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| Natural Skin Care |
Oatmeal. Papaya. Yogurt. Honey. Aloe Vera.
Call them skin foods--just a handful of the many natural substances that can do as much good on your skin as they do inside your body. These days, words like pure, organic, and natural are the yardstick more and more of us are using to measure the wholesomeness of the foods we put on our dinner plates, it's only, well, natural to live by the same rules when buying products to put on our skin. "The skin is under constant assault from chemicals in the environment, chlorine in the water, overexposure to the sun, stress, and countless other factors," says Paul Schulick, president of Geremy Rose Fresh Cosmetics. And the healthiest way to bring it back into balance is by caring for it with herbs, essential oils, foods, vitamins, and other natural substances that soothe and nourish it.
Choosing a Nourishing Recipe for Your Skin
Good, old-fashioned oatmeal has long been hailed for its soothing and softening properties, as well as its ability to draw impurities out of the skin. Look for it in masks or facial scrubs.
Papaya, thanks to the papain enzyme it contains, helps the skin rejuvinate itself by sloughing off dead skin cells. It's excellent in masks and scrubs.
Fresh cucumber juice is highly regarded for its anti-inflammatory and soothing effect on oily and blemished skin. Rub a slice over clean skin or use a toner with cucumber extract and rosewater.
Aloe vera is a common remedy for rashes and burns because of its soothing and healing properties. Aloe also hydrates the skin without the use of oils. Slice open a fresh leaf from the plant or buy the pure gel, juice, or extract at a health food store. It's helpful in any skin care formula.
Strawberries have a cleansing, softening, and astringent effect on the skin. Ideal in a facial mask for oily skin.
Yogurt provides a good base for holding together herbs, essential oils, and other ingredients in natural masks and moisturizers.
Honey coats the skin with a film that enables it to rehydrate itself. Look for it in a mask with yogurt and rose hip oil.
Sesame oil is a skin softener and also helps protect the skin from ultraviolet rays, making it one of the best natural sunscreens.
Wheat germ and wheat germ oil are rich in vitamin E, an antioxidant long used to help skin tissue rejuvinate itself.
Green tea, one of the richest antioxidant sources, leaves the skin smooth and protects against UV damage from the sun.
Carrots and carrot oil are excellent natural sources of beta carotene, along with vitamins C and E.
Rose hip oil can help diminish fine lines. Look for it in masks and moisturizers.
Cider vinegar softens the skin and, diluted eight-to-one with rosewater or plain water, helps restore the skin's acid mantle. Use it on oily or blemished skin after cleansing.
Rosewater is a soothing and refreshing mild skin toner.
Witch hazel,extracted from the Hamamelis plant, is a soothing and mild astringent that helps shrink pores, making it an ideal natural astringent, especially for oily or blemished skin.
Jojoba oil moisturizes without clogging pores.
Chamomile and other herbs have various skin-balancing properties. Soothing herbs include chamomile, melissa, and calendula; astringent herbs (good for oily skin and shrinking pores) include elder flower, fennel, nettle, lady's mantle, mint, and yarrow.
Vitamins A, C, and E--all antioxidants--are considered the most important skin vitamins.
Natural Skin Care Recipes
Rose Hip Moisture Cream - 1 tablespoon of yogurt (soy yogurt or soy sour cream can be substituted)
- 1/4 teaspoon of rose hip oil (Rosa Mosqueta)
Mix thoroughly and apply to damp skin after cleansing and toning.
Moisturizing Mask
- One pint of plain yogurt (soy yogurt or a vegan sour cream can also be used)
- 1/2 cup of organic oatmeal
- 1/2 cup of green tea
- 1 tablespoon of flax seed oil
- 1 tablespoon of flax seed powder
- 1/4 teaspoon of rose hip oil (look for Rosa Mosqueta)
Place the ingredients in a bowl and mix thoroughly. Smooth it on clean skin and leave on for 20 minutes. Rinse off thoroughly and follow it with a toner and moisturizer.
Reprinted with permission from Natural Land.
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