Skin can be at its most fickle in between seasons. The cool air of an almost-autumn mixing with the still-searing sun of summer can leave us feeling dried out and itchy. Lotions bottled in factories with fillers, preservatives and cheap bulk ingredients are hardly nurturing, despite claims like "extra moisturizing" or "makes skin feel silky soft."  Making your own with lo-fi items most likely already in your kitchen is fresher, less expensive and more effective than anything you can buy at the store... as if you needed another reason to get naked, nothing says sexy like eco-savvy smooth skin.

When you're already buying what seems like the best quality hydration product on the market, what more can possibly be done to restore your skin's topography to its formerly supple and resilient glory? That's easy – just become a label sleuth. Whip out your magnifying glass and pull a Sherlock Holmes on your favorite moisturizer brand. Once you launch your own ingredient investigation, you'll discover that there's far more going on than seemingly well-intentioned promises of new-improved moisture retention or a formula teeming with 20% more botanicals.

Chemical free beauty items... you mean the stuff with ingredients that Mother Nature would approve of? Well, that's definitely a huge step up from some of the offerings sold at the corner drug store, but natural skin care products can still raise an eyebrow and occasionally make even the most steely stomached among us toss our cookies. It's all about where they're sourced from – animal, vegetable or mineral. If beauty at the expense of an animal life isn't your kosher cup of tea, read on. You might be surprised what's on the back of your bottles.

Am I hallucinating or does my hair look like straw? That moment of reckoning hits all of us right between the eyes. After subjecting our locks to years of chemical coloring agents, hot styling tools and hair care products with ingredients that are literally unpronounceable, there comes a time when it all catches up to us. Dragging a comb through freshly washed, conditioned and purportedly detangled hair suddenly becomes an exercise in pure frustration, with the casualty of our chemical tendencies being broken bits and pieces of dull organic material that once looked and even felt like genuine hair. (Even birds wouldn't want to insulate their nests with it!)

We all know what it's like to bite into a juicy summer (fill in the fruit blank); it simply cannot be beat! And, the fact that fresh organic fruits bestow our bodies with a bevy of vital health-giving goodness makes them, well, the queen of foods (where vegetables are king). We may even know that fruits are beauty foods that work from the inside-out.

You devoted yogis already know that a regular yoga practice can transform the mind and body.

Asanas (yoga poses) can help create a powerful core, strong, sexy arms and a more centered mind (although there are many more advantages). Besides forming a more toned body, certain poses can even have age-defying effects. Not that beauty benefits should be the reason for your practice, but it’s certainly a nice perk.

So what’s for breakfast? Decisions. Decisions. Hmmm, oatmeal or yogurt? Both will give your body healthy nutritious goodness, but if you want some seriously sumptuous skin, I’d eat the oatmeal and save that creamy yogurt to add to your collection of homemade beauty products (not that oatmeal doesn't have a place in skincare, too!).

Kid in a candy store? For some, the epitome of a full-on sugar rush can be experienced the moment that we peruse our ever-growing makeup collection. Pondering the exact color palate that will effectively capture ever-changing moods is kind of like nibbling through a deluxe assortment of high-end chocolates. Hmmmm, what’s it going to be today... demure, assertive, playful, totally tubular, drama queen or something in between?

Does your garden continue mocking you with an unfathomable volume of ripe-n-ready eats despite having but one mouth and stomach to your credit? When you've reached your limit of creative zucchini bread recipes and you're positively sick and tired of noshing on one-ingredient tomato salads that weigh well over 2 ½ pounds per serving, donating your excess veggies to Ample Harvest so they can be distributed to those in need would certainly take the heat off of your culinary efforts... but just be sure to save a few salad bowl basics for your daily beauty ritual. Sure, boosting your consumption of fresh produce yields a glowing complexion, but applying specific varieties directly to your face might just put your current go-to cleansing and moisturizing collection completely out of business.

Deep down, perhaps it's everyone's secret dream to enjoy positively glowing skin, but sometimes an innocent little UV-saturated nap can make all the difference between being a golden girl or an all-out barbequed babe. But that's what lotion is for, right? Instead of reaching for the drug store stuff, all the ingredients you need for cool, soothing and absolutely natural relief can be found in your pantry or refrigerator. It's time to chop, mix and soak your way to a slightly less pain-free tomorrow!