Author and broadcaster Janey Lee Grace, who co-hosts The Steve Wright Show on BBC Radio 2, released Imperfectly Natural Woman – The Pocket Book this month.

In it she offers lots of natural ways to improve your lifestyle – from what you eat to how you pamper yourself.

There are lots of DIY recipes when it comes to skincare. So get concocting!”

Cleansing

For cleansing oily skin, a very simple foaming cleanser for the face is liquid castile soap, made from pure olive oil.

Add your own favourite essential oil to give it a lovely smell – lemon or lavender work well but don’t use lavender if you are pregnant.

In an emergency, a tiny amount of olive oil will remove make-up but could be a little too heavy to use every day.

Toning

Rose water and witch hazel work great as a toner.

You can buy both from any good chemist, or ask them to make up a bottle for you by mixing two parts’ rose water to one part witch hazel. It’s cheaper and better than any chemical toner you’ll find on the market.

Even cheaper, use up some of the leftovers in the fridge! For example, you can easily make a homemade cleanser by using tomato and milk.

Make tomato juice by straining the pulp and mix it with an equal quantity of milk. Store this in a bottle and refrigerate it for use every day.

Spread it on your face and neck with your fingertips; leave it on for 10 minutes then wash off with cold water.

Face masks

To spruce up a complexion, try oatmeal and honey facial scrub. Oats are highly absorbent, hypoallergenic and help to soften skin.

Take a handful of oatmeal and some water and rub over your face for an exfoliating scrub. Or, make a really simple mask by adding honey.

Oatmeal is great for oily skins because it’ll absorb excess oil while the honey soothes and smoothes the skin. It’s safe for sensitive skins too.

Honey is anti-microbial and is also a natural antiseptic. If you like you can also squeeze a capsule of Vitamin B6 into the mixture for even greater benefits.

To make this scrub, throw a handful or so of oatmeal into a mixing bowl and add enough honey to produce a nice thick paste. If you want to use a vitamin capsule, squeeze it in at this stage too.

When you have it looking nice and gooey, slap it on your face and leave for 15 minutes before washing it off with lots of lukewarm water. Then apply your regular moisturiser or facial oil.

Fruit smoothie quick fix for dehydrated skin

Take two teaspoons of oatmeal and two teaspoons of mashed strawberries.

Mix into a paste and massage onto damp skin, then rinse off with warm water.

Actually, any fruit pulp will do – nothing need go to waste!

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