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Thursday, June 30, 2011

Homemade Mud Masks

Homemade Mud Masks

scrubbing skinUndoubtedly, the messiest beauty treatment of all is the mud pack. It takes a real natural beauty enthusiast to try an all-over body pack, but the results are worth the extra effort. Mud packs work by using natural clays to draw out impurities, sebum and general grim from the pores of the skin. These clays also remove the top layer of the dead skin cells, leaving the entire surface of the body soft, fresh and glowing. Mud packs may also be used for areas of acne on the back, or cellulite on the hips and thighs.
Whole-Body Mud Pack

  • 150 g fuller’s earth
  • 200 ml fresh apple juice
  • 15 ml lemon juice
  • 30 ml almond oil
  • 15 ml runny honey
  • 6 drops sandalwood or neroli essential oil

Mix together the fuller’s earth with the apple juice and lemon juice until it forms a smooth paste. Stir in the almond oil, honey and fragrant essential oil. To use, apply small amounts of the mixture to the body, starting at the feet and working upwards. Concentrate on the areas of dull, dingy skin such as the hips, thighs and upper arms. Gently massage the mixture into the skin and leave for a few minutes to dry before stepping into the shower. Use warm water to thoroughly rinse away all traces of the mud pack, and then shower as usual.
This all over body treat is ideal just before a holiday, when you want your skin at its best, or as an annual ‘spring clean’ to invigorate gray, dingy skin. It is extremely effective, but be prepared for the mess!
Anti-Acne Back Pack

  • 2 egg whites, lightly beaten
  • 100 g fuller’s earth
  • 5 ml alum crystal
  • 5 ml sulphur powder
  • 6 drops tea tree essential oil

Lightly beat the egg whites and mix with the fuller’s earth until they form a smooth paste (add few drops of the hot water if the mixture become too stiff to handle). Add the alum, sulphur, and tea tree essential oil, mixing well. Ask a friend to massage the mixture into the back. Leave it to dry completely. Shower with tapped water and pat dry.
You will need a partner or a close friend to help apply this properly, as most acne spots occur in hard to reach places in the middle of the back. Any leftover mixture may be used on the feet to smooth and soften hard skin.

Anti aging remedies

Anti aging remedies

An aging skin requires a lot of care, a proper diet and a good exercise regimen to retain youthfulness. Women all over the world fear the onset of wrinkles. They can go to extreme lengths to try and hide, camouflage and delay the process.

Thankfully, there are several natural cures. A proper diet of vegetable, fruits and herbs along with skin nourishing cures
not only delay wrinkles but also improve the texture of your skin. The use of such natural products does not lead to any side
effects.

A word of caution too. Your attitude also determines how and when you get wrinkles. Frowning, knitting of the eyebrows, getting easily agitated causes the facial muscles to get tense and knotted up. This too contributes to early wrinkling. Cheer up, there are several simple cures that help. Smiling helps you relax your muscles too.

An aging skin should take in plenty of fresh fruits and raw salads and yogurt. The intake of liquids and water should increase manifold. We generally do not drink enough water.
yogurt skin care mask

Yogurt – a nutritious mask for skin.

Yogurt and chickpea powder:

* Half cup yogurt
* 2 tablespoons of chickpea powder

Stir to a smooth paste. Apply a thick coat all over the face and neck. Let it stand for 10 minutes. Wash off. Repeat this every alternate day. This helps to tighten and nourish the skin.

Apple:

If you can use green apples there’s nothing better. However any types of apples will also work wonders. De seed and then puree
an apple along with its skin.

* Add one tablespoon of milk and blend well.

Apply this apple paste all over the face and neck. Keep more of the paste and massage well into the wrinkles. When it begins to dry up, rinse it off.

Glycerin and egg:

This is an effective and an ideal anti wrinkle lotion. Especially good for wrinkles on the hands and the neck.

* Take White of an egg in a bowl
* 2 tablespoons of glycerin
* 2 tablespoons of rose water

Stir well and then apply this lotion on the wrinkled skin as well as on the neck. Sit still and leave it on for 10-12 minutes. Rinse and wash off with cold water. An ideal application.

honey face mask Honey:

Honey works like magic too. A mature skin that has been exposed to the sun and the wind can greatly benefit with this cure.

* 2 tablespoons of honey
* Juice of an orange

Mix well and spread this all over your face and neck. Leave it on for 20 minutes. Gently wipe off with cotton wool dipped in
milk. Use this treatment once a day, preferably at bedtime.

Cabbage:

* Take enough cabbage leaves to give you half cup of cabbage juice extract.
* Half teaspoon of wet yeast
* One teaspoon of wet yeast
* One tablespoon of honey

Stir to a smooth paste and apply to the face and the neck. Sit still and relax, without making any facial movements. Let the paste dry up. When dry, wash off with lukewarm water.

