Every woman dreams of having a flawless and glowing skin. No exceptions there! The demanding lifestyle, food habits, pollution, sun damage, excessive smoking and alcohol, stress and lack of sleep are some of the many factors that take a toll on the quality of our skin.

Women try countless cosmetic products that claim to make their dream of a beautiful skin come true. Most of the women spend a fortune in purchasing these expensive products without realizing that much cheaper and effective products for skin treatment are lying in the nook and corners of their homes.

Home remedies are a very simple and highly effective way of improving the quality of a damaged skin. They are not just cheap and easily available, but they have no side effects too.

Here are a few home remedies that you could sit back and try at home and note the difference.

1. Steaming– Steaming your face is essential when it comes to detoxifying it. To do this

• You need to boil some water in a container.
• Cover your head and the container using a dry towel.
• Place your face not closer than 18 inches from the container. Placing your face too close can damage the blood vessels causing scalding because the water is hot.
• Remain inside the towel and steam your face for at least 10 minutes.
• Come out of the cover after 10 minutes and wash your face with cold water for half a minute.
• Go back to steaming your face and repeat the same procedure three times.
• End the process by washing your face with cold water.

You should steam your face once in every four days to maintain the process of detoxification.

2. Lemon Treatment– Lemon is known to be a powerhouse of nutrients. It has amazing anti-tanning properties. Its regular usage can lead to a remarkable reduction in the dark spots. It also removes blemishes and fine lines. Consumption of lemon on a daily basis keeps the skin taut and the wrinkles away.

• Apply lemon on the darkened areas of the face.
• Wash it away using cold water after leaving it on for 10 minutes.
• Be sure to not go out in sunlight when you have lemon applied and do not apply it on cuts and wounds because it will cause a burning sensation.

Lemon is also a great option for exfoliating dead skin. To do this

• Mix lemon and sugar in equal quantities, preferably two teaspoons.
• Apply the mixture on the areas that remains exposed such as the face, legs, and hands.
• Scrub the mixture and leave it for at least 10 minutes.
• Wash it off with lukewarm water.

You can repeat this process once a week to make your skin look fresh and radiant

3. Honey– Honey is an amazing natural product that can give you the type of skin you want. When used in combination with other natural products its positive effects are heightened even more.

Lemon and honey make a great combination to help you lighten your skin.

• To make a lemon honey pack, you need to mix them together in equal quantities.
• Apply the pack on your skin and leave it on for at least 20 minutes.
• Wash it off using lukewarm water.

For dry skin, you could do the following:

• As dry skin lacks moisture so, you can apply raw honey to moisturize it.
• Wash it off with lukewarm water once it dries off

You could repeat this process on a daily basis as it will make you skin glow and become soft and supple.

You could also go for a combination of cucumber juice and honey. This pack can be applied anywhere including your face, hands, and legs, etc.

• To make a honey and cucumber juice pack, you need to mix them together in equal quantities.
• Apply it and keep it on for at least 15 minutes.
• Wash it off with lukewarm water.

A milk and honey pack is also equally effective.

• To make this pack, you need to mix one teaspoon of honey and two teaspoons of milk.
• Also add a teaspoon of gram flour to this and mix thoroughly to make a paste.
• Apply the mask and massage it after application in a circular motion.
• Keep it on for 20 minutes.
• For oily skin use low fat or full cream milk.
• Wash it off with lukewarm water.

You can apply these masks at least once a week and see how your dull skin becomes radiant.

4. Turmeric– Turmeric has incredible medicinal qualities. It is the most sought after natural ingredient used as an antiseptic and skin lightening agent. It also helps in reducing the dark marks and scars.

To use turmeric to reduce the dark spots and marks on the skin:

• Make a paste by mixing turmeric and pineapple juice.
• Apply this paste uniformly on your face and neck.
• Wash it with lukewarm water after it has dried.
• Apply this paste at least thrice a week for best results.

To remove scars

• Make a pack by mixing turmeric and gram flour in equal amounts.
• Add a little water or milk.
• Apply the paste on your face and leave it until it dries.
• Wash it with lukewarm water by scrubbing it off in a circular motion.
• Repeat this at least once a week for best results.

