All Natural Beauty: 4 Simple DIY Natural Skin Care Recipes From Mother Earth

Transforming your body care products from harmful to homemade doesn’t need to cost a fortune or take hours of your time. These simple natural skin care recipes are made of ingredients easily found in most pantries, and they will readily replace your favorite store-bought products. You’ll never miss their questionable ingredients, harmful chemical compounds, or plastic containers — promise!

Coconut Oil Eye Makeup Remover

A pea-sized dollop of coconut oil is all you need to remove eye makeup at the end of a long day. Simply warm it in the palm of your hands and then gently apply it to the eye area with your fingertips. Massage it in and wipe it off with a soft cloth.

Simple Face Scrub

Unassuming superstars baking soda and water join forces to create a softly exfoliating scrub for smooth, dewy skin.

1. Mix 1 tablespoon baking soda with a little warm water to create a paste.
2. Gently massage mixture into the skin of your face, avoiding the delicate skin around the eyes.
3. Rinse with warm water and pat dry with a soft towel.

Shampoo/Conditioner

I am well aware of how unconventional this shampoo/conditioner duo sounds, but suspend your disbelief and just try it, OK?

Shampoo

1. Mix 1 tablespoon baking soda with 1 cup warm water.
2. Pour through wet hair and massage into the scalp.
3. Rinse well.

Conditioner

1. Mix 1–2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar or lemon juice with 1 cup warm water.
2. Pour through hair and leave to set for a few minutes.
3. Rinse well.

Note: If you live in an area with hard water you may need to boil the water for a few minutes before mixing the solutions in order to remove excess mineral content. I do it, and it’s not nearly as onerous as it sounds.

Luxe Lotion

This homemade body lotion recipe comes from Annalea Magana, and at a whopping three ingredients, is the most complicated of the bunch. Who knew you could create a rich, creamy lotion with just olive oil, water, beeswax, and a blender?

Here’s how you make it:

1. Grate 3 tablespoons of beeswax and combine it with 3/4 cup olive oil in a small saucepan. Heat over medium-low heat until the beeswax dissolves.
2. Add 1 cup of water to a blender, turn it on to a medium setting and then slowly add the olive oil/beeswax mix. Adding oil to water excruciatingly slowly allows it to emulsify and thicken into a rich lotion you will love.
3. Transfer the lotion into a sterile glass jar and stir in any essential oils you would like to add for fragrance.

This lotion is fantastic for dry winter skin. It keeps for about three months.

Sometimes, we overcomplicate life. Instead of spending our time and money seeking out the latest store-bought potions loaded with mystery ingredients, we can get soft skin, shiny hair, and radiant complexions with simple, natural ingredients — for a fraction of the cost.

Happy creating!

Feature image courtesy of Pimthida

Editor’s note: Originally published on November 17, 2014, this article was updated in October 2018.