Natural Dry Hair & Skin Remedies

Natural Ingredients and Recipes to Soothe Your Skin and Hair

Catherine Solmes

Treat and soothe your dry skin and hair with natural ingredients and recipes you can make yourself.

Often the most effective ways to treat dry skin is using natural ingredients and remedies. Did you know that remedies for dry skin and hair can be found in your kitchen cupboard? Give your dry skin a break and soothe it with natural and gentle ingredients.

Hair that is dehydrated looks flat, dull and dry. For a quick, at-home, all-natural fix, try this floury hair mask for soft, super-shiny hair:

• 1/2 cup of white spelt flour
• 1/2 cup of barley flour
• 1 cup of distilled water
• 1 tbsp of apple cider vinegar

Sift the flours together and pour in the liquids, mixing well. Smooth over dry hair, making sure to coat each strand. Cover with a shower cap and leave on for 20 to 30 minutes before rinsing with cool water.

Olive Oil

The wonder product that is good for your inside and outside. Massage it into excessively dry skin such as your heels, elbows, knees and cuticles. Mix some into warm (not hot) bath water. Massage it into dry hair and scalp. Use it as a facial moisturizer or after a shower or bath as a body moisturizer.

For an exfoliating treatment, mix two parts brown sugar with one part olive oil. Rub gently into your skin before a shower.

Banana

Banana is a gentle, effective moisturizer for dry or aging skin. The natural emollients in the fruit will soothe and hydrate your parched skin. Simply mash a ripe banana into a paste and apply it to your face or whatever part of your body that is excessively dry for ten minutes. To make this simple mask even more effective, combine it with a teaspoon or so of olive oil.

Honey

Honey acts as an intensive moisturizer for the skin. It will soften, firm, smooth and moisturize your skin, and is especially good for aging skin.

Ways To Use Honey:

• Smooth a thin layer onto freshly cleansed skin and leave on for a few minutes before rinsing.
• Try mixing 1/4 cup of honey into warm bathwater for a moisturizing soak.
• Combine a teaspoon of honey with 4 cups of warm water and work through hair after shampooing. Do not rinse and dry as usual for extra shiny, sweet-smelling, soft hair.
• Apply to the dry, flaky skin of the heels, elbows and knees and leave for ten minutes .

Oatmeal

Oatmeal's mild exfoliating, softening and cleansing properties makes it ideal for sensitive and dry skin and skin conditions such as psoriasis and excema.

Ways To Use Oatmeal:

• Try 2 cups of colloidal oatmeal (finely ground oatmeal powder available at most grocery and health food stores) in a lukewarm bath to soothe dry, itchy skin.
• Use cooked oatmeal as a body mask. Apply it to clean, damp skin and leave for a few minutes, then rinse off in a bath or shower.
• For a gentle cleansing treatment, mix 1/2 cup of oatmeal with 2 tbsp of plain yogurt and apply to skin. Leave on for ten minutes and rinse off with lukewarm water.

Extra Tips

• Because hot water will dehydrate your dry hair and skin, use only lukewarm water to wash it.
• Treat your hair, feet and hands to an all-night hydrating mask. Saturate your hair and massage into your skin, a generous amount of olive oil, wrap in plastic and cover with socks, gloves or a towel. Wash as usual in the morning for soft, smooth, moisturized skin.
• Eating oily foods can increase the moisture in your skin - try adding the healthy oils to your diet by eating nuts and fish. Ensuring you drink lots of water each day will help your skin and hair hydrate itself.
• Things that can aggravate dry skin and hair include: pollution, caffeine and smoking.