In an age where many new and different types of treatments are available, some students at St. Paul Academy and Summit School choose to use their own natural products and remedies to improve digestion, skin, and sore throats.

Soft Skin

Sophomore Leah Hughes makes her own natural skin and hair products. Befo

re making the products, Hughes did a lot of research and experimentation to find the natural ingredients that suit her. Hughes started making her own natural products at the young age of thirteen when she realized that most products from commercial stores caused her to break out. “I prefer to know what is going on my skin,” Hughes said. Hughes created her own recipes after doing some research online and in recipe books.

She makes bubble baths, facial washes, body scrubs, hair lighteners, masks, and  bath fizzies. “Honey is a good moisturizer, lemon exfoliates, crushed aspirin fades redness, mint leaves refresh,  strawberries can whiten teeth, and honey can lighten hair,” Hughes said. Some of Hughes’s products are for sale. “Things with fruit do not last, unless you refrigerate them,” Hughes said. Hughes puts her creations in closed containers in the fridge. However, she makes them to be used right away. “If I were to have a bath, then I would make something,” Hughes said.

Hughes uses sugar, coconut oil and essential oils to make her scrubs. She recommends using the homemade scrub before using moisturizer. The moisturizer is composed of baby lotion, solidified coconut oil, and vitamin E cream. To add scent to her products, Hughes likes to use water lily and hibiscus essential oils. Essential oils are a natural oil typically obtained by distillation, with the characteristic fragrance of the plant or other source from which it is extracted. Hughes purchases her essential oils at Whole Foods.

Junior Isabelle Saul-Hughes has also been a fan of home remedies since she was very young. “I’m obsessed with them,” she said. Like Hughes, Saul-Hughes prefers to know what is going on her skin. “I use home remedies because they’re cheaper, and I know what I’m putting on my body, and because making them makes me feel like an alchemist,” she said.

Saul-Hughes uses a mixture of virgin coconut oil, yogurt, steel-cut oatmeal, and honey for one of her face masks. “The powdered oat exfoliates in a really nice way and it lends moisture. So, you just leave it on for 15 minutes and then you wash it off. Then your face is as soft as a baby’s tookus,” Saul-Hughes said.

Digestion Remedies

Saul-Hughes has found, through experimentation, that ginger, peppermint, and probiotic foods are helpful remedies for digestion problems. “Eating a lot of probiotic foods helps with digestion,” Saul Hughes said. She recommends probiotic foods such as kimchi, kombucha, kefir, and yogurt. Kimchi, kombucha, and kefir all contain fermented substances. Kimchi is a Korean dish made of fermented vegetables with a variety of seasonings, while Kombucha is a fermented drink made with tea, sugar, bacteria, and yeast, and Kefir is a fermented milk drink.  Probiotic foods contain “good” bacteria which keep a healthy balance of “good” and “bad” bacteria, in your gut. “Good” gut-dwelling bacteria keep pathogens in check and aid digestion according to The Harvard Medical School Family Health Guide.

Zit Solutions

Tea tree oil is effective for decreasing blemishes and treating mild to moderate acne according to the U.S. National Library of Medicine. Tea tree oil is gentle enough for everyday use and gets clear skin at a moderate rate. “You can put tea tree oil on zits and that gets rid of them,” Saul-Hughes said.

Beautiful Hair

Beautiful, strong, and healthy hair can be achieved in a number of ways. Instead of buying  hair products to achieve the perfect shine, Saul-Hughes recommends using coconut and olive oil. “For a more cost effective moisturizer put coconut oil or olive oil in your hair, leave it in overnight, and wash it out in the morning,” Saul-Hughes said.

“I make hair masks for deep conditioning,” Hughes said. Hughes’ hair masks are made out of honey, avocado and coconut milk. “It smoothes and repairs split ends. It works for my hair,” Hughes said. Avocados are high in vitamins B and E which help to strengthen and protect hair according to Livestrong.com. Avocados also promote hair growth and repair damaged hair. Honey is sometimes used to lighten hair and retain moisture, and is a great tool to repair hair as well as promote hair growth.

Aromatherapy

Aromatherapy, the use of essential oils from plants for healing has been around for almost 6,000 years.  According to the University of Maryland Medical Center, essential oils relieve pain, improve mood, and promote a sense of relaxation. Aromatherapy helps the mind reach a pleasurable emotional balance.“If you put peppermint essential oil on a cotton ball and smell it  when you have a headache, it gets rid of it [the headache] in an amazing and beautiful way,” Saul-Hughes said.

As a self-proclaimed anxious person, Saul-Hughes frequently uses lavender essential oil to palliate her mood. “Lavender essential oil is very calming and very relaxing,” Saul-Hughes said. Other essential oils that have shown to relieve anxiety, stress, and depression include rose, orange, bergamot, lemon, and sandalwood. 

Healing Wounds

Sophomore Lutalo Jones uses Aloe vera to heal minor cuts from paper and his cats’ claws. Aloe vera is a species of plant with tender, fleshy leaves. These leaves have jelly-like insides. “It’s a plant so there are no negative repercussions to the earth and it grows back. I think it’s pretty cool to be healed by a plant,” Jones said.

Jones takes a piece of the plant’s leaf and applies the jelly-like insides on his skin. Aloe vera, according to the Mayo Clinic,  can reduce inflammation.

Sore Throats

Senior Julia Lagos uses oregano oil to cure sore throats. “My mom tries to get me to [drink it],” Lagos said. Oregano oil has really strong antibacterial and antifungal properties. “You can put a couple drops in some water, gargle or drink it, and the sore throat tends to go away,” Lagos said. She added, “it tastes really gross though..[but]  it does [work effectively].”

Home remedies provide an easy, healthy, and cost-friendly option for many students who desire to know what goes on their skin, and into their bodies.