| The glamour of herbs, fragrances, and oils, can be transform bathing into a therapeutic treatment. It can relax or stimulate; at the same time it can soften, lubricate, tone and scent the skin. One of the most beneficial treatments for the skin is to bathe in flowers and herbs. The yolk of an ordinary hen's egg will keep your hair healthy. Wet your hair with cool water and rub the yolk into the hair and scalp a few minutes before shampooing. After shampooing, it is a good idea to use a herbal rinse to help condition the hair. Old remedy has the advantage of being very simple to stop the hair from falling out: powder your head with parsley seeds three times a year before going to bed, and your hair will never fall out. To give a fine colour to the nails, and make them fine and transparent by washing the nails with white horehound water; then rubbing them with cyprus powder; and afterwards washing them a second time with the water of white horehound. To help prevent your feet from looking old, whenever you have a bath, rub your feet with plenty of oil. To prevent the cuticles from growing over the nails, rub your toe nails with Vaseline for a few nights, and possibly even wear socks in bed, then soak the nails in hot milk for ten minutes before pushing back the skin with an orange stick. Put your feet into a bowl warm water, and cover them with a towel until the water cools. Pansies, flowers and leaves, help to remove hard skin, if the foot bath is repeated often. Cleansing is the first and primary activity of external skin care, and an aromatic herbal bath is one of the most pleasurable and therapeutic ways of accomplishing this. You can add herbs to invigorate and stimulate circulation, or to relax and soothe muscles, unwinding the body for a peaceful night's rest. Try to keep the water temperature around body heat. If it is too hot, the skin will perspire and not absorb any of the therapeutic herbal properties. To get most benefit, relax in the water for at least ten minutes. Do not boil the herbs; pour boiling water over them and steep for a minimum of 15 minutes. Yogurt is a good face pick-me-up, especially when you're hot and tired. Just rub plain yogurt on your face, leave it on for 20 minutes, then rinse with cool water. |
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| Bath & Beauty |
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| Face Fresheners To freshen up your face while traveling, carry a small plastic bottle of astringent, like witch hazel, and some cotton balls. When your face feels grimy but you can't give it a good wash, dampen a cotton ball with the witch hazel and wipe it over your face and neck. You can also dampen the cotton balls with witch hazel before you leave home, making sure to pack them in a travel container that has a good seal (otherwise the astringent will evaporate) or in a small plastic bag closed with a wire twist. You now have your own instant wipes. Cool Cotton To keep your cool, dress in natural fibers. Cotton absorbs perpiration and feels cool against your skin as it dries, while polyester, which is really a plastic, doesn't absorb perspiration but traps the moisture against your skin, making you feel sticky. What's more, cotton, unlike synthetic fabrics, lets air pass through and aids evaporation. Why Saunas and Steam Baths Feel So Good The reason you feel good after a steam bath or a sauna is that the heat, be it dry or moist, gets your heart pumping more blood to your skin in an effort to cool off your body, and this has a stimulating effect. The heat also elevates the level of nerve stimulants in your blood. Finally, the coolness you experience after you have the hot sauna or steam room brings welcome relief in itself, raising your spirits. Reducing Body Odor Embarrassing odor from perspiration can be more than a minor problem for some of us. If you are a strong-smelling perspirer, before you reach for another roll-on, add more zinc-rich foods to your diet. Clinical observations show that zinc can diminish perspiration odor. Foods high in zinc include liver, turkey, peas and beans, nuts, and whole grains. Cornstarch is a very good substitute for talcum powder. It's cheap, odorless (which is good news for those of us whose skin gets irritated by perfumes in beauty care products), and as absordent as talcum powder. |
| Source: 1. Down-to-Earth Beauty by Catherine Palmer 2. Rodale's Book of Hints, Tips & Everyday Wisdom |
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