Autumn is the perfect time of year to pamper and renew your skin before the chilling winds and dry air of winter start to take their toll. And, it’s really easy to achieve healthy glowing skin without spending a lot of unnecessary money. All you need to do is roll up your sleeves, put on your apron, and start making your own natural beauty products.

Did you know that a variety of skin care products were introduced in the 4^th millennium BC? The Egyptians were the first experts in this field. They used ingredients like olive oil, plant resin, milk and whipped ostrich eggs. Cleopatra knew that soaking her body in a rose petal and milk bath would keep her skin radiant. Today, women are still using those natural ingredients because they work so well and are so good for us.

All of us have become very aware of how skin care and cosmetic companies are using synthetic chemicals in their products. Irritants and carcinogens like aluminum, benzoates, artificial coloring may preserve the product but do little to preserve our skin. In fact, skin has a remarkable ability to absorb about 60 percent of the topically applied products we use. We don’t have to be rocket scientists to figure out those artificial ingredients are not healthy for our skin, or any other parts of our body.

This new awareness has created a demand so these companies have no choice but to produce the more natural products. Now you will find honey, shea butter, olive oil, Vitamin C, and lots of other good things on the ingredients list. But, nothing could be more natural than something you concoct in you’re your own kitchen. Halle Berry does! She uses coffee beans to exfoliate her skin and Kate Hudson slathers on maple syrup to soften hers.

So be adventurous, give it a try. To get you started I’m giving you a few of my favorite skin care recipes. I hope you’ll like them.

Firming Facial Mask: Whisk together 1 tbsp. honey, 1 egg white, 1 tsp. glycerin (available at drug & beauty stores) and enough flour to form a paste. Apply to your face and throat, but NOT around the eyes. Keep it on for 10 minutes and then remove with lukewarm water. Lie down and relax during this firming treatment, because if you stand up gravity will naturally pull down the facial muscles and you don’t want that to happen.

Honey and Sugar Scrub: Mix 1TBSP. honey and 1TBSP. sugar. Heat this mixture in a microwave for 5 or 6 seconds. Apply it to your clean, moistened face and gently exfoliate using circular motions. Rinse with warm water. Never use exfoliating products on inflamed acne or wounded skin.

Moisturize Your Skin: Mash up grapes and add honey to make a paste. Apply this mask to face and neck. It needs to stay on for 20 – 25 minutes then you can rinse it off with lukewarm water. Grapes provide a natural source of collagen and alpha-hydroxy acids, which is so good for your skin.

Soften and Nourish the Skin: Mash up half of an avocado and apply it to your face. Leave it on until it dries. Rinse off with warm water. Avocados contain nutrients and fatty acids which help prevent premature wrinkling.

Reduce Puffiness: Cut very thin slices of a cooled cucumber and lay them on any puffy area such as eyes, forehead, cheeks, or chin. Don’t apply heavy oils or creams around the eyes before bedtime because this causes puffy eyes in the morning.

Tip: Add a few drops of a natural green tea extract to your homemade ingredients. Green tea is a wonderful antioxidant and fights the damaging free radicals which are largely responsible for the aging of your skin.

One last thing. Here’s an added bonus for selecting natural ingredients from Mother Nature’s Pantry. As you know, most of our lotions and potions eventually end up adding to our pollution problems. So, by going natural you are not only doing your skin a big favor you are helping to protect the environment too. I call that a win-win proposition.