Consumer interest in natural and organic products as well as the increasing knowledge base about the beauty benefits from food — the AHAs and antioxidants in milk and fruit, for example — have some estheticians heading to the kitchen cabinet rather than the product dispensary.

A recent article in the Los Angeles Times explored the trend toward incorporating food into facials and other spa services, citing services ranging from the Spoiled Salad Facial at Studio City Spoiled A Day Spa to Paprika Herbal Facial Treatment and Parsley Cucumber Treatment at the Peninsula Spa in Beverly Hills’ Peninsula Hotel.

To help you get started, we’ve rounded up a few recipes to stock the pantry:

Milk and honey mask. Beat together 1 egg, 1 T. milk and 1 tsp honey Apply to hands and forearms; leave on for 15 minutes, then rinse.

Honey hand scrub. Mix 1/4 c. oatmeal, 1/4 c. cornmeal, 1 tsp. honey, and enough milk to make a paste. Apply to forearms and backs of hands. Leave on 10 minutes, then rinse.

Green tea mask: Mix wet green tea leaves with plain yogurt and oatmeal Apply to the hands and arms, then rinse.

Almond exfoliant: Mix almond meal with water to make a paste. Apply on the skin using a gentle, circular rubbing motion; wait 15 minutes, then rinse.

Tropical fruit mask: Blend 1 c. fresh pineapple and ½ c. papaya in a blender. Mix with 2 T. honey and apply to hands. Leave on hands five minutes, then rinse and moisturize.

Sweet and sour hand treatment: Mix ¼ c. of sugar with enough lemon juice to make a paste. Massage a small amount into the hand for about a minute, then rinse. Then massage the skin with a moisturizing lotion.

Banana hand cream: Mix mashed banana with honey, lemon juice and butter. Apply to the hands and rinse off after 15 minutes. (Works great on feet, too.)

Exfoliating banana mask: Blend a mashed banana with white cosmetic clay. Apply to the hands and arms and rinse off after 20 minutes.

Oatmeal milk scrub: Mix 1/2 c. of oatmeal (grind to a powder after measuring), 1/2 c. of powdered milk, and 1 T. of apricot kernel oil. Measure a small amount and mix with water to a paste. Massage gently into hands and forearms using a circular rubbing motion.

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