Your Relaxation Destination
Kitchen Skin
Kitchen Skin is the art of creating beneficial products for your
skin right in your own kitchen using, for the most part,
everyday ingredients in your kitchen. You may need to purchase a
couple of specialty items such as glycerin, beeswax or a
special herb but they should be readily available at your local
health food store/herbal supplier/pharmacy. In a previous
article I provided home recipes for cleansers, toners and masks
for various skin needs. In this article are recipes for a family
moisturizer and herbal baths for pleasurable and therapeutic
body skin care.
This is a moisturizer that all the family can use:
Light Rose Moisture Cream
(for all skin types)
1 tsp beeswax
1 tsp lanolin
1 tbsp almond oil
½ tsp wheat germ oil
1/8 tsp borax
3 tbsp rosewater, warmed
6 drops essential oil of rose or rose geranium
Melt the beeswax and lanolin together, stirring constantly.
Warm the oils gently and gradually beat them into the waxes. Dissolve the borax in the rosewater and slowly add to the oil and wax mixture, beating constantly until cool.
Stir in the rose oil as the mixture begins to thicken. Spoon into sterile jar and label.
For use on the face.
Herbs in the Bath
A cleansing,
soothing bath can be achieved by the addition of dried herbs,
herbs as essential oils or teas.
Although it’s a romantic idea to sprinkle scented leaves and
flowers directly onto the water, it’s not advisable. You will
emerge from such a bath like a creature from a swamp, with plant
bits clinging to every part of your body! Instead, place herbs
in a tea infuser and put into your bath as it is filling up or
hang tea bags over the faucet as the water is running. Or, make
a tea in advance and then pour the tea into your bath water.
Several drops (5-10) of an essential oil allows you to lie in an
envelope of fragrance and feel their beneficial power.
For true relaxation, which is balance, you may choose a calming or a stimulating bath:
For a calming bath the following herbs are good. Use teabag, in a tea diffuser or essential oil:
Chamomile
Lavender
If you infuse (let sit) 2 oz of dried or 4 oz of fresh herb in milk (not skim) for 2 hours, strain and add to bath you will soften and freshen your skin at the same time.
A stimulating bath can be very balancing for exhaustion, worry, and a sluggish system. Try the following:
Mint
Lemon Balm
Sage
Thyme (antiseptic properties)
Basil (helps clear the head of congestion and confusion)
Rosemary (helps improve memory)
To soothe itchiness, aching muscles try the following:
Bring 2 ½ cups of apple cider vinegar and a handful of fresh bath herbs to the boil, then infuse overnight. Strain and bottle. Add a cupful of this mixture to your bath for its beneficial effects.
Take a mashed avocado, lemon juice and cucumbers and create a great summer recipe- not for the table, but for your skin! For centuries, people have passed on the secrets of everyday kitchen ingredients for making beautifying and restoring concoctions for the skin and they are just as helpful today.
To freshen the skin and reduce fine lines try the following exfoliant that can be used on the face or body:
Baking Soda Exfoliant:
3 tsp baking soda
1 tsp water
Juice of 1 orange or 1 drop of an essential oil .*
Mix ingredients to form a paste. Apply in a gentle, circular motion. Rinse. Follow with a moisturizer.
* The choice of essential oil can also be very supportive of your skin care needs. i.e. Sage for oily skin; lavender for all skin; thyme is antiseptic; rose is softening and refining; lemon restores the natural acid balance.
For oily skin, try this mask once or twice a week:
Avocado Mask
1 egg white
1 teaspoon lemon juice
½ avocado mashed
Mix all in a blender. Wash your face and neck thoroughly. Apply mask to those areas. Remove with tepid water and a face cloth after 20 min. Apply moisturizer.
This is a very simple recipe for a cleanser:
Buttermilk And Fennel Cleansing Milk
(for oily skin)
½ cup buttermilk
2 tbsp fennel seed, crushed
Gently heat the milk and crushed seed together in a double boiler for 30 min. Leave to stand and infuse for a further 2 hours. Strain, bottle, refrigerate and use within 1 week.
Have fun and enjoy these timeless recipes for healthy and beautiful skin.
If there is any concern about allergies you can test your creations by applying them to the inside of your lower arm and waiting 24 hrs to see if a rash, redness, itch or sensitivity occur. Remember, too, that sunscreen should always be worn if you are out in the sun for 30 minutes or more at one time. That’s the best protection against harming, drying, and aging your skin.
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