Pantry Beauty | Cream Cheese Mask, Glycolic Acid Peels and Sulfate-Free Shampoo

I like to think of myself as the Bill Nye of beauty – and I always like to save a little cash as well, that’s why I’m so excited to share some of my own recipes and some incredible ones from Fifi M. Maacaron, a pharmacist and natural skincare expert and author of Natural Beauty Alchemy. I mixed up these potions on Good Day Philadelphia, full video below where I slather all these concoctions on in one go!

WINTER CREAM CHEESE MASK
This mask contains full-fat cream cheese, which will restore some of the skin’s lipid mantle and help re-nourish from weather-induced dryness.
Grapefruit juice will load your skin with antioxidants and vitamin C for a refreshed and younger-looking skin . Prepare this formula when your skin feels dry and tight, or routinely during winter and harsh weather months.

 Ingredients

• 2 ounces (60 ml) full-fat cream cheese (softened; see below)
• 1/2 teaspoon honey
• 20 drops (1 ml) grapefruit juice
• gauze strips (optional)

Instructions

1. Allow the cheese to soften at room temperature—do not microwave. Flatten with a fork, and then add remaining ingredients one at a time while mixing with the fork.
2. Spread with a spatula on clean face and neck, directly or between double layers of precut gauze strips. (Prepare the gauze strips ahead of time by laying gauze in double layers and cutting four rectangles for the forehead and neck and four circles for the cheeks.)
3. Lie back or sit in a reclining chair and wait 15–20 minutes before removing gauze pads and rinsing off.
4. Repeat this mask on a weekly basis to sustain results and protect the skin. Follow with the application of daily moisturizer and a sunblock.

HOMEMADE “GLYCOLIC ACID” PEEL

When mixed together, lemon juice and baking soda bubbles over and creates a brightening, tightening and toning mask. The bubbles that form are great also for anyone with blemish-prone skin, there’s a certain strain of bacteria that causes acne that only grows in anaerobic (oxygen-less) environments. Rinse off after 10 minutes.

Ingredients
1 lemon, freshly-squeezed
1-2 tablespoons of baking soda

 Instructions

1. Pour lemon juice over baking soda. Formula will bubble.
2. Apply to face with a clean makeup brush.
3. Remove after 15 minutes, skin will feel clean and tight.

SUBTLE BUBBLE SULFATE-FREE SHAMPOO

This formula will transform concentrated liquid soap into a smooth and balanced sulfate-free hair shampoo. The argan oil restores shine and luster to dull hair!

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup rosemary infusion (rosemary boiled with hot water)
• 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar, for pH adjustment
• 2 ounces (60 ml) liquid castile soap
• 1 teaspoon argan oil

Instructions 

1. Mix the rosemary infusion and the vinegar. Then pour it into the soap base, in a thin stream, whisking very gently to prevent foaming. Blend in the argan oil, slowly, still whisking until all ingredients are well blended.

2. Use as a regular shampoo.

SUPERMODEL HEAT-DAMAGED HAIR MASK

Victoria’s Secret model Martha Hunt makes a homemade egg white and rosemary oil hair mask to repair her heat-damaged strands from fashion shows, and you can now, too. Source: Byrdie.

The proteins in egg whites nourish your roots and can stimulate hair growth. Second of all, they’re full of other fatty acids, potassium, and vitamins to give hair a glossy shine and heal damage. Rosemary oil has been used for centuries to stimulate hair growth, so the two ingredients combined are will leave you with glossy, healthy strands.

Ingredients
2 egg whites
3-4 tablespoons of rosemary oil.

Instructions

1. Combine beaten egg whites with rosemary oil.
2. Apply to hair, let sit 20-30 minutes.
3. Rinse well.