Beauty care does not always have to be expensive, and in the best case it makes you creative. Because caring masks to make yourself are full of natural ingredients and usually cost little. We reveal the best recipes for skin and hair masks.

Make face masks yourself

ALoe Vera, strawberry, chocolate, mango, papaya, healing earth, sugar or honey? Almost all commercially available face masks have in common that their nourishing ingredients come from nature. So why waste money at the drugstore when you can find everything your facial skin and pimples need for extra care right in your kitchen. Homemade face masks are not only made very quickly, but are also usually gentler on your skin.

For a firm complexion: anti-aging avocado mask

The little green fruit is a big anti-aging ace. Avocados contain an extra portion of vitamin E, which keeps the skin elastic, has an antioxidant effect and can even lighten age spots or pigmentation disorders.

Face mask recipe: Mash half an avocado, mix the pulp with three tablespoons of cream or cottage cheese and one teaspoon of honey. Honey has an antibacterial effect on blemished skin and helps moisturize dry skin. The mass is applied generously to your skin on the face and neck. Now rest for about ten minutes and then carefully wipe the face mask off with a lukewarm cloth.

Tip: The active ingredients of the mask can be absorbed better if you have opened the skin pores with a steam bath beforehand. To do this, simply hold your face over a bowl of steaming chamomile tea for a few minutes. The warmth opens the pores of your skin, which chamomile extracts soothe.

Cosmetic wake-up call: Invigorating yoghurt mask for tired skin

Yoghurt is a traditional Greek beauty secret. Due to its high proportion of protein, vitamins A and B, as well as calcium, potassium, magnesium and zinc, yoghurt has a very high nutrient content that is well absorbed by the skin. Its anti-inflammatory and moisturizing effect make it extremely popular as a mask ingredient.

Face mask recipe: Mix 4 tablespoons of chilled yogurt with 2 tablespoons of aloe vera juice and the pulp of half an orange. Then spread the whole thing over your face and neck for at least 15 minutes. The mask is then thoroughly removed with a lukewarm cloth.

If you are in a hurry, you can simply mix cool yoghurt with a little honey and apply to dry skin.

Relax mix: Vital mask for UV-stressed skin

Foods with an extra dose of beta-carotene (such as carrots, spinach and sweet potatoes) can strengthen the skin’s natural barrier against sun-induced cell damage. The active ingredient intercepts the free radicals caused by UV radiation and rebalances the skin’s energy level. Carrots are known in particular for their anti-aging effect. The reason is the high vitamin E content, which makes the cell walls more stable.

Face Mask Recipe: Steam two carrots until cooked. Let the vegetables cool and then puree them. Now mix two tablespoons of olive oil, one teaspoon each of honey and quark into the yellow puree and then apply the mixture to your face and neck.

Wait about ten minutes and wash off the mask with lukewarm water. Tip: While waiting, you can drink a glass of freshly squeezed carrot juice (mix it with a drop of oil so that all the vitamins can be absorbed). After all, vitamins are good from the inside.

Make your own scrubs

E ven the Egyptians knew about the nourishing effect of body and face scrubs. With a mixture of fine sand and water, they rubbed off dead skin cells. For example, we still use sea buckthorn scrubs today for a similar reason. So why resort to expensive synthetics when you can find everything you need to make your own exfoliant at home?

Strawberry and sea salt peeling against blemishes

Salt is known for its antiseptic properties. Impure skin and blackheads are soothed by the salty crystals. Sweet strawberries are also considered to be true miracle weapons in the fight against impure skin and blackheads. This effect is mainly due to the antibacterial, anti-inflammatory effect of the catechins contained in the strawberries.

Recipe for peeling: Mix four tablespoons of freshly pureed strawberries (frozen products bring a pleasant freshness kick to the skin) with six tablespoons of coarse sea salt. Then use it to exfoliate your face, neck and other impure skin areas (e.g. on your back) and wash off with lukewarm water after a short exposure time (about 2 minutes).

Herbal peeling for sensitive skin

Dried herbs contain valuable essential oils and essences that are released by pressing and grinding and are known to be valuable beauty aids. Sage and marigold are considered natural soothers for irritated skin. Processed into a peeling, these herbs offer the ideal peeling additive. Sensitive skin can be rubbed and soothed at the same time.

