We cook what we eat.  So, why not try whipping up the products that get absorbed by your skin?

So many hair and body care products are not only overpriced but also loaded with chemicals. You’ll feel better knowing what’s in the stuff that goes on your skin—and we guarantee your skin will look and feel better, too.

“Almond meal … acts as a pleasing alternative to soap at any time. It softens, cleanses, and whitens the skin.”
–The 1916 Old Farmer’s Almanac

HOMEMADE DEODORANT

One of the best deodorants is plain old baking soda. You can pat it right onto your skin or mix it with a little cornstarch for extra staying power and moisture control.

• Take equal parts baking soda and cornstarch. It helps to add a few drops of coconut oil to make a paste.
• Some readers say that mixing in a few drops of anti-bacterial tea tree oil makes it even more effective.

HOMEMADE TOOTHPASTE

Washing your hands with toothpaste and water will eliminate fish odor.

Even today, baking soda remains in the lead ingredient for oxidizing stains and removing plaque without removing tooth enamel. A combination of baking soda and hydrogen peroxide lifts particles caught between teeth and kills bacteria.

Do not add anything to the baking soda to make it more abrasive. You may want to add an artificial sweetener for taste (which is essentially all some of those “natural” toothpastes do), but do not add real sugar which would promote tooth decay.

1.  “Bare-Bones” Toothpaste: Mix 1 teaspoon baking soda with ½ teaspoon hydrogen peroxide; make a paste; scoop up with your toothbrush and proceed as you normally would.
2. “Minty” Toothpaste: Mix together 6 teaspoons of baking soda, ⅓ teaspoon salt, 4 teaspoons glycerin, and 15 drops of peppermint or wintergreen extract. Depending on how much you use at a time, this recipe is good for 15 to 20 applications and should be stored in any appropriately sized container with a snug lid.
3. “Modern” Toothpaste: Mix baking soda with equal amount of coconut oil, creating a paste. Add an essential oil in mint or herb if desired (5 drops per tablespoon of paste). Add sea salt for taste (a dash for every two tablespoons paste).

Note: Check with your dentist before usage. The American Dental Association only accepts toothpastes containing fluoride and recommends fluoridation of community water supplies. This is a debated subject; we refer you to your respective health care provider for their professional recommendation.

Throughout history, people have relied on techniques and special formulas to enhance their attractiveness. Some were based on ingredients that were found in the home or in the barnyard (think boiled calves’ feet as an ingredient in facial cream).

Some extreme makeovers include:

• Women in ancient Rome rubbed the ashes of ground snails on their skin to get rid of dark spots, mixed soot with water and applied it to their eyebrows to darken them, and “shaved” off body hair by rubbing their skin with a pumice stone.
• Women of the 17th century cut small star or Moon shapes from velvet or silk fabric and pasted them on their faces to cover facial scars, which were often the result of smallpox.
• Women in the 18th and 19th centuries pasted strips of mouse fur on top of their eyebrows to enhance their allure, covered blemishes with mercury, dabbed white lead on their faces to attain a pale complexion, and ate small amounts of arsenic to brighten their skin and eyes.

Here’s an assortment of safe beauty treatments that you can make easily from items available in natural food stores or that perhaps you already have in your pantry.

HAIR CARE TREATMENTS

Aromatic Conditioner

• 6 drops lavender essential oil
• 6 drops bay essential oil
• 6 drops sandalwood essential oil
• 6 ounces warm sesame oil

Mix the oils together in a bowl until blended. Part your hair in sections, put a few drops of the blended oil on your fingertips, and massage into your scalp. Cover your head with a towel for 15 minutes, then shampoo. You may need to shampoo twice.

Herbal Conditioner

• 1 teaspoon burdock root
• 1 teaspoon calendula flowers
• 1 teaspoon chamomile flowers
• 1 teaspoon lavender flowers
• 1 teaspoon rosemary flowers
• 1 Tablespoon vinegar

Pour 1 pint boiling water over the herbs in a bowl and let them steep for 30 minutes. Strain the liquid into a second bowl and add the vinegar. Shampoo, rinse, then pour the conditioner on your hair. Comb the conditioner through evenly. Do not rinse.

