Natural Skin Care There are some inexpensive, natural products that can really help your skin. Milk: Moisturizing and filled with nutrients. Use paper towels or a soft washcloth to apply a thin layer to your skin at night. (Wet the towel, then apply to skin.) The milk will leave a film, and your skin will absorb the goodness as you sleep. Milk always makes my sunburns heal faster, and it also seems to lessen my skin's oil over-production. Whole milk probably works better than fat free. I've only ever used 1%, because that's what we always have in the fridge. Honey: Moisturizing and anti-bacterial. You can try cleansing your skin with honey, applying a moisturizing facial mask, or you can dab honey onto a wound. Honey was commonly used on wounds before the invention of modern medicine. (I wouldn't recommend putting it on or in huge, deep wounds where your insides are all open, though--that's a case for the doctor.) Basically, you would apply honey to a cut or scrape the same way you would use Neosporin. Be sure to put on a Band-aid, too--honey's sticky. Sugar & Baking Soda: Like honey, sugar has its own anti-bacterial qualities. I mix sugar with baking soda (half and half) to make a scrub excellent for exfoliation. It cleans, freshens, and immediately zaps all the excess oil from my skin. Just wet your face and rub some on. Then be sure to rinse well--if you miss any, it will leave a dry, slightly sticky spot. Even just a tiny pinch absorbs the oil from my face. Lemon Oil: Antibacterial. Basically, lemon oil has disinfectant properties that will kill pretty much all of the bad stuff. It's great for acne, although it might upset sensitive skin. You can put a little of the oil onto any bumps that pop up, and feel it absorbing into your skin. The tingling feeling gives me satisfaction. Only use a little; too much will cause a burning sensation and turn your skin red. And make sure you get pure essential oil, derived from the actual lemon plant. Fragrance oils aren't the same thing (although essential oils can be used as fragrance oils). Health food stores usually sell lemon oil. PS: It doesn't feel nasty on your skin, either. It absorbs pretty quickly. Lemon Oil can also be used to make your very own household cleansers. I mix vinegar half and half with water, then add a few drops of lemon and pine oil. Black Pepper: This common kitchen spice has analgesic (pain relieving) and antibacterial properties. Apply some to a cut and it could even help stop the bleeding. Olive Oil: Moisturizing. I know some people will think this is strange, but isn't everything listed on this page strange? I use olive oil in place of lotion. You only need a little, and it spreads easily. It can also be used in place of shaving cream. Sunburn We've all been sunburnt at least once in our lives. I know from experience that the sun's rays can indeed be very damaging. I absolutely hate sunburn. I love the sun, but too much of it literally destroys my skin! I've learned to make sunscreen my friend. And to reapply after a couple hours, and even to use it on the top of my head, where I part my hair. But how can we best treat a sunburn so that we can heal and get on with our lives? I have two remedies: Milk Vinegar Milk always makes my sunburns heal faster. I use paper towels to apply a thin layer to my skin. The cold milk feels really good on a flaming sunburn. I use it three times a day--morning, noon, and night. It will leave a whitish film on your skin, but it's only noticeable up close. It's definitely worth it, anyway. Vinegar is supposed to take some of the burn out. I'm not sure if it actually does or not (I've had mixed results). But I do know that cold vinegar (from the fridge) feels really good on sunburn, and that it removes the residue from the milk. I use the vinegar on bad sunburns just in case it does work. I treat my skin with the vinegar just before applying the milk. I highly recommend that you try these remedies, or at least one of them. And also, be very gentle on your sunburnt skin. Be nice to it. Don't expose it to any more sunlight, pick at or peel it, or try to shave sunburnt skin, before it's in the final stages of peeling or completely healed. |
