Recipes for Beauty...

A few personal care recipes for your beauty...

Soap-free cleansers for face and body:

+ yogurt and lemon juice- around 1/2 cup yogurt to 1 tsp juice

+ oatmeal paste-use oats ground in a mini processor and mix with warm water to make
a paste.

+ honey

+ milk or sour cream

(These suggestions were adapted from one of the best Natural Beauty Books on the market. Janice Cox's Natural Beauty at Home is a must-have for both the aspiring and accomplished at-home beauty expert.)

Gently massage any of the above into wet skin. Using smooth, circular motions, massage skin with your fingertips. Rinse well with warm water and follow with moisturizer or an exfoliant, steam and mask if you are doing a facial.

These recipes are especially suited to dry skin types. If you feel the need to use soap based cleansers such as pure castille soap (try Dr. Bronner's) add a little glycerin or honey in your hand to prevent drying. Keep in mind that even if you have oily skin, over cleaning with soap based cleansers can create more oil production so you may want to experiment for a couple of weeks with a soap free cleanser. It may be possible that your oil glands will start to normalize sebum production if they are not overstimulated.

Be very gentle when cleaning your face. Use a very light touch especially when you are experiencing a breakout. Being to harsh when you have a pimple can lead to scarring.

To remove makeup before cleansing simply massage a light oil such as almond oil into skin, loosening makeup.

My personal daily face wash: a little baking soda sprinkled into my palm in the shower. I simply massage the powder into my face gently. This makes an excellent exfoliant/cleanser. If I want stronger exfoliation I simply use more baking soda, less water for a stiffer paste.

Always follow cleansing with a moisturizer. I love aloe vera mixed in my hand with a little glycerin. Aloe alone usually does not provide enough moisture for my skin, but glycerin does the trick.

Feel free to share some of your favorite natural personal care recipes for beauty.

-Nasirah

Featured Personal Care Product: Griffin Remedy

This featured product line is by the super-natural company Griffin Remedy. I have been using their bath gel, body lotion and foaming hand wash in the orange blossom scent for the past few months. Why do I love these products? Aside from the fact that they are made from safe, natural ingredients, I love the fresh, fruity orange blossom scent. The lotion is just the right texture and consistency, not too thick, but rich enough to provide lasting moisture. The bath gel can be a little drying sometimes (I have hard water) but I fix that by adding a little glycerin to the bottle. Voila, perfect! I just love the bubbly foaming action of the hand soap. It feels so luxurious. Griffin Remedy is a real find. Great ingredients and products at an even better price. Products run around $6.00 on average.

-Nasirah

Complete at-home facial

A day at the spa is an indulgence that we don’t always have time for, but, luckily we can recreate a spa facial in our own homes. The five basic components of a facial are: cleansing, exfoliation, steam, mask and moisture.

Step 1

Clean face using oil cleansing method or method of choice.

Step 2

Exfoliate with your homemade exfoliant or exfoliant of choice. Do not splash face with cold water after exfoliating if you are proceeding to step 3.

Step 3

To perform steam treatment, first bring a pot of water to a boil. Remove from heat and pour water into a large heat safe bowl. Add any of the following herbs or essential oils to the water. Sit down and lean over the bowl with a large towel over your head. Exercise extreme caution when handling hot water. Relax, breathe deep and remain over the bowl for ten minutes while the steam opens your pores. If you get too hot at any point lift the towel.

Step 4

Gently rub face mask of choice into face and neck. Let mask sit for 10 minutes or until prescribed. Rinse with warm water until all traces of mask have been removed. Do a final rinse with cool water to close pores.

Step 5

Moisturize with moisturizer of choice. Apply moisturizer while face is still slightly damp in order to seal in the moisture. You can simply seal the moisture in with a light oil of choice.

A complete facial can be enjoyed once a month for healthier, more youthful, glowing skin.

-Nasirah

Black Beauty

So, I discovered a quick pimple fix this morning in my bathroom (thanks to a red, glowing pimple on my nose). I remembered making a paste of activated charcoal and water for an itchy,
swollen mosquito bite this summer. Within thirty minutes of applying the paste, the bite was flat
and the itchiness was gone.

Because of its absorptive properties, charcoal has been used effectively to treat many things including snake bites and diarrhea. (do not substitute this information for proper medical diagnosis or treatment) I figured, if charcoal can absorb the poison from a snake bite and can flatten a mile high mosquito bite, it could probably take down a pimple.

I emptied the contents of one activated charcoal capsule and mixed it with enough aloe vera gel to make a paste. I applied a dab of the paste directly onto the cleaned pimple. Once the paste dried i gently flaked it off (you could wash it) and the pimple had flattened considerably and the redness was gone. I reapplied the paste once more and by the time it dried again the pimple was virtually non-existent.

This means good-bye to expensive, harsh, chemical laden blemish cream and hello to blemish-free skin!


For more information about charcoal visit http://healingtools.tripod.com/thn5.html


-Nasirah

Dairy Good...

Milk is one of the most gentle yet effective cleansers nature has to offer. It is safe and effective to use as a daily facial cleanser for morning and night. Mix 1/2 a cup of cold milk and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Stir the mixture well and pat gently onto your face and neck with a cotton ball or soft white towel/cloth. Leave the mixture on your face for 2-3 minutes. Apply again and gently rub in small circular motions. Finally, rinse your face and moisturize with your favorite moisturizer.

This

cleanser hydrates, soothes and exfoliates. It is suitable for all skin types.

