Want to look your best but can’t afford expensive beauty salons? Worry about invasive procedures and toxic skincare ingredients? Well, you’re not alone: a beautiful, glowing skin is the dream of many women. The good news is that you can acquire a beautiful look naturally by making some basic changes in your day-to-day routine.
Here are some super-easy and inexpensive natural beauty tips that can help enhance your beauty.
Hair: For beautiful shiny hair, mix one egg and a mashed-up banana and apply the mixture as a thick paste to your hair. Leave it on for 10 to 30 minutes. Wash it off using your regular hair-washing routine. For greasy hair, add two or three tablespoons of common salt or sea salt to your shampoo, and your roots will stay clean for longer.
Nails: To get stronger and more beautiful nails, soak your nails in olive oil for five minutes. Or you can mix equal parts of coconut oil and honey with a few drops of lavender oil and then pour the mixture into an old nail polish bottle and apply with the brush.
Face: To get a beautiful, glowing face, spread a tablespoon of raw honey on your face. Leave for five to 10 minutes, then gently rinse off with warm water and pat dry. Repeat once a week.
Lips: For brighter lips, you can warm one tablespoon of coconut oil in a small saucepan on low heat until it liquefies. Remove from the heat and add four fresh or frozen raspberries. Mash the berries and blend until smooth and then place in a small glass container and refrigerate until firm. Use clean fingers or a lip-gloss brush to smooth over the lips. Repeat every few days.
Eyelashes and eyebrows: Wash an old mascara container and mix equal parts of castor oil, Vitamin E, and aloe vera inside it. Apply the mixture with the mascara brush on both your eyelashes and eyebrows before bedtime for up to a month.
Dark circles under the eyes: Mix equal parts of coffee grounds and coconut oil. Apply the mixture on the skin under your eyes and leave on for 15 minutes. Use this mask three or four times a week for best results. To eliminate tired or puffy eyes, steep two green, black, or chamomile tea bags in hot water for less than a minute. Remove the tea bags from the water and chill in a small bowl in the refrigerator. Once chilled, place one bag over each closed eyelid. Leave on for five to 15 minutes.
Body scrub: Mix a two-to-one ratio of olive oil and sea salt to make a quick and effective body scrub.
Elbows and knees: Cut an orange in half and rub it on your elbows and knees to help soften rough patches. Rinse with tap water.
Underarms: To get whiter underarms, grate half a potato and then puree it in a blender. Apply it to the underarms and leave on for 10 minutes. Rinse with tap water. Or you can strain potato puree through cheesecloth to extract the juice and apply it to your underarms. Repeat either method twice a day.
Heels: Mix two cups of warm water and one cup of vinegar with half a cup of baking soda. Soak your feet in this solution for 15 to 20 minutes. Dry them well and apply a nourishing cream to get smooth and beautiful heels.
Body toning: Mix two tablespoons of ginger with five tablespoons of cosmetic clay and 10 of warm water. Apply this anti-cellulite mixture on problem areas such as the abdomen, hips, or arms. Wrap with plastic wrap. Leave on for an hour. Remove the plastic then take a hot shower. Do this once a week to get a more toned body.
* A version of this article appears in print in the 22 May, 2025 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly
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