Skin Care

From Antivist

Revision as of 20:30, 29 August 2007

Oatmeal Honey Face Mask

1/2 c Uncooked oatmeal. 1 T Honey, 1 T Cider vinegar, 1 t Ground almonds, Combine all in a glass or enamel bowl To Use: Steam face or lay warm washcloth on face for 1 min. Applymixture to your face avoid the sensitive area around eyes. Let dry on skin completely. If your skin is young and firm, you can gently rub dried mixture off with a clean terry washcloth or towel. Lean over sink and rub face in brisk but gentle circles with the cloth. Rinse with warm water. Follow with a toner and moisturizer.

Moisturizing Mask

1 lg Avocado, 1 T Honey - Peel and slice avocado. Puree with honey. Pat it gently to the face and continue patting until the mask feels extremely tacky to the touch. Relax and leave the mask on 20-30 mins. Rinse with warm water.

Protein Moisturizing Mask

1/4 c Barley or oat flour 1 tsp Brewer's yeast, 2 tbsp Honey, 1 Vitamin E capsule, 1 Egg yolk (optional) 2 tbsp Almond oil, 1/4-1/2 c. buttermilk or -yogurt. Mix ingredients together to form a smooth paste. Apply mixture to clean face, throat and neck. Lie down and relax for 15-20 minutes. Wash off gently with warm water and apply moisturizer.

Strawberry Drawing Mask

1/2 c Strawberries, very ripe, 1/4 c Cornstarch -Mix strawberries and cornstarch together to make a paste and apply to face, avoiding the delicate area around your eyes. Leave on for 30 mins and rinse off with cool water.

Mask for Oily Skin

1/2 Cucumber, 1 Egg white, 1 tbsp Lemon juice, 1 tsp Mint - Puree all and refrigerate 10 mins. Apply mixture to your face and leave on 15 mins. Rinse with hot, then cool water.

Blemished Skin Mask

1 ripe tomato chopped, 1 tsp Lemon juice, 1 tbsp Instant style oatmeal or old-fashioned rolled oats. Blend all until just combined. Apply to skin, making sure the mixture is thick enough to stay on blemished areas:cheeks, forehead, or chin. Add a bit more oatmeal to thicken the mask, if necessary. Leave on 10 minutes, then scrub off with a clean washcloth dipped in warm water

Rosemary/Chamomile Toner

1 tablespoon dried rosemary or 1/4 cup fresh, 2 tablespoons dried chamomile flowers or 1/4 cup fresh. 4 cups boiling water. Make an infusion. Store liquid with other beauty products. Wipe liquid over face after mask and follow with a moisturizer.

Cinnamon Facial Toner

1/4 cup water, 2 tbsp apple cider vinegar, a few drops of cinnamon leaf essential oil. Mix in clean container and use as toner. Has antiseptic and astringent properties. Will keep your skin clean and pores tight.

Herbal Astringent for Oily Skin

1 ounce Chamomile, 3 tablespoons Witch hazel, 1/2 teaspoon Cider vinegar,1 ounce, Peppermint extract, 8 ounces Water, Few drops of peppermint -- extract, 1/4 teaspoon Boric acid (optional) Boil chamomile, witch hazel, vinegar, peppermint and water. Cool and strain. Add remaining ingredients in a spray bottle and shake. Keep refrigerated

Brighten Nails with Lemon

Lemon juice acts like a mild bleach, removing stains from your fingernails. Once a week, halve a lemon and squeeze enough juice from the halves to allow your fingertips to fit inside. Insert your fingertips, swirling them around for five minutes. Rinse, pat dry, and apply a moisturizer.

Soften Sensitive Skin with Banana

The antioxidant vitamin A and skin-softening potassium in bananas moisturize gently. To make a facial mask, mash half of a ripe banana and apply it to clean, damp skin. Leave it on for 15 minutes; rinse well with warm water and pat dry. Repeat once a week.

Sweeten Feet with Baking Soda

Baking soda, a gentle alkaline powder, neutralizes odor-causing acids by restoring your skin's natural pH level. Once a week, use it in a relaxing foot bath. Soak your feet for 10 to 15 minutes in a solution of 1/2 cup baking soda and 2 gallons of warm water. Rinse well, pat dry, and apply lotion to keep your feet moisturized.

