Local Store Owner Creates Natural Beauty Products Influenced By The Past

LOS ANGELES (CBSLA.com) — A local woman is creating new beauty products using old ingredients influenced by her heritage.

"We are all harnessing our grandmothers' beauty secrets," said Mally Steves Chakola, owner of M. Steves Beauty Cottage in Venice.

Chakola, who is a mix of Indian and German, creates lotions and anti-aging potions passed on from her grandmother: "She would teach me by mixing botanicals from our gardens."

Her shop is full of pictures from the past and equipped with its own garden out back.

"It's amazing to me that we are in such a modern world, but we are turning back to naturals and finding out how incredible they are," she said.

Her bestseller is an ultra-nourishing boost that is filled with rosehip seed oil from Chile.

"It helps brighten the skin, even the skin, soften fine lines and wrinkles," she explained. "I personally healed a 20-year-old scar with this oil, and you cannot see it."

Chakola also loves the Indian spice tumeric, which is infused in her popular new exfoliator called Konjac Sponge.

"Tumeric is a potent anti-inflammatory and known for healing properties."

She says just scrub with it twice a day to see results without harming the skin, and it only costs $14.

She shared several of her all-natural beauty regimens:

• Coconut oil is high in Omega-6, which works to nourish your skin and keep it moisturized.
  • Outside the shower, rub a scoop of unrefined, organic coconut oil on your legs instead of shaving cream and shave as you normally would. You'll experience a close shave and moisture in one step, which saves you time each morning. The bonus is coconut oil is so hydrating there's no need to apply lotion afterward.
• Coffee is loaded with antioxidants and contains natural caffeine, which works to temporarily reduce inflammation and swelling in the skin while instantly tightening the skin's appearance.
  • Save old coffee grounds and scrub your body with them in the shower. The caffeine will reduce the appearance of cellulite.
  • Also use them as a temporary fix for under-eye bags.

**For a DIY anti-cellulite body scrub, mix a scoop of unrefined, organic coconut oil with some leftover coffee grounds. Apply the paste using circular motions to your skin, especially focusing on problems areas, such as legs. The coconut oil leaves your skin looking smooth and glowing for an instant fix while the grinds exfoliate away dry skin, and the caffeine in the coffee grounds helps to diminish the appearance of cellulite.

• Aloe vera gel: The inner leaf has a clear gel that is packed with anti-inflammatories and powerful collagen properties that can be used as a topical skin healer with anti-aging benefits.
  •  In the morning, apply a small freshly cut piece of aloe vera, gel side down, onto your under eye area and let sit for a few minutes. You'll feel a soothing, cooling sensation that will help to refresh your skin and wake you up. Remove the leaf, and massage any excess gel into your skin to reduce puffiness and move lymph fluid. It only takes a few minutes to do this at-home lymphatic drainage massage, but you'll see visibly less puffy skin and leaves you feeling energized. Always use small, circular movements that move away from your eye and down toward your cheeks to prevent any gel from getting into your eye and move the lymph fluid away from your eye area.
  • Use it as a spot blemish treatment by dabbing a bit on a pimple to help reduce inflammation and speed up healing.
• Tangerine or grapefruit contain nature's exfoliating acids that can help brighten any skin discoloration or unevenness. They're also antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory to help keep your skin free from pesky breakouts and redness.
  • Use a few drops of fresh tangerine or grapefruit juice with rose water for a DIY replacing and brightening toner. The citrus oils work to decongest pores and loosen dead skin.