Carrot:

* Grate 2 carrots
* Add enough milk to make a thick, non-dripping paste

Spread it evenly all over the face, forehead and the neck. Leave it on for 20 minutes then wash off. This mask rejuvenates the skin.

Another very effective mask can be made with grated carrots and egg yolk.

* Beaten egg yolk to the grated carrots
* One teaspoon of almond or olive oil

Mix well in a blender to form a smooth paste. Apply all over the forehead, face and neck. Leave it on for 5 minutes. Use
cotton wool dipped in warm milk to wipe it off, follow with a rinse.

Choosing the right skincare product is not that tough

Choosing the right skincare product is not that tough

Assorted cosmetics and tools

Image via Wikipedia

Confronted with row after row of skincare brands, each subdivided into products for particular skins types, shopping for skincare products can be a confusing business. In Britain we spend some L400 million a year on facial skin care products, and by far the fastest growing area is anti-aging creams and serums. It doesn’t take a mathematician to calculate that we can save a great deal of money by making our own blends.

But while around seventy per cent of skin care products bought are moisturizers, relatively few of us buy or use cleansers. Despite advice from dermatologists, as many as sixty five per cent of women are thought to use soap and water on their face from time to time. Soap is alkaline in nature, and upsets the skin’s natural acidic balance, making it feel tight and dry, and it takes a while for the skin to redress the balance. Many conventional bar soaps are also heavily scented with synthetic fragrances and fixatives which may irritate the skin.

  • If you’re a soap and water addict, stick to the new soap-free cleansing bars of make a skin friendly soap rich in natural ingredients from one my many recipes.

Although making your own natural beauty treatments is fun and guarantees that what you put on your skin contains high concentrations of naturally active ingredients, for convenience sake you will probably need to have some commercial products as a back up.

One of the first criteria in choosing a product will be price. You can pay anything from L1 tO L100 for a moisturiser, but is it worth spending a lot? With the more expensive brands you’re paying for higher quality ingredients, the technology which created the new ‘special’ ingredients, the elegant packaging and image and usually a better texture. But in terms of what the product will actually do for your skin, the benefits of using a very expensive product are less clear.

In recent years the technological advances used in premium brands have been filtering through to the cheaper brands with increasing speed. It’s now true that you can get virtually the same benefits from a product costing L10 as one selling for L40. In a consumer study of anti-aging creams in France, a budget vitamin E anti-wrinkle cream came out top for performance, despite being one of the cheapest brands tested.

The key is to have high levels of naturally active ingredients. Be guided be how the product feels on your skin and look out for good levels of antioxidant vitamins and some of the herbs mentioned above, on the labels.

Cleansers come in a confusing number of choices: creams, lotions, rinse-off gels and soap free bars. You can also buy combined cleansers and toners, which can save you time and money if you like using toner. Soap and water will cleanse off water soluble dirt, but its alkaline, nature can upset the skin’s natural pH balance, leaving it dry and tight. It is also not effective for dissolving all oil based make-up or the skin’s own sebum.

  • The first rule of a cleanser is that it should remove all impurities such as oil, grime, make-up and loose dead skin cells with ease.
  • The second is that it shouldn’t leave a residue, which can clog up pores and lead to spot. The rest is up to you. In general, wash-off cleansers are best suited to oilier skin types and cream-based to drier skins. If you have sensitive skin, Avoid soap, fragrance and color.
  • One of the best universal cleanser is an oil-based cleanser and I have found them to be both gentle and effective.



A moisturizer should be easily absorbed and not leave a greasy film on your skin. It’s a good idea to go for one that gives a longer lasting effect, so you won’t need to keep reapplying. Above all, choose one that includes a non-chemical sunscreen in it, unless you’re happy to apply a separate sunscreen on top. Consultant dermatologist at St Thomas Hospital, Dr John Hawk recommends using one with no more than that on a regular basis then you increase your skin risk of sensitivity, he says. If you know you have sensitive skin, choose one which is fragrance and color-free. Whether you choose cream, lotion, gel or oil is purely personal. In general, drier skins should opt for slightly thicker moisturizers, while oily skins should stick with more fluid products.

From 1997, all manufacturers should be legally bound to list all ingredients on the pack, Which should help dissipate some of the hype about certain products and their ‘exclusive’ ingredients. This is particularly good news for those who are allergic to certain ingredients as it will be easier to avoid the allergens. Most reputable manufacturers will be introducing comprehensive ingredients listing well before this date. If you have sensitive skin look for products with as few chemicals and preservatives as possible. Even the most seemingly natural of skincare ranges are often packed with chemical sunscreens and petrochemicals to prolong shelf life.