5. Oats– Oats are the most easily available alternative instead of the cosmetic scrubs. They give you skin a natural glow. To make a scrubber using oats

• Take a bowl and add at least half cup of oats in it.
• Add water and leave the mixture for five minutes until a thick paste forms.
• Apply the paste to your skin massaging it gently with the tip of your fingers, just like you apply cosmetic scrubs.
• To remove the blackheads around the nose and chin, rub the paste harder around those areas.
• Wash it off using cold water.

6. Aloe Vera– The antibacterial and anti-inflammatory properties of Aloe Vera make it a popular natural product to stimulate the cell growth. It moisturizes the skin and the astringent like characteristics of Aloe Vera help in reducing scars.

• Pluck an Aloe Vera leaf from your garden.
• Peel off the skin to obtain the gel inside.
• Use a cotton ball to apply the gel on your face.
• Wash it off with lukewarm water once it has dried off.
• Repeat this procedure daily if possible, if not at least 3-4 times a week.

7. Cucumber– The coolness of a cucumber is famous all over the world. Cucumber is very good for the skin because of its nourishing and hydrating properties.

• To start with cucumber treatments, all you have to do is cut slices of cucumber and rub it all over your face.
• Leave it overnight and wash it off the next morning with warm water.
• Repeat this procedure before going to bed on a daily basis.

If you want to try a quicker remedy using cucumber you could:

• Mix cucumber and lemon juice in equal quantities.
• Apply the mixture to your skin and let it dry.
• Use lukewarm water to wash it.
• Repeat this daily.

These remedies will help in keeping your skin hydrated. The regular removal of dead skin cells will help you skin look fresh and radiant.

8. Almonds– Almonds are a neat source to rejuvenate the skin. Using them on the face helps in improving the quality of the skin as they have a healing effect.

• Take 5 to 6 almonds and soak them overnight in water.
• Take them out of water in the morning and remove their skin.
• Crush them to form a paste.
• Add one tsp of milk, one teaspoon of gram flour and a few drops of lemon juice.
• Mix the ingredients thoroughly to form a uniform paste and apply it on the face.
• Leave it on for 5 minutes. And then wash it off using cold water.
• Repeat this procedure on a daily basis.

9. Tomatoes– Oily skin is highly prone to acne and pimples. They are very difficult to deal with and sometimes even after the application of a variety of creams they never go away. Tomatoes are well known for their marvelous skin effects. You can use tomatoes as a scrub; they can be used for treating acne and pimples in fact they can be used for anything that happens to oily skin.

Scrub

• Take a fresh tomato and cut it into two halves.
• Take one-half of the tomato and dip it in sugar.
• Take it out and rub it on the face along with the other piece.
• Wash it off after rubbing for 5-10 minutes.

This procedure helps in removing the dead skin.

Acne Treatment
The vitamin A and vitamin C content in tomato make it an excellent option for treating acne.

• Take a fresh tomato and cut it in half.
• Take any half and rub it on the face for at least 10 minutes.
• Wash it off with cold water.
• Repeat the process three times in a week and you will notice a miraculous reduction in the acne.

Sunburn

• Take a fresh tomato and grind it with curd to form a paste.
• Apply the paste to the sun burnt area.
• Leave it on for 15 minutes.
• Wash it off using cold water.

10. Bananas– Who knew something so tasty could be equally good for the skin too. Bananas are an excellent cure for acne. If your bananas go ripe even before you have the chance to consume them, then don’t throw them in the trash because you could make some amazing masks using them.

The rich vitamin content in banana helps in fighting wrinkles, pimples, and acne. To make a banana pack

• Take a banana peel and rub it on your skin.
• Leave it overnight.
• Wash it in the morning.
• Repeat the process on a daily basis for at least a week and you will see how your pimples and acne vanish.

Trying these remedies will be the best thing you do for your skin to make it radiant, fresh and beautiful. When you can give your skin all the nourishment, it needs just by sitting back at home then why waste money on cosmetic products that always leave you back in square one, more often than not.