Do-it-yourself skin care regime

There are hundreds of ingredients that people use daily in their skin care regime yet most never think of implementing powerful vitamins, oils or acids.

If you are looking for a cheap and effective way to care for the skin or are tired of wasting money on all those "magical" products that do almost nothing for you, here are a few simple recipes for completely natural, easy-to-prepare skin remedies that are inexpensive, 100 percent chemical free, and are always available.

Blackhead buster

You need: egg white, one piece of large cotton.

Soak the cotton in egg white. Cover the affected area with the cotton and wait for it to dry and harden completely.

Carefully remove the dried cotton and the blackheads should come off with it.

Facial scrub

For oily skin: Mix one teaspoon of skimmed milk powder with one teaspoon of honey. Add a few drops for freshly squeezed lemon juice if your skin is very oily. Use that as a mild scrub on the face. The undissolved milk powder forms a gentle scrub.

For normal, dry or mature skin: Mix one teaspoon full of cream or whole milk powder with one teaspoon of honey. Use as a mild scrub on the face. Use lots of water to rinse so as to prevent bacterial residue.

Dandruff lightener

Mix one part cider vinegar to three parts warm water to balance scalp pH and control dandruff. You can also apply undiluted vinegar to the scalp. Allow it to penetrate, then shampoo with a mild shampoo.

Hair conditioner

Mix 1/2 cup honey and 1/4 cup olive oil. (Use two tablespoons of oil for normal hair.) Work a small amount at a time through hair until coated. Cover hair with a shower cap and leave on for 30 minutes. Remove shower cap, shampoo well and rinse. Dry as normal.

Sunburn treatment

Snip off one of the stems of the aloe vera plant. Squeeze out the gel from the leaf and apply to the sunburnt skin. The healing and antibacterial properties of aloe vera is because of the aloectin B, which stimulates the immune system.

Hand moisturizer

Take a few drops of olive oil and massage into both hands making sure all areas absorb the oil. Wear gloves overnight and see how soft your hands are in the morning.

Remedies for tired eyes

Rose water - soak cotton ball and apply to eyes once a week.

Cucumber - place a slice on each of your eyes and rest for around 10 minutes to reduce stressed eyes.

Potato (shredded) - put on top of eyes to reduce black circles. Keep it there for around 10 minutes.
By Patsy Yang www.shanghaidaily.com