leave it on for a couple of hours, and then wash your hair thoroughly. This is quite convenient beauty trick since you can have the oil on while sleeping, cooking, cleaning or doing anything that involves you staying at home for a while. Just be careful – your hair will be very greasy from the oil, so make sure you wash it thoroughly. You can use oil to make your skin softer, like body butter. If you have issues with dry skin, you can even shave using coconut oil instead of a shower gel or shaving cream.
2. Tea
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When it comes to using tea in your beauty routine, you cannot go wrong. I’m not talking about miracle teas that will make you lose weight, have amazing glowing skin, but the general benefit of all sorts of teas. There are teas that affect our concentration, skin condition, and mood. Green tea has antioxidants, and therefore, it’s good to drink it on a daily basis. For instance, the awesome Edible Beauty Australia offers a wide selection of “beauty tea” that is guaranteed to leave you with a healthy-looking skin.
3. Honey Face Mask
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Face masks are something everyone needs to use. Their benefits are numerous, but again, the prices are high. Luckily, you can use some of the things you already have in your kitchen in order to nurture and replenish your skin. For instance, if you have a jar of honey, you can simply take one tablespoon of honey, rub it between your fingers and onto your face. Let it sit for ten to fifteen minutes, and then wash your face. The results will be visible instantly and your skin will be noticeably gentler and smoother.
4. Natural Scrub
If you’re in need of a face or a body scrub, you can always make one by using sea salt and honey or oil, or coffee sludge. Just rub it onto your skin wherever you feel the need for it and rinse it off. Getting rid of dead skin cells helps your skin regenerate and become softer and healthier. You can also put honey on an open lemon wedge, rub it onto your skin for about a minute, leave it on for five minutes, and then wash it out. Just be careful, citrus can make your skin photosensitive, so it’s best to do this before going to bed.
5. Nuts
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Whether it’s almond, hazelnut, walnut or any kind of nut, you should definitely make it a part of your diet. Nuts contain vitamin E and are rich in omega-3 fats which increase your collagen levels and keep your skin elastic. That means that consuming nuts regularly will keep your skin healthy and young-looking – just like Botox, only more natural.
Instead of succumbing to the general craze of being able to buy all the beauty products you can find in a store, we really should turn to nature and its ways rather than obsessing with the new magical creams or beauty treatments. Nature’s way is the best way – there are usually no side-effects and the results are more effective. You’ll notice the difference as soon as you start implementing these natural beauty treatments.