3 DIY Skin Care Ingredients You Should Stock Up On

It’s no secret that our Skincare.com editors are obsessed with DIY skin care treatments. From ice cube facials to at-home pedicures to full fledged DIY spa days, we can’t seem to stay away from do-it-yourself beauty treatments. But—like most anything in the world of beauty—when it comes to choosing favorites, we have a hard time picking just one (let alone three). So, we turned to The Body Shop’s Beauty Botanist and Skincare.com consultant, Jennifer Hirsch to help us narrow down the three DIY skin care ingredients that you should always have on hand. See the winners, below. 

HONEY 

Whether it’s raw honey or manuka honey, we can’t get enough of this natural humectant— and neither can Hirsch. “For five millennia, honey has been part of the pharmacopoeia of cultures around the globe, finding honey’s properties effective in a whole array of ways well beyond sweetening tea,” she says. “In addition honey makes for a great addition to any anti-aging skin care routine, as it can replenish the skin with moisture, which in turn can help smooth out [the look of] those pesky fine lines and wrinkles. But, since slathering your skin in honey can get quite… sticky, Hirsch recommends trying The Body Shop’s all-new Ethiopian Honey Deep Nourishing Maskformulated with the brand’s Community Trade honey, marula oil, and olive oil for a deeply hydrating and nourishing at-home facial. 

For more on The Body Shop’s Ethiopian Honey Deep Nourishing Mask ($28), see our full review, here. 

“No home should be without an aloe plant,” Hirsch says— and we couldn’t agree more. “It’s skin care benefits are renowned” she says, explaining that the gel found inside of an aloe plant can cool, soothe, hydrate, and moisturize the skin. You can use the gel on its own or in a DIY skin care recipe— our current favorite is this DIY frozen oatmeal, aloe, and coconut milk face mask. And, if you’re looking for skin care products that are formulated with this skin soothing ingredient, The Body Shop has an array of formulas with aloe vera that can hydrate, calm, cool, and moisturize our body’s largest organ. Hirsch recommends trying the brand’s new British Rose Plumping Mask formulated with aloe vera to replenish the complexion and give your skin a healthy-looking, dewy appearance.

For more on The Body Shop’s British Rose Plumping Mask ($28), see our full review, here.

Did you know that your favorite fall breakfast has skin care benefits? It’s true! Oatmeal is packed with vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants, and is known to cleanse, hydrate, and gently exfoliate the skin. Hirsch recommends adding these to a DIY face mask for a fresh, gentle, exfoliating at-home facial that can leave the skin feeling baby soft.

In addition to these three ingredients, Hirsch says she is a big fan of coconut, olive, and shea, too. “They’re tremendous emollients [that] work to enhance the skin’s barrier function, [can help] reduce moisture loss, and improve the suppleness of skin,” says Hirsch. “Having great ingredients like these in your arsenal can have a visible impact on [the] appearance of skin!”