My frugality doesn't end at the dinner table--I try to save money just as much with my beauty and skin care regimen as I do with my grocery list. And sometimes, the stuff I buy at the supermarket can do double-duty, not only as ingredients for meals, but for making me look better.

I knew I was on to something when the ingredients in products I found on the drugstore shelves sounded good enough to eat--oatmeal, lemon, mint, apricot (although I suspect that many of these products contain the merest trace of the touted ingredient, and plenty of unpronounceable, unnatural chemicals instead).

And then there's companies like Lush Cosmetics [1], which makes skin and hair treatments with ingredients like almonds, beans, nut oils and herbs. Many of the company's products are so fresh and unadulterated with preservatives that they have a shelf life and/or need refrigeration.

But isn't it better to go straight to the source? I'm stepping away from the stove this week to share with you some of my favorite ingredients for natural beauty.

Oatmeal: Oatmeal is not only my favorite breakfast food, but also my favorite ingredient for smoothing my skin. Used as a scrub or a face mask, it can soften skin, soothe inflammation, and gently slough away dead skin cells. Try mixing about ¼ cup oatmeal with an egg white and a tablespoon of honey to make a paste. Smooth it onto your face, leave it on for 10 minutes, massage it in gently with wet hands, then rinse it off.

Honey: Cleopatra was famous for bathing in milk and honey, but she knew what she was doing. Honey is a natural moisturizer, and it's great in the winter for spreading onto the face, hands or even the elbows, knees or feet for a few minutes to keep skin from getting scaly. It's a little messy--I usually just bide my time during this sticky treatment by just sitting in my shower.

Salt and Sugar: You can pay more than $20 at stores like Origins [2] for a salt-based exfoliating scrub, or you can raid your salt shaker and make one of your own. Mix coarse sea salt with olive, grapeseed or nut oil and use a handful of it in the shower or bath to buff dead skin off your body. For your face, try sugar, which makes a less harsh scrub. Misx ¼ cup brown sugar with a tablespoon or two of honey to make a face scrub that also moisturizes.

Avocado: I love avocados and, since they're also my baby's favorite food, I'm constantly buying them. They're pretty expensive, so I'm crushed when I accidentally let them overripen. But never fear, brown-spotted, super-ripe avocados might not be appetizing on your plate, but they're at their prime for beauty treatments. With all of the nutrients this fruit contains-potassium, protein, and vitamins A, C and E, among others--it's no surprise that it's equally as nourishing on your skin, whether used as a cleanser, moisturizer or mask [3]. I've even heard that a wedge of avocado, placed under each eye for 20 minutes while you're resting, will do away with under-eye puffiness and shadows.

There are plenty more ingredients that can solve beauty woes; beer is supposed to be a great rinse for shinier hair, banana can make a nourishing face mask, and resting your elbows in the cut halves of citrus fruit will keep skin from getting cracked. And it's nice to know that all it takes is a peek into my pantry, rather than a costly visit to the cosmetics counter!

Here's a recipe to get you started:

Salt Glow Scrub
With the holidays coming, these make excellent eco-friendly gifts-especially when packaged in a recycled glass jar [4].

1 cup coarse sea salt
1/2 cup oil (grapeseed, nut or olive oils work best)
2 tablespoons dried aromatic herbs, such as lavender, rosemary or mint
or
1 teaspoon essential oil

In a bowl, combine salt and oil. Crush herbs in your fingers and stir into salt mixture, or stir essential oil into mixture. Store in a glass or plastic container. To use, rub into skin in a circular motion while standing in the shower. Rinse well, then wash skin with soap. Be careful-the oil makes the tub very slippery!