The benefits of plant-based skincare are pretty astounding “” I mean, there’s clearly a reason all those fancy store-bought face masks and creams are packed with botanical extracts. Instead of shelling out tons of money on fancy lotions and toners, why not grow your own skincare products at home, free from the unnecessary chemicals and fillers that you’d find on the drugstore shelves?
The best plant-based skincare is made from fresh, organic ingredients grown right at home. After all, the sooner you use a fruit or vegetable after picking, the more nutrient-dense it will be. Here are some of the best vegetables and fruits you can easily grow at home and add into your DIY beauty products, so you can enjoy all the benefits of plant-based skincare in Edmonton.
Fruits With Benefits: The Best Edibles For Plant-Based Skincare
Plant-based beauty products are all the rage right now, so why not flex on all your friends by flaunting your own homemade concoctions? Skip splurging on the expensive stuff “” all-natural, homegrown ingredients are where it’s at! These five edible plants are perfect for adding into beauty products, plus, you can eat the leftover ingredients that you don’t use. You can’t do that with Nivea!
Pumpkin: Growing pumpkin squash is a popular summer gardening project because there’s something so undeniably satisfying about having a giant vegetable to harvest at the end of the season. Plus, there are so many creative ways to use them, from cooking to holiday decorations, and of course, plant-based beauty products.
Pumpkin is full of vitamins A, C, and E, which helps to relieve redness, speed up healing, and brighten your complexion. The powerful antioxidants help prevent wrinkles and sunspots, and its naturally occurring fruit enzymes are great for speeding up cell turnover. This will help reduce the appearance of acne scars and sun damage while sloughing off dead, dull skin.
To make a pumpkin mask, puree half a cup of pumpkin in a food processor, and mix in one raw egg, a drizzle of honey, and a splash of apple cider vinegar. Prep your face for the mask by washing it with a gentle cleanser, then apply a thick layer of your pumpkin mask and leave it on for 20 minutes. Wash it off, apply a light moisturizer, and get your glow on.
Strawberries: Growing strawberries is a great idea if you want to get into DIY beauty products, because whether you have dry, sensitive skin, or oily, acne-prone skin, a mask made with fresh strawberries will provide you with loads of benefits. They’re full of alpha-hydroxy acids, which promote gentle exfoliation, and all that vitamin C will help lighten dark spots and discolouration.
Mash eight large strawberries in a bowl, and mix in a couple of tablespoons of honey, a few drops of lemon juice, and a light drizzle of a skin-friendly oil, like coconut, jojoba, grapeseed, or sweet almond oil. Wash your face with your favourite cleanser, apply the mask and let it sit for ten minutes. Then, rinse it off and follow up with a natural witch hazel or rose water toner and some moisturizer.
Carrots: Carrots are an absolute must-have in the garden if you suffer from acne because they’re naturally antiseptic! This means they help to kill the bacteria that forms from within clogged pores, and helps to clean away impurities from the dirt and oil buildup that results from city air pollution.
Start by boiling and mashing one large carrot, and then mix it with a tiny drizzle of olive oil and honey, plus a few drops of lemon. Aim for a paste-like consistency “” not too chunky and not too runny. Make sure you let it cool down before applying it to your face. Soak a cloth with hot, but not scalding water, and press it against your face. Once it cools down, repeat the process two or three times. This will help to open up all of your pores so the mask will target the bacteria beneath your skin surface. Apply the mask, avoiding your eyes and mouth. Let it sit for fifteen minutes and then rinse it off with warm water.
Cucumbers: There are plenty of benefits to growing cucumbers at home. This cooling vegetable doesn’t just help improve your complexion through topical applications””it also works from the inside out! If you drink a lot of cucumber water, you’ll start to notice reduced oil production and a clearer, brighter face.
To make a cucumber toner/facial mist, peel and mince up one small cucumber and add it to a saucepan with some water “” just enough to immerse all the pieces. Next, heat the pan on very low heat, stirring constantly for about ten minutes, careful not to let it boil. Boiling the cucumber will break down the vitamins and nutrients, which would totally defeat the purpose. Take your mixture off the heat, let it cool, and then blend it up with an electric mixer.
To finish, you’ll need to strain the mixture through a sieve to get all the chunks out. The remaining water can be poured into a spray bottle and kept in the fridge. Spray it on your skin as a toner after cleansing and before moisturizing, or lightly spritz some on after applying makeup to help it set in place.
Spinach: Many people grow spinach because of its superfood status. It’s packed with precious vitamins like folate, beta-carotene, vitamin A, vitamin C, iron, and magnesium. There’s a reason why Popeye was so fit! When added into facial care, it can help reduce dark undereye circles, improve oxygen circulation for more suppleness, heal acne wounds and scars, and even slow the development of cancer cells.
Make a face mask by blending up a handful of spinach, a few drops of lemon and drizzle of honey, plus some water to dilute it. Again, try to get that consistency just right, so it isn’t too runny. Spread it across a clean face, let it sit for 20 minutes, rinse it off, and voila!
Plant extracts are some of the most powerful ingredients available for beauty products, so there’s no reason to splurge on pricey face masks and toners when you can create fresh, DIY concoctions right at home for a fraction of the price. If you’d like to start growing your own beauty garden at home, stop by Salisbury Greenhouse and pick up some of these antioxidant and vitamin-rich small fruits and veggies!