Smooth Puffy Eyes with Egg White

Astringent egg white tightens your pores and reduces puffiness. Additionally, its high concentration of the B vitamins promotes circulation and reduces inflammation. Check with the farm that produces your eggs to make sure they have been tested for Salmonella, a bacteria that can cause serious infections. Use your fingers to dab 1/2 teaspoon of one raw egg white onto the clean, dry skin around your eyes, avoiding your eyes themselves. Leave it on until it dries, about 15 minutes. Then rinse the area well with warm water and wash your hands with soap and water.

Repair Cuticles with Wheat Germ Oil

Wheat germ oil contains B vitamins, vitamin E, essential fatty acids, and protein. These nutrients work together to soften and heal ragged, tough, or torn cuticles. To treat damaged cuticles and maintain healthy ones, try rubbing 1/4 teaspoon of wheat germ oil onto your nails and cuticles every night. You can find wheat germ oil at natural food stores.

Moisturize Dry Skin with Avocado

Avocados contain fatty acids that soften your skin and help it hold in moisture. To make a soothing mask, mash half of a ripe avocado (it should yield to your touch) and apply it to your face and neck in a thin layer. Leave it on for 15 minutes, and then rinse with warm water and pat your skin dry. Use it two or three times a week, as needed.

Reduce Wrinkles with Papaya

Unripe papayas contain papain, an enzyme, and antioxidants like vitamin C. These substances repair the free radical damage that causes premature aging and gently dissolve dead skin cells and promote new cell growth to reduce fine lines. Once a week, mash 2 tablespoons of papaya and massage it onto your face. Leave it on for 20 minutes; rinse with warm water and pat dry.

Heal Blemishes with Strawberries

Strawberries contain salicylic acid (found in over-the-counter acne medication), which rids your skin of the dead cells that can clog pores and helps heal blemishes. Strawberries' high vitamin C content also kills the bacteria that can cause or irritate blemishes. Try using this exfoliating strawberry scrub once a week: Remove the stems and mash 5 to 7 strawberries. Gently massage the paste onto clean, damp skin. Rinse well with warm water and pat dry.

Salt Scrub- for the Back

1/2 cup sea salt or table salt, 1 tsp. aloe vera gel, 1 1/4 cup warm water, 1/2 papaya (has an enzyme that dissolves dead cells), and 2 drops tea tree oil. Mix all ingredients in a small bowl. Massage into back and shoulders; them rub off with a heated towel.

Gardenia Bath Salts

Mix 1 cup Epsom salts and 1 cup coarse salt in a glass bowl, to color add 1 or 2 drops food coloring, add 2 or 3 drops gardenia essential oil and stir well. Store in an airtight container. Use 1/2 cup per bath.

English Mustard Bath

Mix 1 cup baking soda,1/4 cup mustard powder 2 drops peppermint essential oil, 2 drops rosemary essential oil and 2 drops eucalyptus essential oil. Use 1/2 cup per bath and rinse off in a cool shower. Said to reduce stress, restlessness and ease sore muscles

Milk and Honey Bath

Dissolve 1 cup honey in 1 cup boiling water and add 2 cups powdered milk. Add to warm bath in which you have dissolved 1/2-cup sea salt and 2 teaspoons baking soda.

Oatmeal Citrus Scrubbing Grains

1 cup dried orange and lemon peel. 1 c cooked oatmeal, 1 c blanched almonds, and 1/2-cup pwd milk - Place peels, oats, milk and almonds in food processor and whirl until mixture is a fine powder. Store in an attractive container near the bathroom sink and use a tiny portion as needed. To Use: Place as bit in the palm of your hand and moisten with a few drops of warm water. Rub paste onto face with a gentle circular and upward motions. Rinse with water and pat dry.

Victorian Cleansing Grains

Grind 2 Tablespoons oatmeal,1 teaspoon lavender flowers & 1 tsp dried rose petals in a coffee grinder add 2 tablespoons white kaolin clay. Store in an airtight container. Mix 1 teaspoon with water into paste. Clean face with paste and rinse.

Deep-Clean Oily Skin with Honey

Naturally antiseptic and antibacterial, honey makes a good cleanser for oily and blemished skin. Twice a day, slightly warm 1 or 2 tablespoons in your hand or the microwave to soften it, and massage it onto clean, damp skin, pressing and releasing with your fingers for deeper cleansing. Rinse well with warm water and pat dry.