-Nasirah

Scent sense...

I love the ritual of spraying on a light, beautiful body spray after a shower. There are few more refreshing moments during the day.


We all love to smell good and scent can transform our mood. Certain scents can also have an affect on our health and well being. Essential oils have been used for years in aromatherapy. Oils such as grapefruit are said to contribute to weight loss and lavender is soothing and relaxing while peppermint is invigorating and revitalizing.


Making your own signature scent with essential oils couldn't be easier. Simply add ten to fifteen drops of your favorite oil to every one ounce of distilled water in a small spray bottle. Shake well each time before you spray. This body spray is all natural with no additives or synthetic chemical fragrances. It can also be used as a room mist. Here are just a few oils you can customize your body spray with:

• 
  
  lemon- uplifting and energizing


• 
  
  lavender- calming and soothing


• 
  
  rosemary- stimulates memory


• 
  
  grapefruit- uplifting, aids weight loss, confidence


• 
  
  peppermint- invigorating and revitalizing


• 
  
  chamomile- peaceful and relaxing


• 
  
  orange- relieves tension, lifts mood


• 
  
  franckincense- excellent for skin, calming

Note: Essential oils are very strong. Be sure to dilute oils with water before applying to skin to prevent irritation.

-Nasirah

Homemade Facial Exfoliant

photo by Jane Hian

Exfoliating sloughs off dead skin and clears the pores of dirt and debris leaving you with youthful, glowing skin. It is an essential part of a skincare routine. which should be performed once a week. Homemade facial exfoliants are extremely cheap and easy to make. To make a basic exfoliant you will need an exfoliating (abrasive) ingredient and a base ingredient.

Exfoliant:

corn meal

corn flour

sugar

kosher salt

ground almonds

steel cut oats

Base:

oil i.e., olive, almond, apricot kernel, coconut

egg white- good for toning and tightening

pureed fruit, i.e., berries, cucumber,tomato- acid refines skin

yogurt- smoothes and refreshes

milk-smooths and refreshes


Additions:

honey-for moisture and antiseptic property

glycerin-for moisture



To make exfoliant combine 1 part exfoliant, 1 part base and 1/4 part additional ingredient if desired. Chill if desired for a refreshing effect. Pat mixture onto face and neck and rub gently with small circular motions. Leave exfoliant on skin for five more minutes. Rinse with warm water until all traces of exfoliant have been removed. Do a final rinse of cool water and finally, moisturize.


-Nasirah

Simple Lip Balm

Recipe featured on makeyourowncosmetics.com

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon grated beeswax
1 vitamin E capsule (400 mg)

Blending Procedure:

Place grated beeswax (or beeswax beads) into a heat proof cup. Add olive oil and liquid from the vitamin E capsule.

Place the heat proof cup into a hot water bath until the beeswax is nearly melted. Remove from heat.

Pour into suitable screw top or other lip balm containers. Allow to solidify and cool before using.

Enjoy and tell your friends!


source:http://www.makeyourcosmetics.com/recipes/viewrec.asp?id=288&cat=facial
submitted by Kena

Basic Body Scrub

We all love smooth skin and exfoliation is essential to achieve silky, baby soft skin. There are many commercial exfoliants available, but many of them are pricey or contain additives. It is amazingly easy to make your own exfoliants for a fraction of the retail price. With the holiday season fast approaching, a beautifully packaged, scented, homemade body scrub is a great gift idea.

This recipe from prairielandherbs.com makes a simple yet highly effective body scrub.

-Nasirah

1 part salt or sugar

1 part oil

For the salt or sugar: sea salt or raw sugar are best, but you can definitely use plain table salt, white sugar, or brown sugar too.

For the oil: use any mild, unscented vegetable oil - olive, sunflower, safflower, sweet almond, etc. Herbally infused oils work wonderfully too.

Mix ingredients together and scrub onto damp skin; rinse off and pat dry with a towel.

Optional additions: honey, dried or fresh herbs or flower petals, oats, essential oils or fragrance oils.


Note: Sugar scrubs tend to be more mild and less drying than salt scrubs.


-Nasirah

Berry Beautiful

Strawberries make a perfect treat. They are full of vitamin C, fiber and antioxidants (the beautiful red color is a giveaway to the antioxidant power). More importantly, they are delicious and maybe even decadent if you prefer them dipped in rich dark chocolate...

Okay, I'm off track. Strawberries are one of my favorite beauty treatments. It's is oh so simple, yet very effective for mild blemishes or spot pimple treatments (those with severe or deep acne require a more holistic treatment) .

Clean your face with a mild cleaner or oil of your choice. Mash a couple of strawberries well. Proceed to smooth the mashed berries all over your face and neck. Leave the mask on while you do chores or overnight. You may feel a mild tingling after a minute or so. In the morning, rinse your face and moisturize. This treatment will leave you with refreshed, smoother skin.

How does it work? According to Janice Cox, author of Natural Beauty for All Seasons, strawberries make an excellent skin-softening facial mask. A member of the rose family, strawberries contain salicyclic acid, which rids the skin of dead cells, allowing it to absorb moisture more efficiently. Strawberries also have a mild bleaching effect on the skin and help heal blemishes.

This treatment has been part of my beauty arsenal for years and it has never let me down.
It just doesn't get any more natural than this.

-Nasirah

Please do a small patch test behind your ear before trying this treatment.
Do not continue this treatment if you experience discomfort.