There’s no doubt that Spring is DIY time with more of us stripping, planting, painting and flat-pack assembling than at any other time.

 

If you are not done in with doing it yourself, you could have a go at a DIY beauty routine too. After all, who needs expensive salon treatments when you can achieve glossy hair, smooth skin and puff-free eyes all with the contents of your very own kitchen cupboards and fridge?

So, fancy blending your own? Then here are some recipes to try; play around with the quantities until you find a consistency that you like then feel really pleased with yourself and your lovely shiny hair / gorgeous skin / smooth body.

Bharti Vyas’ Brightening Face Mask
My favourite face treatment is one I saw the beauty genius Bharti Vyas create on TV years ago. I love this facemask, it never fails to make my skin look great, and even those nasty wrinkles seem less obvious after I’ve used it. It’s easy to make too.

• Two teaspoons of gram flour (gluten free flour available from Indian grocers)
• 1 teaspoon of warm water
• 1 teaspoon of runny honey

Mix the ingredients together to form a thick paste. Apply to your skin and leave for 5 minutes.
Rinse off with tepid water and marvel at how wonderful your skin looks.

Nose Mask
To help get rid of blackheads add a pinch of salt and a few drops of lemon juice to a small amount of Brightening Face Mask above. Apply to your nose and leave for up to 10 minutes.

Quick Face Fixes
• To reduce puffy eyes grate some cucumber straight from the fridge and apply around the eyes. Leave for up to 10 minutes.
• If you are out of cucumber try a used green or camomile tea bag.
• Lemon juice makes an effective cleanser and helps restore the skin’s acid balance.
• Olive oil is probably the best make-up remover, ever.

Sweet Body Scrub
For a sweet as can be body scrub mix olive or almond oil with Demerara sugar. Apply the gooey paste in the shower when your skin is damp. You’ll feel and smell delicious.

Foot Scrub
Salt mixed with olive or almond oil makes a marvellous foot scrub. If you have an essential oil in the cupboard, add a few drops to the blend to make it even more fabulous. Soak your feet in warm water for a few minutes then massage your tootsies with the foot scrub.

Deep Hair Treatment
Mix Olive Oil with an egg yolk and a couple of drops of essential oil and apply to damp hair for a deeply nourishing pre-shampoo treatment.