The beauty ingredient hiding in your bin

At bh, we’re all for kitchen cupboard beauty, but did you know there’s an amazing skincare ingredient lurking in your bin?

I’m talking about the humble orange peel, a valuable, natural beauty treatment that’s been shown to help fade dark spots, brighten complexions, and even heal acne.

Readily available and way cheaper than goji berries, it turns out the citrus fruit is good for more than just snacking...

And with the summer sun wreaking all sorts of havoc on our skin, there’s never been a better time to freshen your complexion with orange peel. To begin, you just need the primary ingredient: orange peel powder. All you need is two oranges and a blender. Here’s how to make it:

STEP 1:

Wash two oranges with hot water. Make sure you use unwaxed (and if possible, organic) oranges, as they're free from fertilisers, pesticides and insecticides (which aren't so good for your skin).

STEP 2:

Peel the rind off the oranges in 20 cent-size pieces. Then, bake the peels in a glass baking tray for 25 minutes at 90 °C to dry them out. If they're still damp after 25 minutes, leave them in the oven for an extra 5 minutes or so.

STEP 3:

Use your food processor or blender to ground the rinds into a powdery consistency. If your blender doesn't break down the peels completely, you can hand-grind them with a mortar and pestle.

STEP 4:

Strain the powder through a fine-mesh sieve so you only collect the smallest granules. The powder can be stored in an airtight glass container for up to three months, if it's kept out of direct sunlight.

You can use your powder a number of ways, but here are two of my favourites…

Aromatic Bath Soak

Ingredients:
2 tbsp orange peel powder
10 drops sandalwood essential oil (we love In Essence Sandalwood Australian Pure Essential Oil)

Instructions:
Simply blend your orange peel powder and sandalwood essential oil and pour under running water. This aromatic soak will help soothe anxiety and calm your your senses, not to mention leave you with a glowing complexion.

Anti-Aging Citrus Wash 

Ingredients:
1 tbsp orange peel powder
1 cup coconut water (you can get this from the supermarket)

Instructions:
Mix the ingredients together and saturate a clean face cloth with the solution. Massage your face with the cloth, then rinse skin with warm water and apply your usual moisturiser. The Vitamin C in the orange peel will help boost collagen production and improves your skin’s elasticity, while the coconut water has hydrating properties. The end result? Smoother, more youthful-looking skin.

If all this DIY sounds a bit tedious, you can still enjoy the beauty benefits of oranges in many pre-existing beauty products. For hands, we love Botanicals by ECOYA - Banksia and Bergamot Hand Cream (which is fragranced with orange rind). For the body, try A’Kin Orange Blossom Body Lotion and Natio Orange Blossom Body Lotion for a luxurious, orange-filled experience.

Have you ever used orange rind in your beauty regime? What other DIY beauty tricks do you use?   

YOU MIGHT ALSO LIKE...

12 signs you're addicted to beauty	4 easy ways to beautify yourself at home	Hollistic beauty boosters