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At-Home Spa Treatments: Relax Without Having To Pay The Bill

Meredith Lepore
Posted on Aug 20, 2010

It may sound more efficient than effective to spread something on your face that you can also pack for lunch, but there are tons of reasons why whipping up a homemade beauty recipe is smarter than splurging on a store-bought product.

What’s On The Menu

A lot of what makes store-bought products so expensive is the packaging, says Janice Cox, author of Natural Beauty at Home. According to Cox, three bucks worth of ingredients from the grocery can produce a DIY treatment with the same effect as a $300 professional facial. (She told us that simple yogurt blended with fresh fruit into a facial works as well as a $34 Guinot exfoliating mask.) For more homemade beauty recipes, Helena Van Zandbergen, a celeb hairstylist who has worked everywhere from runways to reality shows, recommends Pioneer Thinking.

Why DIY Is So Appetizing

In addition to being cheap, anything you make at home (unless you’re a chemist) will be 100% natural. The fact that homemade products don’t include any ingredients you can’t pronounce is especially good news for anyone with sensitive skin, those who want to go completely green, and those worried about animal testing. Plus, the recipes are time-tested and proven effective. Jorge Malo of the handmade beauty care line Fasanis jokes, “There’s a reason Cleopatra used that mud for her face and body back in the day.”

Your Shopping List

Oatmeal
Yogurt
Honey
Mayonnaise
Egg
Lemon
Avocado
Vinegar
Almond Oil

1. Janice Cox’s Basic Oatmeal Mask

Mix together ½ cup cooked oatmeal, one whole egg, and one tablespoon of almond oil. Spread it on your face and leave for 15 minutes. (A berry garnish is optional.)

2. Avocado As Moisturizer

Lather avocado on dry, sun-exposed skin for a rush of moisture—make sure that your avocado fruit is fully ripe. We know some people who use the inside of the avocado skin for its moisturizing oils. To do so, rub the inner layers of the avocado peel against your face, leave on for 15 minutes, and then rinse off with warm water and pat dry.

3. The Case For Vinegar

Van Zandbergen says that occasionally rinsing hair with vinegar is a great way to add shine. It’s also an ideal pedicure ingredient, Cox added, since its acidity zaps dead skin.

4. Homemade Hair Conditioner

Pioneer Thinking ame up with this recipe for hair conditioner: Beat an egg yolk until it’s frothy, add one teaspoon of baby oil, and one cup of water. Massage through scalp and rinse.

5. Avocado-Based Hair Conditioner

Craving guacamole? Try this conditioner instead: Mix one mashed avocado with coconut milk until thick. Comb through hair, leave on for 15 minutes, and rinse.

6. Creamy Honey Conditioner

Mix honey, mayonnaise, and egg together for a nourishing hair condition…and a heck of a potato salad base.

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  • Dpwissel

    Confession: When I was younger (we're talking 5th grade) my best friend and I wanted to try a 'face mask'. We saw women putting cucumber on their eyes and we thought it would be a good idea. Lo and behold, we didn't have cucumbers in the house (and we didn't have the ability to drive to the store). The closest thing we had was RELISH, and in our reasoning cucumbers = pickles = relish. We sat with relish under our eyes for 20 minutes and only had a very splotchy, dry face afterwards! This memory still makes me laugh 20 years later.

    • Caroline

      Ha! I remember reading this Lia Schorr book on all sorts of facials that you could make at home. It was the closest I ever came to cooking

  • carolinewaxler

    The reason Cleopatra used that mud for her face and body back in the day was because Lancome hadn't been invented yet! LOL

  • Axietg

    This is a great article. There are many DIY beauty recipes but one I like is mixing kosher salt and baby oil into a paste and using it as a foot exfoliator. Or you can walk at the waterline on the beach. Anyway, these look promising and I'll try them out. Thanks.

  • Bbbbb

    Can you provide vegan options? I am not convinced that I want to spread raw egg all over me…nThank !!! :)

  • Anonymous

    All seem like great suggestions but would leave out the baby oil in the homemade hair conditioner recipe, I’ve always heard that mineral oil has no actual nourishing or moisturizing properties.