These ingredients shouldn’t be too hard to find, so for more of a challenge, try these old-fashioned hair care treatments.

FACIALS AND WRINKLE RELAXERS

Regular cleansing removes surface dirt and oils, but facial masks clean out the toxins that are found deep in pores.

Fruit Facial

This nutrient-rich cleansing facial mask contains many of the same age-defying ingredients—such as alpha hydroxy acid (in grapes), vitamin B (in cranberries), and vitamin C (in grapefruit)—that are found in store-bought products. Gelatin, which is often used in commercial facial peels, dries and stiffens. When it is peeled off, it helps to remove dead skin and unclog pores.

• 1 cup crushed seedless red grapes
• 1 cup crushed fresh cranberries
• 2 teaspoons grapefruit juice
• 1 envelope unflavored gelatin

Mix the ingredients together in a bowl until they form a paste. Cover and refrigerate for 45 minutes to let the mixture thicken. Remove from the refrigerator and let warm to room temperature. Spread the mixture on washed, dry skin. Avoid the area around the eyes. Sit or lie down for 15 minutes, then rinse off with warm water.

Chickpea Facial

Use Kasturi turmeric because regular turmeric can temporarily stain the skin.

• ¼ cup chickpea flour
• ¼ cup Kasturi turmeric powder
• yogurt, as needed

In a small bowl, mix the chickpea flour and turmeric. Store the mixture in an airtight bottle. When ready to use, place a teaspoon of the mixture in a small bowl and add enough yogurt to make a paste. Apply the paste evenly to the face and leave on until it dries, about 10 to 15 minutes. Wash off with warm water.

Wrinkle Relaxer

• 6 to 8 green seedless grapes

Wash the grapes, then cut them in half. Gently massage each half onto the face and neck. Let dry for 20 minutes, then rinse off and pat dry. Repeat every day, or as needed.

SCRUBS AND TONERS

Walnut Scrub

Get rid of rough patches on your hands, feet, and elbows! The oil in the walnuts provides gentle exfoliation and the olive oil adds extra moisture. The honey helps to seal the moisture into the skin.

• ¼ cup shelled walnuts
• ½ cup olive oil
• 1 Tablespoon honey

Combine all of the ingredients in a food processor and pulse until the mixture is reduced to fine particles. Gently rub on hands, feet, or elbows for several minutes. Rinse with warm water.

Coffee Scrub

Coffee grounds work to help diminish cellulite and varicose veins, in addition to improving circulation and smoothing the skin’s texture.

• 2 cups used coffee grounds
• ½ cup sugar or sea salt
• ⅔ Tablespoon unscented massage oil

Mix all of the ingredients in a large bowl. Massage gently on the skin, then rinse with warm water.

Citrus Splash Toner

For oily skin.

• 1 cup water
• ⅔ cup witch hazel
• ½ cup lemon juice

Mix all of the ingredients in a bowl and apply to the face, using a cotton ball. Store the remaining mixture in a jar. Shake before using again.

Herbal Splash Toner

For normal or dry skin.

• 1 cup boiling water
• ½ cup parsley

Chop the parsley and place in a small bowl. Pour the water over the parsley and let it cool. Strain the liquid into a jar. Apply to the face, using a cotton ball.

GENERAL ADVICE

• First, forget the idea that drinking plenty of water will keep your skin (eyes, nasal passages, nails) moist and your hair well behaved. Dermatologists say that while drinking water is important for overall health, as far as moisturizing skin, hair, and nails are concerned, you need to add moisture from the outside and prevent it from escaping into the drier surrounding air.
• Humidifying dry indoor air helps to provide that indoor moisture. It’s especially important if you suffer bloody noses and lots of respiratory infections. You could run an electric humidifier, but passive solutions may do the trick for you. We maintain a lot of well-watered houseplants that transpire water into the indoor air. We keep steamers going on each of our stoves that pump moisture into the air whenever the stove is running.
• Hanging your laundry on bars indoors is another great strategy. It doesn’t take much longer to dry near the woodstove than it would in an electric dryer, and while it dries, your laundry humidifies the air around it.

