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Not Just for Eating: Kitchen Ingredients for Skin Care
Ever looked around your kitchen and wondered what would happen if you put that on your face? Or ever seen a random YouTube video or Pinterest post of someone using a random food item as part of their skincare routine and wondered what on earth that was going to do? Well we did some digging (and some hands-on testing of our own!) and came up with a list of ingredients we all tend to keep handy in our kitchens that can do double duty for our skin! For some practical applications, head over to our Try It page to check out the DIY scrubs we made with these ingredients and more!
Cucumber
Megan:
We’ve all seen the classic spa look of slices of cucumber over the eyes, and we've seen the number of skincare products that include cucumber in some way, but I know I’ve always wondered what exactly about cucumber was so special! If I’m going to put a vegetable on my face, I want to know I’m not just going to look ridiculous – so I did a bit of research into it and apparently cucumbers contain vitamin A, vitamin C, potassium, sulfates, caffeic acid and water, which have the benefit of calming and hydration (which is why they get put over your eyes!).
Even room temperature cucumber can act almost like a mini ice pack for your skin, and apparently if you don’t have any aloe handy and you get a sunburn, you can slap some cucumber slices on that sucker and it’ll have a similar effect! Also, apparently the peel contains nutrients that help with wrinkles and sagging skin so that’s pretty cool too.
Rachel: Over the last year or so, I've noticed that my under eyes get puffy really easily. Normally, things like this don't bother me. But, I've noticed this a lot. With all the research we did I decided to try the cold cucumber slices on my eyes trick. This is supposed to help with the build up under your eyes. Well, my beautiful babes, this hack is a bold face lie. This did nothing for me in the puffy area. The only thing is it did make the skin under my eyes smoother. But, that wasn't what I was looking for.
If you are bothered by the same thing as I am with your under eyes, the kitchen hack I would suggest would actually be to put two smaller spoons in the freezer let them get super cold and then put those under your eyes. I've had good results with this, especially in a pinch before I need to be somewhere. For long term help though, I would look outside of the kitchen. I highly recommend Elderflower Cooling Eye Gel from The Body Shop.
Honey
Megan: While this seems a bit out there, honey is naturally antibacterial, so it is great for killing off those bacteria that cause acne and breakouts! Also full of antioxidants, you’ll find it in bunch of anti-aging masks since anti-oxidants help to slow down aging, and it has the added benefit of being both moisturizing and soothing! So, you’ll be left with glowing, acne-free skin – totally worth the stickiness factor! I highly recommend having a warm cloth on hand to make taking this off a bit less of a disaster (learn from my mistakes!).
Rachel: I think the usual people think to use honey for (other than eating), is for a sore throat. Personally, I've never tried this for acne, but I've used this for a heat rash. Apply a thin layer on top of the rash, let it sit for 1-2 hours. This will smooth the rash and bring the irritation down to a workable level. As Meg, mentioned definitely have a warm cloth on hand to clean this off with. Sticky, but worth it.
Eggs
Megan:
Specifically we’re talking about egg whites – I’ve never come across any skincare hack that includes the yolk, I’m not really sure why, but the whites have the benefit of tightening the skin, which leaves you with smaller pores, and helps with wrinkles and fine lines! All good things! You can apply the egg whites directly to your face, or just with a combination of other kitchen ingredients: paper towel to create your own pore strip style peel masks, or lemon for an added brightening factor. Egg whites also do a great job at helping control oily skin and so can act as an anti-acne remedy as well. I have to say it feels super strange to put egg on your face and let it dry, but my goodness did my skin feel good afterwards!
Baking Soda
Megan:
You’ve probably seen baking soda used as for DIY teeth whitening or to improve the scent of your fridge, but baking soda is an awesome natural exfoliant! It has super fine grains and so is able to work well without being super harsh on your skin in the way some exfoliants can. This is one of my go-to kitchen skincare products: we always have it in the cupboard, and it has the added benefit of balancing the pH level of your skin – very Bill Nye the Science Guy! – which helps to keep your skin clear and even. Mix it with water or an oil of your choice and you have a quick and effective scrub!
Sugar
Megan:
This one seems pretty counter-intuitive, sugar tends to be one of the culprits that causes our skin to break out but is a key ingredient of most natural skin scrubs! A word of caution: just like in baking, mixing up salt and sugar can be a tad disastrous: sugar has finer grains than salt, so is less harsh on the skin, and in a similar vein, brown sugar has even finer grains so if you have sensitive skin, I’d say go with brown sugar over white sugar! Mix with the oil of your choice to create another quick and easy scrub that will leave your skin feeling soft and hydrated – apparently sugar has natural properties that draw moisture from the air into your skin! It has contains glycolic acid that helps boost skin cell production and leaves your skin looking and feeling younger – unfortunately this is all from external use only, otherwise I’d totally eat all the sugar I could in the name of better skin! But alas, that is not the case!
