Common Household Items for Skin Care

Give expensive skin-care products a pass and give your budget a break with a few common, skin-nurturing ingredients found on your kitchen shelf or in your refrigerator. Your skin will reap the benefits of skin-care treatments made of high-quality, fresh ingredients free of chemicals, fragrance and other harmful additives.

Fruit
Fresh fruits are skin-friendly and can be used in a variety of beneficial skin-care treatments. Mash an avocado with a small amount of honey and a few drops of vinegar for a hydrating facial for dry skin. Mix lemon juice with rolled oats for an oily skin facial cleanser, or with yogurt for a soothing cleanser for sensitive skin. Mash a ripe banana with honey for an easy facial. Cleanse your face with juice from fresh strawberries or kiwi.

Vegetables
Vegetables are on the top of the list when it comes to healthy ingredients. Toss a cucumber in your blender, and puree the cucumber with a few drops of honey for a soothing toner for combination skin. Tomato juice makes a refreshing toner for oily skin, or add a few drops of honey to the tomato juice for a soothing facial.

Dairy Products
Dairy products such as cream, milk or yogurt are full of healthy fats that act as natural moisturizers. Cleanse your face with a paste made from cream, ground oats and a few drops of green tea, or a combination of oats and yogurt. Wash your face with a mixture of whole milk and warm honey, or add milk and honey to a warm bath. Use full-fat milk or yogurt.

Olive Oil
Olive oil is rich in antioxidants and vitamin E that will keep the skin smooth and supple. A few drops of olive oil on a cotton ball will smooth away makeup. Massage a drop of olive oil into the tender skin around your eyes. Olive oil massaged into your cuticles will moisturize your cuticles and add natural shine to your nails. Massage olive oil into dry, callused feet, or pour olive oil into a warm bath for an all-over moisturizer. Smooth olive oil onto dry, cracked lips. Use high-quality, extra virgin olive oil.

Sugar
Sugar has surprising moisturizing qualities that make it a useful ingredient in a number of skin-care treatments. Combined with a small amount of olive oil, sugar makes an effective scrub for dry hands or rough, calloused feet. A small amount of brown or white sugar stirred into a teaspoon of honey will exfoliate and moisturize dry lips.