Organic ingredients and DIY hair/skin care

Hey guys, are you yet using things from your kitchen in your beauty regimen? It’s so amazing to me that so many of the things already in my kitchen are so beneficial to my hair and I’ve been sleeping on them all. The natural hair gurus on Curly Nikki and Black Girl Long Hair have really opened my eyes. There was a post on CN yesterday that I think we all should bookmark as the information is invaluable! It speaks about 10 ingredients that naturally fight hyper-pigmentation and couldn’t come at a better time for me because I have a scar under my eyes from a pimple that I really need to leave my face the hell alone!

When I was transitioning, I did the popular egg, avocado, honey and olive oil treatment but this list goes beyond what I had in my own arsenal and I was so impressed that I had to post it here and share some of it with y’all.

1. Raw Honey
There is a reason why I wash my face with raw honey daily. It keeps the skin glowing and free of bacteria without disrupting the moisture levels of the skin. Raw honey is antibacterial with moisturizing amino acids, and antioxidants that protect the skin from free radical damage. Raw honey also has gluconic acid, a mild alpha hydroxy acid responsible for honey’s acidity. Raw honey is more nutritious to the skin still containing all of its healing properties that have not been pasteurized or eliminated with high heat temperatures.
2. Lemon Juice
Lemon juice has a high vitamin C content which brightens the skin as well as citric acid which exfoliates and speeds up the treatment of acne also lightening acne scars and blemishes. I remember during summer breaks when I was in college, I would slice a lemon and rub the lemon up and down my legs for soft even skin. It tingled and itched so much that I would just go outside and run around the block to distract myself from the ridiculous sensations. I then would come back inside and rinse it off.
I know now that lemon juice straight is too acidic for skin’s natural pH balance. I will instead mix fresh lemon juice with more soothing ingredients. Lemon juice is still a perfect ingredient for evening out the skin and brightening dark elbows and knees.
4. Yogurt
Lactic acid, lactic acid, lactic acid! Yogurt is outstanding for skin brightening and evening out the skins complexion. Using plain yogurt for skin care masks will soften, brighten, and clear up blemishes and hyperpigmentation. I believe simple yogurt masks are gentle enough for daily use and such an inexpensive easy to find remedy for clear skin.

Click here to read the rest of the post. I picked out the above because I already have those ingredients in my kitchen…well…maybe not plain yoghurt, I’m gonna have to go get some. Now I’m on the look out for wheat germ oil and amla oil and I’m so happy that I have an aloe plant growing right outside. This mask from the original author of the post is about to become an integral part of my beauty regimen. You know, I remember saying to myself back in the day that once I crossed over into my 30s I would change my products to Oil of Olay to begin combating ageing before I actually got there. But this natural hair journey that I’ve been on has really been teaching me how to take care of myself and stop leaving it up to the big beauty laboratories. I love it.

Speaking of which, I am no longer a transitioner, stay tuned for that story!