Great Skin, Naturally! Part 2

by Laura M. Cummins

Natural Ingredients

Ground oatmeal and water (or milk) makes a great cleanser.

Wheat germ is high in protein, vitamin E and B, which makes this ingredient nourishing, soothing and helpful in preventing free radical damage. It’s very slight granular texture, gives a sensitive or dry skin a wonderful, gentle exfoliation.

Organic fruits and vegetables, when applied to the skin, can either have a lyposolvant, stimulating, vitalizing, or soothing effect locally. Prior to using these natural ingredients, make sure you understand their individual actions, so that way you can use the ones most appropriate for your skin care regimen. Organic milk, sour cream, and yogurt all contain lactic acid, a natural alpha hydroxy acid that helps the skin exfoliate dead skin cells away from the surface of the epidermis. These items are also very hydrating and soothing to the complexion, especially during the colder months of the year. Organic honey is a wonderful humectant (retains moisture) and is great for any skin type. Fresh aloe vera gel, straight from the plant is hydrating, soothing, detoxifying, and helps to prevent or reduce the appearance of scar tissue. It also helps to heal cuts, burns (especially sunburn), and reduces the irritation of bug bites. A live aloe plant is a great attribute to any home.

Pure, Grade A essential oils are the volatile, aromatic portion of a plant and once extracted, usually through steam distillation, they are 75 to 100 times more potent then their original source. They happen to be a part of the plant’s immune system and they are found in tiny little sacs, in the root, bark, leaves, flowers or the rind of fruit. Their small molecular structure makes it very easier for them to penetrate the body in two ways---- the olfactory system (nose) or transdermal (skin). They are naturally antiseptic, antibacterial, antifungal, lyposolvant and many other positive actions. However, in a neat form, they are not nourishing or hydrating, you must blend them in a carrier base (such as hazelnut oil).

Homemade Skin Therapies

Lavender Water (all skin types)

• 8 ounces of distilled water
• 20 drops of Grade A Lavender essential oil

Place in a dark glass spray bottle. Shake well before each use and mist onto complexion after cleansing, keeping facial mask moist, or as a freshener. Keep in a cool area, out of direct sunlight. (Lavender is wonderful for all skin types, because of its healing and highly regenerative qualities)

Milky Honey Oatmeal Cleanser (all skin types)

• ½ cup ground oatmeal
• ½ cup organic milk
• 1 Tbsp. Honey

Mix all ingredients well. Massage into the skin gently. Rinse off with lukewarm water. Make sure to refrigerate after each use.

Strawberry Cleanser (oily skin)

• ¼ cup pure aloe vera
• 2 Tbsp. Plain organic yogurt
• Three crushed organic strawberries
• ¼ cup Tbsp. Borax

Mix all ingredients well. Massage into skin gently. Rinse off with lukewarm water

Apple Juice Exfoliation (all skin types)

• ¼ cup organic apple juice

Apply generously with a cotton ball. Leave on for a few minutes and rinse off. (Apple juice contains malic acid, a natural fruit acid found, which is exfoliating)

Avocado Mask (dry skin)

• Skin of avocado

Smooth skin of avocado all over complexion, let firm for 15 minutes rinse off. (Avocado is very rich in antioxidants, which are great in preventing the pre-mature aging of our skin)

Orange and Yogurt Mask (combination skin)

• Grated rind of one orange
• ½ cup of organic yogurt

Mix ingredients. Apply to skin, wait 10 minutes. Rinse off.
(Oranges contain citric acid, a natural fruit acid, which is exfoliating and adds vibrancy to a dull skin)

Facial Moisturizer (oily skin)

• 2 ounces of pure hazelnut oil
• 15 drops of pure lavender essential oil
• 10 drops of pure tea tree essential

Place in dark glass bottle. Shake well before use. (Tea tree and lavender essential oils have natural antibacterial and antiseptic actions)

Facial Moisturizer (all skin types)

• 2 ounces of pure hazelnut oil
• 10 drops of pure chamomile pure essential oil
• 10 drops of pure lavender essential oil

Place in a dark glass bottle. Shake well before use.
(Chamomile and lavender essential oils are calming and soothing to a stressed out skin from daily living)

Fight Naturally Within

Achieving a healthy skin is not always determined by what you apply topically to your skin. An important component is what you take internally. We live in an environment where we are bombarded constantly by chemicals in the air we breathe, the foods we eat and the water we drink.

The way your skin looks reveals a great deal about what is going on inside your organs, tissues and cells, and about the way you live and think. Loss of skin tone and elasticity, skin dryness, oiliness, sallowness, undereye puffiness, breakouts and premature skin aging reflect the condition of each cell and the quality of the nutrients each cell receives. You can have a healthy and young skin at any age. To obtain optimal results, you must combine natural skin therapy “from the inside out”, with the appropriate skin treatments on a daily basis.

Bibliography

A Consumer’s Dictionary of Cosmetic Ingredients, Ruth Winter (New York: Crown Publishers, Inc., 1989).
The Encyclopedia of Essential Oils, Julia Lawless (Rockport, MA. Element Books,1992).

Copyright Laura M. Cummins. All Rights Reserved.