During the winter, it becomes especially important to care for your skin. With the heaters blowing warm air around, it’s common to end up with dry skin, and that can lead to other skincare issues. The good news is that there are plenty of skincare remedies to be found right in your kitchen. Here are some of my favorite skincare remedies — found right in your kitchen.

1. Sugar – Exfoliant

One of the most important things you can do for your skin is to exfoliate. Exfoliation gets rid of the dead, flaky skin on your body, revealing the newer, healthier skin beneath. Build up of dead skin cells can clog your pores, and result in blackheads and other problems. If you want healthier, younger looking skin, exfoliation is a good plan.

A good exfoliant is sugar. Because sugar grains are small and rough, the are perfect for scrubbing off the dead skin. Mix in a little olive oil, and you can create natural skincare remedies for your face and body. Lots of people also use grapeseed oil to make a sugar exfoliant.

2. Baking Soda – Exfoliant

Another great exfoliant is banking soda. Mix it with a little water, and you’ve got a great natural exfoliant. Baking soda is also gentler on your skin than sugar. You can use a baking soda exfoliant on your face if it is more sensitive to the rougher sugar crystals. Many people like to use the larger, rougher sugar on other areas of their body, such as arms and legs, and use baking soda exfoliants for the face.

3. Oatmeal and Onion Mask – Anti-Acne

If you are concerned about acne, you can create a mask out of oatmeal and onions. Oatmeal can be a great exfoliant, clearing out your clogged pores. But onions are also a surprisingly effective part of skincare treatment. There are anti-inflammatory elements to onions that can reduce redness and help you heal. You can find a recipe for the oatmeal and onion face mask in The Green Beauty Guide by Julie Gabriel. Here is the basic recipe:

Pour 1/4 cup boiling water over 1/3 cup plain oatmeal and let it sit for five minutes. While you are waiting, Chop up a large white or yellow onion and run it through a food processor until it’s a puree. Mix it with the steeped oatmeal. Add 1/2 teaspoon of honey for thickness. Spread on your face and leave it for 10 minutes. The mask can be stored in the refrigerator for up to a week, so you can use it again.

4. Strawberries – Anti-aging

Strawberries are high in anti-oxidants which are supposed to be good for your skin. The high vitamin C content is also supposed to help build collagen, which can be a wrinkle reducer. You can take a bite out of a strawberry and then rub the juice on your face (yum!), or you can actually mush it into a mask. Strawberries also have salicylic acid, which is an ingredient in a number of acne treatments, so there’s a bit of a bonus there.

5. Olive Oil – Moisturize

As you might imagine, olive oil is a great moisturizer. Go for the extra virgin olive oil when using it for your skin. You can rub a little on your face to moisturize it, and rub it on other parts of your body. You can also add it to skin masks and use it to make exfoliants. That way, you’ll be moisturizing as you engage in other activities. Olive oil is also great as a hair conditioner. It can help the skin on your scalp, as well as contribute to lustrous hair.

6. Yogurt – Brighten and Moisturize

Yogurt is another great moisturizing agent for your skin, and a conditioner for your hair. Not only that, but there is lactic acid in yogurt and that means that it exfoliates without scrubbing. This ingredient can also brighten your complexion, so you can leave it on if you want a brighter look.

7. Honey – Moisturize and Acne Control

Not only does honey moisturize, but it is an antibacterial, so it can also help with acne control. You can either put it on your face and skin on other parts of your body directly, or you can mix it in with masks and scrubs. Adding a little honey to most of your homemade skincare treatments is usually a good idea.

What are your favorite skincare remedies?