With the cost of living continuing to take its toll, many of us are looking to shop savvier and cut back on expensive buys – even when it comes to beauty and skincare.
So, for all your self-care needs, food waste expert Sophie Trueman at the UK’s leading food-saving app, Too Good To Go is revealing smart ways we can transform household food waste into beauty and spa treatments. Particularly, given Brits are still throwing away a staggering amount of edible food per week, including 30.9 million fruit and vegetables.
HOW TO TRANSFORM FOOD SCRAPS INTO SPA TREATMENTS
CREATE A SKIN MASK FROM BANANA PEELS
Banana peels work well in many recipes, but they can also provide a nourishing boost for your skin. Next time you’ve finished your banana, rub the interior or the banana peel on your skin (or blend the peel up with water to create a thick mask). The high potassium levels present in the peels hydrate and moisturise skin, while the vitamin A works makes your complexion appear brighter.
MAKE AN EYE COMPRESS FROM TEA BAGS
Before you add milk to your next round of teas, remove the tea bags and place them in the fridge for a couple of hours. Once they’re cool, lie down, close your eyes, and place a tea bag beneath each eye.
This will reduce puffiness, and help the vessels COFFEE GROUNDS
High antioxidant levels make coffee grounds great for fighting free radicals. Plus, the caffeine stimulates blood flow, which revitalises and brightens the skin. Mix up a nourishing and exfoliating scrub by blending the grounds with shea butter and your choice of essential oil.
USE POTATO WATER HAIR RINSE
Who would have thought the water leftover from boiled spuds would be great for your hair? Run the water through damp hair for a post-wash rinse. The vitamin B, zinc, niacin and iron in the water will help to promote hair growth, while the vitamin C is great for hydrating the skin at the root of the hair.
Potato water can also be used on the face – apply it with a reusable cotton pad for a hydrating effect.
REPURPOSE RICE WATER AS FACIAL TONER
Rice water is another underrated skin saviour. It’s great for soothing dry, irritated skin: simply use it to soak a reusable cotton pad, then sweep the pad over your face for a soothing effect. Alternatively, add it to your bath water before you hop in.
USE CUCUMBER ENDS TO DE-PUFF UNDEREYES
For many of us, the end of the cucumber is quick to get tossed. But the cucumber-over-the-eyes look is a spa classic for a reason (it works
really well) and the end of the cucumber has exactly the same powers as a regular slice. Put simply, the cooling properties of cucumbers work to reduce swelling and puffiness under the eyes, with vitamin C and folic acid stimulate new cell growth to leave your under eyes feeling firmer and fuller.
