I’m going to make this short and sweet. Like these bananas.

Recently I’ve played around with making my own cosmetics. Some have been successful—some, not so much.

In my quest to rid my beauty regimen of synthetics and toxins, I have discovered a few essentials to replace my store-bought favorites.

The following are three of the simplest, yet most effective beauty products I have discovered. Better yet, they’re completely natural and almost free, as most of these ingredients are likely to exist in your pantries already.

1) Toner.

My toner has been replaced with rice water. That’s right, rice that has been left to soak in water can do amazing things for the skin. It makes sense—as rice is loaded with B vitamins that are vital for healthy hair and skin. From personal use, I notice a reduction in redness and inflammation, smaller pores and a smoother complexion. I haven’t yet tried it on my hair, but I’ve heard great things.

Here’s how to make it:

Rinse about a half cup or so of rice in a strainer to eliminate dirt and impurities.

Place the rice in a cup, jar, ext. and fill with purified water.

The more water you use, the more diluted your product, so this is up to you. I usually use twice the amount of water as rice. I promise, you can’t really mess this up.

Let the rice soak for at least an hour, or overnight.

When finished soaking, stir the rice and water to release some of the starches.

Now, take a strainer and strain out the rice. What is left should be a milky white substance that just might become your new favorite beauty product.

Place the rice water in the fridge when not using, as it will turn a bit sour if left out for more than a day or two.

That’s it. You’re done!

2) Spot treatment.

If you’re looking for something for blemishes and scars, look no further than your kitchen counter. Banana peels, I have discovered, are wonderful for hyper-pigmentation, redness and scars.

Browned bananas work best in my opinion.

Simply tear off a small piece of a banana peel and gently rub over scars and spots. Do this morning and night, and you should see difference in a day or so.

This has worked better for me than anything I have ever bought, and it’s far more gentle.

3) Powder.

I’m still perfecting making my own loose powder makeup, so that one will have to wait, but I have discovered a natural alternative to finishing powder.

Arrowroot powder has soothing properties and helps absorb any oils on my skin. I use this alone or over makeup, and it works wonderfully.

You can find this in any general health food store or online.

I told you, short and sweet. Enjoy being beautiful!

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Relephant Reads:

The Best “Date Night” Facial Mask Ever. {Skin Care Recipe}

The Magic that Happened when I Stopped Washing My Face.

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Author: Danica Taylor

Editor: Toby Israel

Photo: Wikimedia Commons

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