Beauty garden

Beauty has never looked so green. Liana Shaw looks at DIY beauty productsstraight from the garden.

One of the biggest recent changes to the beauty industry has got to be that consumers want more natural products. No nasty chemicals for our skin, less overpowering perfumes or unnatural colours – we’ve become more conscious about what we are giving our skin.

Because of this, we’ve done a loop round in time; before there were ever the additives and factory processes around to create massmarketed beauty. A new trend that has seen growth year on year (and is now bigger than ever) is based on that very concept of growth. By growing your own beauty products.

So, is it really possible to create your own beauty garden? Yes. Though you can equally buy these ingredients if you don’t have a garden. Regardless of whether you’re ready to prep your veg patch or pop to the supermarket, here are some of my favourite recipes for natural beauty products, which will hopefully help you enjoy a few different ways to get great skin.

Don’t forget, if you’re trying out home remedies for the first time, it helps to do a patch test first, to make sure you’re not sensitive to any of the ingredients.

Lavender

Lavender is easy to grow and can help promote skin healing. It has anti-inflammatory properties and we all recognise its soothing scent. This recipe for an easy toner is perfect if you’re looking for something fragrant yet gentle.

• Take 100ml of water and boil. Pour in the buds from a handful of fresh lavender, making sure they are completely covered. Cover the bowl and leave the buds to brew for a few hours.

• Once it’s cooled you can drain the mixture through a clean muslin cloth. Pour the lavender water into a clean glass bottle and keep in the refrigerator for a cooling toner.

• This is great for morning or night after washing your face. You can use a cotton pad to dab on the toner or keep in a spritz bottle for a face mist style toner. It will help instantly invigorate the skin, but is very light. 

Rose

Roses are a common garden flower, and they can be a beautiful gift. This floral body scrub is more about making use of that relaxing, beloved rose scent after the roses are past their best – because let’s not waste such lovely blooms.

• Carefully pick off and spread the petals out. A wire rack works best as it’ll dry the underneath of the petal. After a few days, the petals should be dry.

• You want to break up the petals into tiny pieces, so if you have a blender or processor, pulse or quickly whizz the petals so they have the look of little flakes. You can crumble with your hands if the petals are super dry, like rubbing bread crumbs, but obviously it’ll be a longer process.

• You’ll need 2 cups of sugar, half a cup of coconut oil and if you want, add a few drops of your favourite essential oil. Vanilla or lavender work well with a rose scent. (Raw cane sugar is slightly more abrasive than other sugars, so it works well for hands and feet. Brown sugar can work well for body or face, but it might depend on what your skin likes.)

• Gently mix and store into an airtight jar.

Carrot

The humble carrot, so often a part of our dinner plate, yet can do great things when applied on the outside too. Carrots are naturally antiseptic and full of good vitamins. A carrot facemask is an easy facial skin brightener.

• Wash and peel one large carrot and steam or boil until tender.

• Mash the carrot and mix a teaspoon of honey and a teaspoon of extra virgin olive oil or coconut oil, though you can skip the oils if you have very oily skin. Honey is a great soothing and antiseptic agent too, so you’ll get some natural healing, and the oils will help keep skin smooth and moisturised.

• Add a squeeze of lemon if you want, for oilier skin, as lemon is an astringent ingredient. The key to this being a great face mask is the consistency, so it may take a few tries to get the texture you like.

• Apply the mixture when it’s either slightly warm (perfect for those pores) or cooled, avoiding the delicate eye area.

• Leave on for 10 minutes then rinse face and pat skin dry.

Cucumber

To some, it’s a bland salad ingredient. To others, it’s a soothing miracle worker that’ll calm and cool skin. Here’s a quick little recipe for a cucumber lotion that’ll cool down skin after a hot day…

• Grate a small cucumber onto a straining cloth. Squeeze the juice through the cloth into a bowl.

• Add 50ml of coconut milk and 50ml of aloe vera juice. Mix thoroughly and decant into a spray bottle.

• A quick spritz of this lotion is perfect for de-sizzling skin. You can also add some cooled green tea if you want a thinner consistency.

So, there you have it. Simple and quick DIY beauty hacks from a wonderful selection of plants that can give you a natural helping hand when it comes to skincare. Even better, there’s never been more recipes and ideas around than now, to inspire understanding, repurposing and creating your own very natural beauty products. 