Petrochemicals, such as mineral oils, are cheap, bland ingredients used in most commercial skincare. However, they do not contain any active ingredients, whereas plant oils are a rich source of nutrients. Alcohol, which is present in many products, can also cause problems for those with sensitive skins, so look out for alcohol-free products.

Homemade Soaps

Homemade Soaps

A collection of decorative soaps, commonly fou...

Image via Wikipedia

Using soap to clean the face is really only a suitable option for those with combination or oily complexion. However, soap will not remove oil-based make-up, which is not soluble in water, so use a cream cleanser such as cold cream first. Medicated soaps can also cause problems when their antiseptic properties overly dry the skin. Side effects o using medicated soaps on regular basis include skin flaking, and mottling on the surface of the colored skins. They are also not particularly effective in combating serious skin disorders such as acne. Stylish soaps that can be made at home include exfoliating bars that contain tiny granules of sand, oatmeal or wheat germ. These soaps dislodged the dead skin cells, leaving the skin thoroughly invigorating and glowing.

Oatmeal and Orange Soap Balls

  • 275 g (10 oz) soft vegetable glycerin soap or Marseille block soap
  • 50 g (2 oz) medium ground oatmeal
  • 30 ml (2 tbsp) almond oil
  • 5 ml (1 tsp) finely grated orange zest
  • 12 drops lemon essential oil

The key to adopting soaps to suit your own skin type is to start with good quality soap as a base. Health shops and herbal suppliers sell blocks of vegetable glycerin soap. Most other soaps are tripling milled which makes them difficult to work with (they also contain beef tallow, which smell terrible when melted)

  • Prepare the soap by slicing or grating into small pieces.
  • Melt in a double boiler or heatproof bowl set. Stir in the oatmeal and almond oil and mi thoroughly.
  • Remove from the heat, stir in the grated orange zest and lemon essential oils and allow the mixture to cool slightly.
  • Divide the mixture into four equal-sized portions and roll each one into a small ball. Place the soap balls on a wire rack and leave overnight to harden.
  • When the soaps have set hard, wrap it in tissue paper and store in a cool, dry place.

Gently Medicated Soap

  • 150 g (5oz) soft olive oil
  • 50 ml (2 fl oz) strong sage tea
  • 10 drops tea tree essential oil
  • 5 ml (1 tsp) almond oil or jojoba oil (to grease moulds)

This is an excellent cleansing bar to use an oily, combination or acne-prone complexions. The essential oils help purify the skin and have a gentler effect on soaps. This recipe works best with green olive oil soap from Marseille, sold in health soaps.

  • Chop or grate the soap into small pieces. Place in a double boiler or heatproof bowl set over a pan of simmering water and begin to melt over a high heat. Add the sage tea and stir thoroughly, adding a little extra water if necessary. Remove from the heat and allow cooling before adding the essential oils, as heat reduces their potency.
  • Pour the soap mixture into greased molds (such as small bun tins, chine ramekins or egg cups) and leave in a cool place to harden overnight.
  • Remove from the molds using the tip of a sharp knife and wrap in a tissue paper until ready to use. The soap remains slightly soft even when stored.

Pampering your Hands

Pampering your Hands

I took this photograph.

Image via Wikipedia

Hands are the most used yet ignored part of our body. We are more conscious about our face, dress and tresses and rarely bother about the ones who help us the whole way long. Think how could we care our face or manage our manes if our hands refuse to obey us. Sometimes it seems to me our hands must have expostulated against this bias attitude if they had the power to do so. Any how to help you compensate this crooked attitude here is a simple yet really efficacious homemade hand creme. Get ready to give your hands the most immaculate spa at a very low cost.

All you need is;

  • Petroleum Jelly (1 cup)
  • Bees wax (almost half cup)
  • Almond oil or if you like coconut oil (1 table spoon )
  • Essential oil of your choice
First of all melt the petroleum jelly and bees wax, this could be done by heating in a microwave for a few minutes. Alternatively you can use a double boiler and heat over a low flame. In any case stir occasionally until you get liquids. Once completely melted, add the almond oil and few drops of your favorite essential oil. Now stir thoroughly and put it in some jar; let it cool down. Now you can put the lid and store at some cold place. But before burring in to the safest place of your cupboard take a dollop of your homemade preparation and massage thoroughly to smoothen your paws. Repeat this twice a day to get smooth silky hands in spite of washing dishes and doing piles of laundry.
This natural skin care recipe is equally effective for your body and even feet, just give it a one week trial and you will rock.