Sonya Dakar’s Beverly Hills beauty clinic is hard to miss. Towering over the famous criss-cross of intersections around the Beverly Hilton, the clinic where Sonya Dakar’s famous facials are administered has been a celebrity mainstay for years. The oxygen facials are an award season must, her skincare, supplements, and homeopathic treatments are top notch, and facials can be scheduled to take place high atop their rooftop garden. What else would you expect from a top Beverly Hills facialist?
Although Sonya Dakar may have a star-studded, Hollywood reputation, what we love most about her practice is Sonya’s holistic approach. Growing up in Tel Aviv, Israel, Sonya and her daughter always had a penchant for simple home remedies and beauty solutions, many of them simple solutions passed down for generations. We love gleaning wisdom from the Dakar’s wealth of home remedies and thought we’d ask them to share with our readers. From her own personal recipe for a home facial to the strangest way to condition hair, you may be surprised by just how many beauty remedies are already stocked in your own pantry!
10 Beauty Remedies Already In Your Pantry
Probiotics
This is something really simple that can be made at home. All you need is grapeseed oil and a few capsules of any acidophilus probiotic. It works so well, and is also the newest thing that Sonya is doing on her celeb clients at the clinic. You can concoct the recipe for a fairly low cost.
Sonya Dakar Clarifying Probiotic Mask Recipe:
Break open 2 – 3 probiotic capsules and pour contents into a small bowl. Mix with 2 tablespoons of grapeseed oil and apply to cleansed skin. Let sit for 7-10 minutes and then massage to boost circulation. Follow with a few drops of facial oil or moisturizer.
Coconut Oil
Mix 2 tablespoons of coconut oil and a capsule of vitamin E oil in a bowl. Cut cotton pads to fit the under-eye area. Soak cotton pads in solution and freeze for a few minutes until icy cold. Apply to eye area and place eye cotton pad on top. Let sit for 15 minutes and remove. DO NOT RINSE. Follow with your favorite eye cream.
Brown Sugar
Sonya loves how brown sugar’s fine granules leave skin feeling warm, smooth and soft. Make an easy DIY shower scrub by mixing about 2 ounces of brown sugar and 2 ounces of oil (Sonya loves flax seed or grapeseed, but olive will work too). Slowly massage the scrub into your body, starting at your toes and working all the way up.
Kosher Salt
Your scalp can really get a lot of buildup from styling products, dry shampoo and just harsh weather. Sonya loves to whip up this great scalp salt scrub with equal part kosher salt and grapeseed oil. Use in shower because it can get messy! Massage into wet hair and really get in there. The salt will remove buildup while the oil will hydrate and nourish your scalp. Once rinsed, follow with an extra few drops of oil and massage into the scalp.
Coffee
Don’t toss those aromatic grounds after you brew your next pot of coffee. Instead, use them to exfoliate skin (body only). Mix about 3 tablespoons of the grounds with 1 tablespoon salt (optional) and massage over your whole body while in the shower. Not only are coffee granules ideal for dead-skin removal, coffee beans contain vitamin E and other antioxidants, and they’re antibacterial and stimulating. Rinse well and let skin dry completely before applying moisturizer.
Oatmeal
Colloidal oatmeal — or regular oatmeal ground into a powder using a blender — can be mixed into bath water to relieve eczema (itchy, dry skin).
Avocado
This ingredient is rich in natural oils and makes an amazing hair mask. It works wonders to strengthen and deep condition hair. Mash a very ripe avocado and apply to hair. Place a shower cap over your head and leave the mixture on for as long as you can. Rinse off in the shower with warm water and a very mild shampoo.
Olive oil
I remember on one of my first work trips to New York with my mom, she was really suffering from windburn on her skin. We were out and about in the city and she had NOTHING handy to soothe her irritated skin. She ran into a bodega and grabbed the bottle of olive oil from the salad bar. She then massages a few drops into her skin and especially around her eye area. It worked miracles! You can do the same with extra-virgin olive oil. It works great on dry, irritated skin.
Salt & Baking Soda
Try this detox bath with salt (epsom or kosher) and baking soda. A detox bath is thought to assist your body in eliminating toxins as well as absorbing the minerals and nutrients that are in the water. Most of all, it’ll leave you feeling refreshed and awakened.
Clean your tub — make sure it is squeaky clean. DO NOT USE BLEACH, as even a trace of it is toxic to bathe in. You don’t want any residue on your skin or worse, entering your body.
While filling the bath with warm water, mix with 2 tablespoons salt with 1 cup baking soda. Most important: Don’t use any soap or other detergent in the tub. Optional: Add a few drops of lavender essential oils (calms skin and mind) a few drops of neroli (great for depression and postpartum). You can also put in some dry or fresh ginger to invigorate.
Soak for at least 20 minutes. Get out slowly, and let the body air dry a bit. Massage organic almond oil into damp skin over the entire body.
BEER
I remember growing up and always seeing a can of beer in my grandparents’ shower. They swore by its benefits for hair. Both of them lived to 95 and had a full head of healthy locks! For fine hair, beer is an easy solution to obtaining thicker strands. After shampooing, rinse hair with a can of flat beer. The yeast plumps up the hair shaft, resulting in a more voluminous style.
