Yesterday I interviewed Abudllah Naki of The Blessed Seed company about his experience and efforts to bring high quality black seed oil and black seed products (including cosmetics) to our marketplace. He’s full of knowledge about this miraculous seed and tells us more about how it’s gently processed to make different grades of black seed oils, creams, soaps and more. Listen on below- and to get some of the products, search My Halal Market here.
Sobia Hussain, owner of The Olive Tree Soap Company, wows us again with these wonderful recipes you will want to make at home just because she makes them so simple and appealing to make.
Our skin goes through a lot of wear and tear from the many things we do throughout the day. Exposure to the sun, wind and temperature changes can also make your skin feel dull and tired. However, there are ways you can gently remove dead skin cells and help restore your healthy glow. And, the great news is you don’t have to go to an expensive spa to get treatments. Actually, you may not even need to leave the home with these natural DIY spa recipes. In this tutorial, you will learn how to make a facial mask, body scrub and massage oil using only 6 ingredients.
Invite some friends over, make some cucumber mint water and make it a spa day!
The following recipes are best used on the same day that they were made. The facial mask and scrub can be stored in the fridge until the following day. Discard any mixes after the second day of use. The massage oil can be kept in a glass bottle in a cool dry place for up to one month.
Mix all of the above ingredients in a small bowl with a clean spoon or stir stick. If you have sensitive skin, you can omit the lavender essential oil as it may be too potent for some skin types.
When you are ready to apply, wash your face with warm water then towel dry. Keeping your hair tied back, apply the yogurt oatmeal facial mask to your face in a smooth thin layer. Let sit for about 15 minutes then wash off with warm water. Pat dry with a clean towel.
Sugar Body Scrub
To help soften tough dry skin, this scrub will help gently massage the skin and loosen dead skin cells promoting circulation and a healthy glow. You can use this scrub on your feet, elbows, arms and, if your face is not sensitive, then your face as well.
Here’s what you need:
2 tbsp grapeseed oil
4 tbsp granulated sugar
2 drops argan oil
1 drop lavender essential oil
Mix all of the above ingredients in a small bowl with a clean spoon or stir stick.
When you are ready to use, simply take approximately 1 tsp of the scrub at a time and gently rub it onto the tough dry areas. The granulated sugar will help remove the dead skin cells without being rough on the skin while the oils will help moisturize it. Wash off the excess sugar and pat dry.
Relaxing Massage Oil
Finally, help retain moisture and relax the muscles from a long day’s work, you need to top off your at home spa with an aromatic massage oil. You can also try other essential oils such as myrrh and frankincense which have been used from ancient history dating back to the Egyptians. This makes a great massage oil for babies, too!
2 tbsp grapeseed oil
3 drops argan oil
1 drop lavender essential oil (or other essential oils)
Mix oils in a small bowl with a clean spoon or stir stick. Pour into a small, preferably a glass, bottle.
This oil blend is great to use all over. You can soothe a sore back, arms, legs, feet and even massage it into your scalp.
So, the next time you feel that you need a quick pick-me-up, give yourself some time to slow down and give these DIY spa recipes a try. Hopefully you’ll feel refreshed after some much needed R & R (rest and relaxation)!
Have you ever tried argan oil? It is some really amazing stuff that is great for cooking as well as making yourself beautiful on a budget…not that you need any more beautifying, of course. In the past year I’ve been using it in my cooking and even more so on my sensitive skin (the cosmetic grade) in a massive effort to ward off wrinkles and dry skin and everything else that will help me look younger than I am. Am I the only woman who does that? Actually, I’m also just really averse to using expensive cosmetics with fragrance or chemicals that I don’t feel comfortable putting on my face.
Enough from me- read on as Dana of Arganic and Joél of Saadia Organics– two women intricately involved in the production of one of nature’s finest oils ever discovered. I’ll let them tell you more about this amazing oil squeezed out of a fruit in Morocco… (more…)
This is the last post I have planned for my seven days of homemade skincare recipe ideas. I’d love to know how you liked the recipes, if you tried them and how they worked for you. Since I’ve had much success with all of these, I hope you have been able to or will in the future, insha’allah, be able to benefit from using all natural, halal skincare ideas.
Now on to the last homemade skincare idea for this week. The most common use for cucumbers in natural skin care is to put them over the eyes to reduce the visibility of puffiness. You can, in fact use this juicy vegetable to hydrate your entire face and leave it feeling fresh without a hint of any type of fragrance.
Cucumber Refresher
Ingredients
½ large cucumber, peeled and finely sliced into circles
Preparation
Relax your body in a resting position on a couch or bed. Place as many pieces of cucumber pieces on your face as you can. Leave on for 10-15 minutes while you relax. If the cucumbers really won’t stick (if they aren’t juicy enough), put a little honey on your face first.
Quick Tips for Even More Homemade Beauty
Add fresh flowers to your favorite moisturizers for their natural fresh scent.
Save the pits of fruits like avocados and apricots. They can be dried then ground up and added to your favorite creams and used as an exfoliating scrub.
Keep small containers of your favorite oils with your beauty supplies. Not only will you be more likely to use them, it will insha’allah, also help you to remember to use those instead of the pricey store-bought products.
If you make any of these or other homemade skincare products and benefit from them, remember to make more as gifts for the other women in your life.
Resources
Cox, Janice. Natural Beauty at Home
Benge, Sophie. Asian Secrets of Health, Beauty & Relaxation
No need for added ingredients here- the tomato itself contains all you need to help remove blemishes, take care of acne problems and exfoliate the skin.
Tomato Troubleshooter
Ingredients
1 whole red tomato, ripe & juicy
Preparation
Grind tomato in a blender or food processor. Apply to face & leave on for about 10-15 minutes. Rinse with warm water.
Both papaya and pineapple can actually be used separately as an eye cream, but together they are even more powerful. Both fruits contain highly-effective exfoliating properties similar to alpha-hydroxy acids, which help reduce the appearance of wrinkles, or so I’ve been told. It couldn’t hurt to try. Won’t us women try anything to preserve the appearance of youthful skin? I’d like to say, let’s go for healthy skin.
Papaya & Pineapple Eye Cream
Ingredients
1 tsp. very ripe papaya, mashed up
1 tsp. pineapple, mashed up
Preparation Mash up the fruits very well and combine. Using your fingers, gently dab around the eyes where you are most prone to get wrinkles. Leave on 5-10 minutes and gently remove with warm water.
