Relief from parched, oily or irritated skin is as close as the fridge. Ingredients that nourish your body can soothe complexions too. Try beauty expert Rona Berg’s easy, affordable home spa treatments for skin woes, from rough feet to "bacne"...
Every beauty expert keeps a well-stocked cupboard, and mine is overflowing with yummy scrubs, sweet-smelling oils and scrumptious masks for summer.
So is my kitchen pantry – and chances are yours is too.
It’s easy to dip into your fridge or cupboard, pull out fresh, healthy ingredients and make your own natural home spa treatments to soothe summer skin woes.
Here are 7 of my favorite recipes.
They cost less than $3, smell great and are good enough to eat!
1. Tropical Treat for Feet
There’s no time like sandal season to indulge tired feet. In just a few minutes, mix an easy, effective, all-natural foot mask that will pamper and prettify those barking dogs.
Luscious papaya contains papain, a natural exfoliant that smoothes rough, scaly skin. Yogurt absorbs excess oil and cools skin. Honey is an antibacterial, mint reduces inflammation and relaxes tired muscles, while grapeseed oil is a light antioxidant moisturizer that’s easily absorbed into skin.
Ingredients
1/2 papaya, mashed
1/2 cup plain yogurt
1 teaspoon honey
1 teaspoon grapeseed oil (you can substitute vegetable oil or olive oil)
1 sprig fresh mint, leaves torn into small pieces
Preparation
1. Mix all ingredients by hand or in a blender.
2. Massage all over feet.
3. Slip each foot into a small plastic bag. After 10 minutes, rinse with cool water. Apply your favorite foot or body cream. Tropical Treat lasts about 5 days in the fridge.
Cost: $1.40
Tip: This mask can also be used to smooth and soften hands and face.
2. Aloe Skin Soother
In the Southwest, many people keep an aloe plant because the gel from the leaves soothes dry, irritated, or burned skin.
Aloe gel is an anti-inflammatory, rich in vitamins, minerals and enzymes. It has more than 99% water, which is why it’s so soothing.
Aloe is also a temporary skin-tightener, which makes this a great “mini-mask” when you’re prepping for a party or after a day at the beach, especially if you’ve had too much sun.
The optional lavender oil also soothes burns. Chamomile oil calms inflamed skin.
Ingredients
1/4 cup aloe gel (available at health food stores)
2 vitamin E capsules
1/2 teaspoon chamomile or lavender essential oil (optional)
Preparation
1. Keep aloe gel chilled in the refrigerator – where it’ll last about 4 weeks – because cold makes it more effective. When you’re ready to apply the mask, cut open the vitamin E capsules and mix contents with the aloe gel and essential oil.
2. Apply to a clean face and leave on for 10 minutes. Rinse with cool water and moisturize.
Cost: $1.05
Tip: Aloe also reduces puffiness beneath eyes. Lie down for 5 minutes and gently pat back and forth on the under-eye area with your fourth finger. (It exerts the least pressure.)
3. Tuscan Face Glow
Olive oil isn’t only for eating. Since ancient Rome, it has been used in soaps, moisturizers, hair conditioners and body treatments.
“Liquid gold,” as it’s known in Italy, is loaded with antioxidants and oleic acid, which helps regenerate skin cells. It’s gentle enough for sensitive skin and so light that it won’t clog pores – even if your complexion is oily.
The orange (like other citrus fruit) contains citric acid, an exfoliant that loosens bonds between surface skin cells. Baking soda is a gentle scrub. Your skin will glow like you’re living La Dolce Vita!
Ingredients
1 small orange
1/4 cup cold-pressed extra-virgin olive oil (cold-pressing retains more nutrients)
1 tablespoon baking soda (optional)
Preparation
1. Finely grate the zest of the orange (avoid the white pith). Combine with olive oil in a small glass, ceramic or stainless-steel bowl. Cut the orange in half and squeeze the juice into the olive oil mixture. Blend in the baking soda, if you like.
2. Gently massage in circular motion on clean skin, and rinse with cool water. Store this for 2 weeks at room temperature.
Cost: $1.32
Tip: To make your tresses soft and shiny, massage a dime-sized dab of olive oil into your palms and very lightly scrunch through your hair – especially on dry ends. Give hair a light blast with the blow-dryer to help the oil penetrate.
