Natural Beauty Product Recipes

Natural beauty products are wonderful, however they can get expensive. I thought I would share my top three favorite homemade beauty products.

Sweet & Spicy Massage Oil

This smells incredible! The longer you let it sit the more intense the scent.

1/2 cup almond, safflower or canola oil
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
1 tablespoon vanilla extract

Mix all of the ingredients together, cover and let it sit overnight or up to 1 week in a cool, dark area. This allows the oil to absorb the cinnamon and vanilla. To remove solids, pour into a clean jar or bottle through a funnel lined with a coffee filter. To further intensify the scent, place a cinnamon stick and/or a vanilla bean inside the container.

Oatmeal Bath

Oatmeal is one of the best ingredients for dry, sensitive skin as well as for children and babies! It is also excellent for skin irritations and soothes eczema, chicken pox and other rashes.

1/2 cup to 1 cup of oatmeal which has been blended into a fine powder, is suitable for 1 bath. Just sprinkle the powder into the bathwater and soak.

Another option is to place 1/2 cup of oats in a piece of cloth or muslin. Tie up the corners and secure the bundle with an elastic to prevent the oatmeal from seeping through. Place in the bath before you run the water to soften the oats. The milky liquid which is released is an amazing skin softener!

Sugar Body Scrub

1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup vegetable glycerin or almond oil

Mix sugar and oil together and massage into dry skin. It is a good idea to do this in the shower as it gets a bit messy. This is such a great way to remove rough, dry patches and leaves your skin silky smooth!

A Healthy Way To Cool Down Food

This is one of my favorite tricks which I came upon accidentally a couple of years ago. With steaming hot plates of food on the table, my daughter always complained everything was "too hot" and asked for an ice cube to be placed in EVERYTHING. The problem with the ice cube is that it ended up making everything watery and diluted the flavors.

After putting my thinking cap on for a moment I came up with the perfect solution, frozen peas! I stirred them into her plate or bowl of food and by the time the it was cool, the peas were cooked. It is also a way to add nutrition to every meal!

Natural Tooth Whitener

Please note: As with any home remedies, you should contact your physician or dentist before trying.

I've used different whitening kits over the years from my local drugstore. Now they did work but I wasn't a fan of leaving a solution on my teeth for 20-30 minutes for 7-10 days! I also cringed every time I had to shell out $25 to buy one of these kits.  Well those days are over because I found the most fantastic natural tooth whitener and it costs pennies to make!

Natural Tooth Whitener

2 teaspoons baking soda

2-3 teaspoons hydrogen peroxide (enough to make a paste)

Mix until it forms a runny paste. Brush your teeth with this solution and let it sit on your teeth for 2 minutes. Rinse with warm water and then brush your teeth with regular toothpaste to rid your mouth of the peroxide solution. 

I saw results after using this twice! My teeth were visibly more whiter and felt so clean! They looked better than they had after a cleaning at my dentist.

You shouldn't brush with this treatment more than once per week.

Please note if you have open sores, cavities, gingivitis or other gum diseases, this may make your gums appear white for a short time. It may not be the right whitener for your teeth if they are very sensitive.  

Make your own Fruit and Vegetable wash!

I stumbled across this recipe today while looking for a way to make my own veggie wash. My local supermarket carries a wash however they can get pricey.  This recipe would make an excellent substitute. 

1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

10 drops grapefruit seed extract

2 tablespoons baking soda

1 cup pure water (filtered is best)

3/4 cup white vinegar

1. Pour all ingredients in a sprayer bottle and shake well. 

2. Spray produce (except mushrooms ) and let sit for 5-10 minutes.

3. Rinse well.

A cure for the common diaper rash... Breast milk!

I recently came across an interesting tip while looking for a way to get rid of my month old daughter's diaper rash. It wasn't a yeast related rash just your standard diaper rash and it would improve slightly when I aired her bum out periodically. The drugstore diaper creams weren't working so I was beginning to get anxious as to what I should do.

After extensive research online, I came across an interesting piece of information. Apparently breast milk helps to clear diaper rashes if applied generously to the rash area and allowed to air dry. I was aware of some of the healing properties of breastmilk, such as eye and ear infections as well as stuffy noses however diaper rashes? I hadn't heard of that one before although it would make sense considering that it is sterile and antibacterial.

Well I tried it today and applied the milk to her bottom after two diaper changes. The first time I applied it I saw a significant difference. Her bottom wasn't as red and parts of the rash had faded. The second time I saw even more of an improvement and her rash is almost completely gone! I am completely thrilled and so relieved that my baby's bum is healing so nicely!

It amazes me how my body can provide such a perfect food for my baby, keep her from getting sick and at the same time help to heal her little body. Breastmilk truly is "liquid gold".