Personal confession: Second only to babies, puppies, and babies snuggling with puppies, there’s nothing that gives me quite as joyful a rush as those fleeting moments when I decide to make an unplanned beeline for the nearest beauty supply store, mind and wallet open, pretending for five whole minutes like money grows on trees and I’ll buy anything I can manage to carry up to the counter in two hands. From nail polish, to bronzer to essential oils and bath soaps…and perfumes, and mascaras, and face masks and lip stains and eye lash curlers and those little bottles of Evian spray that I’m totally sure are nothing more than tap water in a can…I would literally spend every last dime in my bank account, every single weekend, on arbitrary beauty products if I knew there’d be no consequences.
Alas, this is just a fantasy and, unfortunately, some of my favorite beauty supplies – even the ones I swear by – cost a pretty penny. But the truth is that having things like fresh glowing dewy skin, and soft, supple, shiny hair don’t really require $15 spray can water or $85 magic elixir serums. In fact, sometimes the very best potions for your skin and hair are made with products I guarantee you already have sitting somewhere in your kitchen! Thus, in honor of National Relaxation Day, I give you three of my favorite DIY beauty recipes that put even the best department store brands to shame!
1. Coconut Vanilla Sugar Scrub
Smooth, silky, flake-free (fragrant!) skin is three easy ingredients away!
Place coconut oil in a microwave safe dish and microwave for 30-45 seconds or until melted. Transfer melted Coconut Oil to small mixing bowl, and stir in White Sugar. Mix well. Add desired drops of Vanilla Essential Oil and mix again until well combined. Transfer to a sealed glass container for storage. Hint: Love self tanner? For a smooth, streak-free tan, use this scrub in the shower to exfoliate your skin before you fake-and-bake!
2. Avocado, Olive Oil, Honey Hair Mask
Ingredients:
1 Ripe Avocado
1 Tbsp of Honey
2 Tbsp of Olive Oil
Treat your dry, dingy tresses to an oasis of moisture! Mash one ripe avocado and add one tablespoon of honey and two tablespoons of olive oil. Mix into together until you reach a smooth consistency and apply on your damaged tresses. To seal in the moisture and maximize the smoothing properties, wrap a plastic bag over your hair and leave it to do all the work. Twenty minutes is okay, but an hour works magic!
3. Brightening Sour Cream Face Mask
Ingredients:
2 Tbsp of Sour Cream
2 Tbsp of Honey
1 Tbsp of Lemon Juice
To heal, exfoliate, moisturize and brighten your skin, combine about 2 tablespoons of sour cream with 2 tablespoons honey and 1 tablespoon lemon juice. Stir until thoroughly mixed. Apply to your clean, dry face and leave on for 20 minutes. Rinse with tepid water to remove the mask and then follow up with a cool water rinse (to close your pores!). Feel free to use this mask twice a week!