4. Nutty Sesame Body Scrub
Sesame is one of the most deeply penetrating and richly emollient oils. In India, it’s massaged into the scalp because it’s believed to prevent hair loss.
The salt in this recipe helps slough off dry, flaky skin, while the oil softens and nourishes dry, sun-parched skin. This recipe is modeled after a spice paste, a traditional cooking rub common in many cultures, including India, China and Mexico.
Ingredients
1 cup sesame seeds
1 cup sea or kosher salt
1/2-3/4 cup sesame oil (or sweet almond oil)
Preparation
1. Toast the sesame seeds at 350˚ for 2 minutes to release the oil and make your scrub more fragrant. Using a mortar and pestle, crush the seeds with salt. Add oil.
2. Gently massage into your skin, from the neck down. Rinse off in the shower. Store it for up to six months out of direct sunlight.
Cost: $1.15
Tip: To revitalize skin and re-energize your body, massage the scrub as the pros do – from the tips of your fingers and toes toward the heart, to stimulate blood flow and increase circulation.
5. Egg-on-Your-Face Oily Skin Mask
There’s nothing as refreshing as the tart scent of lemon in the summer heat! This mask will cleanse and help clear oily skin.
The fruit’s citric acid is an alpha-hydroxy acid, which is a great exfoliant. The egg tightens and tones.
Citrus oils (grapefruit, lemon, orange, bergamot and neroli)) can make your skin more vulnerable to UV rays, so avoid the sun after applying them. Use this mask at night, before you sleep.
Ingredients
1 lemon
1 egg
Preparation
1. Slice the lemon in half. Scoop out enough pulp from one half to fit the egg yolk inside. Refrigerate the lemon-egg yolk overnight.
2. Apply the lemon-infused egg yolk to clean, dry skin, avoiding the eye area. Leave on for 15 minutes. Rinse with warm water. Store this for 2-3 days in the refrigerator.
Cost: 36¢
Tip: To exfoliate flaky elbows, prepare both halves of the lemon as directed above. After you’ve used the yolk on your face, tuck an elbow in each half for five minutes, gently massage salt into the area, then rinse.
6. Sage Bath ‘Bacne’ Buster
When zits blossom on your back, wearing a bathing suit is embarrassing.
Sage is your go-to "bacne" buster. The herb’s antiseptic oil kills bacteria that cause acne; it also disinfects cuts, soothes skin irritations and controls excess oil secretion.
Ingredients
1 cup oatmeal
1/4 cup fresh or dried sage leaves
Muslin bag or cheesecloth square with a piece of string
Preparation
1. Fill the bag or place ingredients in the middle of the cheesecloth square.
2. Tie it closed with string and hang it under the faucet while warm bathwater fills the tub. (This softens oatmeal and releases the sage oils.)
3. Soak in the bath for 5-10 minutes, then remove the bag and gently press it against your back. Make a batch to store for up to 6 months.
Cost: $1.24
Tip: You can use this poultice to help control oil on the face or chest too.
7. Cool-as-a-Cuke Toner
Cucumber is a beauty classic. It cools and refreshes irritated skin and reduces mild swelling. It's also a great toner, gentle enough for all skin types.
Ingredients
1/2 cucumber (don’t peel) *
3 tablespoons distilled water
3 tablespoons witch hazel
Preparation
1. Put ingredients in the blender and pulse until smooth. Strain through cheesecloth to separate solid ingredients and pour the liquid into a container with a tight-fitting lid. Dab on to skin with a clean, soft cloth or cotton ball. Keep it in the fridge for up to 2 weeks.
*You can replace the cucumber with pomegranate juice. The fruit is a powerful antioxidant that slows down skin damage from sun or pollution and helps regenerate cells. It’s gentle enough for all skin types. If using pomegranate juice, simply pour all ingredients into a bottle or jar and shake well to combine.
Cost: 45¢ (with cucumber)
Tip: To soothe irritated or puffy eyes, cut two slices of cucumber, and lie down with a slice over each eye for five minutes.
Best-selling author and beauty expert Rona Berg has written two books: Beauty: The New Basics and Fast Beauty: 1,000 Quick Fixes (Workman). You can reach her at www.ronaberg.com.
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