The kitchen is the most important part of any home. Conversations are done over breakfast, family meetings happen at lunch and intimate gatherings culminate at dinner. You can even go as far as saying that the kitchen is the heart and soul of the house, and with good reason – it keeps you fed and ready for anything.

Kitchen Secrets

What’s great about the kitchen is that it can double as a place of healing. Home remedies to treat all sorts of ailments are concocted here, using different ingredients for cooking. But the best thing your humble kitchen can be is a derma clinic. Yup, a derma clinic! This is because the kitchen has everything you need to clean, exfoliate and pamper your skin naturally.

You can make a lot of facial care products just by using everyday ingredients you’ll find in the kitchen. From grapes and papayas to milk and honey, anything edible can have have a positive effect on your skin. No harsh chemicals and no preservatives! By making your own beauty products, you’ll be saving a lot on expensive salon treatments as well.

Peel Good

Glycolic acid peels are usually done in a salon or clinic and can cost hundreds of dollars. This treatment is used to soften fine lines and wrinkles, but did you know that the main ingredient of the peels used in commercial products is derived from sugar cane juice? Your alternative is one of the purest forms of glycolic acid – caster sugar – which you can buy cheap at any supermarket.

Why It’s Effective: Applying it on your skin is pretty much the same as commercial chemical peels: apply it on damp skin, leave it on for 15 minutes, then rinse it off. This DIY, at-home glycolic acid peel provides instant results and you’ll notice better looking skin after the first application. You’ll see a marked improvement in your skin’s tone and texture after a few weeks.

A lactic acid peel is similar to a glycolic peel, but it’s a little bit more gentle on the skin and ideal for people with sensitive skin or those prone to acne breakouts. An excellent source of lactic acid is milk and milk products. You can use some yogurt mixed with grapefruit juice to treat acne and repair damaged skin.

Why It’s Effective: The probiotics and enzymes in the yogurt will help fight acne, while the high amount of vitamin C and retinol found in grapefruit juice can tone your skin and ease fine wrinkles. Squeeze ½ grapefruit in a bowl and mix ½ cup plain yogurt (organic). Clean your skin and apply the mixture. Leave on for 10 minutes and rinse off with warm water. Apply a daily moisturizer afterwards to combat dry skin.

Natural Scrub

Avocados are excellent not only for your overall health, but also for taking care of your face. The skin of the avocado contains 25 essential nutrients that nourish and moisturize your skin. It also contains vitamin E and C that can help reduce fine lines and improve skin tone. Rub the inside of the avocado skin all over your face, and use the outside skin to scrub your face. Use a circular motion for both applications.

Organic Whitener

If you thought lemons and cucumbers are just good for salads, think again. On it’s own, lemon juice is an excellent skin whitener due its high acidity. It’s rich in vitamin C that promotes skin growth and repair. Cucumbers are rich in vitamin A that can help even out dark skin and ease fine lines.

Mix the juice from two lemons and one cucumber and apply it on the dark areas of your skin. Leave it on for 30 minutes and rinse thoroughly.

Cook up a Storm!

One of the best reasons to make DIY facial products from natural ingredients found in your kitchen is that you’ll save yourself from harmful chemicals such as sodium lauryl sulfate, synthetic fragrances, artificial coloring, parabens and a host of other nasty things usually found in beauty and personal care products.

Try a few natural DIY skin care products and tell us how it worked for you!