Easy DIY skin, hair and nail treatments to try with ingredients on hand

Right when the lockdown started, I realized I was out of body scrub. Hecate had sent me a huge bag of sugar as a housewarming present along with a sweet note, and it occurred to me that sugar scrub is just sugar with oil and a scent. I found this recipe and made a peppermint body scrub with just two parts sugar, one part coconut oil and some drops of peppermint essential oil. It smells so nice and was so easy to make! I’ve since made it again after I ran out. Here is that recipe along with some other recipes to try. In most cases you can leave out an ingredient or substitute ingredients. You’re not eating it so it won’t matter too much if you wing it. You can recycle old bottles and jars to use as containers.

The easiest sugar scrub
I love this and made it in an old jam jar! All I did was use my kitchen scale to measure the oil and sugar so it was the right ratio of two parts sugar to one part oil, then added more sugar as it was a bit oily. You can use whatever essential oil you have on hand. I had peppermint and it feels and smells so invigorating. This is great for using on your legs before shaving. The oil conditions so much you don’t need shaving cream or soap. You can also add tea leaves or ground coffee to it as a variation.

A face mask for combination skin using yogurt
Halle Berry shared the recipe for this on the Instagram page for her new lifestyle app. It was super easy to do, and I will try it with Greek yogurt because that’s what I have for all the stuff I’m baking lately. You could probably also use sour cream but that might smell funky.

Mix 2 tablespoons of brewed green tea ⁣⁣ with a pinch of tumeric, a ½ teaspoon of lemon juice and ¼ cup plain yogurt. Apply and wait three minutes, then add another coat and let set for ten more minutes. Rinse.
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A brightening pre-manicure soak for your nails
Slice a lemon and half a cucumber into a bowl of cool water. Soak hands for ten minutes, then push back cuticles and shape nails.

An easy aromatherapy trick for your shower
Take an old washcloth, put 4-5 drops of essential oil on it and put it in the corner of your shower. The scent will disperse and create relaxing aromatherapy.

A refreshing eye de-puffing treatment
Take two slices of cucumber and two brewed and cooled tea bags. Put the cucumber on your eyes followed by the teabags. Relax for a few minutes then discard. I just threw out an old end of a cucumber and wish I had saved it for this!

A skin toner with vinegar and green tea
Combine ¾ cup steeped green tea with ¼ cup apple cider vinegar. Store in a bottle and apply with a cotton ball or keep it in a spray bottle for a quick refresher. Mixture will keep for about a week and a half in the refrigerator.

An anti-inflammatory face mask with honey, oatmeal and tumeric
Use a food processor, blender or mortar and pestle to turn 3 tablespoons rolled oats into flour. (You can probably skip this step if you want.) Add a tablespoon of honey, a half teaspoon of tumeric and a splash of lemon juice. (Vinegar is probably a good substitute). Mix and spread on face for 10-15 minutes. Rinse off. Here’s a link to a variation using cooked oatmeal, milk and honey.

A lip scrub with sugar, honey and olive oil
I have Mary Kay lip scrub that is about to run out. Lip scrub is just as easy to make as body scrub! This recipe has honey in it for added moisturizing and sweetness. You combine a teaspoon of brown sugar, a teaspoon of white sugar, a teaspoon of honey and a half teaspoon of oil. You can store it in any small container. I have those tiny tupperware jars and am going to try this.

A hair detangler that’s so simple and effective
I ran out of my favorite detangler a couple of weeks ago and am almost out of the backup kind, which isn’t worth the cost. You can make your own at home by just combining 2-3 tablespoons of conditioner with hot water so it dissolves. Put it in a spray bottle and add essential oil if you want scent in it and that’s it!

A hair treatment mask with just two ingredients
I’ve seen a lot of recommendations to treat hair with honey and oil or with some combination of honey and milk. I am not brave enough to put honey on my hair as I worry about rinsing it out, but I would put bananas and olive oil on it. You just mix one banana with a tablespoon of oil until it makes a paste. If it’s too runny, put some flour in it. Spread it on your hair for half an hour and rinse. I’m not sure if you’ll need to wash it afterwards. There are also so many recommendations to just put coconut oil or olive oil on your hair as a deep conditioning treatment.

Thanks for reading this DIY self care post. Please share your favorite recipes, tips and tricks!

Update: The lip scrub does not look like much but it works and tastes amazing. Here’s a photo of that and of my half finished jar of body scrub. I tried to be artsy and added dried flowers. Only the first two pics below are mine!