When you go shopping for beauty products and read the package ingredients, you will find that most of them could be actually out of your garden or from your balcony pots. So why not grow and harvest them by yourself and use them raw or in combination with alcohol, coconut water or essential oils. Plants are the best remedy for your skin and it is fun experimenting and trying out new combinations.
Here are IRMA’s most effective natural favorites:
BERRIES
If you have a garden or a balcony, chances are, you are growing berries. They are not only a tasty summer treat, they are also full of rich antioxidants that slow down the aging process. They also provide lots of rich colors that can be used for your lips and cheeks, so why not experiment and add them to your morning beauty routine to give yourself a bit of natural color. I also like to use berries for an antioxidant mask that helps hydrate your skin, reduce wrinkles and reduce inflammation.
Berry face pack
Simply mix some mashed up berries with honey and apply to your face. Let the mixture sit for 10 to 15 minutes and then rinse and pat dry.
LAVENDER
Lavender is a natural choice for any herb garden, and it also grows quite well in containers. Known to relax and soothe the mind, lavender is often used in aromatherapy. Its many benefits also make it worth incorporating it into your beauty routine. Did you know that lavender has anti-inflammatory and antiseptic properties, and helps reduce redness and blotchiness in your complexion?
Lavender oil
You can make your own lavender oil and mix a little bit with your daily moisturizer to receive these benefits. Mix 2-4 cups of fresh lavender flowers with a mildly scented carrier oil, fill into a large glass container with a tight fitting lid and allow to sit at least for 48 hours. Strain out the flowers using a strainer or cheesecloth and replace with fresh lavender about two or three times. Store the finished oil in a dark glass bottle in a cool dark place to preserve its healthful properties. Your oil should last up to a year when properly stored.
BASIL
Fragrant basil is another herb garden favorite, a favorite if you like to eat caprese and other Italian dishes. Loaded with powerful antioxidants and nutrients, basil is also great to incorporate into your beauty regimen. Used in the form of leaves as well as essential oil, it is a natural remedy for hair loss and dandruff, and battles pimples and acne.
Basil face mask
Eating the leaves helps to get blemish-free, clear skin, but you can also make a mask mixing crushed basil leaves with turmeric, sandalwood powder and lemon juice. Apply it on your face daily, let it sit for 10 minutes, then wash off with warm water. Another way to use it for blemish-free skin is to beat egg white with the juice of fresh basil leaves. Leave the face pack on for 30 minutes before washing it off. The basic leaves will clear infections, while egg white tightens the pores, leaving you with glowing skin.
TOMATOES
If you have an edible garden, you are probably growing fresh tomatoes. And if you have more tomatoes than you know what to do with, it only makes sense to use them every way possible, including your beauty routine. Tomatoes can hydrate dry skin and combat oily skin at the same time.
Tomato face mask
Here is a way to use tomatoes as a mask: If your skin tends to be dry, crush up a tomato and apply the pulp to your skin, let it sit for a couple of minutes and then rinse off and pat dry. If your skin is more on the oily side, mix tomato paste with some cucumber juice and apply the mixture as a mask, let it sit on your face for 15-20 minutes before rinsing off.
And if you want to be more on the comfortable side, just go shopping for the best natural cosmetics on the market, there are so many excellent ones. Here are some of our current favorites:
Aesop Blue Chamomile Facial Hydrating Masque
This hydrating masque combines the soothing properties of blue chamomile with sodium carrageenan, derived from a form of red algae. Consider it a “first-aid” for the skin, offering relief to dry and fatigued skin and soothing irritations.
L’Occitane Lavender Hand Cream
Formulated with lavender essential oil, massage the lightweight Lavender Hand Cream into hands for a relaxing escape to the fields of Provence. This quickly absorbing lotion has been enriched with shea butter to lock moisture into the skin for silky-smooth hands.
Caudalie Eau de Beauté
This beauty elixir is a natural, lightweight toning mist that sets makeup, provides an instant burst of radiance and tightens the appearance of pores. It is formulated with grape, mint and rosemary extracts and soothing rose essential oil to provide an immediate burst of radiance and clear complexion.
Jo Malone Basil & Neroli Home Candle
After working in the garden, what could be better than relaxing in the evening with this luxurious scented candle that brings a garden atmosphere inside. Fresh and sophisticated, it mixes the peppery scent of basil with flowery neroli for an air of opulence.