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“How are you- I haven’t seen you in a long time? Wow, your hair looks healthy.” I can’t count the number of times people have said that to me over the last year.

I, like many of you, go to a lot of trouble to keep to a beauty regimen so that my skin, hair, and nails look healthy all the time, well maybe not my nails all the time so much. Women across the world spend millions to reach their beauty goals and to try and prevent themselves from having to go under the knife eventually. The beauty industry is a multibillion-dollar business, and most of the products are not your typical home ingredients, but commercial products, packed with chemical ingredients; some of which can often cause allergies and damage to your hair and skin.

Let’s look at some of the scary sounding chemical names found in many common hair, skin, and nail beauty ingredients: Some I even have trouble pronouncing.

Methyl, Butyl, Propyl, Ethyl Paraben
Propylene Glycol
Synthetic colors
DMDM Hydantoin
Synthetic Colors
Synthetic fragrances
Triethanolamine
Diethanolamine
Imidazolidinyl Urea
Diazolidinyl Urea
Behentrimonium Chloride, and more.

Scary to say the least! These toxins and chemicals commonly found in your everyday commercial beauty products can do plenty of harm, yet we have been led to believe that we need them in order to see results. However, if you are like me and want to find healthier options then I’ve got you covered. I make it my life’s work to live and teach women the healthier side of things when it comes to their health, so the glam section is no different. Were you aware that there are natural ingredients you probably have at home that should not be scorned at or under-estimated?

Some of these products listed below have the capacity to make your skin and hair glow and shine with health from the inside out: Now these I can pronounce.

Olive oil
Avocado
Green Tea
Lemons
Honey
Oatmeal
Apple Cider Vinegar

Let’s explore the beauty of each one

1. Olive Oil: For your hair and skin is not only a wonderful oil to consume and cook with, but it is an ancient ingredient, being used because of its beautifying abilities. Not only does your hair benefit, but your skin and nails too. Olive oil has monounsaturated fatty acids to protect your skin from sun damage. If you want to enhance your hair and skin and your overall health, add 1-2 tablespoons of olive oil – extra virgin olive oil – to your diet, period.

2. Avocados: It makes no difference whether it’s the fruit, the seed or the oil, avocados need to form part of your beauty routine – especially if you have dry skin. When you eat half an avocado every day when in season, you are protecting your skin. The Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology did a study in 2012. The report found that when people take regular doses of avocado, they bolster their cells to protect them against harmful free radicals. So, eat them, use the oil on your hair, skin and nails to add luster and shine and decrease dryness.

3. Green Tea: There are many health and beauty benefits when it comes to green tea. First of all, it has plenty of antioxidants in it to prevent free-radical damage from harming your skin caused by sun damage. Green tea, in addition, helps to fight against you getting skin cancer. Use this fantastic face mask a couple of times a week to hold back time and keep your skin healthy. Mix plain yogurt, 3 tablespoons, with 1 tablespoon grounded green tea tealeaves and a touch of turmeric powder. Smooth this over your face and neck, allowing to stay on for about 20 minutes before using lukewarm water to rinse off.

4. Lemons: We all know just how many beauty secrets lemons have. Full of vitamin C, brimming with antioxidants to prevent free-radical damage, lemons have the ability to boost collagen production in your skin, restoring elasticity. As far as your hair goes, lemons are known to combat itchy scalp and dandruff, balancing the PH levels of your scalp and supporting beautiful hair growth. Just take 2 lemons, adding the juice to a cup of water. After shampooing, rinse your hair with this, and then 5 minutes later, with clear water. Do this about twice a week for soft shimmering hair.

5. Coconut Oil: There are heaps of nutrients found in this oil that support hair health, skin and nail health; general overall health. Coconut oil has plenty of moisture in it, protecting your skin from sun damage, reducing inflammation and revitalizing your skin. The oil penetrates deep into your hair, helping with its growth, gloss, and health. And for hair that has been chemically treated, coconut oil is sheer healing because of its hydrophobicity properties. For your skin, you can smooth soothing coconut oil all over the body, waiting about 30 minutes before going under the shower, and then apply a light moisturizer afterward. If you do this daily, your skin won’t be dry and if your skin is really dry even after a shower, apply a light layer of coconut oil on your skin.

