If you’re like me skin care is an essential part of your life, but as a busy mother, sometimes it gets really hard to fit in time for to look after your skin. I am somewhat sceptical about the many skin care brands out there with ingredient lists as long as your arm of different chemicals and tend to avoid anything that has a name I can’t pronounce in it. Whilst chatting to a friend one day about my lack of skin care routine she brought up the fact that watermelon peels are extremely effective. I couldn’t believe it. Not only would these treatments be all natural but it would be eco-friendly as well. Allahmdulilah my cupboards at home are full so I’ve recently started researching what is inside them to see what else could help out my skin without having to buy expensive products and here is what I found.
The Humble Potato
One easy thing to do for your skin is to use potatoes. Now I know what you’re thinking, bare with me. Potatoes contain an enzyme called catecholase. By using this enzyme and rubbing it onto your skin not only does it get rid of pigmentation, it also brightens and helps your skin to glow. If you really want to make the most out of your potato you can even use the potato juice to help neutralise your skin tone and reduce dark circles. It’s best used as a toner and the best way to prepare it for your skin is to first peel the potato and then cut the potato into slices almost as if they were make up remover pads. You can then apply it to wherever you want and you will start to see the results within a few days. They’re also said to have an anti-aging effect on the skin so it’s worth a go!
Beetle Juice, Beetle Juice, Beetroot Juice
The word ‘superfood’ is linked to many different types of food. One thing I never thought would be linked to it would be beets. Whilst the taste of beets and if or not they are actually an acceptable food to like is highly debated however one thing that isn’t is their medicinal purposes. Beets are high in vitamin C which is extremely important for your skin’s outer layer, the epidermis. Vitamin C itself is also linked very closely to reversing the signs of ageing and treating hyperpigmentation due to the antioxidant properties within the vitamin. Whilst this all sounds great I can’t lie and say I enjoy the taste of beets. For me I found the best way to use them for your skin is to either drink beet juice or have it as a side in meals.
The Kiwi
Another great household food that is great for your skin is Kiwi. Whilst talking to a friend about the benefits of potato for my skin my friend had revealed that her family had been using kiwis on their skin since she could remember. I decided to research a bit and found out kiwis are extremely beneficial for the skin. They are high in vitamin C and a single kiwi contains 94% of your daily vitamin C quota. Not only that, I found out that they are naturally antibacterial and antimicrobial which means they are perfectly suited to help acne prone skin and improve the texture of your skin.
The best way to get access to all of this is to either directly eat a kiwi or to cut a kiwi in half and apply directly to the face. If you’re thinking about doing that make sure you do it quickly as it turns out when kiwis are cut they quickly lose their nutrients. This is probably my favourite out of the bunch since when I tried it out I saw results after the first use.
Protective Pomegranates
My final superfood is pomegranate. Whilst I thought it is a well known fact that they are high in vitamin C and also have a high water content, which makes them a perfect food for the skin, I was surprised to find that almost every part of the pomegranate has some form of benefit to the skin. For example pomegranate has anti-inflammatory properties, which makes it perfect to stop and soothe spots and pimples. The skins of the pomegranate prevent the breakdown of collagen and also promote the growth of cells. The skins can also help to calm inflamed acne or irritated skin. Ground up the skin can be used an exfoliator which, surprisingly, has natural sun blocking agents and prevents UV rays from harming the skin. In all honesty I cannot even tell you the best way to apply this because whatever you choose to do with it, you will get some serious benefits.
What we eat is just as important as what we put on our skin. Sometimes what we eat is even better than what we put on our skin. By doing this you are using all natural treatments that are eco friendly and another plus is that as by using things from your kitchen and repurposing you are avoiding being wasteful and following your duty as a Muslim. Hopefully these fruits and vegetables help your skin glow and keep you healthy just as they have for me.
Have you got any eco friendly skincare tips? Share them with us in the comments!