Step-by-step techniques for getting gorgeous at home.

That La Mer toner you love is way out of your budget. And keeping up with pricey oxygen facials and paraffin pedicures? Fuggedaboutit. With rent and utilities eating up most of our hard-earned cash, how’s a working girl supposed to stay beautiful these days without filing for bankruptcy? Well, the solution may be lurking right in your kitchen. From toners and face masks to footbaths, beauty products are a breeze to put together with ingredients you already have in your fridge and cabinets. So give your wallet a rest, and spend a night at home for beauty’s sake. An added benefit: How cool is it to create your own cosmetics? Just think—you could be the next Laura Mercier.

Cooking Class
“If you can cook, you can create your own beauty products,” says natural-beauty expert Janice Cox, author of Natural Beauty at Home, Natural Beauty for All Seasons, and Natural Beauty. “In many cases, it’s as easy as mixing together a few ingredients, or just using a single natural ingredient as you would a commercial product.” According to Cox, who has been making her own cosmetics since college, some of the best results come from single ingredients such as baking soda, lemons, and honey. “Baking soda is a killer hair rinse,” she says. “It gets rid of buildup and leaves your hair really clean.” Lemons, she adds, are excellent for softening rough skin, highlighting hair, and freshening up a bath soak, while honey is great for conditioning dry or damaged hair. “Honey also makes a wonderful facial mask, especially for skin that’s susceptible to breakouts,” Cox explains.

According to Carol DeVeau, an herbalist at Artemesia Botanicals, those new to making their own beauty products should start small, saving the more complex recipes, like lotions (which require specially ordered emulsifiers), until they’ve mastered the simpler masks and toners. For a gentle facial scrub, mix 1 cup of ground uncooked oatmeal with 1 teaspoon of sugar. And to make a mask for all skin types, mash half a peeled avocado with 1 teaspoon of salt. Apply it with a light massaging motion, let it sit for 20 minutes, and then remove the mask with warm water.
 
Top Chef
According to Cox, toners and footbaths are some of the easiest products to brew up at home. Here, she shares her recipes for a soothing, vitamin-rich apple toner and an energizing alfalfa mint footbath. For more get-gorgeous recipes, visit Janicecox.com.
Apple Pectin Toner
1 apple, cut up with peel, seeds removed
1/2 cup water
1/4 cup witch hazel
Place apple in a small saucepan with water. Bring to a boil, and remove from heat. Allow mixture to cool completely, then strain through a fine mesh sieve. Stir in witch hazel, and pour into a clean container.
To use: Spray or apply to skin using a clean cotton ball.
Alfalfa Mint Footbath
If using fresh alfalfa and herbs, double the amounts called for.
2 tablespoons dried alfalfa leaves
1 tablespoon dried mint leaves
1 tablespoon dried thyme leaves
1 gallon hot water
2 tablespoons Epsom salts
Place herbs inside a tea ball or cheesecloth square. Fill a large basin with hot water, and pour in Epsom slats. Float herbal bundle in water, and let it steep until water is cool enough.
To use: Soak feet in the fragrant water for 15 to 20 minutes. Pat skin dry, and massage in a rich cream or natural oil, such as almond or grape seed.

Photo credit: Stephanie L.

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