Achieve younger, more radiant skin using these natural recipes

Look Younger and More Radiant … Naturally

I’m sure it will come as no surprise that the female cosmetics industry is booming. Us ladies collectively spend approximately £300 billion on beauty products each year. Split between us, that’s around £2,000 a per person! The truth is, when it comes to feminine beauty, many of our expectations and aspirations have been largely shaped by advertisers. Whether our skin is deemed too dark or too light, too puffy or too wrinkly, too plump or too sallow - modern day marketing has an awful lot to answer for.

So advertisers want us to spend a fortune on their very latest skin miracle, it’s an age old marketing concept. Regardless of cost, the crucial question is this; are these expensive face masks, anti-wrinkle creams and beauty serums having any discernible benefit on our skin? Does the answer to achieving a younger looking, radiant and altogether healthier complexion really lie in a bottle of costly chemicals, or can we achieve much the same naturally without breaking the bank?

The skin is our body's largest organ, and acts as a barrier between our internal bits and the environment. It’s a fact that what we put onto our skin ends up being absorbed by the body - take nicotine patches for example. It’s therefore crucial to look after the very barrier which protects us, and to remember what we put on, gets absorbed in.

Alcohol is one such example. Aside from the detrimental effects of drinking too much alcohol, there’s also damage associated with applying it externally. Lots of skin care manufacturers use alcohol, making it easy to believe that alcohol-based moisturisers or treatments aren't really all that bad. The truth is, alcohol as a major ingredient in any skin-care product, is very definitely a problem. So, why do manufacturers use it? Moisturising formulas loaded with alcohol, ethanol, isopropyl or methanol, tend to have a lovely, weightless feeling to them when applied. The other reason manufacturers use alcohol is to purposely penetrate the skin’s protective barrier. They include it to allow better absorption of active ingredients such as vitamins and retinal but, in the long term, using creams containing alcohol destroys our preexisting, natural defences. Those protective barriers in our skin are there for a reason, designed to safeguard our inbuilt protective membrane and keep our complexion effortlessly healthy.

So, if we’re to avoid alcohol and other chemical nasties, what’s the alternative? With lots of natural products on the market there are plenty of cosmetics companies who actively oppose the synthetic chemical approach to skincare. Companies such as Neal’s Yard passionately believe that beauty should be natural and manufacture their skincare range using only organic, plant-based ingredients.

A more costly manufacturing process, naturally comes with an added price tag. If budget is a factor, the other option would be to make your own. Creating homemade masks, scrubs and creams is nowhere near as complicated as you might think and the benefits far outweigh the effort involved.

Here are some natural combinations you might wish to try for yourself;

Avocado Face Mask

 
The humble avocado is one of the few superfoods that contains every single vitamin and nutrient we need to feasibly survive on.

 
Applying cool avocado directly onto your face is a wonderful, natural beauty treatment. It hydrates and nourishes the skin without causing irritation. Suitable for all skin types, homemade avocado face masks are particularly beneficial for dry and dehydrated skin.

 
The monounsaturated fats in avocado are brilliant for improving skin tone. These fats are vital for maintaining good moisture levels in the epidermal layer of your skin, leaving it looking and feeling soft and healthy. Omega-9 fats can also reduce skin redness and irritation, and help repair damaged skin cells.

 
A homemade avocado face mask is one of my absolute favourites and it’s so full of vitamins - it’s literally good enough to eat! By mashing cooling avocado, healthy raw manuka honey and the zest and juice of a zingy lime together in a bowl you can create a lovely, hydrating mask which will leave your face feeling smooth, nourished and soothed.

Eating avocado regularly can do as much for your complexion as slathering it on. Whether added to salad, whipped into a fresh guacamole or blended into a creamy, sweet mousse - there are so many delicious options.

Coconut Oil All Over

I use coconut oil as part of my skincare routine every single day. It’s my post shower body lotion, intensive conditioner, lip salve, sunscreen and face cream! Virgin coconut oil contains the same fatty acids as those naturally occurring in our skin. There is therefore a remarkable compatibility between its inherent structure and that of our skins surface. It’s absorbed better than other oils, allowing it to penetrate much more quickly and deeply, strengthening the underlying connective tissues. In skin diseases such as psoriasis, skin cells grow too rapidly and erratically, creating plaque layers of red, flaky skin. Coconut oil replenishes skin cells fatty acids with its more stable ones, this can repair the damage and encourage cells to regrow correctly.

Aside from its effectiveness in targeting specific skin problems, coconut oil has antioxidant properties which benefit the skin by restoring it's radiance. It’s combination of fatty acids and vitamins K and E also work to prevent scarring from acne, psoriasis and surface damage to the skin.

There are endless ways to incorporate coconut oil into your everyday skin regime and diet. Use it in raw desserts, add it to baked recipes in place of butter, include a spoonful in your smoothie and begin using it as your preferred cooking oil. I find the best time to apply it to skin is immediately after a bath or shower and often before bed to give it time to absorb overnight. Avoid refined or hydrogenated versions and look instead to buy organic, cold pressed, virgin coconut oil.

Dead Sea Salt Scrub

The clean, unpolluted air and warm climate at the Dead Sea provides a healing environment that is like no other place in the world. Located 400 metres below sea level, no other site offers such an extraordinary combination of natural elements with the capability to rehabilitate and restore physiological function.

The waters of the Dead Sea are unique, having a total salt concentration that is ten times higher than ocean water, reaching 33% versus 3%. Dead Sea Salt contains twenty one minerals including magnesium, calcium, sulphur, bromide, iodine, sodium, zinc and potassium. This extraordinary chemical composition has made the Dead Sea an ideal spot for people seeking relief from skin and rheumatic disorders. These minerals are known to treat, detoxify, and cleanse our bodies.

If you don’t have the option to travel to the Dead Sea and take advantage of this awesome environment, bathing and body brushing with Dead Sea Salts is certainly the next best thing.

Making a refreshing, exfoliating sports scrub is another one of my natural favourites. Made using a combination of dead sea salt, fresh lemon and sprigs of rosemary, it’s ideal for rough spots such as feet, knees, elbows and hands. Adding a little Almond Oil can benefit conditions such as dermatitis and eczema. The oil also helps with the elasticity of our skins outer layer, working on things like stretch marks and scars. Lemon is a natural source of vitamin C, an ingredient commonly used to lighten sun and age spots and even out skin tone. Similarly rosemary’s cell regeneration properties are effective in treating visible skin conditions and replacing damaged tissue, thus reducing the appearance of scars and spots.