The kitchen turns out to be a real cavern filled with treasures. The foods found there have natural properties that can be substituted for industrial cosmetics.

Hair care, skin scrubs, cleansing lotions, these industrial cosmetics contain chemical elements, endocrine disruptors (phthalates, parabens, triclosan and oxybenzone) and even plastic microbeads harmful to humans and the environment. All these products accumulate in the bathroom but do we really need them? If you want to go back to a more minimalist cosmetic, here are 10 ingredients that can be used for this. In the bathroom as in the kitchen, choose organic food!

1. Honey

It is the essential beauty ingredient because honey has been used in cosmetics since the dawn of time. This natural nectar is renowned for its moisturizing, purifying and softening properties. Rich in vitamins (A, B, C, D, H, K and PP) and antioxidants, honey fights skin ageing and adapts to all types of skin, even the most greasy! It can be used as a lip scrub or as a mask for acne-prone skin.

How to use: Honey Face Mask

• Mix an egg white and a tablespoon of organic (preferably liquid) honey, half a tablespoon of lemon juice and a tablespoon of yoghurt.
• Beat the egg white by adding honey and lemon juice.
• Add the yoghurt to obtain a homogeneous mixture.
• Apply the face mask for 15 minutes and rinse.

2. Cornstarch

This ingredient works wonders on hair and skin! Cornstarch is a granulated white starch that is actually the endosperm of corn grain. This natural powder contains no perfume or talc and can be used both in the kitchen and in your bathroom. Renowned for its absorbent properties, cornstarch mattifies the oiliest skin, absorbs the sebum of the scalp and fixes the make-up.

How to use: Dry shampoo with cornstarch

• Spread the equivalent of one tablespoon of cornstarch on the top of the scalp and rub at the roots.
• Brush your hair over the sink to get rid of the last residues of cornstarch.

3. Cider vinegar

Rich in vitamins, cider vinegar has anti-inflammatory and healing properties. In a hair mask, it helps fight against dandruff by cleaning the scalp and soothes the itching with its antifungal properties. Its antiseptic and rebalancing properties help for the local treatment of acne. It regulates the unbalanced Ph of oily and acne skin. Its powerful antibacterial action gives it a natural astringent power that tightens pores and facilitates healing. It can also be used in rinsing vinegar after shampooing.

How to use: Cider vinegar shampoo

• Pour a teaspoon of organic cider vinegar into a glass of water.
• Apply the mixture to the hair by massaging for 5 minutes.
• Rinse with fresh water.
• Perform this operation every 15 days for a better result.

4. Beet

Do not underestimate the strengths of this vegetable, it might surprise you! Its bright red color is adequate for makeup. Concentrated vitamin A (promotes the evolution of the mucous membranes and skin cells) and C (prevents diseases by developing a system of immune protection), iron and folic acid, the beet is an excellent source of pigments and has many virtues for health. This pink vegetable also promotes cell renewal and healing.

How to use: Blush with beetroot

• Mix an organic beetroot and recover the juice.
• Mix the juice with 5g of vegetable glycerine to homogenize the whole.
• Smile and apply at the cheekbones with a brush.

5. The avocado

The avocado is full of antioxidant vitamins, protective of the skin (vitamins E and C). It also contains many minerals (potassium, magnesium) but also iron and trace elements (zinc, copper and manganese). It is an anti-radical ingredient (which fights against free radicals) and anti-ageing. Mainly composed of fatty acids, avocado oil is nourishing and provides flexibility and elasticity to the skin and hair. Nourishing, regenerating and restructuring, it is particularly suitable for dry skin but also dull and damaged hair.

How to use: Hair mask with avocado

• Crush a half organic avocado with olive oil until you get a mixture.
• Apply the mixture on your lengths and ends avoiding the roots.
• Leave for about twenty minutes.

6. Cocoa

Obtained after roasting and grinding cocoa beans, cocoa powder is rich in antioxidants. It is not only appreciated in pastry or hot drinks, it is also used in cosmetics. Mixed with beetroot, the cocoa powder gives a nice blush that goes with all the colors of complexion provided you know how to apply it. It can also serve as an eyeshadow as used by the zero waste guru, Bea Johnson! It is particularly suitable for blue and dark brown eyes. Applied on the cheekbones, cocoa powder gives a good-looking effect.

How to use: Eyebrow shadow

• Mix organic cocoa powder and kohl (aromatic eye drops that darken the upper and lower eyelids) according to the color of your eyebrows or use one of these two colors separately.
• Dip a small, chiselled brush into water.
• Mix your powder and draw your eyebrows.

7. Olive oil

Renowned for its health benefits, its content of vitamin E and polyphenols, olive oil can also be an ally of the skin. Rich in antioxidants, this oil tones and protects the epidermis against external aggressions while giving flexibility and softness to it. Used as a scrub or hair mask, olive oil can also be used as a make-up remover for the face.

Be careful, however, to use an organic oil that has been opened recently because the oil will turn rancid in contact with air and light. Over time, it oxidizes more and more and can even produce harmful free radicals for our skin.

How to use: Make-up remover with olive oil

• Prepare an organic infusion of chamomile or thyme and allow to cool.
• Dip a reusable cotton disc into the brew and pour a few drops of organic olive oil.
• Remove make-up by making circular movements on the areas to be cleaned.
• Rinse the face with lukewarm water with a cleaning solution.

8. Coffee grounds

Do not throw away your coffee grounds, recycle them in cosmetics! This ingredient has multiple uses for skin and hair: exfoliant, anti-cellulite scrub, concealer… Its small grains give it the qualities of a very effective exfoliant and easily replace the scrubs with micro-plastic beads that drain into the water and are harmful to marine life.

How to use: Exfoliating coffee grounds

• Mix the coffee grounds with your shower gel and insist on the most desiccated areas of your body (elbow, knees and feet).
• For the face, it is best to dilute with honey.
• Rinse the coffee grounds with lukewarm water and especially moisturize your skin, even if it seems greasy.

9. The egg white

We already knew that eating eggs made us happy, but you know that egg white also makes happy when this food is used in cosmetics! Thanks to its content of choline and nutrients, the egg white protects the cells and fights against the premature ageing of the skin by regulating the excess of sebum. Also rich in vitamin A and E as well as protein, the egg white also ensures the health of our nails and hair. It can easily replace mascara because it has a sheathing effect on the eyelashes.

How to use: Mask for oily skin with egg white

• Break an egg and separate the white from the yolks.
• Mix the egg white with a teaspoon of lemon juice.
• Apply the mixture to your face and leave on for 15 to 20 minutes.
• For dry skin, use only egg yolk and perform the same operation.
• Rinse thoroughly with lukewarm water.

10. The cucumber

We all know of the inevitable cucumber mask or slices are applied to the eyes! For once, cosmetic advertising is not so deceitful, cucumber has many virtues exploitable in cosmetics. Made of 95% water, it is effective against cellulite and dark circles. A real boon for the skin, it gives a “good-looking” effect and, in addition, has the advantage of reducing and tightening the pores. Many uses for a mini price, that’s a good reason to get rid of industrial cosmetics for the benefit of homemade care!

How to use: natural tonic lotion with cucumber

• Peel half organic cucumber and purée.
• Collect the vegetable juice using a sieve.
• Apply cucumber juice with a cotton pad to face and neck before applying night cream. This lotion can be kept a few days cool.