Recipe for peeling: Mix two tablespoons of healing earth, one tablespoon each of dried calendula and sage, one teaspoon of aloe vera juice and one teaspoon of jojoba oil until you get a smooth paste. Then use this mass to exfoliate your face, neck and, if you like, your entire body in circular movements, then leave it on for about five minutes and rinse off with warm water.

Invigorating coffee and sugar scrub

Caffeine works wonders not only as an aromatic hot drink, but also as a miracle ingredient in creams and peelings. This natural pick-me-up stimulates all bodily processes to run faster. In this way, caffeine scrubs with sugar stimulate the microcirculation of the skin cells. The effect is impressive: toxins are removed more quickly, swelling is minimized and even cellulite is said to be reduced.

Scrub recipe: Mix 3 tablespoons of brown sugar with 3 tablespoons of ground coffee and 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Now massage this peeling mass well into the skin regions affected by cellulite and swellings with circular movements, wait about three to five minutes and then rinse the whole thing off with ice-cold water. The ice shower intensifies the microcirculation and thus the effect of the peeling.

Make hair masks and hair treatments yourself

It doesn’t always have to be a visit to the hairdresser. Even expensive hair masks containing chemicals and silicone are often no better than the masks that you can easily mix together at home. We reveal the best mixtures for homemade hair treatments.

Beautiful tips: Anti-Spliss-Balm

Burdocks are those small, globular plants that tenaciously cling to sweaters and pants as soon as you touch them. Their root system has been considered a valuable beauty substance for centuries. The reason for this is the high content of valuable fats and enzymes, which are well accepted and processed by the human body. Burdock root oil has proven particularly effective for dry hair that tends to split ends.

Important: The serum is to be used as a preventive measure. Hair that has split once cannot be repaired afterwards.

Hair mask recipe: Mix 5 tablespoons of burdock root oil with 5 teaspoons of shea butter and about 5 drops of ylang ylang oil. You fill this mixture into a pump dispenser and put a few drops of it into the ends of your hair every day. However, only distribute the oily serum in the really dry sections of hair so as not to make the look look greasy.

Anyone who tends to have a sensitive, dry or even scaly scalp can massage the serum into dry skin and dry hair and leave it on overnight. The hair should be washed with a mild shampoo the next morning.

Curl tamers: yoghurt and egg cure for frizzy hair

How straight or curly hair is depends on how many protein building blocks it has. The fewer these protein structures are in the hair, the frizzier it becomes. If you want to give your frizzy hair a silky smooth look, fill in these protein gaps again. Regular cures with natural proteins from yoghurt or eggs have proven to be ideal for this.

By the way: Every hair treatment works more intensively if you support it with heat. The heat expands the final horny layer of the hair and the active ingredients can now penetrate better. Therefore, while the treatment is taking effect, wrap a towel around your head and blow some warm air from the hair dryer against it.

Hair mask recipe: Mix together a teaspoon of olive oil, a beaten egg, three tablespoons of yoghurt and two teaspoons of honey, apply the mixture to washed, damp hair, leave it on for about 20 minutes and first rinse thoroughly with warm water and finish Then wash with a splash of cold water. The ice cream closes the horny layer of the hair that has been swollen by the warm wash.

Beautiful shine: hair conditioner for more shine

How shiny the head of hair depends on the condition of the hair surface. The more closed and dense the horny layer is, the smoother and therefore shinier the surface of the hair. Both vinegar and lemon juice are considered natural essences that intensify the shine effect of the hair by coating the hair with a thin film that covers the horny layers and smoothes them.

Important to know: Whether you use vinegar or lemon juice for your personal shine conditioner depends on the color of your hair. Lemon juice has a lightening effect , so it is only used on blond hair. Brunettes and even darker hair types turn to vinegar.

Hair mask recipe: Mix 50ml vinegar (for dark hair) or 50ml lemon juice (for blonde hair) with 30ml mineral water and apply to damp hair after washing. Now wait about five minutes and then rinse the treatment thoroughly with warm water. Finish the hair wash with an ice-cold shower – this not only stimulates the circulation, but also closes the softened horny layer of the hair.