Sweet, Sweet Face Mask

This is such an easy and versatile tip that you can really experiment with it.

Use this as a base for the face mask and you can add other ingredients to your choosing but I think the two ingredients work fantastically if you are needing a quick, easy to make and effective.

One is water, which I’m sure you can get easily at home J

The other is something that is a basic staple that every household has: honey. I know that I have already mentioned honey in other uses (see my link).

I wasn’t lying when I said that the ingredients I recommend are versatile and can be used in so many ways: that is the beauty of home-made, natural remedies!

Why honey?

Apart from its delicious taste, honey also has so many benefits for your skin.

Honey is highly moisturizing on the skin. It reduces inflammation and swelling so it's perfect for dark circles/puffy eyes. It gently cleanses your skin and kills germs.

Honey and a honey face mask are essential elements in all natural skin care. Honey is the queen of skin care ingredients and has been used for thousands of years. What more proof of effectiveness do you need?

Scientific evidence did you say? I can certainly do that for you J

Protects Against Damage

Honey is a natural antioxidant, which provides protective benefits when used topically on the skin. Anything that provides protective benefits on the skin, I think that sounds like a good idea! The Skin Care Resource Centre reports that current research has determined the effectiveness of honey as a natural form of sunscreen, to protect the skin from sun damage such as premature wrinkling, a condition that in some people can lead to skin cancer. (see here for the full article http://www.livestrong.com/article/112833-benefits-honey-skin-care/) For someone like me who has eczema and has frequent bouts of sunburn this is something I rely on for an instant skin fixer and it works every time.

Promotes Wound Healing

As another added benefit that compliments its ability to protect against damage, honey can also heal wounds, due to its natural antimicrobial properties. According to the New Zealand Dermatological Society, the chemical makeup of honey is described as "high osmolality." To give a scientific explanation, High osmolality when referring to honey means that the sugars interact with water in such a way those microorganisms cannot develop. This means that when honey comes in contact with the wound , hydrogen peroxide is produced. The creation of the hydrogen peroxide can provide antibacterial benefits to ulcerated areas, which speeds healing. http://www.livestrong.com/article/112833-benefits-honey-skin-care/.  So basically if your skin has been through the trenches lately, use this mask ASAP!

Acne

This is a frequently touted benefit of using honey in skincare but there has been no conclusive evidence that honey on its own can directly help with acne. I personally think because acne is such a different experience for everybody it is hard to recommend a one size fits all remedy to help it. I still recommend you use this recipe to replenish your skin but I cannot guarantee that your acne problems will be solved.

As for which honey you should use, whatever honey you have at home will do the trick but if you are a honey lover like me, raw honey is fantastic.

How To Use This Mask

Whilst there are lots of way to apply it, I honestly use it on the fly and only make enough to use for the one time, instead of making a bulk amount due to the use of water.

Ingredients:

½ teaspoon water

1 teaspoon honey

You can change the quantities and add more if you like but the main key is that there needs to be more honey than water. The water merely acts to make the honey more liquid so it mixes easier, you don’t want the mixture to be too runny though so add a few drops of water first.

I find that this amount is more than enough to cover my face but it’s up to you how much sweetness you want on your face J

When the ingredients have been mixed, apply liberally to your face, massaging lightly until all the corners of your face has been covered. If there is any leftover it makes a nice little drink too!

Leave on your face for 15-20 minutes.

Once the 15-20 minutes is over, wash it off completely and moisturise as normal. You will feel the difference!

Everyone including you can enjoy a relaxing and satisfying natural spa experience right in your own home with these honey face masks. It's all made clear; these facial mask recipes are as simple as ABC, affordable or downright cheap and you probably have the ingredients already somewhere in your pantry.

Do you already use this remedy? Or do you add other ingredients to it?

Yoghurt Face Mask

This is such a simple recipe, and there's plenty leftover for you to eat as well.

Plain yogurt (I prefer to use Greek Yoghurt as it is more robust and is thicker) is a multi-vitamin super food used as a staple DIY ingredient in many homemade face mask recipes for beautiful youthful skin. 

Why is Yogurt So Good?

Whilst Yogurt has been touted as a cure for acne, I am going to refute these claims and disagree. From the scientific studies conducted, there has been no conclusive evidence that yogurt is helpful in helping with acne. However scientific studies conducted have revealed that yogurt does have benefits for your skin's overall appearance. In a study conducted by the Journal of Cosmetic Science, it was found that facial masks that contained yogurt 'successfully improved the moisture, brightness, and elasticity of treated skin' (see here for further details of the study).

