Around here, it hasn’t really felt like winter lately. It’s been around 60 degrees in Atlanta, which feels great, but kind of freaks me out — I like the seasons to behave normally! Plus, it makes me worried that this summer is going to be more unbearably hot than usual. Ah, the joys of erratic weather patterns.

But even though it’s felt like spring, my skin still wants to believe it’s winter, and that means it gets dry and chapped easily. Here to help with some homemade beauty products today is Erica Katz, the author of Bonding Over Beauty, A Mother-Daughter Guide to Self-Esteem, Confidence and Trust. From product and styling tips, such as how to create the perfect ponytail, to at-home recipes for creating an organic facial scrub, Erika explores it all in her book, in which she includes her own experience as well as information from interviews with top beauty experts.

Here are a few beauty product recipes Erica has to share! 

Clementine Hand Scrub

My skin often gets dry and brittle from the cold winter, so I make a gentle orange hand scrub.  Oranges are rich in vitamin C and Alpha Hydroxy acids and help to remove the dead skin.  The honey and olive oil help moisturize the skin.  The baking soda acts as a gentle exfoliant.

Ingredients:
1 tbsp Clementine juice
1 tbsp honey
1 tbsp sugar
1 tbsp olive oil

Directions:
Mix together all ingredients and gently wash your hands with the scrub.

Kiwi Facial Cleanser

This gentle kiwi cleanser exfoliates as it cleanses.  The seeds from the kiwi will help exfoliate dead skin while the yogurt and almond oil will leave skin soft and supple.

Ingredients:
1 kiwi fruit
2 tablespoons of plain yogurt
1 tablespoon rose water
1 tablespoon almond oil or olive oil
1 tablespoon honey

Directions:
Liquefy the kiwi in a blender. As its blending, add the rest of your ingredients until it has a creamy consistency. Apply to your face as you would any liquid cleanser and rub in small circles.  Rinse with warm water.

Brown Sugar Scrub
The brown sugar scrub is wonderful to use all over the body. I especially like it when I give my daughter an at-home pedicure or she can scrub her whole body with the mixture in the shower.

Ingredients:
1/2 cup of brown sugar
2 tablespoons of almond oil or olive oil
5 drops of honey
3 to 5 drops of your favorite essential oil (optional)

Directions:
Mix ingredients thoroughly in a glass bowl.  Use the scrub all over the body and rinse well with warm water.

What are your at-home beauty product recipes?