Summer is here! Now is the time to try out some awesome vegan do-it-yourself beauty treatments to make your skin super bright and take care of it too. Who really has the time, energy, money, or motivation to go to a spa and get chemicals slathered all over their bodies? It seems to me that the “all natural” aspect has been diminishing in the beauty industry and has instead been replaced with chemicals on top of chemicals. It’s time to get back to grassroots people!

Here, you’ll find a few DIY beauty treatments you can do in the comfort of your own home, or, you can always make a batch of these awesome treatments and have an all-natural spa day with your friends. So go ahead, put on the Enya music, light some candles or incense, turn off the electronics, and bask in some self-indulgent time and watch your cares melt (or scrub) away. For even more at home beauty treatments, be sure to check out this post!

Face

Sugar Scrub

This is one of my personal favorites. It’s simply raw sugar with lemon juice. Sounds too easy, right? Take some good old-fashioned raw sugar, quickly toss it in the food processor or coffee grinder to make it a bit finer if it’s quite large, move it to a shallow bowl, add lemon juice until it’s nice and saturated, stir, then slather. Scrub it into your face to remove dead skin cells, dirt, and oil. The brown sugar acts as a scrub (obviously), while the lemon helps to clear up oils, tighten pores, and can even help lighten up dark spots. Rinse away the scrub, add your sunscreen or moisturizer, and you’re good to go. This should not be used every day as the lemon makes your skin a bit sensitive to sunlight, so try not to use it just before a beach day. I prefer to use this once a week.

Coffee Facial Scrub

La Traviesta Coffee Roaster/Flickr

Keep in mind that the caffeine can be absorbed through the skin, so when you do this, skip your morning cup to avoid becoming overly caffeinated and running around like a hamster in a ball. Weeeee! This is a fairly simple one as well. Coffee grounds should be fine. So, if you have a course ground variety, run it through the coffee grinder once more. This is a 2:3 ratio of olive oil or coconut oil (whatever you have on hand) and coffee grounds. Mix together in a bowl and use as a scrub. Rinse with warm water and pat dry. Skin should look brighter and feel amazingly soft. Top off with some moisturizer (hopefully with an SPF) and you’re ready to go!

Oatmeal Face Mask

Stacy Splency/Flickr

An oldie, but a goodie. I remember making this when I was about 10. Running around the house with chunks of oatmeal falling off my face. Thankfully, I’ve learned a bit since then. This is equal parts oatmeal (run through a food processor to avoid aforementioned chunks) and warm water, 2 teaspoons bee-free honey/agave nectar (your choice), and a few drops of essential oil (I prefer peppermint or lavender). Mix together and apply to face. Leave this on for 10 – 15 minutes, rinse off with warm water, and pat dry. Skin is incredibly soft afterward. I remember running up to my mom after the mask and making her touch my face. Not recommended to do this to strangers.

Papaya Face Mask

Papaya is packed with enzymes that will do half of the work for you. Take a quarter of a papaya, ½ teaspoon of bee-free honey/agave nectar and ½ teaspoon of lemon juice, mash together, and slather. Leave this on for about 15 minutes and rinse away with warm water and pat dry. The enzymes will help to remove dead cells, while the honey helps to combat acne and reduce any redness, and the lemon tightens pores and helps with oily skin. This mask is a dream!

Under Eye Treatment

TonalLuminosity/Flickr

The bags under my eyes just seemed to get more and more noticeable despite my coma-like sleep spells. Though, my whole family has dark circles constantly, so it’s genetics. I’ve tried so many of these so called miracle creams but nothing seemed to work. The few things that have worked, however, are the natural, at home treatments. Cold, sliced cucumber or potatoes in the morning, just after waking up help to constrict blood vessels so the dark circles are less noticeable throughout the day. It could truly be anything cold that won’t roll off your face (carrots are not recommended).

Lip Scrub

Gilberto Santa Rosa/Wikimedia

Super soft kissable lips are always desired and with the changing weather lately, there’s bound to be some cracked and dry lips. An easy scrub is simply a bit of sugar (white or raw, your choice) and a dab of honey or coconut oil if you choose. Mix together, apply to lips, try not to eat it, leave it for 5 minutes, then scrub off, and rinse with warm water. You’ll have lips so soft, even your companion animal is going to want to kiss you!

Body

Beer Rinse

Quinn Dombrowski/Flickr

That feeling your hair has after new shampoo is lovely, isn’t it? Well, a quick beer rinse can actually give you the same effect. The malt and hops found in beer are chock full of protein, which nourishes and strengthens your hair. The nutrients can even help repair dried out and damaged hair. The alcohol also contains B vitamins that tighten your hair cuticles and make the light bounce off your hair, making it shinier. Sounds great right? After your normal shampoo regimen, drench your hair with beer for the final rinse. Try using an organic beer to avoid unnecessary additives, chemicals, or GMOs. Also, lukewarm beer is best, not a brewski straight out of the fridge. Brrrrr.

 Hand Softener

Smabs Sputzer/Flickr

Olive oil is something wonderful, isn’t it. We use it for cooking, for face scrubs and now, for a hand softener. Try dipping hands in a bowl of olive oil for about 5 minutes to really let it soak in, then wash with warm water and soap to remove excess oil, and pat dry. Hands are so soft afterwards. If you find yourself wasting a lot of oil, try putting some into a pair of latex gloves and securing it around your wrist with a hair tie to avoid spills.

 Body Scrub

My all time favorite body scrub is so stupidly simple. It is coconut oil and raw sugar. That’s it. Melt the coconut oil carefully and mix with raw sugar in a bowl until it has the right consistency, then carry the concoction to the bathroom. After a quick soap up and rinse down to remove excess dirt, add the scrub and work into the skin. Leave it on while you shampoo or condition your hair, then rinse off and do one more wash with soap to remove any excess oil. Skin is soft, exfoliated, and oh so luminous. In mason jars, this makes great gifts for friends, so you can share the all-natural love!

Lead image source: Meal Makeover Moms/Flickr