Homemade facials

By Melissa Gagliardi
Gannett News Service

Beauty masks made from a creamy mixture of yogurt and cucumber can moisturize the skin. Gannett News Service

From fruity facials to sweet body scrubs, there are hundreds of home beauty treatments for most skin types and desired effects.

Cheaper — and often tastier — than store-bought products, home treatments can tackle dry skin, tighten pores into submission and even battle blackheads, all while going easy on the pocketbook.

Plus, when you're whipping up your own concoctions, you know that there are no harsh chemicals added.

"It's 'buyer beware' when it comes to cosmetics," says Jane Houlihan, an analyst with the Environmental Working Group and author of "Beauty Secrets," a consumer report and alert on chemicals in beauty products (www.ewg.org/cosmetics).

For the simplest, most natural beauty treatments, try heading to the grocery store to whip up these masks, toners and even some blond highlights

Even animals approve.

Here is a beauty treatment that would even be fine for animal testing:

Use carrot juice on troubled skin. Mix one-fourth cup of fresh carrot juice (from two large carrots) with one-fourth cup white kaolin clay (China clay). Smooth onto clean skin and leave for 20 minutes.

"Fresh carrot juices have a strong antiseptic quality, making it an excellent ingredient for a facial treatment," writes Janice Cox, author of three books on the subject, including "Natural Beauty at Home," all published by Henry Holt and Co.

In "Natural Beauty" (Holt, $16.95), Cox gives more than 250 recipes for home treatments, from cleansers, body scrubs and face masks to shampoos and conditioners.

Another tip from Cox uses an apple to cook up a simple toner: Place one chopped-up apple (peel and seeds removed) in a small saucepan with one-half cup water. Bring to a boil and remove from heat. Allow to cool, then strain. Stir in one-fourth cup of witch hazel. Apply using a cotton ball.

"When used as a facial toner, apple pectin is soothing and refreshing for all skin types," Cox says.

Home treatments abound on the Internet, including this dry-skin regimen from koolindians.com:

Blend one-half cup of yogurt with half of a peeled and chopped cucumber until creamy. Use the mixture as a moisturizing face mask whenever you begin to feel a little flaky.

Or for a tightening mask, smear on the white portion of a raw egg. Let it dry, then wash off with lukewarm water.

Meanwhile, CosmoGirl! magazine has its own tip for treating dry skin the natural way:

Take one ripe, medium-sized avocado (scooped from the skin and without the seed), three tablespoons of soy mayonnaise and two tablespoons of grapeseed oil (found at health-food stores) and mix in a blender until smooth. Apply the treatment on damp skin and leave on for two to three minutes. Wipe off with a washcloth.

CosmoGirl! also suggests making a "chocolate truffle" face mask using cocoa powder and whole milk. Stir four tablespoons of the powder with four tablespoons of milk in a bowl until it looks thick, like pudding. Apply mixture to clean face, leaving on for 10 minutes for normal skin, 20 minutes for oily or acne-prone skin. After you remove the mixture with a warm, wet washcloth and rinse with cold water, your pores should look smaller and your skin smoother.

When life hands you lemons ...

One of the newest beauty trends is to get the whitest, brightest smile possible. For an occasional whitener for your teeth, mix together one teaspoon of baking soda with one-half teaspoon of lemon juice or ReaLemon. Apply the mixture to your teeth with a cotton swab, brush clean and rinse with water.

But don't apply the mixture too often, because the acid in the juice could damage your tooth enamel.

A more popular lemon beauty treatment is to spray the juice into damp hair to get blonde highlights. Some women use lemon juice or ReaLemon as an all-natural alternative to hair dyes and bleaches. Just rinse your hair with one-fourth cup ReaLemon lemon juice and three-fourths cup of water, then sit in the sun to activate the natural bleaching ingredients.

Some people also use lemons and RealLemon to treat blackheads. Rub the juice over trouble areas before going to bed, then rinse your face in the morning with cool water. Repeat the process for several nights.

Centuries ago, Chinese women used honeysuckle to clear their skin, and European women used elderflowers to lighten freckles. American pioneer women also had a method for achieving a brighter complexion using one very abundant ingredient — dirt.

Yes, dirt. The recipe: Mix one cup of dirt with one cup of water, three teaspoons of skim milk and a tablespoon of sour cream to make a paste. If the thought doesn't repulse you, apply the mixture to your face and leave until it dries, then rinse with warm water.