Having beautiful skin is always begun with having clean skin. Instead of spending a fortune in the cleansing aisle of your cosmetic store, you can make your own cleansers without the harsh chemicals you cannot pronounce.

~~Astringent~~

In a blender, pulverize one half of a lemon and one half of a lime, that have been thinly sliced, with three-quarters cup alcohol. This will take about one minute. Use a small strainer or cheesecloth to strain out the liquid. Store stringent in the refrigerator up to six months.

~~Makeup remover~~

In a small saucepan, melt one-half cup paraffin (one bar) and mix in one cup mineral oil. Remove from heat. In another saucepan, simmer one-half cup water and dissolve in two tablespoons of alum. Remove and cool. Add warm mineral oil mixture to the water mixture. As it cools, the paraffin will rise to the top. Drain off the water. The oil residue will remove makeup. (Makes one cup of remover.)

~~Moisturizing makeup remover~~

Mix one tablespoon each olive, coconut and vegetable oils. Stir in two tablespoons mashed strawberries. For extra moisturizing add two drops vitamin E oil.

~~Rose petal lotion~~

In an enameled or glass pan, boil one tablespoon dried rosemary, two tablespoons dried chamomile flowers (crushed), four cups of water and two tablespoons of crushed rose petals. Simmer uncovered for ten minutes. Remove from heat and cool. Strain liquid into bottle to dab or spray bottle to spritz. This will remove all soap residue from the skin.

~~Oily skin cleanser~~

Mix one teaspoon each milk, honey and ground almonds. Scrub lightly with hand or a washcloth. Discard all remaining mixture. This lotion will unclog pores.

~~Facial scrub~~

Mix one third cup cornmeal, two tablespoons honey and one tablespoon ground almonds or walnuts. If mixture is too dry to spread, add drops of water. Pack onto face and allow to rest for five minutes. Rinse with warm water and a washcloth.

~~Egg facial~~

Beat egg in bowl. Slowly add one half cup coconut oil and one teaspoon honey, until mixture reaches the consistency of mayonnaise. Place the empty tube from a roll of toilet paper on plastic wrap. Spoon mixture into tube, wrap with plastic and freeze for at least 24 hours. Peel paper from mask and apply to face. Replace plastic and refreeze remainder. Cleanse skin with warm water and your usual cleanser.

~~Facial mask~~

Puree until smooth one tablespoon dry nonfat milk, one half cucumber (peeled) and one tablespoon plain yogurt. Apply to face and neck (avoiding eye area) and allow to dry for 20 minutes. Rinse with warm water.

~~Herbal facial mask~~

Mix together one tablespoon honey, one beaten egg, one teaspoon dried chamomile flowers (crushed) and one teaspoon finely chopped fresh mint leaves. Apply to face and neck (avoiding eye area) and allow to dry. Rinse with warm water. This mask feels great on feet as well.

These natural solutions are healthy for skin and inexpensive! Put a smile on your face without anyone knowing that your skin cleansers did not break the bank because they were homemade.

Learn more about this author, Ann Marie Dwyer.
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