Self Care With Pantry Essentials
Treat yourself with some DIY beauty right from your kitchen.
As a freelancer during the Coronavirus pandemic, I’ve been balancing the idea of supporting my favorite artisans' products while also making more of what I love myself. Some ingredients are hard to source from Brooklyn and other products are too perfect, like Stevie’s Yay for Earth, that I use religiously. But with a tighter budget and more time on my hands, I’ve been exploring making other beauty products out of things I have right in my kitchen.
Simple Lip Scrub
If you live in a cold dry place like me, you know one of the worst things about cold weather is dealing with chapped lips. I found this recipe to be the easiest and most simple way of making my lips shine. Slather your lips with Olive Oil (coconut oil and honey work too) and apply sugar. Use your finger to exfoliate in a circular motion. Wipe off exfoliant and apply moisturizer/chapstick immediately in order to lock in and protect the smooth goodness that you just created.
Slather lips with oil of choice. Dip oily finger into sugar and exfoliate!
Coffee Mask
They recommend this mask for legs, but I’ve done it all over and loved it. To make this you’ll need one cup of leftover coffee grounds, ¾ cup of sugar (any will do), and ½ cup coconut oil (melted). You can also add ¼ cup olive oil for added moisture as well as vanilla for yummy smells. Mix dry ingredients together, then add the oils. Once combined, the mixture will be slightly runny so be sure to apply over a sink or in the shower. Rub on your body in circular motions, then rinse off.
Dry Shampoo
Rather than buying dry shampoo, I switched to cocoa powder. It’s super absorbent and leaves my hair visibly less oily and smelling like chocolate. This one mainly works for brunettes - as the cocoa doesn't change color once in your hair. I recommend doing this in your bathroom, over the sink as the cocoa is a little messy. Lastly, I keep a small jar of cocoa in my bathroom so that I’m not sticking my fingers in my baking cocoa.
Dip fingers into cocoa and place on oily parts of hair. Massage product into roots of hair. Make sure to massage until cocoa is no longer visible.
Store the cocoa powder used for your hair in a glass jar and keep separate from your baking cocoa.
Make Up Remover
Just use coconut oil! I don’t love the scent of coconut, but this works so well to remove my makeup. Other great options that you might have in your home already include jojoba oil, sesame oil or olive oil. The oil helps gently break down your makeup without so much vigorous rubbing. I follow this by washing my face with soap.
Warm Compress
Self care these days takes many forms - with the stress of COVID, and the amount of time I’m spending looking at screens, I've found that taking care of my neck has become increasingly more important. I created a warm compress with an old sock and brown rice. I heat the compress in my microwave and put it on my neck on days when I’m feeling more sore.
Use a fresh sock and fill with brown rice (or whatever rice you have handy). Tie a knot to close. Heat in the microwave.
For more tips like these, please follow my Instagram page @rosssanna for quick life hacks and sustainable commentary.