Daily Skin Care

Your skin is not a part of your body that you can forget about (like an appendix or a kidney), assuming that it will look after itself. It is a high-maintenance part of your body, which is sensitive to the slightest changes in your health, emotions and environment. You binge on chocolates and your face becomes a mass of pimples; you don't get a good night's sleep and dark circles appear under your eyes; you're out in the sun a lot and you get burnt or develop freckles. The list is endless. So let's take a look at skin care regimes for different kinds of skin

Dry skin
Use a rich cream cleanser instead of soap and water. Avoid astringents, as they will further dry your skin. Instead, use a mild skin toner after cleansing your skin. Apply a good moisturizing lotion in the day, before sleeping, before applying make-up and after removing make-up.

Once a week, wash your face with the juice of a melon. You can give yourself a weekly facial by mixing a yolk of an egg with two tablespoons of milk and half a tablespoon of honey. Apply this on your face and leave it on for about fifteen minutes. Then wash with lukewarm water. If you're out in the sun a lot, milk mixed with melted butter helps soften the dry skin.

Lanolin, apple juice, peach juice, sour cream and crushed almonds are also helpful for dry skin

Oily skin
You may not believe it, but oily skin actually has some advantages. As a result of excess lubrication, wrinkles do not form prematurely and skin is not much affected by wind and sunlight. However, oily skin is a magnet for dirt and grime and thus a good and regular cleansing regime is a must. If oily skin is not cleaned thoroughly and regularly, the dirt will clog the pores in the skin and blackheads will appear.

People with oily skin should wash their faces with medicated soap and water. The use of astringents is advised as they have a tightening and drying effect on the skin. Buttermilk or beaten egg whites also have a drying and tightening effect. Parsley juice mixed with honey and a few drops of lemon or ginger is good for an oily skin. This mixture controls the secretion of oil.

Fuller's earth (Multani mitti), oatmeal, almond paste, or lime juice or vinegar mixed with water are excellent cleansers. Steaming opens up the clogged pores and you can push out blackheads and whiteheads and prevent pimples.

Avoid rich fried foods and load up on green vegetables instead. Take two tablespoons of lecithin granules (a by-product of soyabeans) daily.

After washing your face, soak a towel in hot water and press it to your face. Repeat this process two or three times. Next wet the towel in ice-cold water and repeat the process two or three times to close enlarged pores.

Cucumber, parsley, cabbage, tomato, yoghurt and lemon are natural aids for an oily skin.

Combination skin
If you have an oily nose and forehead, but dry cheeks and chin, you will have to treat each area of your face separately depending on whether it is dry or oily.

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Skin Care Through Eating Healthy

A healthy glowing complexion is the most important attribute of a natural beauty. Beauty care starts with the skin. The first step, then, would be to take care of what you put on the inside, because it shows up on the outside!

Did you know that scaly skin is a result of fluorine deficiency? Fluorine is the anti-resistant element of the human body, the absence of which creates problems in the blood and spleen. Since cooking and heating foods destroys fluorine, it is better to eat uncooked raw fruits and vegetables. Other foods rich in fluorine are goat milk and cheese, rye flour, avocados, sea plants and cabbage, cream whey and cottage cheese.

Sodium deficiency causes skin to become sticky and makes it wrinkle faster. Cucumbers are ideal for combating and preventing sodium deficiency because they are not only high in sodium, but also help in keeping the body cool, a great summer?s treat.

Skin rashes are the result of silicon deficiency. To avoid pus and rashes, eat plenty of sprouts, alfalfa, barley, tomatoes, spinach, strawberries and figs.

Chlorophyll supplements that are found in wheat grass and other green leafy vegetables are excellent to combat skin eruptions.

Always remember that most skin problems start with the kidneys. So flush out your system with plenty of water and eat foods with high iodine content like carrots, beetroot and leafy vegetables. An ideal way to start your day is with a glass of water with a twist of lime and 1 tsp. honey. Drink at least 10 - 12 glasses of water the rest of the day; it not only improves digestion but also clears out toxins from your body

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Quick Herbal Tips For Your Skin

Skin Cleanser
Found in your own kitchen is a simple, chemical free cleanser ? good ol? unboiled milk. All you need to do is dip a piece of cotton wool in milk and wipe your face with it. It also cleans unseen dirt and goes down into your pores. Another fine cleanser is almond oil, especially effective in protecting the delicate skin under the eyes.

Skin Moisturizer:
For normal skin care, you can take 1 cup of yogurt, 1 tablespoon orange juice and 1 tablespoon lemon juice and mix it into a paste. Apply it on your face as a mask and keep it on for 15 minutes. Then clean it off with a wet tissue watch your complexion glow. For dry skin, you could use a mixture of cooked oatmeal and honey; it will not only help moisturize the skin but also acts as a good cleansing agent.

Skin Nourishment and Bleach:
For nourishing your face try a protein mask. You can prepare this mask by first soaking 1 tablespoon urad dal and 4 almonds in water overnight and then grinding them into a paste. You can then apply this protein mask to your face and wash it off after half an hour. This exceptional protein mask will not only nourish the skin but also bleach it.

Wrinkle Prevention and Softer Skin:
To prevent wrinkles and soften your skin, you could try pure castor oil; it is known to slow down the aging process of the skin.

Skin Conditioner:
Another simple and excellent skin conditioner that can be made out of 1 tbsp. honey blended with 2 tbsp. cream (of milk). Leave it on for a few minutes and wash it off. It works like magic.

Skin Blemishes:
For skin blemishes, you can try rubbing a raw potato on your face.

Sun-Protection Lotion:
It?s summer time. Time to cool off. So let?s wind up with a good home-made sun-protection lotion. Take cucumber juice and equal amounts of glycerine and rose water and make a concoction. This should be refrigerated. Try it, it?s really cool.

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