Want to look as young as you feel? We asked our readers to share their favorite DIY anti-aging beauty recipes. Why not give a few of these a try?

by Reader Contributors

Dear After 50 Finances,
I have been making my own homemade facial masks and scrubs for years (some recipes from The Dollar Stretcher website!), but with my now aging skin, I am wondering if I should switch to store-bought products that are known for their anti-aging benefits.

Do any of your 45+ readers have any favorite homemade beauty recipes they have found to help with those pesky signs of aging? I really prefer to use natural products on my skin instead of chemicals if I can. Plus, the anti-aging products I have looked at in the stores are so expensive! I’d love suggestions for masks, scrubs and even eye creams. Thanks!
Mrs. 50+

Do You Have a Favorite DIY Anti-Aging Beauty Recipe?

We sent this question out to our readers and received a lot of helpful tips and recipes. You can make many of these with products you already have in your home pantry.

Lemon Rinds to Tighten Skin

I save lemon rinds and rub them on my face. The juice tightens up my skin and gives it a youthful glow. If I have many rinds, I cut them into quarters, freeze them in a plastic bag, and remove one as needed.
Ellen

See Tired-Looking Eyes Disappear

For the lady looking for homemade anti-aging products, I crack an egg into a bowl that can be sealed later. With a cotton swab, apply the egg white over the clean eye area. Remove with a warm, wet wash cloth after 15 minutes and see tired-looking eyes disappear! It’s the choline contained in the egg that does the magic. If you seal the remainder and refrigerate, one egg will provide a week’s worth of applications.
Joyce

Expert Advice Given

As a chemical engineer who worked for many years in skin care product development, I can share a few tips. There are only a few proven things to fight aging. The first and foremost line of defense is to protect your skin from the sun. Wear sunscreen every day and wear a hat if you will be outside for any amount of time. Don’t forget the back of your hands! They are always on display and show age almost as much as the face. Make sure your chosen sunscreen is labeled as “broad-spectrum.” That is one you can’t DIY.

Your skin needs anti-oxidants to fight the cross-linking of collagen that causes some of the appearance of aging and the most potent anti-aging benefits are from Vitamin C. You can buy it in a granular powder form in most vitamin shops. Mix a little powder into your product right before you put it on. Start with just a little and gradually work your way up to using more because if you use too much, it will sting until you are used to it. Do not mix it in advance. Vitamin C is unstable once it gets mixed in and also when exposed to light. So, by DIY-ing, your product will be more effective than the expensive stuff!

Vitamin E is an anti-oxidant that is oil-soluble, whereas Vitamin C is water-soluble, and skin needs both kinds. You can pierce a capsule and rub it into your skin. It might be something you would prefer to do at night since it is oily. Green tea also offers great anti-oxidant benefits and would make a great toner to use before applying your sunscreen.

Skin does not shed its skin cells as quickly as we age, so a bit of help by gently exfoliating can help restore some of the brightness of youth and make it easier for your products to penetrate. The most economical way to do this is with a glove or mitt made with a slightly rough fiber that can be washed in the laundry on occasion. It can last as long as a lot of jars of cream before needing replacement!

The lactic acid in milk, yogurt, and other dairy products has a great exfoliating effect and is great to use in mask-type treatments.

Friends often ask me what the difference is between skin care products at various price points. I tell them there isn’t much difference between one of the big-name brands at the drugstore and the expensive department store products except for price and packaging. Some of the drug-store products can be overly fragranced, but now some un-fragranced versions are becoming available. If one is inclined to put effort and money into anti-aging, the best products are dermatological skin care lines. They are sold in the dermatologist’s office, online, and in specialty beauty stores. They are usually designed with input from a dermatologist and carry a higher load of active ingredients. This also carries a higher chance of irritation, so professional guidance is suggested. These products are more costly, but the entire regimen is not necessary. Do not buy the cleanser or toner, just one or at most two products. In my opinion, these represent the best value in off-the-shelf skin care products.

If you want to really go for it, you can get a prescription for Retin-A cream. There are multiple brands available and the doc will have recommendations for your skin. You can also get professional-strength anti-aging peels, light treatments, and deep exfoliation at med spas. All without needles, knives, or pain! That is definitely not DIY, but it is nice that options now exist in-between lotion and a face-lift.

If you decide to DIY, I highly encourage you to store your products in the fridge and not to keep them for more than a couple of weeks or a month at most. Give them the “sniff test” and check for any off-colored spots. Separation is not necessarily a sign of spoilage, but odor is a sign. You don’t want to get a fungus or staph infection on your face or in your eye! Creams and lotions are a perfect breeding ground for bacteria, and you are introducing more bacteria every time you touch it to take some out. Better to be safe than sorry!
GE

Lift and Tighten Your Face

Here’s something I do to lift and tighten my face. I take one or two drops of honey and an equal amount of fresh lemon juice. Mix together and apply to the face. Let it dry. Once it’s dry, it will not feel sticky. You can apply your make-up over it if you wish. Honey is a humectant and preserves moisture in the skin. The lemon will brighten and give your skin a boost of vitamin C. I see a little bit of a lift by doing this. Vitamin C is also needed for building collagen.
Kathleen

She Swears by Coconut Oil

I swear by coconut oil. I buy unrefined, organic oil from Aldi inexpensively. I consume up to a tablespoon per day. It helps move food through my system and has many internal benefits. Some say it helps with arthritis and Alzheimer’s. I keep a jar in my bathroom, too. I use it as a cuticle cream, eye cream, and lip conditioner before bed. I also mix a little with plain cheap white sugar (I don’t eat that kind, so I keep this in the bathroom, too). This is a great exfoliator in the shower for hips, legs, elbows, heels, and even rough winter hands.

