Homemade Skincare Pt 6: Exfoliating Foot Mask!

Of all of the homemade skincare recipe's, the exfoliating foot mask is by far my favorite! I love having my feet pampered, who doesn't?! You can get the same results from this at home treatment that you would get from going to the salon or spa! Just follow this recipe and you will be on your way to smooth, happy feet!

Exfoliating Foot Mask

1/2 cup of ground oatmeal
1/2 cup of cornmeal
1/2 cup of coarse salt
1/2 cup of scented or unscented body lotion
4 tablespoons of aloe vera gel

After all ingredients are mixed well together, apply the scrub to your feet and ankles and gently massage. Do that for a few minutes and then wash off. Your feet will feel so relieved and smooth! This scrub really works and it's gentle enough that it won't tickle your toesies!
*All ingredients can be purchased at your local drug or grocery stores!

Homemade Skincare Pt 5: Honey Cleanser!

Cleansing is the most important step in the skin care process. Breaking down all the dirt and makeup from your face is very important in helping prevent any breakouts and keeping a nice, well balanced complexion. The honey cleanser, which is a mixture of castile soap and 1 teaspoon of honey, does just that! When mixed, the honey and castile soap create a thick solution that lathers up great. It's gentle enough to rub over your (closed) eyes and tough enough to remove dirt and makeup from your face.
*There is a not so good smell to this recipe due to the castile soap and your skin does feel a little dry, so a deep moisturizer is highly recommended!

Homemade Skincare Pt 4: Epsom Salt Bath!

How many of you have trouble sleeping at night? I do and it annoys me so much!! I have to listen to at least an hour of my iPod before I can dose off! Who knew something as simple as taking an Epsom salt bath before bed could be the cure! Like many people, I don't take many baths, no I'm not a stinky little kid like Linus from Charlie Brown, but I prefer showers! With baths, I feel like I'll end up sitting in dirty water, but if it means I'll sleep like a baby I'm all for it! Draw a nice warm bath, add 1 or 2 cups of Epsom salts, and you can even add a few drops of an essential oil of your choice. Light up some candles! Soak for up to 30 minutes and by this time you should feel extremely relaxed, calm and ready for some shut eye! I was truly amazed by not only how fast I fell asleep but how great I felt the next morning! Priceless!

Homemade Skincare Pt. 3: Lemon Refresher Astringent!

This homemade astringent is great for balancing oily skin and it's also very calming to the skin so there's no irritation. Mix the juice from half of a lemon and a 1/4 cup of witch hazel for this simple, yet awakening formula! A good friend of mine used this recipe and HE loved it! It's great for guys too! He said that it helped with the size of his pores, making them less visible!

*witch hazel can be purchased at your local drug store for around $5-$9!

Homemade Skincare Pt. 2: Basic Clay Mask!

The second homemade skincare recipe was a mask. I'll admit I was NOT too thrilled about this one! I typically don't like the tight feeling mask has once it starts to dry!

Basic Clay Mask:

3 tablespoons green clay

water

I applied the mask on while I was in the shower so there was less of a mess and it actually felt good on my skin. I left it on long enough for it to dry, and I could really feel my skin getting tighter and firmer. I made the mistake and smiled while the mask was almost dry and it started to crack!! It had been ages since I've used a clay mask, but I have no memories of them being easy to wash off! This simple mask was so easy for me to wash off of my face. My skin was bright and smooth, added a little moisturizer (Clinique Moisture Surge) and I was feeling beautiful and ready for bed!

An 8oz jar of green clay will run you around $5-$9 at your local drug store.

Homemade Skincare Pt. 1: Oatmeal Facial Scrub!

At FIDM (Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising), the students majoring in beauty have the pleasure of having some pretty amazing professors! One of my favorite teachers, Mrs. Habermeyer, assigned a six part homemade skincare recipe group project for us all to do. They were really fun to experiment with and very inexpensive! My two group members and I had a great time with this 'homework' assignment!

The first one that I did was a Gentle Facial Exfoliator Scrub:

1/2 cup ground oatmeal

1/4 cup powdered milk

1 teaspoon cornmeal

water

I normally like my facial scrubs to really scratch my face so that I can tell my face is really getting clean. Well, the truth of the matter is, scrubs that have too harsh of scrubbing beads or particles actually hurt your skin. They strip and can cause damage to your skin. The oatmeal scrub is so gentle and soothing to the skin! It left my skin feeling so smooth and soft! When enough water is added, the substance glides on like a paste and not as if it's regular oatmeal!

All ingredients for this recipe can be bought at your local grocery store!

*this recipe can be a bit messy, I would suggest applying while getting in the shower that way it will be less mess!