3 At-Home Beauty Treatments

I’ve been known to use olive oil on my hair in a pinch, when frizzies and dry strands strike. And you know what? Turns out, I’m not as crazy as that sounds! Want a fresh complexion, glossy hair and smooth skin head to toe all summer long? Head to the supermarket, not the spa! In fact, you may only need to open your fridge to find a slew of foods you can use to create seriously potent at-home beauty treatments—no science degree or unusual ingredients necessary. By spending just a few minutes making your own prettifiers, you can get clear skin, shiny hair, soft hands and a head-to-toe glow without spending a bundle at the drugstore. Best of all, you’ll know that what you’re putting on your face, hands and body is literally good enough to eat—a beautiful thing indeed. Start with the real-women tested (and loved!) recipes below.

Bonus: Find more ways to spoil yourself naturally

Make hair shiny!
1 cup apple juice + 1 cup pear juice + 2 tbsp apple cider vinegar 

What to do: Start with room-temperature ingredients, or microwave the mixture for 10 seconds so it feels more soothing. Shampoo, pour treatment on hair, and let it soak for one to three minutes. Rinse and condition.

Why it’s a beauty boon: The vitamins, potassium and tannins in apples maintain hair’s strength, and healthy hair dries faster and keeps color longer because less water seeps in it and less dye gets out. Pear juice alters hair’s electric charge, so the cuticle lies flat and hair reflects light, according to Philip Pelusi, founder of Tela Design Studio in New York City. The vinegar is acidic, so it removes product buildup and oil. The result? More gleam!

Bonus: Find out the inside secrets on how Hollywood's hottest look naturally beautiful

Get a glowy face!
1 tsp raw honey + 1 tsp aloe vera juice

What to do: Stir honey and aloe until well blended. Paint mixture on face using a large, clean makeup brush, wait 15 minutes and rinse, says Josh Rosebrook, creator of the Josh Rosebrook organic skin-care line in Los Angeles.

Why it’s a beauty boon: When mixed with water, raw honey grabs onto water, creating a film that seals in moisture. It also fights breakouts because the glucose helps skin zap bacteria. Aloe contains nearly 75 nutrients that benefit skin, according to Jeannette Graf, M.D., assistant clinical professor of dermatology at Mount Sinai Hospital in New York City. And it delivers moisture deep down below skin’s surface.

Bonus quiz: How young is your skin?

Soften hands and feet!
4 tbsp organic cold-pressed sunflower oil + 1/4 cup blueberries + 1 cup heavy cream

What to do: Buzz ingredients in a blender for 30 seconds. Pour into a bowl that’s large enough for soaking hands or feet and massage the mix into skin for 30 seconds. Leave on for 10 minutes, then rinse with warm water.

Why it’s a beauty boon: Sunflower oil is intensely hydrating, because it’s loaded with oleic and linoleic acid and vitamin E. Blueberries are rich in an antioxidant that protects capillaries, increasing circulation and brightening skin, says Graf. The lactic acid in cream dissolves protein that binds dead skin cells together, allowing the omega-3 fatty acids to soak in.

The foods you put IN your body are just as essential to a great complexion as the ones you put ON it.

Bonus: Feel confident without makeup by following SELF’s Great-skin diet

For more from SELF go to SELF.com.

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