Cleanse Skin with Yogurt

Normal or oily skin types especially benefit from daily cleansing with whole-milk yogurt. The milk fat collects and removes dirt and impurities. Yogurt also contains lactic acid, an alpha hydroxy acid that dissolves dead cells, leaving your skin silky. Bring 1 tablespoon of yogurt to room temperature (or you can warm it in your hands) and massage it onto your face. Rinse well with warm water and pat dry.

Bath Products

   *  Bath oil- A few drops of cooking or olive oil in the bath leaves the skin feeling smooth and silky. I like to fragrance oil I pour into a bottle fur bath use only.
   * Baking soda soak- a little baking soda sprinkled in the bath also leaves skin feeling softer.
   * Oatmeal bath- this is refreshing to the skin and relieves itching.
   * Milk bath- this has become popular in the commercial bath aisle but why spend that much when a little powdered milk poured into the bath water works just as well?
   * Body and baby powder- put cornstarch in a shaker and you will never need to buy powder again, particularly one containing cornstarch that costs more than a package of cornstarch. This is one of the products I like to scent.

Beauty Products

Face Scrubs

   *  Dove soap and a washcloth- I have never found anything that works as well as running a towel under hot water, applying it to my face to open pores then rubbing Dove soap on to wash my face then rinsing. 

Facials

   * Oily skin- Beat an egg white and add 1/2 teaspoon of lemon juice. Apply to face and rinse when dry. Be sure to test this in a small spot before applying to the whole face, some people are sensitive to certain products.
   * Milk and yeast- I have long forgotten the exact measurements but I mix a little milk and yeast for a facial that softens my milk and leaves it looking healthy. Just as the egg and lemon juice one, I rinse when the mixture has dried

Beauty

   * Tired eyes- two slices of cucumber on each eye for several minutes refreshes eyes.

Moisturisers

   * Hands and feet- I apply vaseline like a lotion to my hands and feet at least twice a day. Nothing softens and cares for my hands and feet better than this does.
   *  Lips- Vaseline works as a lip balm or lip gloss as well.

Shaving Gel

   * Conditioner- This isn't a natural product but it certainly is cheap. Just a dab goes a long way and it leaves legs feeling silky smooth.

To make a simple skin exfoliant, combine:

1 cup of raw sugar 1/2 cup olive oil

Mix the sugar and oil together to make a paste. Rub it into your skin using a soft wash cloth, bath sponge, or loofah. Rinse well with warm water. If desired, you can add one teaspoon of your favorite kitchen herb. Try ground ginger for a nice oriental scent, or thyme or rosemary for a nice herbal smell.

The best way to save money making your own salves is to grow the herbs, but the second best way is to buy them in bulk. You can buy a whole pound of herbs in bulk for about the price you would pay at the health food store for a tiny fraction of that amount.

Have you ever thought you would like to make your own balms and salves and put the exact herbs in them that you would like to use? I will give you the basic recipe for making a salve or balm and you can make any herbal salve you would like to have.

First you have to "infuse" the herb in pure olive oil. To do this, fill a canning jar (either pint or quart) almost full with your herb. Then pour pure olive oil over the herb. I like to let mine sit near a heat source, not hot, just warm for a couple of days to get the infusion moving. If you have a pilot light on your stove, you can sit it in the middle of the stove and let it soak up the heat. If not, a window sill in the sun is a good place to put it while it infuses.

After two weeks of infusion you are ready to make your favorite salve or balm.

You take some bee's wax, start with about two ounces or so in the top of a double boiler. Let it melt over slow heat, not to let the water boil, but enough heat to melt the bee's wax. Start adding the infusion to the bee's wax and mix. You will want to use the back of a saucer to "check" your slave or balm until it is the right consistency. Here is how you do it. Put a few drops on the back of the saucer and then rub a piece of ice on the other side of it..... it will cool down the salve quickly.

You can see if you need to add more bee's wax or more oil by feeling it. When the consistency is the way you like it, put it in little glass or plastic jars and use as you like.

You can add other things to your balm, like cocoa butter, shea butter, essential oils, sweet almond oil and a large variety of other ingredients, but the basic recipe is always the same; bee's wax with infused oil.

Some of the herbs you might like to consider are:

   * comfrey

   * black walnut

   * citronella

   * peppermint

   * eucalyptus

   * camphor

   * calendula

   * rosemary