The 11 Best DIY Beauty Treatments for Your Skin and Hair, According to a TikTok Expert
Debbie Williams is a hair loss specialist and board-certified nutritionist.
TikTok isn’t just a place to browse through the latest viral dance videos, although those are fun, too. If you search #beauty on TikTok, you’ll find that the hashtag has racked up over 27.3 billion views. The mega-popular social media platform has morphed into a digital hub for all things beauty—spanning from makeup tutorials to product reviews. The increasing popularity of beauty-focused content on the app has given rise to a number of beauty influencers who fill our feeds with fun, bite-sized videos about the buzziest products, coolest treatments, and latest trends.
Debbie Williams is one of the TikTok creators that stands out the most within the beauty space. She’s a hair loss specialist and board-certified nutritionist, and her channel, AskDebbieAboutHair, currently has over 400 thousand followers. On her page, Williams helps people take a natural approach to beauty by showcasing how common foods can double as beauty treatments, and she provides such smart tips. From using tomatoes to treat sunburn to green tea for hair growth, we rounded up 11 of Williams’ best DIY beauty treatments.
1. Tomatoes for soothing sunburns
Tomatoes contain lycopene and alpha-hydroxy acids (AHAs), which assist in repairing and renewing damaged skin. “Freeze some tomatoes, make it into a purée, and massage it into your skin afterward for about 10 to 15 minutes. It’s going to soothe that burn and heal that skin,” Williams says.
2. Flaxseed for curl definition
Flaxseed contains omega-3s, and it can boost hair growth and help define curls when applied topically to your hair. Williams makes her own flaxseed gel by mixing two cups of water and one cup of flaxseeds, then boiling it until it forms a gel-like consistency. From there, she applies her homemade gel to her freshly shampooed hair. The result? Curls that are absolutely popping.
3. Honey for hair hydration
Want to amp up the moisture in your hair? Grab your favorite shampoo (make sure it’s sulfate-free and paraben-free) and add a tablespoon of raw honey to it. “Honey is a humectant and contains amino acids, vitamins, and minerals, so it moisturizes your hair and your scalp,” Williams says in her TikTok. “It’s good for someone who has dandruff or a dry scalp. That hair is going to have an amazing shine.”
4. Avocados for de-puffing under-eye circles
If you have dark circles or puffy under-eyes, treat them with avocado. Avocados contain vitamin K, which helps with blood clotting, strengthening capillaries, and improving circulation. They are also rich in vitamin C (which builds collagen) and vitamin E (which has anti-inflammatory properties). To use it as an eye treatment, mash up your avocado and apply it all around your eyes. Then, take a cold cloth and place it over your eyes for fifteen minutes. Watch Williams’ whole video to learn more.
5. Oranges for better hair health
“Orange oil is amazing for the hair, [as] it has vitamin C and collagen,” explains Williams in her TikTok video. “It can grow the hair and is amazing for dandruff and irritated scalps.” To make her orange oil, she grates one-quarter cup of orange peels, then combines the orange peels with one-quarter cup of sweet almond oil and uses a double boiler to heat the mixture for 40 minutes. After sifting out the peels, Williams then drains the orange oil into a small container. Voilà!
6. Yogurt for soothing scalp irritation
Yogurt contains zinc, lactic acid, amino acids, and enzymes in addition to anti-inflammatory properties that are great for soothing an itchy, irritated scalp. “Wash your hair and add your yogurt. For an added bonus, add a tablespoon of honey in it,” Williams says, noting that it’s best to use Greek yogurt for your DIY hair treatment. “Let it stay in your hair for 10 to 15 minutes, and then rinse it out.” The haircare expert recommends doing this treatment once a month to avoid adding too much protein to your hair.
7. Beer for hair strengthening
Beer is loaded with vitamins and minerals such as vitamin B, magnesium, copper, and iron. “Most of the hops in the beer are loaded with protein that can strengthen your hair,” Williams says in her video. “What you want to do is use a flat beer. You’re going to do equal parts: one cup of beer, one cup of water, and one tablespoon of apple cider vinegar. Shampoo your hair, rinse out your conditioner, and then add in your beer rinse.” For best results, leave the beer rinse in your hair for 10 to 15 minutes before washing it out. Williams says this DIY concoction should only be used once or twice a month to avoid drying out your hair.
8. Eggs for promoting hair growth
If you’ve been wanting your hair to grow healthily, the carton of eggs sitting in your fridge may help do the trick. Eggs contain nourishing properties—such as biotin, omega-3, and omega-6—that are known to promote hair growth. Williams says the best way to use an egg is in a hair mask. For example, you can create a quick and simple mask by blending avocados and eggs—it’s that easy!
9. Green tea to prevent hair loss
Green tea is enriched with vitamins C and E, antioxidants, and polyphenols, which help to fight dandruff and bacteria on the scalp. “Green tea regenerates the follicle, which stimulates hair growth, and it can also reduce hair loss,” Williams says in the clip. To use it as a hair treatment, brew a cup of green tea using two tea bags to increase efficacy. Proceed to shampoo and condition your hair. After rinsing out your conditioner, pour your tea into the hair and leave it on for 30 minutes before washing out.
10. Apple cider vinegar for shiny hair
“[Apple cider vinegar] is a hair cleanser like no other,” Williams says, adding that it also detangles knotty hair, nourishes the scalp, and balances your hair’s pH. To make a DIY apple cider vinegar mixture, use one part apple cider vinegar to five parts water. Shampoo your hair, apply the rinse, and leave it on your hair for up to 15 minutes. After rinsing, follow up with your conditioner. Trust us, it’ll leave your hair super shiny.
11. Aloe vera for treating skin blemishes
“If you have acne, blemishes, or dark spots, this plant can help,” Williams says. The TikTok beauty expert likes to create her own face mask using straight-up aloe vera gel. She recommends using a thick paper towel and cutting out slits for your eyes, nose, and mouth. Williams slices the aloe plant to get all of the gel out. She then pours the aloe gel into a blender and lets the towel soak into the mixture for 10 minutes before applying it to her face.