Summer is here and it is the time to bring in few small but important changes in our skin care routine. One of the most important changes that we must make is to change our moisturizer. Moisturizer is must in summer as well, and for all skin types. But the thick, cream based winter moisturizers are a big NO in hot, humid summer.
The best summer moisturizer can be a face gel, which is refreshing, soothing, moisturizing and hydrating at the same time. A face gel won’t make skin oily or sticky. There are so many such face gels are available in the market, but you can also make one for yourself at home. Here are few simple homemade face gel recipes for summer skin care.
# Homemade Papaya Face Gel
IngredientsPapaya
Coconut Oil
Tea Tree Essential Oil
Glycerin
MethodTake one ripe papaya and cut small cubes out of it. Don’t use raw papaya for making homemade papaya face gel. Put a bowl full of papaya cubes to the blender and prepare a paste. Take it out and add few drops of tea tree essential oil to it and also add 3 tsp coconut oil. If possible use cold pressed coconut oil. Now add one tsp glycerin to the mixture and combine everything nicely and your homemade face gel is ready. Transfer this homemade face gel to a clean, dry container and put it in the refrigerator. You can store it for 15-20 days.
You can use this homemade papaya gel at night. Take required amount of the face gel and massage it all over the face and neck. Leave it on for some time and then wipe off the excess with a wet towel. Do this every night for healthy, soft and glowing skin.
Benefits of Homemade Papaya Face Gel
* Papaya –Papaya is definitely the main ingredient of this homemade papaya face gel. It a source of several powerful enzymes, that are highly beneficial for our skin. They help fight off skin aging by blocking the free radicals and delay the formation of wrinkles and fine lines.
The secret beauty nutrient in papaya is papain. It is a protein dissolving enzyme, which has skin lightening properties. Papain exfoliates the skin and removes the impurities to help us achieve healthy, glowing skin. It also helps reducing pigmentation. Papain helps with faster cell turnover rate. This improves our skin texture as well as boosts our skin tone. Papaya is beneficial to fight off acne, rosacea as well as eczema, thanks to the anti inflammatory properties of papain.
* Coconut OilCoconut oil has wonderful moisturizing properties for our skin. It is a great source of medium chain fatty acids, such as capric acid and caprylic acid, that help with skin nourishment as well as protection.
The fatty acids in coconut oil are structurally similar to the fatty acids present on the top layer of the skin cells. This helps coconut oil to get absorbed by the skin fast and penetrate through the deepest layers. This way, coconut oil can nourish the skin cells deeply and boost skin health from within.
These fatty acids in coconut oil cover the skin with a protective layer to retain moisture in the skin and keep the skin soft, supple and glowing. Regular use of coconut oil heals skin dryness and restores healthy skin naturally.
* Tea Tree Essential Oil Tea tree oil is another very important ingredient of our homemade papaya face gel. This helps to boost our skin health by reducing breakouts. Tea tree oil a popular natural remedy to fight off acne. Benzoyl peroxide is a very common anti acne treatment, but as per studies, tea tree oil is more effective in fighting off acne than benzoyl peroxide. Most importantly, tea tree oil doesn’t come with any side effects, but benzoyl peroxide can cause skin rashes, dryness, itchiness, etc.
Tea tree oil comes with anti microbial, anti septic as well as anti fungal properties. They work together to destroy the acne causing bacteria. The powerful anti bacterial properties of tea tree oil make it particularly beneficial to fight off cystic acne, more painful than normal acne.
* GlycerinGlycerin is a very powerful moisturizer for our skin. It has humectant properties, which help absorbing moisture from air and locks it into the skin cells, thus, reducing dryness of the skin. Glycerin basically works like a sponge, that pulls in water to the outer layer of the skin and enhances skin’s hydration level. Moreover, it can also slow down the evaporation process of the water from our skin surface and thus boosts skin’s water retention ability.
As we age, our skin, specially dry skin becomes more susceptible to irritation, redness, moisture loss, etc. Plus the environmental elements cause massive damage to our skin. As a result, the skin starts to develop tiny cracks on the outer surface, which is not visible to naked eye. Regular application of glycerin helps to fill those cracks and makes skin smooth over time.
# Homemade Aloe Rose Face Gel
Ingredients Aloe Vera Gel
Rose
Vitamin E Oil
MethodTake couple of fresh rose flowers and separate the petals. Wash the petals thoroughly and keep them in a bowl. Take some pure aloe vera gel in a blender and add the rose petals to that. Blend together until they get mixed. Take it out and with the help of a sieve, separate the rose petals pieces from the mixture. Add few drops of vitamin E oil to the aloe rose mixture. Mix well and here is your homemade aloe rose face gel is ready.
Store it in a clean, dry container and place in the refrigerator. You can use this homemade aloe rose face gel for 7-10 days.
Benefits of Homemade Aloe Rose Face Gel
* Aloe Vera Gel Aloe vera has amazing skin rejuvenating properties. It is the most important ingredient of our homemade aloe rose face gel. Aloe vera helps restoring life back to dull and lifeless skin with consistent use.
Being non comedogenic, aloe vera can be used safely for all skin types. It can soften the skin texture without clogging pores, hence no fear of getting breakouts. Aloe vera has powerful anti inflammatory properties. When used on the skin, it instantly gives a cooling sensation which feels extremely soothing on the skin. It helps to bring down the inflammation and irritation of the skin quickly.
* RoseRoses are amazing for skin care, because of their multi purpose benefits. They are a vital part of our homemade aloe rose face gel. Rose petals have deep cleansing benefits for our skin. With their natural astringent properties, they help to remove the extra oil from the skin. However, being hydrating in nature, rose petals also help increasing water content in the skin.
Rose petals contain rose oil, which is enriched with natural anti bacterial benefits. This helps to maintain a healthy, blemish free skin naturally. That’s why, it is an ideal ingredient for oily and acne prone skin. Rose also maintains the pH balance of the skin.
Roses are enriched with anti inflammatory properties. The sugars present in rose petals help soothing sensitive skin greatly. They help soothing irritated skin and also reduce the redness. Roses, with their moisturizing properties, help make our skin feel relaxed.
* Vitamin E OilThis is one of the most important vitamins for healthy skin and that’s why, we have added this to our homemade aloe rose face gel. It provides superior nourishment for our skin and helps to revive dull and damaged skin. Regular application helps to restore healthy and glowing skin.
Vitamin E has anti oxidant benefits. It supports new cell growth, which in turn makes the skin clear and healthy. With its anti oxidant benefits, vitamin E fight off the free radicals and prevent various skin damages, including premature aging, dull skin, dry skin, acne, etc. UV rays are highly damaging for our skin and one of the most important benefits of vitamin E is that it can protect our skin from the harmful effects of UV rays, including photo-aging.
Being anti oxidant in nature, vitamin E helps to delay the appearance of aging signs, like wrinkles and lines, which makes it an ideal treatment for anti aging. Also vitamin E can boost the collagen production in the skin and helps to maintain its natural elasticity.