Beauty Spotting: Foodie Treatments from Head to Toe

Feeling in touch with your natural side this summer? Bring that earth mama vibe in to your beauty routine, with these simple & homemade treatments:

FACE: “Make your own face mask with banana, oatmeal and yogurt,” says NYC Aesthetician Andrea DeSimone. “This recipe is great for all skin types! The saturated fat in the yogurt is great for hydration, as is the banana, and it has a very gentle enzymatic exfoliation. The granulation of the oatmeal works as a gentle exfoliator.”

• Mash 1 ripe banana
• Mix thoroughly with 1 tablespoon almond meal or oatmeal
• Add in 2 tablespoons plain high fat yogurt
• Spread onto face and neck
• Allow to sit for 5 to 10 minutes then remove with warm water.

HAIR: “Dandruff is never cute. And anyone who suffers from it knows it doesn’t matter the season… but in the summer when you are up close and personal… it’s a big no-no and is often overlooked.” says Margot Grant Witz, Beauty Director of Elizabeth Grant Skincare International. “Use apple cider vinegar to cure dandruff; it will kill off the fungus and help restore the proper acid/alkaline balance of the scalp. Bonus: it also increases the hair shine factor!”

• First, wash your hair with a mild, pH-balanced shampoo (not dandruff shampoo)
• Mix together two parts apple cider vinegar and one part warm water. Adding a few drops of essential oils such as lavender to help cleanse the scalp further and add a nice fragrance to your hair.
• Pour the mixture directly onto clean hair.  Massage it in and let the mixture dry. You can leave it on or rinse it out.

FEET: CND Nail Professional Roxanne Valinoti suggests this cleansing, moisturizing & soothing pedicure scrub, that we freely use all over our legs & arms.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup of Dead sea salt or Epsom salt (natural salts increase the flow of water in and out of the cells…in essence flushing and cleansing the cells)
• 1/2 cup of Jojoba oil (Jojoba oil has better penetrating qualities)
• Juice from one lemon (has natural antiseptic properties as well as natural AHA’s that aid in the exfoliation process)
• 3 drops of your favorite essential oil (My favorite is Aveda’s Tangerine oil to awaken the senses)

Directions:

• Crush the salts using a mortar and pestle. [editors note: the back of a spoon in a ceramic bowl works, too)
• Mix the wet ingredients together.
• Add the wet ingredients to the salts.
• Apply the scrub, using your hands and applying firm pressure to areas of roughness.