Cultivate Your Beauty Garden: Natural Beauty Tips from Your Backyard

Have you ever imagined being able to choose powerful cosmetics from your own garden?

The brazilian landscape designer Beatriz de Santiago shares tips for creating your own powerful Beauty Garden. All of these plants can be cultivated in pots or planters that fit perfectly on your balcony or windowsill. To set up your beauty garden, start by preparing the pot correctly. Ensure good drainage by using expanded clay, sand, fertilized soil, and substrate.

All plants should receive at least 2 hours of sunlight daily. For nutrient preservation, it’s ideal to finish off the pot with tree bark around the edges. This also enhances the aesthetics by covering the soil. Using fertilizer is important for the plants’ health, ensuring they remain lush and in bloom. Preferably use organic fertilizers in your beauty garden, for more concentrated actives and free of toxic substances. Well-aged manure, bokashi, and bone meal are all great choices.

Aloe Vera – Hydrate Your Face, Body, and Hair

Aloe Vera can be cultivated in pots and is an easy-care plant, as it doesn’t require much water and is resilient to different climates. Water it twice a week. Historians suggest Aloe Vera was Cleopatra’s beauty secret in ancient Egypt. It contains a miraculous gel inside its leaves! Extracting and storing this gel is straightforward.

Beauty Tip:

1. Take a whole Aloe Vera leaf
2. Wash with 2 drops of detergent
3. Remove side thorns with a knife
4. Peel off the yellow layer of gel
5. Cut into small cubes
6. Wrap in plastic wrap
7. Use 1 cube for facial hydration
8. Store the rest in the freezer

Rosehip – Skin Regeneration

Rosehip is known for its skin-regenerating properties. You can grow it in pots or planters. Apply rosehip oil directly to the skin to reduce scars, stretch marks, and wrinkles. To make the oil at home, harvest ripe fruits, remove the seeds, and dry them. Grind the seeds and place them in a dark glass jar. Cover the seeds with a vegetable oil (like coconut oil or olive oil) and let the mixture steep for a few weeks before straining. The resulting oil can be applied daily for smoother and healthier skin.

Chamomile – Soothe Your Eyes and Lighten Dark Circles

Water Chamomile four times a week.

Beauty Tip:

1. Take 3 Chamomile stems and place them in a cloth bag
2. Add 250 ml of water
3. Let the bag soak in water for 2 hours in the fridge
4. Apply the compress several times a day
5. No need to rinse

Lavender – Relaxing Lavender Bath

Lavender is a potent body relaxant. You can mix some lavender sprigs in water and pour it on yourself, or if you have a bathtub, add them and soak them for 30 minutes. The plant is resilient and easy to care for. Water it 4 times a week.

Lettuce – Lettuce Lotion

Lettuce in your garden serves both as a salad ingredient and skin care. Water it five times a week.

Beauty Tip:

1. Take 3 lettuce leaves and water
2. Make a tea with the leaves and 300 ml of water
3. Apply the lukewarm tea to your face using gauze or cotton pad
4. Leave on for 20 minutes

Calendula – Sensitive Skin Care

Calendula is a plant known for its soothing and anti-inflammatory properties, making it ideal for sensitive skin care. Cultivate calendulas in pots in sunny areas. To create a gentle facial tonic, harvest the flowers and let them dry completely. Then, place the dried flowers in a glass jar and cover with distilled water. Let the mixture sit for a week before straining. Apply the tonic with a cotton pad to soothe irritated skin and reduce redness.

Mint – Enhance Elasticity

Mint is an easily cared-for herb. Water mint five times a week.

Beauty Tip:

1. Take two tablespoons of freshly chopped mint leaves
2. Boil a glass of water and add the mint
3. Let it steep for 30 minutes
4. Apply to your face
5. No need to rinse

Mallow – Powerful Emollient

Beyond beauty care, mallow also possesses medicinal properties, acting as an antiseptic. Water mallow five times a week. Create a facial tonic with the plant.

Beauty Tip:

1. Take two tablespoons of freshly chopped mallow leaves
2. Boil a glass of water and add the mallow
3. Let it steep for 30 minutes
4. Apply to your face
5. No need to rinse

Rosemary – Hair Stimulation

Rosemary not only adds a pleasant aroma to your garden but can also be used to stimulate hair growth. Plant rosemary in a pot near your window to enjoy its invigorating scent. Make a rosemary infusion by boiling a few leaves in water for 10 minutes. After it cools down, apply the infusion to your scalp and gently massage. Rosemary may help strengthen hair follicles and promote a healthy scalp, which can lead to stronger and more voluminous hair.