Home Beauty Treatments - Mother Earth Living

Home beauty recipes:

Regular skincare routine

Daily

Cleanse with cleansing grains.
Close pores with an astringent.
Massage in a light cream.
Finish with a light mist of rose water or an astringent.

Weekly

Use a honey or clay mask suitable for your skin type.

Monthly

Treat yourself and a friend! Follow the entire five-step program that follows for radiant skin.

A five-step skin-care program for perfect skin

This treatment takes about forty-five marvelous minutes and, for best results, should be done at least once a month. By following this simple, inexpensive treatment, you can be assured of healthier, glowing skin within two to three months.

Step One: Cleansing Grains

Lightly cleanse your face and neck with Cleansing Grains. Use the grains to gently massage and stimulate the skin. The grains will massage off dry, dead skin, increase circulation to the facial surface, and provide a nourishing “meal” for your face. Rinse off the grains with warm water.

Step Two: Herbal Facial Steam

Select an herbal facial steam that’s best for your skin type. A facial steam is the best possible way for deep pore cleansing, and each of the herbs used is rich in nutrients that nourish and tone the skin. The aromatic oils of the plants are released by the heat and are absorbed by the skin. And best of all, it feels so good!

Immediately after you complete your facial steam, rinse your face with cold water and gently pat with Gypsy Herbal Astringent Lotion or Organic Rose Water. Your face will feel smooth and will glow with radiance.

Step Three: Facial

Facials are excellent for stimulating circulation to the skin by drawing fresh blood to the surface. They promote deep pore cleansing and help heal blemishes and acne. Facials also help tone and firm the skin.

There are several kinds of facials available. My favorites are made with a base of cosmetic clay, which is particularly suitable when you want a drawing, firming type of facial. Clay is very high in minerals and nourishes the skin. If choosing a clay facial, mix it with just enough water to make a nice paste. The thicker the clay/water mix, the more drying the facial. Apply, and leave on until completely dry. It is tempting to want to rinse it off beforehand, especially as it starts to tighten, but you will not receive the full benefits from a clay facial if you rinse it off before it’s completely dry.

For dry skin, choose a white cosmetic-grade clay. White clay, though lightly drawing, is very gentle to the skin. For a more nourishing facial, mix with yogurt or avocado, or both. For oily skin, choose green, red, or yellow clay. These clays are much more drying than the white variety. They also are very high in minerals and are excellent for problematic, blemish-prone skin. In natural therapeutics, these clays are often used for soothing poison oak and poison ivy, bee stings, and insect bites.

Honey, too, has its magic and is another of my favorite facials. It is a marvelous cosmetic aid for the skin. A natural humectant, honey both moisturizes and cleanses the skin. Applying a honey pack to your face is a bit messy, but the results are well worth the trouble. For all skin types, honey makes an excellent facial pack. It draws fresh blood to the surface of the skin, removes impurities, and smoothes and softens.

If you choose to use the honey pack, apply a fingerful of honey to skin that is completely dry. It won’t work well if the skin is wet or damp. Be sure all of your hair is out of reach; it gets very sticky when full of honey! Gently massage, pat, or rub honey into the skin. Let your senses tell you what strokes to use. I usually enjoy a rather vigorous rubbing and patting motion, but others prefer a gentle stretching and light patting. Rinse the honey off with warm water. It comes off very easily, but be sure to rinse off completely or you will feel sticky for the rest of the day. The fresh flow of blood brought to the surface of the skin by the honey facial will create a deep, warm, lasting glow.

Step Four: Tonic Astringents

When the facial is completely dry, rinse off with warm water. Be gentle to your skin while rinsing off the facial material. Honey will rinse off easily and quickly, but clay may take a bit more effort. Use soft, circular motions. Massage your skin; do not scrub it. Immediately after rinsing the facial, apply an astringent preparation to tone and close the pores. Use a cotton pad for application, or mist the skin with a spritzer bottle. For dry skin, use Rose Water a very light, gentle astringent. For normal to oily skin, use Gypsy Herbal Astringent Lotion.

Step Five: Massage and Cream

The finishing touch is a light, delicate facial massage using herbal facial cream. This is usually everyone’s favorite part, especially when someone else does it for you and you can just sit back and enjoy.

Spread a small amount of cream on your palms and gently circle the outer edges of the face, always stroking upward and outward. Follow the contours of the face, using your fingers to trace the structure. You can use gentle motions, circular motions, and sweeping motions up and away from the face.

Excerpted from Rosemary Gladstar’s Family Herbal: A Guide to Living Life with Energy, Health, and Vitality. Published by Storey Books. Copyright 2001 Rosemary Gladstar. Reprinted with permission from Storey Communications, Inc.