Winter cosmetics from the kitchen: beauty tips and recipes

Germany - No matter how beautiful winter is, it is a challenge forhealth in general and skin and hair in particular. Cold and damp outside and dry heating air inside mean constant stress for curls, lips & co. Fortunately, you can get through the cold season in a relaxed manner with the right care. Here are tips and recipes for DIY care products from the home kitchen.

With the right ingredients of natural origin, you can easily create your own cosmetic products.
With the right ingredients of natural origin, you can easily create your own cosmetic products.  © 123RF / Maglara

Dry skin

The frost cracks outside the front door. At home, the heating is blaring. These extreme changes remove moisture from the skin. Rich, oily creams help to prevent dehydration. If you wear make-up, it is better to use liquid make-up instead of powder. Your skin also needs sun protection in winter! When doing winter sports, be sure to reapply cream regularly throughout the day.

Chapped lips

Lip skin has no sebaceous glands, which is why it needs extra care in winter. Commercially available lip balms as well as home remedies such as honey and olive oil are ideal for this. Honey can be applied to the lips in the evening and left to work overnight. Olive oil should be applied repeatedly throughout the day. It has a moisturizing effect.

- You can easily make your own lip balm from four ingredients in no time at all. Ingredients: 10 grams each of shea butter, coconut oil, beeswax and 1 drop of rose oil (or other essential oil). Preparation: Melt the butter, oil and wax in a heat-resistant bowl in a bain-marie over a low heat. Stir the liquefied ingredients into a homogeneous mass. Once the mixture has cooled slightly, stir in the essential oil. Pour the balm into jars and leave to harden in the fridge for another hour.

What you can do to combat brittle hands and dry hair

Winter is wonderful! With a little care, your skin and hair will always look radiantly beautiful in the cold season.
Winter is wonderful! With a little care, your skin and hair will always look radiantly beautiful in the cold season.  © imago images/Addictive Stock

Brittle hands

The metabolism draws heat from the hands and feet at low temperatures, as the blood vessels constrict and there is less blood flow to them overall. If you want to do something good for your skin, wear gloves and use a rich, oily hand cream. Extremely dry hands will "appreciate" a treatment: for example, apply a thick layer of hand cream before going to bed and put on cotton gloves overnight. Instead of hand cream, you can also use olive, almond or coconut oil and massage it in before going to bed.

- An avocado-olive oil paste works wonders for dry skin. Simply mash a ripe avocado and mix with a few drops of olive oil to make a paste. Apply this to your hands for about 20 minutes. Then rinse off with water. Avocado is rich in unsaturated fatty acids and vitamins. These stimulate the regeneration of skin cells.

Dry hair

Mild shampoo is the best choice for washing hair in sub-zero temperatures. If you normally wash your hair every day, you should reconsider this and give your scalp a break more often in the winter months. Stylists also recommend using a weekly treatment and applying conditioner regularly. They recommend using hair balm or oil to care for the ends.

- Coconut oil can also help with itchy or flaky scalps. It moisturizes, relieves itching and has an antibacterial effect.