DIY skin care recipes to save your skin this summer
MONTGOMERY, Texas (KTRK) -- Summer's unofficially here, and that means sun, bathing suits and mosquitoes. Are you armed and ready to keep your skin in its best shape this summer?
There are plenty of good summer skin care products on the market, but if you're sick of spending money on expensive cellulite creams, heavy sunscreens, and chemical-filled bug sprays, maybe you should just make them yourself!
When Deer Lake Lodge educator and executive chef April Ree isn't instructing clients on healthy eating, she's teaching them about healthy skin care practices.
"Whatever we put on our skin is going to be absorbed and go into our blood stream," explained Ree, who believes in homemade, all-natural topical treatments.
HOMEMADE SUNSCREEN
"We definitely are going to protect ourselves from the sun," said Ree. She makes a sunscreen and the main ingredient might surprise you.
"Carrot seed oil is between 30 and 35 SPF," she said. Carrot seed oil alone is very orange, so Ree mixes it with other ingredients.
- 7 drops raspberry oil
- 11 drops carrot seed oil
- 1 tbsp shea butter
- 1 tbsp wheat germ oil
- 2 tbsp hemp or avocado oil
- 3 tbsp coconut
- 1 tbsp almond oil
- Zinc oxide powder
- Several drops of lavender essential oil
Heat the bee wax in the shea butter. Once they melt, add all other ingredients to create a sunscreen!
CELLULITE CREAM
"The cellulite cream is made of a combination of oils that we know if we take internally are great for weight loss -- grapefruit, cinnamon, peppermint. We can also use them topically," said Ree. She uses 7 drops of a three-ingredient blend called Slim and Sassy and mixes it with 2 tablespoons of coconut oil.
Ree recommends using a dry brush or FasciaBlaster on the area to apply the cream.
HOMEMADE BUG REPELLENT SPRAY
Ree mixes several essential oils to repel insects. The homemade mixture is safe on animals and plants, too.
"Spiders don't like peppermint. Ticks and fleas don't like [tea tree oil]," Ree said.
- 5 drops each of eucalyptus, cedar wood, rosemary, geranium, lemon, lavender and peppermint oils
- 1/2 cup witch hazel
Add all ingredients to a spray bottle and dilute with a small amount of water.
SUNBURN TREATMENT
Ree recommends a mix of honey, lavender essential oil and aloe to treat sunburn.
Consult a doctor if you're unsure if these home recipes are for you.
SEE ALSO: Micellar water could be the answer to your skin care woes
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