Natural Beauty Tips and Recipes

These NATURAL BEAUTY TIPS are intended to offer you simple ideas based on items that you are likely to have in your own Garden or Kitchen. If you have any concerns regarding any ingredients, please do not try or patch test first.

SKINCARE TIPS FOR WINTER DRY SKIN

WEAR HATS!

~don’t be afraid to wear those cute winter Hats! In the winter, a great deal of body heat is lost through your head, so wearing a hat can keep you warm

~ SKINCARE

~in the winter, feed your skin with a good dose of much-needed moisture w/tinted sunscreen that you can wear under your foundation, which gives you three things your skin needs most–color, moisture and sun protection~

HANDS

~very dry skin and cuticles can make your hands look terribly wrinkled and feel uncomfortable, for a quick fix, apply a layer of your favorite facial mask to your hands, including the cuticle, rinse off with warm water, gently push back cuticles and apply your favorite hand cream

~ WATER WORKS!

~Drink lots of water to moisturize from the inside out, and lightly mist facial skin with distilled water in a small spray bottle after applying makeup to keep it fresh throughout the day

~ HAIR

~restore your hair’s moisture level with shampoos that contain natural humectants (magnet like properties to attract moisture), that will work together will your natural oils, to restore your hair’s moisture level, treatment conditioners that contain wheat, rice or corn proteins will repair damaged cuticles, improve porosity, elasticity and general health and appearance of your hair~ ~we all need tons of moisture for our hair, but if you have naturally curly, wavy or frizzy hair, or chemically treated hair, or if you live in a sunny climate, then you need even more, try to give extra nurturing by using hair care products which contain sunscreens to protect hair from damaging affects of the UV rays, if not the same thing will happen as to those of use that use chemicals on our hair

~ QUICK DRY HAIR FIX

~mix 3 tablespoons of deep conditioner with 3 tablespoons of Epsom Salt, microwave for 20 seconds, work mixture through your hair from scalp to ends, leave on for 20 minutes or so, rinse with warm water, adds body and life and restores your hair

~ HAIR CUT

~just because winter is here doesn’t mean we have to put off a fabulous new haircut, take a trip to the beauty salon in January or February & perk yourself out of those winter blues~ ~CLEANSE with warm water, instead of hot, when used too often, the steam from hot water tends to have a drying effect on your skin

~don’t forget to EXFOLIATE, this is extremely important to rid the skin’s surface of dead skin cells which is the culprit in flaky, itchy, dull and lifeless looking skin

~MOISTURIZE

while your skin is slightly damp & your pores are open to receive the vast amount of penetration for the beneficial emollients, the results will be soft, smooth skin for a longer period of time than when a moisturizer is applied to dry skin ~don’t forget to protect your LIPS,look for a lip balm with an SPF in it to help prevent chapped lips ~if you do take a hot bath, add some BATH OIL to your water

~use MILD SOAPS, try to avoid deodorant soaps, they can be more drying to the skin

~apply HAND CREAM immediately after washing your hands to seal in moisture ~use extra rich, thick CREAMS for problem areas to assist in healing very dry skin

~a HUMIDIFIER is a worthy investment for your home during the winter months ~use lotion or cream to SHAVE with instead of shaving foam

~MOISTURE FACIAL MASK mix together 2 tbsp honey with 2 tsp milk, smooth over face & neck, after about 10 minutes, rinse with warm water

REDUCE CELLULITE

~before showering, dry brush thighs in an upward motion, this aides in stimulating your skin & muscles or ~with a good thick towel, vigorously rub your body down before showering, use a contrast of hot & cold water while you are in the shower, ending in cold. Once more, towel rub your body down & apply your choice of moisturizer…

PEACH TIGHTENING MASK

~1 peach, ripe, peeled, pitted ~1 egg white or 1/4 cup cornstarch ~1 mint sprig ~whip together in a blender until smooth ~smooth mixture evenly over face & neck ~leave on about 15-20 ~rinse off & pat dry

QUICK & EASY FIX TO REMOVE HAIR BUILD-UP from shampoos & conditioners

~1/4 cup vinegar ~1cup water use as a final rinse after shampoo & conditioner, leaves your hair soft & shiny…

GRAPE FACIAL CLEANSER

Grape juice makes an excellent cleanser for any skin type… ~split one or two large grapes ~remove pips ~rub the flesh over face & neck ~rinse off with cool water

BANANA WRINKLE SMOOTHER

banana is wonderful as an anti-wrinkle treatment… ~ mash 1/4 banana until very creamy ~apply to face ~leave on for 15-20 minutes ~rinse off with warm water followed by a splash of cold ~gently pat dry

HERBAL FACIAL MASK

cleans and reduces pores ~1tbsp honey ~1 egg ~1tsp crumbled dried chamomile flowers ~1tsp finely chopped fresh mint ~mix together in a small bowl ~apply to face & neck ~leave on until it dries, 10-15 minutes ~rinse well with warm water, then splash with cool water

HONEY ALMOND SCRUB

~1/2cup cold cream ~1 tablespoon Honey ~a few finely ground almonds ~fold almonds into cream along with honey, keep refrigerated this recipe is easy to increase if you want to do a full body scrub…

by Pennie Mills of LadiesBlend