Simple but sophisticated homemade facial cleansers are easy, cheap and effective.

The legendary beauty Cleopatra’s famed milk baths made her skin soft and supple because milk contains alpha-hydroxy acids (AHAs). AHAs such as are found in milk, lemon juice, vinegar, blackberries, grapes, oranges, tomatoes, and apple juice exfoliate the skin by dissolving the glue that holds dead skin cells together. They cleanse the top layer of skin, allowing the body’s natural emollient oils to reach the surface cells and help moisturize and relieve dryness.

They help cleanse oily skin and remove blackheads. AHA chemical peels of between 20 and 70 percent acidity are available from some doctors, but they are so strong they can leave scars, and the FDA believes that these strong peels could expose the skin to an increased risk of sunburn. The ingredients I mentioned here, such as organic apple cider vinegar, is an all-natural AHA that you can use at home (avoid the eyes), has seven percent acidity, and is a safe and sure way to get the benefit of fruit acids without danger to the skin (although even at this low level, you should be aware of the increased risk of sunburn).

The benefits of homemade fruit acids become evident as soon as you start using them; your skin starts feeling soft and smooth. To my skin’s great benefit I squeeze a lemon once a week and keep its juice in the refrigerator. In the morning, I dab some of the juice on my fingers and pat it onto my face, leave it on for ten minutes or so and then rinse