Mask for Sensitive Skin1
Tablespoon of Rose Clay
1-2 teaspoons of Avocado Oil
1 drop of Rose Oil
1 drop of Roman Chamomile Oil
Use water, if necessary, to make a paste. Use a little more clay if too runny.
Alder buckthorn (Frangula alnus), available from
herbalists as a tincture or in syrup, can be used to
make a lotion for dry skin. Steep 100 grams of the twig bark in 1 liter of boiling water. Allow it to cool, then apply as a lotion or compress.
An emollient is any substance that softens or soothes.
One of the best emollients in the world is aloe, which
does an excellent job of softening the skin. And its
completely water soluble.
Chaparral is a desert bush whose leaves contain
antitoxidant nuterients good for your skin, vitamins A,
C, and E. To make chaparral tea, add a tsp of tincture
of chaparral or a handful of fresh leaves to a quart of
warm water. Simmer for 15 minutes, then strain and
allow to cool. Drink the tea or apply it to the skin
using a cotton ball. (Because the leaves are resinous
and sticky, you may prefer to use the tincture in this
recipe.).
Clean your face with water, as hot as
you can stand, to encourage circulation.
Following an herbal bath, women in the Far East like to rub scented vegetable oils (sesame oil, for example) into their skin. The oil softens the skin by preventing perspiration or other moisture from washing away the natural oils.
For rough skin, take a bath in comfrey, reputed to be
rejuvinzating to the skin. For chapped hands, use a
salve salve of comfrey or mix an infusion of comfrey
with some glycerin or rose water.
In both Europe and the United States, massaging your
face with fresh cucumber slices is a popular beauty
treatment. Cucumbers have a cooling effect on the skin and eyelids.
Roman ladies took pride in their skin and worked hard to Keep it clear and supple. To this end, they applied an ointment prepared from pulped apple, cloves, and lanolin (derived from sheep's wool) regularly.
Seaweed, rich in iodine, is common in the Scottish diet. While kelp is the most common type of seaweed, there are more than 400 varieties in the world, most of which work just as well to maintain skin tone. The iodine in kelp nourishes the thyroid gland and ensures normal body metabolism and good blood circulation.
St. John's wort oil is extremely effective for treating
dry skin. It works well for problems caused by chapping in cold weather, or exposure to harsh detergents and solvents.
The Chinese improve the complexion with a sweet treat. They boil fresh cherries until very soft, remove the seeds, add sugar, and boil to make a jelly. Take a
spoonful twice a day.
The deserts of the United States and Mexico bring us a plant that yields the best all round natural oik for
nourishing the skin. Jojoba oil, widely used by Native
Americans, has very good anti inflammatory properties, making it an effective treatment for skin irritations. Vitamin E and other vitamins and minerals in jojoba oil make skin silky and soft.
The ordinary potato is believed by many to relieve dry
skin. Slices of raw potato placed on the eyelids are
said to reduce wrinkling. And boiled potatoes mashes to a creamy texture with a little milk can be mixed with a few drops of glycerin and rose water. Apply this mixture to soften and whiten hands and skin. Potatoes are excellent sources of minerals, which are good for the skin.
The women of the Crimea drink koumis (fermented mare's milk) to preserve their useful complexions. Milk is used as a popular skin treatment in other parts of the world as well. Scandinavian women, for example, drink tette, a mixture of boiled milk and the leaves of the tette plant (native to Scandinavian meadows) to help keep their skin from aging. Other milk products that make especially effective skin treatments include yogurt and buttermilk. Buttermilk baths have been popular in American rural communities since the days of the Western frontier. Skin pH is the natural acid balance that protects skin from germs and chemical toxins.
To help soothe an especially dry complexion, dip a
washcloth in buttermilk and pat on your face. Allow the buttermilk to air dry. Then rinse.
Turmeric, a brilliant yellow spice used as a clothing
dye, is a popular Indonesian cosmedic. The root is
steeped in oil and water and then rubbed on the cheeks to add a golden glow.
Use an oatmeal scrub to remove layers of dead skin.
Grind oatmeal into a powder, and then wet your face with hot water. Scrub gently with the ground oatmeal, and then rinse with hot water. Repeat as necessary.
Women of the Sulawesi tribe of Indonesia make a natural and effective face mask from the pulp of mango fruits. The pulp is massaged into the face and left to dry. Once dry, it is rinsed off, leaving the facial pores unclogged and the skin tight. (note that the active ingredient in this preparation is papain, which is also the active ingredient in commercial meat tenderizer.)
Young British girls keep their skin smooth with a lotion made from a mixture of goat's milk and violets. Milk maintains the correct pH, and violets contain mucilage, whicj moisturizes the skin.
To help dry out an especially oily complexion, dip a
washcloth in yogurt and pat it on your face. Allow
the yogurt to air dry. Then rinse.