GENERAL ADVICE

• First, forget the idea that drinking plenty of water will keep your skin (eyes, nasal passages, nails) moist and your hair well behaved. Dermatologists say that while drinking water is important for overall health, as far as moisturizing skin, hair, and nails are concerned, you need to add moisture from the outside and prevent it from escaping into the drier surrounding air.
• Humidifying dry indoor air helps to provide that indoor moisture. It’s especially important if you suffer bloody noses and lots of respiratory infections. You could run an electric humidifier, but passive solutions may do the trick for you. We maintain a lot of well-watered houseplants that transpire water into the indoor air. We keep steamers going on each of our stoves that pump moisture into the air whenever the stove is running.
• Hanging your laundry on bars indoors is another great strategy. It doesn’t take much longer to dry near the woodstove than it would in an electric dryer, and while it dries, your laundry humidifies the air around it.

Oily Hair and Skin

• Add one teaspoon baking soda to two ounces of your shampoo. This works as an alkali to absorb excess oil.
• Baking soda works the same way with skin, it will absorb oil and also neutralize excess acid in your skin. Make a paste with baking soda and water.
• Try lemon juice as an astringent facial cleanser.

Dry, Itchy Skin

• You could use a commercial moisturizer or simply apply a thin coat of olive oil immediately after showering or bathing.
• Dermatologists also suggest taking shorter baths or showers in warm (not hot) water. Use a mild, glycerin-based soap. And stay away from hair or skin-care products that contain any forms of alcohol, which are drying agents.
• If you have itchy skin, try a soothing oatmeal bath.
• For a homemade scrub, mix ground oats and honey. Rub all over your face—especially your nose. The abrasive will remove dry, scaly skin while the honey seeps in as a moisturizer. Rinse completely off and pat dry, and your skin will be glowing and baby soft. Only use this remedy once a week.
• For superdry skin, use olive oil. Rub it in prior to a bath or shower. You may substitute peanut, sesame or sunflower oil.
• A quart of milk in a hot bath is a luxury as well as a skin toner. It’s a trick nearly as old as time.

Puffy, Tired-Looking, Dry Eyes

• Used teabags make excellent eye cosmetics. After being dunked (and allowed to cool slightly), drain the tea bag and place it over your closed eye (one for each) and hold it there for a few minutes. Redness, soreness, swelling and irritation will disappear like magic.
• If you suffer from dry, scratchy, itchy, eyes, try laying a warm, moist washcloth over your closed lids for a few minutes each day.
  • This simple, effective treatment helps to liquefy the lubricating oil in glands located along the eyelids. It may take a few days, but if you use the compresses faithfully, you should experience relief.

Dry, Chapped Lips

• To prevent cracked or chapped lips, use a lip balm and apply it often. It’s inexpensive and easy to make your own. If you make a big batch that’s a bit heavier on the olive oil, you can use your homemade balm for hands, fingernails, facial moisturizer, and (just a dab) hair conditioner, too.
• Plain honey is an excellent remedy for chapped lips. Leave on overnight—it makes for sweet dreams!

Brittle Nails and Ragged Cuticles

• To prevent brittle nails and ragged cuticles, use your homemade balm or a commercial conditioning agent after bathing or doing dishes. Some dermatologists suggest coating hands and nails with Vaseline or another moisturizing product and wearing cotton gloves overnight to treat dry nails and cuticles.
• If you polish your nails, find an acetone-free polish remover, as acetone is a serious drying agent.
• Also make sure to wear gloves or mittens when you go outside to prevent the dry winter air from drawing moisture from your hands and nails.