Harsh winter weather can ravage your mood and your skin. But you have the power to pamper your skin and boost your mood without breaking the bank. At-home beauty products can help revive dry, itchy skin and your spirit. Let ingredients like coffee, chocolate and pomegranate juice work wonders on your complexion, and turn to essential oils for aromatherapy.
Natural Beauty Recipes to Keep Your Skin Healthy
• Colored Bath Salts
• Powerful Pomegranate Toner
• Espresso Yourself Facial Mask
• Homemade Cosmetics Chemistry Kit
• Try These Editor-Recommended Natural Skin Care Products
Essential oils affect our emotions by releasing compounds into the air that are inhaled, thus reaching the brain through our olfactory nerves. The delicate scent of chamomile is pleasing, and the essential oil can be calming. Rosemary has a bold scent, and is said to be energizing. Essential oils can also help with a variety of physical conditions when the aromatic molecules are applied to the skin or are inhaled. Pomegranate is antibacterial and antiseptic, and has high antioxidant activity. And coffee and chocolate, recognized for medicinal benefits since around 800 and 400 a.d. respectively, are antioxidant, as well. The ground coffee beans will gently slough off dead skin cells, and since both are stimulants, you will have a healthy glow. Read more about these ingredients in the following excerpt from EcoBeauty, written by Janice Cox, a regular contributor to “Body & Soul,” with her daughter, Lauren. Their ideas will help ease you through the last of the winter weather, and we hope you’ll enjoy the gift-giving tips so you can share your creations with friends and family.
Make Bath Salts
Make your own bath salts with the Colored Bath Salts recipe. Re-use clean jam jars, or purchase jars from companies such as Ball and Kerr or Weck.
• For herbal bath salts, skip the food coloring and substitute dried herbs.
• If you like the colors, try natural food coloring from a company such as India Tree.
Reprinted with permission from EcoBeauty: Scrubs, Rubs, Masks, and Bath Bombs for You and Your Friends. © 2009 by Lauren Cox and Janice Cox. Published by Ten Speed Press, an imprint of the Crown Publishing Group, Berkeley, CA. Photo Credit: Angie Cao.
Allison Martin is managing editor of The Herb Companion magazine.
