It’s no secret we aren’t big fans of chemicals — in our foods, in our cleaning products, and even in our cosmetics. The other day we ran onto some very cool, non-chemical cosmetic ideas while skimming books in a used book store.
Look what we found for facial care:
From
A Well-Kept Home, Laura Fronty & Yves Duronsky. Universe Publishing, 2001.
Egg yolk, applied to the face with a little corn meal, is a great exfoliant and moisturizer and leaves the skin smooth and silky.
If skin is on the oily side, use honey as a cleanser (again with a little cornmeal). Smear face with honey-cornmeal mixture and gently massage with fingertips. Rinse well—skin will be smooth and silky.
Half a pot of yogurt beaten with one or two drops of sweet almond oil or any other sweet oil (jojoba, shea, carrot seed for instance) will create a cleansing cream or a base cream for dry skin.
The authors also had some great ideas for bath time:
Benzoin dye will perfume and soften hard tap water. You can buy if from pharmacies and you need only a few drops for the water to turn a delicate opalescent hue and release a lovely, slightly amber scent.
The best and most economical way to soften water and to obtain really soft skin is to add a handful of bicarbonate of soda to the bath.
When you feel tired and tense, add a fistful of coarse sea salt and several drops of lavender oil to the bath water. This works wonders.
Add one cup of powdered milk and a few drops of your favorite essential oil (we like to combine lavender and ylang ylang) or even your favorite perfume to the bath water for a luxurious skin softening experience.
One other idea to soften hard water: add bran or oats in a handkerchief or gauze bag. Here’s how:
1. Fill handkerchief or gauze bag with bran (the type found in health food stores) or oat flakes.
2. Tie all four corners of handkerchief together to secure.
3. Leave this sachet to soak in the bath water until it turns milky.
You can also use this sachet to rub on slightly rough skin to smooth it (knees, elbows, heels).
And here is an idea for a nail fortifier, straight from the kitchen cupboard:
1. 1 tsp extra virgin olive oil
2. 1 tsp fresh lemon juice
Mix in a small dish. Rub concoction well into each nail and cuticle two or three nights before bed.
Finally, hair advice and a recipe for an amazing shampoo: Always rinse your hair with cold water, and use vinegar or lemon juice during the last rinse to give it extra shine.
Lemon and Clove Shampoo
1 ¾ pint water
4 lemons, cut into quarters
16 whole cloves
Heat the water in a pan and add the cut lemons and cloves. Simmer for about 15 min., or until the lemons have turned into a sort of marmalade. Filter and leave to cool.
Wet your hair, wring it out slightly and then apply the lemon puree. Massage the scalp and leave the shampoo to take effect for a few minutes before rinsing.
This amazing lemon concoction leaves your hair shiny, silky and nicely scented. It is particularly effective for oily hair or alternatively for a very dry, scaly scalp.
Download this recipe.
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