How Can Your Skincare Routine Be Easy on Your Pocket

New skin care trends pop up every single day. Fancy terms like microneedling, K-beauty, microbiome support, topical fillers, etc. fill your social media feeds and pique your interest. Celebrities with flawless skin grace the front covers of fashion magazine spilling secrets about their beauty routine and favourite skin product that they swear by. You then start hunting for their go-to brands. A top beauty brand releases its new line of products or there is a new chemical peel skin treatment now available to treat damaged skin and you’re further intrigued.

Then Kim Kardashian goes a step further and books her tickets to Dubai for a skin laser treatment and of course, we also heard of her infamous ‘Vampire Facial’. There are new and rare ingredients or chemicals, you might’ve not even heard of, being used to create products to help you glow and enrich your skin. But most of these treatments and products might be too heavy on your pocket or even harsh on your skin.

An effective skin care routine can very well be within your budget especially if you include more DIY recipes with easy to find ingredients. You might not even have to look far and find what you need in your kitchen cabinets. These are always fun to make but before applying it to your face, you must do a patch test.

OATMEAL CLEANSER/SCRUB

It’s not just breakfast food but also an excellent natural scrub or a mild exfoliator that can help remove dead skin especially for people with sensitive skin. Full of proteins and anti-oxidants, it can make a great moisturiser and repairs damaged skin caused by the sun. It can soak the oil from your skin and help treat acne. In case of dry and itchy skin, an oatmeal bath can do wonders. Just add uncooked oatmeal along with baking soda to the water and sit in it for around 15-20 minutes.

If you want to create a scrub, add some coconut oil and sugar granules to the oats and pour a small amount of lukewarm water. You can also use oats to remove blackhead by using mixing yoghurt and half a lemon with the oats and applying it to the area with blackheads. Rinse it with warm water after 15 minutes.

COCONUT OIL FOR MOISTURISING

There are endless benefits of coconut oil for your skin as well as hair. It is antibacterial and anti-inflammatory which makes it an excellent moisturiser that seeps into your skin when massaged gently leaving it silky and smooth. It even smells great. Chapped lips? Just mix coconut oil with petroleum jelly and you get your personalised lip balm. You may also make one using cocoa butter instead of the jelly. If you want to remove your eye makeup without irritating your eyes much then massage a few drops of the oil and then dab it with a cotton ball. It can also be used to keep your cuticles healthy.

In case your skin is oily then you may want to avoid directly using it on your skin. In that case, you can mix a few drops of the oil in your normal moisturiser and apply it.

APPLE CIDER VINEGAR

Another inexpensive skin care ingredient with multiple benefits like fighting acne and age spots. It is a natural facial toner that helps maintain’s your skin’s pH balance. Just mix some apple cider vinegar with water and apply using a cotton ball. Leave it on for a few minutes and then wash it off with normal temperature water. If your skin gets sunburnt then again ACV can come in handy by adding some to water and gently massaging with a soft towel.

ALOE VERA

Aloe vera is nature’s gel which was also called the “plant of immortality” by ancient Egyptians as it’s been long used for medicinal purposes. It’s cooling properties and the presence of antioxidants can help heal sunburns quickly. Because it is non-greasy, it can also be a nourishing moisturiser for people, especially with oily skin. Because of its hormones – auxin and gibberellins, it can heal wounds quicker and also treat pimples and breakouts. If your skin is dull and has blemishes, you can apply a face mask of aloe vera, mashed papaya and some whole milk.

It also helps in fading stretch marks and has anti-ageing properties.

HONEY

This sweet nectar of Gods has been around for over 4,000 years and is one of the most trusted ingredients when it comes to skin care. It is antibacterial and full of antioxidants and thus most of the beauty products have honey as their base ingredient. A quick moisturising mask would only require you to apply a spoonful of honey on your skin and rinse it with cold water after 15-20 minutes. It cleanses and tightens your pores and also removes blackheads. It can also exfoliate your skin naturally if you rub a mix of honey and baking soda. Another great fighting agent against acne because it clears your skin.

Believe it or not, you can go au naturale when it comes to your skincare routine. Many natural ingredients have been used for centuries to not only cook but also cure or help beautify the skin. It is necessary to recognise your skin’s demands and to figure it out, you must consult your dermatologist before testing new skin care recipes. Remember as the season changes, the need of your skin does too. What might work in a particular season may have an adverse effect in another. Be sure to know your skin type, do a small patch test and then go ahead have fun with these DIY formulas.