Guest Post - 10 DIY Skin Care Recipes

Let’s face it – being beautiful can get expensive. Cleaners, lotions, makeup, exfoliators, night creams and makeup tools are all part of a typical beauty regimen, and the cost can add up. While there may be some splurge products (hello, mineral makeup!) in your beauty arsenal, others may added to the “save” category. Here are 10 great DIY skin care recipes that can save you money and make you feel beautiful.

Moisturizing Milk Bath – A bath can help you relax and regroup, and it’s even better when it improves your skin, too!  Milk is known as a soothing force on the skin, and has been found in many masks and products. Combining powdered milk, oatmeal, powdered almonds and other ingredients will give you a moisturizing soak, and the recipe (found here) will last you for many, many baths.

Honey, Egg and Olive Oil hair mask – Sometimes your hair just cries out for moisture, and when it does, answer with this easy and affordable recipe for a deep-moisture hair treatment.  Mix eggs, honey and olive oil, smooth through your hair, then cover with plastic wrap for up to an hour. Rinse and wash for beautifully shiny hair.

Brown Sugar Scrub – A good sugar scrub can remove dead, dry skin and moisturize. Gel-like exfoliators are great for dry skin, but this slightly drier recipe  can be good for problem areas and as a facial exfoliator. You’ll need brown sugar, extra virgin olive oil, honey and vanilla. Scrub in small circles for 30 to 60 seconds, then rinse.

Citrus Hand Cream – A good hand cream will leave your fingers feeling great and smelling amazing! This DIY Moisturizing hand cream includes orange essential oils, wax pellets, shea butter, olive oil and vitamin E. Microwave the shea butter, wax pellets and olive oil, and then add water and oil and blend. This cream can also make a great gift.

Peppermint lip balm – This great lip balm is no only moisturizing, it’s also refreshing (and not to mention super-portable. For best results, use high-quality cosmetic-grade products (you can find them at Whole Foods or many organic food stores.) You’ll need Shea butter, sweet almond oil, beeswax pellets, and peppermint essential oils. Mix the wax, oil and Shea butter over a double boiler, then add essential oils and pour into small containers.

Moisturizing Coconut Lotion – This easy-to-make lotion is affordable and easy to make, especially if you have dry and sensitive skin. You start with baby lotion, coconut oil, and vitamin E cream, and then whip with a mixer. You can also add essential oils to create your own scented lotion.

Moisturizing Orange Face Mask – Orange extracts are known for adding moisture and glow to your skin, thanks to antioxidants and zinc. This moisturizing orange face mask uses pantry and fridge ingredients for a mask that’s good enough to eat! Mix oatmeal, juice from an orange, Greek yogurt, honey and orange peel until it’s thick enough to coat your face. Add extra oatmeal to thicken if necessary. Leave the mask on for 15 to 30 minutes, then rinse off.

Are you ready to try any of these moisturizing beauty products?

Amanda is a social media manager for a health care organization by day and a blogger and freelance writer by night. She's also a mom to an amazing 2 year-old boy and wife to a great guy who indulges all her celebrity gossip. Amanda loves coffee, fashion, Twitter, makeup, nail polish, and cats (not always in that order.) Her work has been published on family.com and blogher.com. For more celebrity gossip, fashion, beauty and DIY, visit Amanda's blog, It's Blogworthy (http://itsblogworthy.com) or follow her on Twitter and Google+.