My chiropractor and a friend were discussing age at the gym one day and determined mine to be around 38. I’ll take it. I’ll be 49 this year!
Lisa J. in Wisconsin

Enjoy These Inexpensive Facial Treats

I am a 37-year-old mother of a teen girl and a toddler girl. I have a few tips to help you out with inexpensive facial treatments. I use organic olive oil to remove my makeup and also as a face lotion. A small amount goes a long way and I have noticed I have no blemishes and only one wrinkle that can be seen when I’m very tired. Olive oil makes my skin so soft.

For blackhead removal, I warm a little bit of dairy milk and apply it to my face gently, let it dry, and then wash it off. Then, I use organic olive oil or facial cream. I do this every other day to get the best result. It is a tip from my grandma, and Cleopatra used to bathe in milk, too, so it cannot be bad.

The best gentle, cheap facial scrub is to mix oatmeal with natural yogurt. It works as a mask at the same time. I also use fresh-cut lemon to perk up my skin, but I do it only once or twice a month.

For puffy eyes, I use slices of cucumber or used tea bags. I have found these helpful and inexpensive and more effective than anything I have ever bought in a shop.

Also, drinking two litres of water does wonders for your skin and getting enough fresh air, sleep, and fruits and veggies helps.
Marjo-Riitta Raiha in Finland

Use Sunscreen Daily

The most important anti-aging product is sunscreen, SPF 50 every day. If you live in a dry or cold environment, a humidifier will make a big difference in keeping your skin looking better and less wrinkled.

Coconut oil is fairly inexpensive and can be used for the body, face and hair. Baking soda added to a facial cleanser makes a great exfoliator. Egg white masks on the face will tighten the skin temporarily. If you have large pores, any of the clay masks work (they are relatively inexpensive) and some people use cat litter, which also has clay in it. Mashed ripe papaya as a mask is a good exfoliator. A yogurt mask will brighten the skin. The most important thing anyone can do for their skin is sunscreen. It will keep wrinkles and brown spots, which are the most apparent signs of aging skin, away.
Miriam

A Dab Will Do You

GNC has moisturizing cream with vitamins E, A and D that is very affordable that my family has used quite successfully. One jar lasts quite a long time. Just a dab around your eyes and upper lip will do you.
Pat

As a Scrub

Mix together baking soda and Manuka honey and use as a scrub.
Sandra

A 3-Step Approach to Beautiful Skin

I am a 57-year-old woman and have yet to show wrinkles. My routine is a simple one:

1. I wash my face with “sensitive skin” bar soap.
2. Next, I apply a toner (I prefer Clinique) with 100% Organic cotton pads.
3. Finally, I massage in coconut oil.

That’s it! I hope this works for you!
Tamara

Nourish Skin From the Inside

I’ve always favored nourishing skin from the inside rather than applying external creams and moisturizers that my skin may or may not utilize. Vitamin C is great for wrinkles, as it’s an essential building block of collagen. Papaya is the best bang for the calorie buck, as a serving has three times the Vitamin C content of an orange. I buy papayas regularly and eat some almost every day. Pineapple, strawberries and bell peppers also have more Vitamin C than oranges or orange juice. (Plus, as most orange juice is pasteurized these days, who knows how much of the vitamins remain intact?)

Copper and magnesium are also important, and Swiss chard is rich in both (as well as Vitamin C). Cashews and sesame seeds (i.e., tahini) also have a lot of magnesium, and garbanzos have lots of copper. Make some hummus! You may also notice after eating these foods that your complexion is more consistent in color with smaller pores.
Terry in Hoschton, GA

Emu Oil Works Wonders

The only known substance to actually thicken skin is Emu oil. Get some, exfoliate, and add the oil after. The rest is internal, including meditation/prayer, rest, fluids, a lot of anti-oxidants, and fish oils. You should also include a good bio-health supplement daily for intestinal health and frequent exercise, including facial exercises.
Van in AL

Research the Oil Cleansing Method

I recommend searching “the oil cleansing method.” It is mixing a small amount of castor oil with (one or more) natural “carrier oils.” I alternate using almond, jojoba, and avocado oils. Use the method to cleanse your face. I rub a little extra in after cleansing for added moisture. It completely cleared up my acne-prone skin and blackheads and left my face glowing, hydrated, and younger-looking than ever. After years of wasting money on every face product imaginable, I’ll never buy facial soap or manmade moisturizers again. As an added bonus, this method is inexpensive and natural.
Amanda in Alaska

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Reviewed September 2024