With the Christmas and New Year festivities just around the corner, you can’t blame yourself for wanting to let your hair down a bit. But come January, all those late night parties, Thanksgiving turkeys, pumpkin pies, and boozy cocktails can show up on your face in the form of premature wrinkles, dark circles, and puffiness. As tempted as you may feel to book an appointment at your favorite spa or parlor, consider the humble ice cube.
That’s right – frozen water. Rubbing your skin all over with plain ice cubes can reduce inflammation, patchiness, under eye bags and helps tighten your pores. Infuse them with natural ingredients and herbs and you’ve got yourself a full-fledged facial practically free of cost!
Here are 5 luscious ice cube beauty recipes you can prepare large batches of and stock up for a week. All you’ve got to do is pop one out whenever you need to revive your precious skin!
1. Honey-Cucumber Ice Cubes
Cucumbers have a natural cooling effect on the skin and leave your skin feeling wonderfully moisturized. Honey, on the other hand, is loaded with skin-friendly vitamin C. This micronutrient not only prevents oxidative damage to your skin by fighting off free radicals but also boosts blood circulation.1This means it brings oxygen-rich blood to your skin’s uppermost layers, giving you a healthy glow.
Recipe: Puree a cucumber and add three teaspoons of pure, organic honey to it. Mix well to blend the two ingredients completely. Now pour this mixture into an ice tray and let it freeze.
2. Pineapple Juice-Lemon Zest Ice Cubes
Pineapple contains a powerful type of citric acid known as alpha hydroxyl acid (AHA). This acid is well acknowledged by skin and beauty experts for its skin lightening and collagen-boosting properties.2 It can, therefore, treat dark spots, scar, and ugly skin discolorations. Adding lemon peel to this will help exfoliate your skin. Also, since lemon peel has a higher level of antioxidants and vitamin C as compared to lemon juice. This means more blood circulation for your skin to help flush those nasty toxins away and more protection against free radicals that can cause your skin to age.3
Recipe: Mix two tablespoons of fresh lemon zest and half a cup of fresh pineapple juice together until the two ingredients are well combined. Pour the mixture into an ice tray and wait for it to freeze.
3. Watermelon-Mint Leaves Ice Cubes
When it comes to maintaining the health of your skin, the benefits of watermelon are plenty. The vitamin A contained in watermelon helps stimulate fibroblasts that are essential for developing new skin tissue, while B and C vitamins help boost immunity and blood circulation to your pores. Vitamin C also gives your body’s natural process of collagen production a much-needed push, so that it keeps your skin soft, supple, and wrinkle-free.4 Additionally, watermelon also contains lycopene and beta-carotene, compounds that help treat and cure sunburns. Combine this with some mint leaves will give this ice cube recipe astringent properties. Mint will also protect your skin from acne since it can help regulate the secretion of sebum oil.
Recipe: Puree a few cubes of watermelon. Then grind a handful of mint leaves well. Add the ground mint leaves to the pureed watermelon and mix well. Pour this mixture into an ice tray and allow it to freeze.
4. Lemon Juice-Milk Ice Cubes
While the antioxidants in lemon work to lighten your skin and control the production of acne-causing sebum, the lactic acid contained in milk boosts collagen production, once again, by fighting off harmful free radicals.5 For this reason, milk makes a great ingredient if you want to fight the signs of skin aging.
Recipe: Mix equal quantities of lemon juice and fresh milk. Mix until blended well. Pour this mixture into an ice tray and let it freeze.
5. Chamomile Tea-Rose Petal Ice Cubes
Known for its anti-inflammatory and antiseptic properties, chamomile is great for soothing skin irritation and protecting your epidermis against damage from pollutants.6 For this reason, chamomile is also very good for acne-prone skin. Being another powerhouse of antioxidants, Chamomile also aids in skin brightening. It helps lighten dark patches and scars by bleaching them naturally to reveal your true complexion. Tossing in some rose petals will give your skin an additional soothing sensation and will also help repair any existing damage caused to the delicate cells of your skin.
Recipe: Brew a good strong cup of chamomile tea. Add a few dried rose petals and push them into the tea with a spoon. Let these petals steep in the tea for about a few minutes. Once this concoction has cooled down, pour it into your ice cube tray and let it freeze.
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