Olive Oil
Megan:
People swear by olive oil in cooking – and in skincare! Olive oil is packed full of anti-oxidants, vitamins and is an anti-bacterial, so you get a triple punch of anti-aging, anti-acne and moisture! You can slather this stuff directly on your skin for a natural moisturizer or mix it with one of the natural exfoliants we’ve mentioned to create a scrub with an added boost! Your skin will be left feeling all soft and glowy, never a bad thing!
Rachel: I can't tell you how often I use olive oil in the kitchen. I'm one of those people that fawns over the different types of olive oils when grocery shopping. Outside of the cooking world though, olive oil is unbelievably good for you.
If you have a dry scalp, olive oil is 100% your friend. I would suggest parting your hair either with clips or bobby pins first. Once that is done you can directly apply the olive oil to your skin, make sure to rub this into your scalp. Let this sit for at least an hour, then brush out your hair. This will make your brush oily, so if you have an extra comb on hand I would use that instead. This will remove the flaky skin that was already sitting on your scalp. Then, as slippy as it is sleep with the olive oil still on your scalp and in your hair. The next morning, wash your hair like normal. Your scalp will feel amazing and new. Not only will this affect your scalp but your hair will be super soft. Basically, it's a win win that you should jump on.
Coconut Oil
Megan:
For a few years, coconut oil was my go-to skincare product! You can use it as a makeup remover, cleanser, moisturizer, ingredient in scrubs… the list goes on. Always go for the extra virgin coconut oil if you have the option, but virgin works pretty much just as well – it’s chock full of benefits such as anti-bacterial, anti-fungal, moisturizes, cuts through grease and helps to get deep into your pores and dissolve some of the gross stuff living deep down there! With all that goodness, it helps to fight acne, keep your skin moisturized, clear and looking young! The only thing is that if you do begin using it regularly, be prepared that in the first week your skin is still figuring out the new oil balance to your skin and you may end up with minor breakouts – these should clear up as you continue to use it!
Cinnamon
Megan:
Another one that seemingly comes out of nowhere, cinnamon has natural properties that can help stop acne-causing bacteria in it’s tracks: this is done by helping to dry the skin where too much oil is being produced, and apparently helps to bring blood and oxygen to the surface of your skin! You can combine it with honey to make a great anti-acne mask or spot treatment for pimples! Word of caution: don’t use the cinnamon powder straight on your skin, it can burn! Make sure to always mix with a soothing ingredient like honey or oil, and take it off as soon as you feel any kind of burning sensation. Apparently it can also help reduce the appearance of acne scars, but I can’t swear to that.
Apple Cider Vinegar
Megan:
In recent years, apple cider vinegar seems to have became a big thing in the health and beauty industry as a home remedy. When it comes to skin care, it has a bunch of different benefits, from reducing age spots, fighting acne, correcting the pH balance of your skin and helps to draw out toxins! It has anti-bacterial, anti-fungal and anti-viral properties that help keep your skin clear and acne-free, and contains something called alpha hydroxy acid that helps to remove dead skin, so even less chance that bacteria will get trapped under dead skin cells and cause pimples! Just don’t use straight apple cider vinegar on your skin, it will definitely burn!!! So always always always dilute it with water. A good mix tends to be one part apple cider vinegar, one part water: you’re still keeping the power of the vinegar without hurting your skin!
Rachel:
In between pedicures? Don't hesitate to soak your feet In hot water and apple cider vinegar. It will do wonders you won't believe until you try it.
Oats
Megan:
You know when you were little and had the chicken pox and your parents put you in an oatmeal bath to help stop the itching? Turns out oatmeal can help soothe more than just chicken pox! Oats contain chemicals that help soften, soothe, moisturize AND cleanse the skin, which come from something called saponins that act as a natural skin cleanser and soak up any excess oil you may have built up on your skin. They can also act as a natural exfoliant for anyone that finds sugar and baking soda are too harsh for their sensitive skin!
Rachel: Honestly, are the research you've done about oats and their soothing properties is truly correct. If you ever see a skin mask with oatmeal in it there is a good bet this will work for you. Warm oats placed on your skin will soothe even the most sensitive of spots.
On an unrelated note, if you happen to drop your phone in water and don't have rice, you can absolutely sit your phone in oats for the same affect
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So the next time you’re bored in the kitchen and want to hack your skincare routine, take another look at these ingredients! You may be (pleasantly) surprised with the results of putting these on your skin instead of in your tummy!
Happy experimenting babes!