New Zealand Kiwi Skin Toner

Did you know that "Kiwi" is slang for someone that comes from New Zealand? It's of course also a delicious fruit that is available in any grocery store. The kiwi fruit, like any other sweet citrus fruit, is a natural astringent. Astringments or toners as they're commonly referred to, are useful to use after you have cleansed your skin to remove excess oil and tighten the skin. Avoid any store-bought toners that are alcohol-based as they strip the skin of their essential oils causing excessive drying. Instead of buying your toner, why not make it yourself using natural fruits? Not to mention that it's whole lot cheaper than any of the toners out in the marketplace.

New Zealand Kiwi Skin Toner
1 cup boiling water
1 ripe kiwi fruit, peeled and mashed
1 tablespoon vodka

Pour the boiling water over the mashed kiri fruit in a ceramic bowl and let sit until cool (about 20-30 minutes). Strain the mixture well to remove all fruit solids and seeds. I usually strain twice, once with a fine metal strained and then with a paper coffee filter. Add the vodka to the liquid and stir. Apply to the skin with a clean cotton pad (you can pick up a pack for cheap at your local dollarstore). You may rinse your face with cool water if you have sensitive skin.

You can find this recipe along with several others, in one of my favourite natural beauty books, which I highly recommend for all natural beauties. It has natural beauty recipes, divided by the four seasons, to make sure that your skin, hair, nails and body are beautiful and healthy all year long!

Peach Tightening Mask

My previous beauty secret revealed how egg whites are a fantastic way to tighten skin and reduce wrinkles temporarily. Here's another skin tightening beauty recipe that smells just "peachy" and will help to leave skin soft and youthful.

Peach Tightening Mask
1 ripe peach, peeled and pitted
1 egg white

Blend the peach and egg white in a blender until they are blended well. Once again, I like to use a barbeque sauce brush because it makes the face mask easy to apply. Apply over your face and leave the mask on for at least 30 minutes. This is typically longer than most facial masks that I have included so make sure that you do this during a time that you can truly relax, maybe before you head off to bed or the night before an important event. After the mask has dried, rinse off with cool water.

Egg Mask Skin Tightener

This is about as simple as homemade beauty recipes can get--I used this recipe for a skin tightening effect and felt great! Eggs are another common ingredient in homemade beauty recipes, especially for homemade facials, and are also a popular ingredient when it comes to hair. I'll try to include another hair recipe soon as well but until then try this recipe for an egg mask, which has been known to help reduce wrinkles temporarily. I try to use this mask once a week just to refresh my skin and feel energized.

Egg Mask Skin Tightener
1 egg

Separate the egg yolk from the egg white. Put the egg white on your face (I used one of those barbeque sauce brushes that can be found at any kitchen store, I've included a picture to your left, of course your bowl and brush will be clear instead of a barbeque sauce shade lol). I found it easier to use the brush to apply the mask but just make sure it has been cleaned thoroughly before you use it. Let the mask dry for about 10-15 minutes and then remove with lukewarm water.