5 Common Natural Ingredients That Are Great for Our Bodies

Natural ingredients or home remedies are cheap and affordable options for our entire body. Whether it's for your skin, hair, or nails, the pantry and your fridge can be your greatest assets in your quest for flawless skin and better health.

1.) Turmeric

Turmeric is a brightly-colored and an extremely beneficial spice that has been used for hundreds of years for various ailments. Turmeric possesses anti-inflammatory properties as well as antioxidants, these components have a brightening and whitening effect on the skin leaving you with a natural glow and reducing dark spots and acne scars. Tumeric's whitening effects are also achieved on your teeth by removing surface stains and reducing gum inflammation resulting in whiter teeth. In addition, it is also said turmeric has healing properties due to the active ingredient curcumin, which hastens the body's natural healing processes and promotes brain health. Eating or drinking turmeric regularly helps your body regulate inflammation and other health issues. Tumeric is a beneficial and versatile spice with numerous medicinal properties that science is now beginning to explore further.

Ways to Use

• Facemask -Mixing turmeric with raw honey and yogurt leaves skin soft and clear, preventing acne as well.
• Add to food - Simply adding it to your daily meals grants full body benefits.
• Tea - Mix it into your favorite tea.
• Smoothies - Adding it to your smoothies will give it added health benefits.
• Soups - Putting a dash in hot soups will give it color, flavor, and added benefits.
• Teeth Whitening - Mixing it with baking soda can help you achieve fast whitening results.
• Juices - The pungent flavor of turmeric is masked well in juices.

Benefits

• Lowers risk of cancers
• Lowers risk of heart disease
• Osteoarthritis relief
• Ease depression
• Fights viral infections
• Can lower cholesterol
• Headache relief

2.) Raw Honey

Honey, nature's healthy gift to sweet tooths everywhere. Honey is divine nectar created with the help of bees and other insects through regurgitation or other biological functions, these intricate natural processes are used to turn the sugary secretions of flowers and other plants into honey. In addition, the golden substance also harbors an array of health benefits for our bodies such as its antibacterial and antifungal components. Honey has even been observed to prevent cancer and heart disease through its high level of antioxidants not to mention the level of rich hydration it can provide to dry or acne-prone skin.

Ways to Use

• Cold/Sore Throat - Simply mixing honey with lemon or peppermint can ease symptoms.
• A Toothache - Cloves and honey can create strong anesthetic effects.
• Exfoliation - Using equal parts brown sugar or baking soda with honey leaves skin with a glow and increases hydration.
• Digestion - Using honey and apple cider vinegar can boost digestion.
• Weight control - Using honey instead of sugar is the healthier alternative.
• Facemask - Honey and yogurt or honey and lemon leave the skin glowy and great for fighting acne.
• Eczema - Applying honey regularly with other hydrating components can greatly improve or heal chronically dry skin.

Benefits

• Reduce the risk of cancer
• Antifungal/antibacterial
• Heal wounds and burns
• Strengthen immune system
• Allergy relief
• Reduces the risk of or improves diabetes
• Healthier stronger hair

3.) Aloe Vera

Aloe Vera is a prickly green plant with cooling and healing properties, the medicinal gel inside has quite a long list of benefits whether it's being ingested or applied to your skin and hair. Every part of our bodies can improve with its antibacterial and antifungal properties. In conjunction, it contains a substantial amount of vitamins, minerals, and amino acids. The benefits from aloe vera can be harvested through many means; in stores, you can buy the plant and harvest the gel from the comfort of your own home, you can also buy the juice or products with Aloe Vera as an ingredient.

Ways to Use

• Exfoliation or body scrub - Mix the Aloe gel with lemon or honey.
• Burn aid - Applying the gel to burns can hasten healing potential and ease any pain.
• Insect bites - The cooling properties of Aloe can relive irritating insect bites.
• Lotion - Either using it by itself or mixing it with other components to make a hydrating moisturizer that heals and improves skin health.
• Anti-aging - Reduces fine lines and wrinkles as well as slowing the aging process overall.
• Hair growth - Applying Aloe to the scalp and massaging it in can promote hair growth, thickness, and shine.
• Digestion - Drinking aloe juice can promote proper digestion.

Benefits

• Antioxidant
• Heals burns
• Improves skin/fights wrinkles
• Lowers blood sugars
• Boosts immune system
• Cancer preventative
• Promotes hair growth

4.) Coconut Oil

Everyone has probably heard of coconut oil and its amazing benefits from all over the internet. Organic coconut oil can heal, and improve almost every part of our bodies. Coconut oil has antioxidant properties as well as antifungal and antibacterial that can help prevent and clear acne while leaving skin vibrant and moisturized.

Ways to Use

• Hair care - Including coconut oil to your hair routine can promote shine, thickness, growth, and moisture resulting in healthy hair.
• Skin moisturizer - Organic coconut oil adds hydration preventing skin flaking, dryness, and wrinkles.
• Oil Pulling - Swishing coconut oil in your mouth on an empty stomach for 20 minutes can draw out toxins and further promote oral health and health overall.
• Cooking Oil - The healthier alternative as it encourages natural weight loss and increases the healthy functioning of the thyroid and endocrine systems.
• Healing - When applied to infected or damaged areas it creates a layer of protection and additionally speeding up the process.

Benefits

• Hair nourishment
• Skin health
• Boosts immune system
• Oral health
• Bone health
• Promotes healthy digestion

5.) Lemon

Lemon is one of those staple ingredients that have a dual purpose in the bathroom and the kitchen. Lemon contains vitamin C, potassium, and antioxidants that improve our skin, hair, and nails. However, lemon can be highly acidic and should not be left on the body for long periods of time, especially on people who have sensitive skin. Lemon can be a great addition to your beauty routine but not every ingredient is for everybody.

Ways to Use

• Cooking - This one a no-brainer but adding lemon to your meals can enhance the taste and improve digestion.
• Facemask - Adding lemon to your DIY facemask can brighten and lighten your skin erasing dark marks, sun spots, and acne scars.
• Teeth whitening - Baking soda and lemon can be a quick teeth whitener but using this recipe can break down your tooth enamel as it is a highly acidic mixture so use it sparingly only a couple times a month and leave on no longer than a minute.
• Exfoliation - Lemon, honey, and sugar work great together sluffing away dead skin cells and scars leaving your skin tone significantly improved with regular usage; this mixture can also be left on as a facemask for better results.

Benefits

• Improves skin, hair, nails
• Great for liver health
• Promotes weight loss
• Improves pH balance within the body