In cash-strapped times home-made remedies seem like a great idea but are there some beauty products that it is worth paying for?

If you've been tuning into BBC2's Grow Your Own Drugs programme recently, then you'll probably have noticed that the show's presenter, ethnobotanist James Wong, is a bit of all right. Creating remedies for common ailments from mundane — and not so mundane — ingredients he digs up in his garden, I do love a brainy man who's good with his hands. The second thing that might have registered in these recessionary times is that Wong is definitely on to something.

He's whipped up echinacea icepops and concocted cough mixture from marshmallow roots, and he's also been looking at ways to create DIY beauty bits like marigold acne gel and a papaya and kiwi facial masque.

While there's no doubt that plants can have positive effects on our health, I'm never going to be an advocate of living an entirely natural life. Let’s not forget that the 20th-century discovery of antibiotics saved millions of lives that would otherwise have been lost, so there are definite advantages of combining both approaches.

With that in mind, when it comes to beauty buying, what can you whip up in your kitchen, and what should you definitely splash the |cash for?

DIY

BODY SCRUB

If you've got oodles of cash lying about the place, then of course €30 on a salt or sugar scrub is perfectly fine. But if you don't, then this is one product you can make really easily.

Cheap, readily available ingredients that'll do the trick include olive oil, Epsom and sea salts, oatmeal and essential oils.

For one application, mix two tablespoons of coarse sea salt with a tablespoon of olive oil, and add a couple of drops of a scented essential oil blend too, if you like. Lavender is relaxing, while bergamot is invigorating, so it's not one to use right before lights out. Standing in the bathtub or shower (you don't want to do this on the bathroom floor or it'll be more than yourself you'll end up scrubbing), apply the mix in gentle circular motions to polish off dead skin and scaly bits, and then wash off as normal. Voila! You're squeaky clean, delightfully scented and ready for action.

HAIR MASQUE

If you can stomach putting a greasy/sticky blend of oil and honey into your hair, you'll be genuinely surprised at how well it can work, especially if you suffer from frizz and dryness, because oil adds moisture and honey gives shine.

Try a hair masque using the following quantities: for every half cup of honey add three tablespoons of olive oil, mix well and lash onto damp hair. Wrap your hair in clingfilm (no, really) and a warm towel and leave the masque on for about half an hour, then wash out as normal.

INGROWN HAIR SOLUTION

There are lots of products on the market designed to treat the hairy issue of ingrowns, which plague some women post-shaving or waxing. What Tend Skin, Bliss' Ingrown Hair Eliminating Peeling Pads and PFB Vanish have in common is that they all contain salicylic acid, which is incredibly effective on red, angry bumps.

Avoid spending big bucks on shop-bought products because that helpful little ingredient is also present in humble Disprin. Grab a pack of uncoated tablets and crush three-to-four in some hot water. You can also add a teaspoon of honey for extra antibacterial help, and then smooth the mixture onto the affected areas. Leave it for 10 minutes and then wash off. Depending on how severe the problem is, use once or twice a |week. Facial pimples can also benefit from |this remedy.

BUY

SKINCARE

Sure, you can get into all sorts of DIY messing and skincare ingredients such as shea butter and vitamin E can be easily bought online. But apart from making rose water to use as a cheap and perfectly effective facial toner, I'm firmly on the side of paying for properly formulated and preserved skincare products.

Why? Because unless you know your skin well and have a degree in cosmetic science, it's unlikely you'll be able to create something in your kitchen that's going to match up to a commercially produced product in terms of effectiveness, ingredient quality and longevity.

My summer pick for a fresher-looking complexion is Vichy's forthcoming LiftActiv Retinol HA Total Wrinkle Care, €33.50, which contains the magic age-reverser, vitamin A. Look for it in pharmacies nationwide from May.

SUNSCREEN

Did you know that bathroom cabinet favourite, Sudocrem, is one of the best sunscreens there is? Yep, and it's all down to the fact that it's packed full of zinc, a brilliant physical sunblocking agent. That's what gives the product its distinctive white colour, and it's also what'll make you

look like a complete clown if you wear it in public. So facial sunscreen is definitely one to buy. It's improved in leaps and bounds and is no longer the thick, fly-attracting gloop it used to be.

Check out La Roche-Posay's excellent Anthelios Fluide Extreme 50+ Facecare, €21.50. Light and non-greasy, it's perfect for use all year round and suits normal, combo and oily skin types, helping you stay younger looking for longer.

MAKEUP

While women came up with all manner of ingenious dupes for cosmetics during war time, when petroleum (by-products of which are used in many preparations) was at a premium, thankfully, these days we don't have to resort to charcoal for eye-liner. We can just go to the shops and buy all manner of gorgeous products that have been dermatologist and quality tested instead. Phew.

What to pick? Revlon is a brand who impress high-end makeup fans while still providing beauty buys that the cash-strapped can afford. This season's new Matte collection is a winner. Check out the eye shadows in eight shades, for an outlay of €7.50 a pop.

- Kirstie McDermott