6. Honey: Honey is the natural beautifier, healer, and tonic for the body. Composed mainly of glucose and fructose, there are amazing proteins, vitamins, amino acids, enzymes and plenty to offer to keep your skin and hair in peak condition. Recent studies from the journals of Cosmetic Dermatology compliment honey saying how it has emollients and humectants in it to soothe and condition the hair, let alone keeping the skin young and wrinkle-free. Raw organic honey even improves seborrhea dermatitis of the hair, preventing hair loss when applied on a weekly basis. For hair loss, take 2 tablespoons each of onion juice and honey and massage into your scalp, allowing it to stay on the scalp for about 30 minutes. Then shampoo as usual. For your skin, mix the same amounts of fresh lemon and honey and apply to your face and neck, allowing it to dry naturally before rinsing.

7. Oats: Oats help to exfoliate the skin, getting rid of dead skin cells, and even dandruff, itching and combatting hair loss. As for your skin, it helps to reduce acne, soaking away the oil. It is also superb as a scrub for the skin.

Try this soothing hair mask:
Oatmeal and Almond oil hair mask- alternatives-coconut or avocado oil
 ½-cup oats
 1-2 tablespoons almond oil
 ¼ -½ cup milk
Mix all ingredients well, ensuring hair is detangled. Apply from your roots to your tips, leaving on for about 20 minutes. Then shampoo as normal.

8. Apple Cider Vinegar: Apple cider vinegar helps to treat dandruff on the scalp because the acidity makes it difficult for dandruff producing fungus to develop on the scalp. All you have to do is mix the same parts of water and apple cider vinegar adding to a spray bottle. After your hair is shampooed, spray over your scalp, leaving it in for about 15 minutes before rinsing. Do this twice a week to see amazing results. If your hair is thinning and you experience hair loss, spray ACV over the scalp, because it balances the PH balance of your scalp.

And here are 2 more beauty secret recipes from nature:

Instant facelift: Splashing icy water on your face or rubbing it with ice cubes gives you an instant facelift and brightens the face as well. Follow these steps to see for yourself:
1. Wash your face, making sure no make-up is left behind
2. Splash with the icy cold water or rub ice cubes all over your face
3. Then whisk up an egg white until its frothy, spreading this over your clean skin. Leave to dry for a couple of minutes
4. Wash the face with cold water and leave to dry
5. Add some non-comedogenic moisturizer

Tired eyes: Long hours at work at the computer and other things can make your eyes really tired. But here is a superb eyewash to refresh the eyes instantaneously. Take some iced spring water, adding to this a couple drops of rose water, add 2-3 drops of honey and then immerse your eye in this liquid. Try to open your eye a bit. Then do the same process for the other eye, using fresh ingredients. Your eyes will feel fresh and soothed.

If you want to look outside your cabinets and move into the commercial end of things then look for all natural or organic hair, skin and nail products. There are more healthy options out there than there ever was before. What do I always say, your health is your greatest wealth asset so wear it wisely, so read labels, ask questions of the maker and most of all be informed.

Seeing as our skin is our body’s largest organ and since our hair is our crowning glory, it makes sense that we should try and give them the best in attention and care. A lot of you who are like me and health conscious are becoming more and more atune of what we put into and on our bodies and this same attitude needs to be taken when we plan on products to look after our hair and skin. The face creams, the body lotions and potions for our skin and hair are what gets absorbed by our skin and our scalps – surely you don’t want to punish your body with toxic stuff? Consider going natural with natural and non-toxic products – you will feel and look on top of the world. Remember that your hair and skin is really 90% of your selfie! And both our hair and skin are what you wear for the rest of your life!