Moms have secret superpowers that come in the form of magical, mystical home remedies, some of which are completely bogus (like my mother giving me sips of diet coke to “cure” my stomachaches, or site director Lauren Caruso’s Italian grandmother telling her to eat marina for her headaches). Other remedies, though, like the following five skincare recipes, are freaking phenomenal—so much so, that we decided to share them with the world.
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We asked our favorite mommy beauty bloggers to share with us their best DIY recipes, from hair masks to body scrubs, all of which are easy, cheap, and totally effective. Plus, they’re fun to make, which is kind of the goal for all beauty recipes, right? Scroll down to see our favorites, then test them out on yourself. We don’t want to say that moms know best, but, well, they almost always do.
Photo: ImaxTree
DEAD SEA BODY SCRUB
“My favorite DIY beauty recipe is a good salt body scrub,” says Lacey Mackey of Natureal Mom. “Not only do they cleanse and exfoliate dry skin, but they’re easy to make, and I can play around with scents and the different therapeutic properties of essential oils.”
INGREDIENTS:
2 cups of fine-grain Dead Sea salts
1/2 cup of almond or jojoba oil
8-10 drops of essential oils.
HOW TO:
Combine all of the ingredients in a plastic bowl (glass containers in a slippery shower are a major nope), then gently massage the scrub all over your wet skin. “This time of year, I like using two drops each of palo santo, grapefruit, cypress, and palma rosa oils for an aromatic, purifying body scrub.”
PEPPERMINT HAIR MASK
“My absolute favorite DIY recipe is actually a hair mask, since keeping my hair long and healthy puts me in my beauty comfort zone,” says Andrea Bai of Glam Hungry Mom.
INGREDIENTS:
4 tablespoons coconut oil, melted
2 tablespoons honey
5 drops peppermint essential oil
HOW TO:
“After mixing the ingredients, apply the mask to your dry hair, starting at the scalp, and let it sit for 20-30 minutes, then wash it out. You may have to shampoo twice to completely rinse it clean,” says Bai. “The coconut oil really moisturizes the scalp, so I like to use this mask once a week or every other week to keep my hair looking its best.”
Photo: ImaxTree
ROSEWATER FACE MIST
“I love to use rosewater as a face toner,” says Vicki Psarias of Honest Mum. “I make my own by placing rose petals into water with a little lemon—it makes such a refreshing tonic.”
INGREDIENTS:
1 cup of rose petals. (“I like to use edible roses, such as rosa damascena or rosa centifolia,” says Psarias)
2 cups of filtered water
1 drop of rubbing alcohol
HOW TO:
“Place the rose petals in a glass jar, pour the water over them, and add the drop of alcohol. Let it sit overnight, then remove the petals and keep the rose water in a glass jar,” says Psarias. “Use cotton pads to dab the toner over your clean skin whenever you need a refresher!”
VANILLA COCONUT SUGAR SCRUB
“My favorite homemade sugar scrub is so simple that my 6th grader and her friends made an assortment of scented scrubs this summer and sold them at our local farmers’ market,” says Jamie Reeves of Blonde Mom Blog.
INGREDIENTS:
1/2 cup coconut oil
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
HOW TO:
“This smells so yummy and leaves your skin smooth,” says Reeves. “Just mix the ingredients together, then massage it into your skin while in the shower, and rinse.”
RED WINE MASK
“I love the antioxidant powers of a red-wine facial mask! I make one that requires just a few ingredients and will leave your skin moisturized, exfoliated and glowing,” says Kristin Swenson of Take Time for Style.
INGREDIENTS:
2 tablespoons of full fat sour cream
2 tablespoons of raw honey
1 tablespoon of red wine
HOW TO:
“Mix the ingredients, spread the mixture over your face, leave it on for 15 minutes, and then rinse!” says Swenson.
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