Beauty Secrets #4: Skin, part 2

Evening routine (most moisturizers are more effective when applied to damp skin):

                               

• Cleanse: Use just one product to remove makeup and dirt. If you have dry skin use a lotion or cream-based product. If you have normal to oily skin use a gel cleanser or a very mild facial soap. Even though your skin might be oily use a gentle soap like Neutrogena or Dove. 

 
 

• Exfoliate: Exfoliating is necessary to get blood flowing into the face, as well as to remove grime. Use: a packet of sugar, add a couple of drops of olive oil to make it easier to spread, and gently rub it into the creases of your face.
• Open a packet of instant oatmeal and mix it with water to create a paste. Rub it into your face, and rinse off the residue. Use instant oatmeal on your face and traditional old-fashioned oatmeal on your body.  
• Rub sea salt all over your body and face.

 

• Masks: a lot of expensive mud or clay treatments in the spas are actually kitty litter. It has to be  100 percent natural clay. Take a tablespoon of the dried clay and reconstitute it with a small amount of water. 

 

• Other masks: 
• Ultimate cleansing mask (in a blender or food processor, grind 1 cup of oatmeal to a powder. Add 3 drops of almond oil, ½ cup of milk, and 1 egg white. Continue to blend and apply. Rinse off after 20 minutes.)
•  Peach and Brandy (mash up a peach, use ripe, canned or frozen one, and mix it with a tablespoon of brandy. Leave it on for 20 minutes, and rinse off.)
• Tomato mask (for oily skin, mash up a ripe tomato and leave it on for 15-20 minutes. Rinse with warm water.) 
• Banana mask (mash up a very ripe banana. Add just enough honey to make a soft pulp. Apply over face and hair. ) 
• Honey mask (apply pure honey straight from the bottle to your face and neck. Allow it to set until dry, about 15 minutes. Rinse with very warm water.) 
• Milk of Magnesia Oil-Absorbing mask: (apply it straight from the bottle. Let it dry for about 5-10 minutes. Rinse off with warm water.) 
• Pepto-Bismol: (for sensitive skin, apply it from the bottle with a cotton swab. Allow it to dry and rinse with cool water). 
• To revitalize and nourish the skin soak whole dried beans or lentils (fresh are best) overnight. Mash and add a small amount of honey. Apply over face and neck. Leave it on for about 5 minutes and rinse with tepid water. 
• To tone up tired skin make up a smooth pulp of crushed cucumbers, and gently pat all over face and neck. Pull up your hair and apply a little bit behind the ears and behind the neck. 
• This facial is great for oily skin and clogged pores. Mix ¼ cup vodka with the juice of one fresh lemon. Dab it on the face, neck, and chest area with a cotton swab. It’s not necessary to rinse off.

• Clove oil cleanser: combine equal amounts of clove oil, chamomile, and eucalyptus. Massage gently into the skin by making circular motion with the tips of your fingers, and rinse.  
• Crisco: use it to remove makeup and as a highly effective moisturizer. 
• Wheat germ oil: It keeps the skin elastic and preventing and treating stretch marks so it’s perfect for pregnant women. 
• Sweet almond oil: ideal for removing makeup, helping eyelashes grow, and as a moisturizer for extremely dry skin. It also soothes sunburned skin.

• Bathing: add some baking soda to your bath (about half a box). It will soothe itching skin, irritation, and sunburn. 
• Use Epsom salts (about one-half pound) to relax muscles and relieve swelling. 
• Try some instant oatmeal (or grind any other to a powder) in the tub to get rid of sunburn. 
• Apple cider vinegar will invigorate the body and fight fatigue. 
• Adding a spoonful of honey is said to help insomnia.
• Combine a cup of instant milk powder with 3 drops of almond oil. Soak for at least 15 minutes, then using a cloth or loofah, rub vigorously to exfoliate. 
• When you feel a cold coming on, take a tea-spoon of mustard powder and add it to a hot bath. 
• Orange slices in the bath are uplifting and beat any aromatherapy. 
• Use red wine as an acid-based toner.

 

• Hoof maker (a hoof conditioner for horses) softens cuticles, heels, and other rough spots.
• Bag Balm is great on chapped lips and as extra protection during cold weather on hands and face.
• Kalaya Oil is a great moisturizer.

• Moisturizer know-how: don’t over moisturize, use cream on specific areas.  
• Choose the right formula for your skin type. 
• Get more from your moisturizer by gently tapping the face pretending it’s a piano, and you’re playing it. 
• Any moisturizer can be stretched by first applying a film of natural vegetable oil as a base. 
• Wait until a moisturizer is completely absorbed before applying foundation. If a foundation is a bit dry, moisturizer can loosen it up a bit and the foundation will go on more smoothly.

xoxo Katja

 

Beauty Secrets #3: Skin, part 1

Here is the next chapter from the book World's Best Kept Beauty Secrets by Diane Irons. Enjoy :)

• Water. Water is the number one beauty treatment favored by women of every age. If you don’t drink at least eight to ten glasses a day, you are depriving yourself of the best beauty treatment on earth.

 

• The sun is your skin’s number one enemy. Use a sunscreen formulated for your skin along with your moisturizer. Always apply lots of it not only to your face, but slather it on the neck, hands, and hairline.

 

• Cleansing. The first rule of beautiful skin is to stop overcleansing it. Unless you’ve been up all night digging ditches, your face is not dirty. Your morning routine should be nothing more than reactivating last night’s moisturizer with a splash of warm water or milk. Milk is a lactic acid and will allow your face to receive a natural acid treatment. Be careful of the chemical acids you use, and when you can, substitute nature’s acids in your cleansing routine. In addition to milk, consider these natural acids: Pineapple juice, lemon juice, tomatoes and most citrus fruits.

 

• Toning. Toning is your second step, and an important one. The purpose of using a toner is to remove residue soap, moisturizer, and oil. Carry around lemons. They are refreshing and more effective than those silly toners that contain only a little lemon but lots of chemicals. Other inexpensive alternatives are rose water, witch hazel and hydrogen peroxide. Or try the following refreshing tea tonic: Mix 2 teaspoons of green or chamomile tea with ½ cup water. Saturate a cotton ball, and apply all over the face. Allow it to remain on the skin until it evaporates. There is never any reason to rinse this or any toner off.

 

• Moisturizing. It is not necessary to spend a lot on a moisturizer. Good basic moisturizers can be found in any drugstore. Just learn to read the labels, and look for these low-cost ingredients. Lipids: ceramides, cerebrosides, or sphingo lipids. Essential fatty acids: sunflower oil, grapeseed oil, and primrose oil. Sunscreen. Don’t buy a vitamin A,E or C enhanced moisturizer. Go to your local pharmacy, and purchase these vitamins in capsule form. Prick open the capsule, and add it to your moisturizer. You’ll find most moisturizers more effective when applied to damp skin because it forms a thin film that will trap moisture in the skin.

xoxo Katja