9 Ancient Beauty Remedies That Are Still Effective

Many ancient beauty remedies based on rosemary, honey, bicarbonate, beer, vinegar or yogurt are still very effective and suitable today to treat skin and hair in a natural and inexpensive way. Find out which are these remedies that our grandmothers used and how they can help us improve the appearance of our skin and hair. 

Why do we like ancient beauty remedies?

The beauty remedies that our grandmothers used are simple, natural and inexpensive. Ingredients are used that we already have in our homes and that do not pose any health risk.

1. Rosemary water

Rosemary water is one of the oldest beauty remedies out there. The infusion or maceration of fresh rosemary is a facial tonic that:

• Improves circulation.
• It prevents skin problems and gives a rosy appearance to the complexion.
• Prevents sagging and wrinkles.

What should we do?

To apply it, we will moisten a cotton ball in the rosemary water and we will give ourselves soft touches on the face, and then let it dry before applying the moisturizing lotion.

2. Apple cider vinegar

Apple cider vinegar, especially if it is raw and unpasteurized, is an excellent remedy rich in vitamins, minerals and enzymes to improve the health of the skin and hair.

What should we do?

• In the skin we can use it diluted in water, in the proportion of one part of vinegar for three of water, as a facial tonic.
• In the hair, also diluted, we will apply it at the end of the wash with the shampoo, as a conditioner, to give the hair shine and softness. 

3. Beer

Beer is another option to condition hair and leave it shiny, silky and with volume, thanks to its content of vitamins B1, B2, B6, folic acid and biotin. The latter is also very suitable when our hair falls out too much, especially in times of change of season, in autumn and spring.

What should we do?

• After shampooing our hair, we will apply the beer, wait two minutes, and rinse with fresh water.

4. Honey

Honey is a very beneficial medicinal food for health. However, its topical use is also well known since ancient times. Honey helps us heal wounds and burns, but it is also a powerful mask to nourish, calm and protect the skin from external radicals that cause skin aging.

What should we do?

• We will apply it on clean and dry skin and let it act for 20 minutes before washing our face.

5. Baking soda

Sodium bicarbonate is one of the best natural exfoliants for the skin, thanks to its rough yet smooth texture and its ability to alkalize the pH.

What should we do?

• We can mix it with oil, with yogurt or with aloe vera to massage the skin of the face and body.

6. Olive oil

Olive oil, rich in essential fatty acids, is a great skin protector, an ally of dry and mature skin. 

We can use it at night as a nourishing and repairing cream.

7. Yogurt

Natural yogurt, rich in ferments, is a food that hydrates the skin without making it greasy, making it suitable for all types of dermis : dry, oily, mixed, mature or sensitive.

What should we do?

• We can use natural yogurt as a facial mask once or twice a week, leaving it to act for 20 or 30 minutes on the skin.

8. Ice

Women who wake up in the morning with a tired, devitalized or puffy face, should know that with a simple ice cube they can achieve great benefits.

What should we do?

Simply massage your face for a few seconds with an ice cube to restore its finesse and radiance.

9. Egg

The egg offers us two different beauty remedies:

• On the one hand, raw, beaten egg yolk is excellent for hydrating drier skin or hydrating hair. We can massage the damp scalp with the yolk or mix it with the shampoo that we are going to use at the moment.

• On the other hand, egg white, rich in protein, vitamins and minerals, is an ideal mask for combination, oily or acne-prone skin. In addition to regulating excess fat, it also firms them and prevents wrinkles.

Elena Martinez Blasco

Degree in Journalism from the Ramon Llull University of Barcelona (2005). He has collaborated with different agencies and media such  as Europa Press and Com Ràdio. She has worked in the publishing sector as a writer, editor, translator and proofreader of books (Edicions 62, Editorial Comanegra, Ara Llibres, Océano Gran Travesía). Graduated in Naturopathy (Natural Medicine) from the Heilpraktiker Institut de Barcelona (2011), specialized in nutrition, flower essences and natural remedies and therapies. He has practiced as a naturopath for centers in Catalonia and also on his own. He has worked in the organic and vegetarian food sector for the Vegetalia company. He has taken a course Nutrition and obesity: overweight control , offered by the National Autonomous University of Mexico.