If you like to cook and eat there is one more thing you can do with your favorite foods: put them on your body. Some of the ingredients in your favorite recipes might also be some of the ingredients in your favorite shampoos, soaps, lotions, body and facial products.
“Everything you put on your skin gets absorbed into your body,” said Ella Rich, owner of Ella Flor, a natural products and flower essence company. “Feed your skin well and you will look and feel better.”
A number of beauty products are made with extracts from avocado, honey and coconut. While you can mix your own potions and lotions at home, there are also some almost-edible treats for your hair, face and body that are perfect when you need a pick me up without the calories.
Beecology Shampoo & Conditioner: Developed by a family of beekepers, Beecology offers botanicals that replenish and nourish your hair. The ingredient labels look more like something you’d eat than something that makes suds, including yarrow, extracts of nettle, chamomile, honey and wheat protein. Yet, you can still lather up to your satisfaction, leaving your hair manageable and soft.
Homemade Oatmeal Facial: Take 1/2 cup of organic oatmeal and process in a coffee grinder. Add a couple drops of organic lavender oil and store in a lidded jar in a cool dry place.
Sweet Beauty Triple Chocolate Sugar Scrub: If you’re a choco-holic like me, you’ll flip for Sweet Beauty products, delectable blends of antioxidant rich organic Fair Trade chocolate from Seattle’s Theo Chocolate, expertly mixed with natural, super-food oils and butters.
Homemade Honey Facial: Pour cream or full-fat milk into a shallow bowl and add enough honey to make it thick enough to coat the back of a spoon. Rub onto your face and leave on 15 minutes before rinsing with warm water.