Need a quick (and cheap!) beauty fix? Just head to the kitchen. Try our DIY beauty recipes and natural skincare tips to get better hair and skin for the price of pennies.

Fix eyebags with tea bags

This is one of the classic natural skincare tips!  Place two teabags in a small bowl in the refrigerator. Whenever your eyes feel puffy or tired, just take out two bags and leave them on your eyelids for 10 minutes.

Get whiter, brighter skin with a papaya mask

Enzymatic exfoliants break down dead skin cells without scratching your skin. The two best natural sources are papaya and pineapple, which both contain bromelain. Just blend or mash ¼ cup papaya with 1 tablespoon fresh pineapple and then leave on your skin for 10 to 15 minutes.

As for the rest of the fruit, drink it! They both contain loads of vitamins that are good for your skin and immune system. Fresh pineapple juice can even help lower your blood pressure!

Get rid of breakouts (and body fat) with apple cider vinegar

Did you know that taking a tablespoon of raw apple cider vinegar firs thing in the morning can improve your digestion and help you lose weight? That’s already one great reason to buy a bottle!

But that’s not all. If you have acne-prone skin, just pour a little apple cider vinegar on a cotton pad and then apply it just like a toner. It kills bacteria and tone the skin. Rinse off and continue with your regular skincare routine.

Apple cider vinegar is also great for removing product build up in the hair (just add a teaspoon to your shampoo once a week).

So that’s three natural skincare tips for one product – what a beauty bargain!

Turn a night cream into a sleeping mask with honey

Once a week, mix a few drops of honey into your usual night cream. Honey is a humectant, which pulls moisture into your skin. That makes any moisturizer work just like a special sleeping mask!

Make a clarifying shampoo with baking soda

Residue from shampoo and styling products can build up on your hair and make it greasy and flat. Just a teaspoon of baking soda into your regular shampoo once a week. This will cut through all that product buildup and make your hair extra clean and bouncy!

Use sake as a dark spot remover

This is one of the best natural skincare tips of the geishas. Sake has compounds that prevent the skin from forming melanin, which causes dark skin. Apply with a cotton ball on acne spots, or dark underarms or knees.

Rescue dry and dull hair with a banana

Mash one banana and an egg for a revitalizing hair mask! Just massage the paste on to your scalp and hair and leave for half an hour. Rinse off with your regular shampoo. Your hair will be super soft and shiny, and smell amazing!

natural skincare tips coffee

Treat cellulite with coffee scrub

If you’re a coffee lover, then these natural skincare tips are perfect for you! Use old coffee grounds as a body scrub. They’ll break down dead skin cells and make your skin super smooth. The caffeine also constricts your blood vessels to temporarily reduce the appearance of cellulite.

If you don’t have cellulite (lucky you!) then just scrub the coffee grounds against your hands when you’re washing the coffee pot. This will get rid of the dry skin around your fingernails so they look good between manicures.

Mix oatmeal into your facial wash

Twice a week, mix uncooked instant oatmeal into your facial cleanser. Gently massage into your face to get rid of dead skin cells. This is a great exfoliant for people with sensitive skin!

Here are two more natural skincare tips for oatmeal: mix it with honey for a moisturizing mask, or mix it with coconut virgin oil and lemon juice for a whitening hand and foot scrub.

Use champagne as a toner

If you’ve got champagne left over from a dinner party, pour it into a small bottle and use it as a toner. Champagne contains grape seed extract, which is full of antioxidants and Vitamin C and E. Store it in the refrigerator or use within a week.

Remove makeup with extra virgin coconut oil

Your best beauty oil may be sitting in your pantry. Use coconut oil to remove waterproof eye makeup and long-wearing foundation. Just pour a little into your fingertips and massage gently into your skin. Wipe it off with cotton pads and use your regular facial wash.

Lighten dark elbows and knees with citrus

Take lemon halves (or orange halves) and rub on your elbows and knees. These citrus fruits contain Vitamin C that will lighten the skin and break down the rough skin.

natural skincare tips lemon

Get rid of blackheads with lemon

What do you do with the other half of lemon from Tip # 12? Pour a little bit of honey on it and then rub on the areas of your face that are prone to blackheads. Leave it on for five minutes and rinse. It’s best to do this at night, since lemon can make your face more sensitive to the sun.

Wash your face with rice water

For centuries, Asian women have washed their skin and hair with rice water. In fact, the Japanese geishas used it every day! It has moisturizing and healing properties – and because of our diet, we have a ready supply of it!

Just get rice grains and wash once to get rid of any dirt and residue. Then, during the second wash, leave the rice to soak in the water for at least 10 minutes. Pour out the water into a cup, and then use it to wash your face and hair. (You can still cook and eat the rice grains, of course!)

Get smoother, prettier feet with turmeric

Mix a few teaspoons of turmeric with coconut oil and rub all over your feet. Leave this on for at least 10 minutes.

Turmeric can lighten skin and kills bacteria that can cause athlete’s foot and other gross infections that lead to stinky and itchy feet. Coconut oil is one of Nature’s best moisturizers. To turn this foot treatment into a foot scrub, just add sugar or coffee grounds and scrub to get rid of flaky skin.

Find more natural skincare tips on Beauty Insider!

Find answers to the 5 most frequently asked questions about natural skincare, try our natural beauty detox shake, or check out the winners of Beauty Insider’s 2016 Awards for Natural Beauty Products! 

What are your favorite natural skincare tips? Share them in the comments below!