Homemade Beauty Remedies from Sophie Uliano's 'Do It Gorgeously'

Sophie Uliano, author of "Do It Gorgeously," on homemade skin care products.

ByABC News via logo
August 4, 2010, 2:41 PM

Aug. 5, 2010 -- In Sophie Uliano's latest book, "Do It Gorgeously," she dishes out tips on how to save money... and save the planet.

Here are some of her all natural recipes for do-it-yourself products that will leave your skin glowing.

CLICK HERE to read an excerpt of the book.

This is a very inexpensive scrub made from basic kitchen ingredients.

Ingredients:

-1 cup of ground oatmeal
-1/2 cup of dry lavender flowers, flowers stripped off stalks (optional)
-1/2 cup of powdered milk (whole or non-fat is fine)
-2 tsp cornmeal
- Filtered Water

Preparation:

Step one: Mix all the dry ingredients in a bowl before transferring to a sealable container.

Step two: To use the scrub, combine 1 tbsp of your scrub with enough filtered water to form a thick paste. Gently massage in circular motions over your face and neck. Rinse with warm water and pat your skin dry.

Yields: approx 16 -ounces of scrub

Application: Use three times a week

Storage: 16-ounce plastic or glass container

6 months

If your skin is sun-damaged, or blotchy with high-pigmentation, before you succumb to expensive laser treatments, give this natural Alpha Hydroxy Acid mask a try.

Ingredients:

-1 fresh papaya (peeled, seeds removed and cut into small cubes)
-1/2 fresh pineapple (peeled, cored, and cut into small cubes)

Preparation:

If you have a juicer that has a setting for soft fruit, this will be perfect for extracting the juice (you also don't need to peel or core the fruit.)

If not, crush the fruit cubes with a mortar and pestle and then press through a sieve to extract the juice.

Yields: Enough for one application

<

Application: Use once a week for six weeks.

Saturate a cotton pad or ball in the juice and apply to your décolleté, neck and face in upward strokes. Leave the juice to dry for fifteen minutes, then rinse off with warm water and moisturize as usual.

(Note: A tingling sensation is normal, as the acids are clearing away those dead skin cells. If the sensation becomes too much, rinse it off earlier.)

This is so easy and inexpensive to make and works wonderfully for "morning-after" eyes.

Ingredients:

-2-ounces Aloe Vera Gel (health food store)
-1/4 large cucumber, washed, unpeeled and cut into cubes

Preparation:

Step one: Place the cucumber in your food processor or blender and blend until it's liquid

Step two: Strain through a fine mesh sieve into a glass-measuring jug.

Step three: Place the aloe gel in a small bowl and add 1tbsp of the cucumber juice. Blend well and use a funnel to pour into the bottle. Shake gently and place in fridge to chill before using.

Yields: approx 2- ounces of gel

Application: Shake gently before using. Apply under and around eyes when needed.

Storage: 2-ounce bottle with pump dispenser, in the fridge

Shelf Life: 3 months

-1 tsp pomegranate seed oil

-1 tsp carrot seed oil

-1 tsp wheatgerm oil

Preparation:

Combine.

Yields: approx one ounce of serum

Application: Use a few drops under your eyes, in the morning and evening after moisturizing

Storage: 1-ounce dark glass bottle with dropper

Shelf Life: 1 year in a cool dark cupboard

This is more effective/active than any vitamin C product that you can buy in a store. The next time you're in a fancy department store, just take a look at some of the serums that boast a high vitamin C content and see how expensive they are! L-Ascorbic Acid is vitamin C and its available at most drugstores and health food stores.

Ingredients:

-1/4 tsp L-Ascorbic Acid
-1 tsp vegetable glycerin
-1 tsp of distilled water

Preparation:

Step one: Dissolve the L-ascorbic acid in the water in a small measuring jug. When it has fully dissolved, mix in the glycerin. Step two: Pour into the glass bottle.

Simply pour the oils into your bottle, shake gently and you're ready to go.

Yields: approx 1-ounce of serum

Application: Use every morning and evening under your moisturizer

Storage: 1-ounce dark glass bottle with pump dispenser

Shelf Life: 1 month in fridge

(Note: If your serum becomes discolored (yellowish), discard it, as that means that it has oxidized.)