WASHINGTON — Are you in desperate need for a mani/pedi? How about the relaxing facial?
With salons and spas closed, it’s hard to maintain our skin and nails. Luckily, we can create our own skin care regimen with food items we may already have in our pantry.
Elena Duque is an Esthetician, Beauty & Lifestyle Expert and Contributing Editor at Latinista Magazine. She has some easy hacks on how we can get glowing at home, and save a lot of money!
DIY Brown Sugar Body Scrub
Elena suggests starting with exfoliation and this brown sugar body scrub.
"Exfoliation is so important, it helps shed dead skin and reveals beautiful healthy skin. As an Esthetician, I know that a lot of great skin care starts with things we have in our pantry our fridge."
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup coconut oil
1 tbsp honey
squeeze of lemon.
(This equals 1 serving. You can double the recipe and keep it in your fridge for up to 6 months)
According to Elena, "Coconut oil has Omega 6 fatty acids which makes it an emollient, and emollients lock in and seal in moisture. It's also anti fungal, very soothing.
"Brown sugar is a humectant and it draws moisture in from the air. So you are getting moisture drawn in by the brown sugar and sealed in by the coconut oil. Brown sugar also have glycolic acid which helps turn over that dead skin and give you beautiful smooth glowing skin."
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DIY Foot/Hand Mask
"Once you rinse off the scrub, you will see an immediate brightness to your skin. Then I like to get more coconut oil. If you don’t have coconut oil, you can use a thick body cream. Massage it into your hands and feet and wrap them up in saran wrap. Relax for about 30 minutes. When you're done you will have soft and beautiful feet and hands"
- Lather on Coconut oil or thick body cream
- Wrap feet, then hands in plastic wrap
- Sit back & relax for 30 minutes
DIY Brightening Face Mask
1 tbsp honey
1 tbsp plain, full-fat, yogurt
Elena suggests using this brightening face mask up to twice a week.
"The reason for full-fat yogurt is that low fat or flavored yogurts have additives and we don’t want that. We want full-fat yogurt. Yogurt is good because it has lactic acid which is a gentle exfoliant, which will help lift the dead skin cells, and its very moisturizing.
"Honey is good for acne, it’s good anti-aging and microbial"
Apply mask with a brush or use 2 fingers to gently apply. Leave it on for 20 minutes. Recommend using lukewarm water and a wash cloth to gently remove the mask.
These 3 easy recipes can put you on your way to brighter, smoother skin!
For more DIY ideas checkout Elena's website, Elena Duque Beauty or check out her Instagram.
