Natural beauty is the way forward. If you ask us, there are too many skincare products out there that contain untold nasty ingredients. These mysterious ingredients on the back of beauty bottles are not only bad for your skin but also bad for the environment too. Your skin, and the planet, deserves better.

By using your own skincare beauty products at home, you can get naturally glowing skin from products you already have in your kitchen cupboard. At the same time, you’ll be doing your bit to reduce the number of toxic chemicals polluting our oceans!

Easy at home face masks

Bring the spa to you by trying out some of our favourite, homemade face masks. DIY face masks can be made from a few simple ingredients at home, such as sugar and oats, which are fantastic natural alternatives to shop-bought products that use microbeads. 

Microbeads, as we all know, are evil little plastic beads that pollute the oceans and kill the sea life. They are put into body and facial products to act as a synthetic exfoliant to remove dead skin. But once they are washed down the drain, they are free to cause havoc in the environment. Instead, use organic alternatives like coffee grounds and sugar which have no negative impact on the environment or wildlife, but still achieve the same results!

DIY Cacao and Avo Face Mask

If you’re a chocoholic, this is the face mask for you. This simple, at home cacao and avo face mask is avocado this world! Not only are avocados loaded with omega-3 fatty acids and vitamins A, D, and E, they also contain other nutrients like potassium and lecithin which help to nourish your skin. And that’s just one ingredient! Cacao has its own fair helping of skin-nourishing properties. Raw cacao has high levels of antioxidants which help to repair skin damage and protect against premature ageing. It is anti-inflammatory, helping to soothe redness and blemishes and improve your skin's overall complexion. Who knew that chocolate could be so good for you?

Ingredients:

• Half of a ripe avocado
• 1 Teaspoon Coconut Oil
• 1 Tablespoon Cacao powder

Directions:

1. Soften or melt the coconut oil by either warming it in your hands or gently heating it in a saucepan over a hob or in the microwave.
2. Mashup half an avocado using a fork, then add to the melted coconut oil and mix well.
3. Add the cacao powder and mix until all ingredients are fully incorporated.
4. Apply to a clean face and leave for 15 minutes (while trying your best to not eat it all off your face)
5. Rinse off with warm water to reveal your beautifully moisturised face.

DIY Oat Face Mask

We love oats. We owe them a lot – they have given the world porridge, flapjack, and more importantly, the oat face mask. Yes, that’s right, you can put your breakfast on your face. Well, not literally. Our yummy oat facial mask lets you benefit from all the natural nutrients in oats through your skin. 

Oats can help reduce inflammation and acne, as they contain zinc which has anti-inflammatory superpowers. Their healthy dose of antioxidants acts as natural moisturisers, while the beta-glucan inside them penetrates deep into the skin and offers the much-needed nourishment. Oats also contain compounds called saponins, which act as natural cleansers and remove the dirt and oil from your pores, leaving your skin feeling cleansed and revitalised. Overall, oats have some pretty good skin-rejuvenating skills.

Ingredients:

• 3 Tablespoon Oats
• 6-7 Raspberries
• 1 Teaspoon Bentonite Clay

Directions:

1. Blend the oats to get a finer consistency, or using a pestle and mortar if you need to.
2. Mix in the bentonite clay and then the raspberries.
3. Mash the mixture with a fork until smooth. It should be nice and thick by the end of this step.
4. Apply to a cleansed skin and leave for 10-15 minutes.
5. Rinse off with warm water.

DIY Lip Scrub

All the cold weather making your lips dry and flaky? There’s a scrub for that. A homemade scrub in fact. Wintery weather exposes our lips to temperatures that can cause them to crack and dry up. To remedy this, you can use a lip scrub to buff away the layers of dead skin, making way for the newer skin underneath.

This natural, DIY lip scrub is extremely easy to make, as it only uses two ingredients (both of which are edible –– just saying). Brown sugar makes the scrub not only taste sweet, but also acts as a natural exfoliant. While the coconut oil works as a natural moisturiser. 

Ingredients:

• 1 Teaspoon Brown Sugar
• 1 Tablespoon Coconut Oil

Directions:

1. Mashup coconut oil so that it is soft.
2. Add in the brown sugar and mix together thoroughly. If the grains of the sugar are too large then continue to mash the mixture until it is finer, or use a pestle and mortar.
3. Apply to your lips and massage into the skin in circular movements.
4. Wash off with warm water (or lick it off)

DIY homemade hair mask

DIY skincare can't get any easier than this homemade hair mask. For a natural, vegan hair mask, simply get yourself a jar of organic coconut oil. This stuff is your one-stop for a naturally moisturising remedy for dry and damaged hair.

Simply warm up a tablespoon of coconut oil in your hands and apply liberally to towel-dried hair, concentrating on your tips (only apply to your roots if you have a dry scalp). Use more coconut oil if you have long hair to make sure that all strands are covered. Now all you have to do is wrap your hair up, and let your hair soak in the nutrients from the coconut oil for as long as possible. If you can, leave the oil in overnight, then wash out thoroughly the next morning.

DIY Infused Anti-Puffiness Eye Water

Puffy eyes are not a good look. But the good news is, there is an easy, natural solution to soothe your tired eyes that you can make in your kitchen. With this simple remedy, your eyes will look brighter and fresher in no time!

Ingredients:

• Cucumber
• Chamomile (flowers or tea)
• Rose petals

Directions:

1. Chop the cucumber into slices or sticks (depending on your personal preference)
2. Add the cucumber, chamomile, and rose petals to your desired amount of spring water and leave to diffuse overnight.
3. After it has diffused overnight, it is ready to be used.
4. Fill a spray bottle with the infused water, then use to lightly dampen a fresh towel. Place the towel over your eyes for a few minutes.
5. Instead of using a towel, you can also dampen two cotton pads using the infused water, then place the cotton pads over your eyes. 
6. Sit back, relax and have a little snooze while your eyes absorb all the goodness from the eye water, and then remove!

DIY Makeup Remover

One of the most important parts of any skincare routine is cleaning our skin from all the makeup and dirt that can accumulate during the day. This can also be the trickiest, especially if you have some hard-core waterproof mascara that is resilient to coming off. But you don’t have to reach for the shop-bought cleansing products for a remedy, as coconut oil has the answer.

Quite frankly, coconut oil is miraculous. If you can’t tell from reading the above recipes, there isn’t much it cannot do. So the fact that it can be used as a natural makeup-remover shouldn’t come as a surprise. Not even waterproof mascara stands a chance.

Ingredients:

• ½ Teaspoon Coconut Oil

Directions:

1. To remove makeup, soften the coconut oil on your fingertips, then apply it to your face (being careful to avoid getting it into your eyes).
2. Use a dampened cotton wool pad or clean damp flannel to gently wipe off your makeup

Coconut oil also can be used as a brush cleaner (told you –– miraculous). Simply add a couple of tablespoons of warm water to some coconut oil (or use an eco-friendly antibacterial soap instead of water if you like). Stir the water and coconut oil together thoroughly, then dab your brushes into the mixture. You’ll be surprised to see that the makeup will just melt away! It's a little bit short of being magical. Once the makeup has come off the brushes, rinse them well to remove any leftover oil, then place on a tea towel to dry.

If you don’t know already, we quite like natural beauty. Actually, it’s kind of our thing. Whether you’re looking for natural beauty ideas or are wanting to make the switch to green beauty, we have what you’re looking for. Head over to our blog to find plenty of ideas to inspire you, or explore our range of vegan, natural skincare products to see how you can make your beauty routine more eco-friendly.