The way I think about this tip is: dairy products have been proven to be effective at tenderising. Ever heard of recipes where you marinade the meat in yogurt or buttermilk to soften the meat? That's what I think of this recipe as, tenderising your face. It might not be a pretty image but that's the way I think of it, and boy does it work.

Here’s a simple list of the nutrients found in yogurt and how they are useful for skin (refer to here for the full article)

Nutrient	Benefit for Skin
Vitamin B2	For cell growth and regeneration. Hydrates and moisturizes skin as well as protects it from free radical damage.
Vitamin B12	Heals rough uneven skin. Has skin lightening properties useful for evening out skin discolorations and acne scars.
Vitamin B5	Brightens dull skin and lightens dark spots and acne scars, making them less visible.
Calcium	Composes the uppermost layer of skin. Heals dry withered skin.
Lactic Acid	Moisturizes, hydrates and nourishes dry skin. Keeps skin looking youthful by combating free radicals that age skin.
Zinc	Slows down aging by fighting the free radicals that cause wrinkles by stealing oxygen from healthy skin cells.

Table showing nutrients in yogurt that promote beautiful skin.

How to Deal With Oily Hair

This is something that I have struggled for years to deal with. 

Having oily hair myself, it is difficult to manage: I will need to wash my hair every two days if I wanted to have constantly primmed, clean looking hair.

But in reality, after 1 day, maybe 2 days in the cooler season, my hair roots start looking stringy and not nice at all. 

Does this look familiar? Don't worry, I feel your pain!

And then there are so many articles out there saying that you shouldn't wash your hair that often, and you should only wash once or twice a week!

I had tried so many proclaimed remedies that were meant to tame those pesky oily roots, but sadly enough none of them worked.

Whilst in my upcoming e-book I will discuss my go-to shampoo recipe, this is the main tip that I have picked up over the years that have worked for me, along with my busy schedule. They may not be groundbreaking but they work, and at the end of the day isn't that the main goal?

Working in an office job, it gets pretty busy and most days I always have my hair done up in a bun anyway so there isn't as much pressure for me to always have my locks glossy and looking prim perfect. 

This brings me to my tried and tested tip: dry shampoo.

I first heard of this product a few years back when I was walking around Priceline, a large Australian chain health and beauty shop. I saw it on sale at the front, and I thought: wow that is a genius idea! I won't have to wash my hair as often and it would still look washed and clean.
Nowadays dry shampoo is really popular, as busybodies love the convenience it brings, for people like me!

But one thing that annoyed me after a while was the price: most bottles, especially for the effective ones cost upwards of $10. That costs more than my NORMAL shampoo, it didn't seem worth it to keep forking out cash just because of my laziness. 

That's when I came across a home remedy that was literally sitting on my bathroom shelf that I had been neglecting: talcum powder. If you have heard of this tip, move along to the next time but this tip really works!
As you know talcum powder is a finely powdered mineral, hence it can also help to absorb excess moisture. That is why it works so well as a dry shampoo: it helps absord the excess moisture in your hair!


How to use:
Sprinkle onto your roots, just make sure the roots have a nice even coverage and have gotten a nice thin layer.
Leave in for 10-15 minutes.
After the time has passed, brush your roots thoroughly, ensuring the powder is fully coated into the hair. Eventually the residue will disappear and you will hair clean hair that has just been washed :)

I have read that using talcum powder is better for blondes due to the white residue in the talcum powder, but I use it all the time with no issues (I have black hair by the way!). It might be a bit fiddly to get the powder out of your hair but the results are worth it! I love using this in between washes, it really is a fantastic home remedy.

Any talcum powder you have at home will do, but something that caught my eye recently was all this talk of talcum powder possibly giving you breathing problems and even CANCER! I was pretty alarmed, as you do and did some investigating. 
I am happy to say that there have been numerous scientific studies carried out on talcum powder and they have found no links to cancer. 

What type of talcum powder do I use? Why the classic of course, Johnson's! I decided to switch to cornstarch over normal, not because I was alarmed at all these potential links to cancer but I just wanted to give it a try and I am never going back. It works so much better for me as a moisturiser and dry shampoo, making my hair look a lot cleaner and shinier, as well as easier to brush out. If you are interested in checking it out, click here. 

Have you tried this tip before? Is there another tip that works for you?
Post your comment below :)