Aug
20
Beauty Tips - Body Mask
Body Mask
Similar to facial scrubs, body scrubs should be a part of skin care routine. Not only do they slough off dead skin cells, they increase circulation and leave the skin smooth and moisturized.
They are used to prevent ingrown hairs before they happen by opening the pores and allowing hair follicles to freely develop new hairs above the skin's surface.
Homemade body scrubs have one advantage: they can be customized so they provide the best effects. You can change the fragrances by changing the essential oils you add to them.
If, after sitting a while and you go to use it, and find that it turned liquid, just add a bit more sugar to it.
How to use them?
Use them no more than 3-4 times a week.
They should be used after you take a shower. This way, the skin is soft and moist, and dead skin cells are removed easier.
Depending on the body scrub recipes you are using, each ingredient will have a different effect in addition to the main one which is to exfoliate.
The salt scrubs will open the clogged pores and clean them thoroughly.
Lemon will act a disinfecting agent preventing and healing any inflammations.
The essential oils will penetrate the skin and soothe the deeper layers of it.
The best way to exfoliate is to use your fingertips and be gentle with the skin. Massage the body in circular motion, towards the heart to get the circulation going.
Honey Mask
1/2 cup sugar
enough honey to moisten the sugar, but not melt
olive oil, avocado oil or vitamin e oil
Mix together until blended. When I made mine, I made it a bit scrubbier than some people would like. If your skin is oily, add some lemon juice; dry skin, add more oil.
Honey is great for the skin, as it's a humectant.
Yogurt Body Mask
1/4 Cup Yogurt
3 T Honey
3 T Puréed Pumpkin OR
3 T Puréed Carrots
To Make: Use canned (nothing added), or slightly cooked pumpkin or carrots. Drain, and purée in a blender. Pour into a bowl with the yogurt and honey.
To Use: Draw a warm bath. Lather your face and body with the yogurt mask. Sink into a warm bath and soak for 10-20 minutes. Rinse in the shower, tone, and apply a light moisturizer. Grapefruit Sugar Scrub
Ingredients
1-1/2 cups white table sugar
8 drops grapefruit essential oil
2 drops red food coloring (optional)
1/4 cup jojoba oil
1/4 cup liquid castile soap
Preparation
Place sugar into a large bowl and stir to break up any clumps. Add the essential oil.
Add one or two drops of red food coloring if you'd like it pink!
Mix very well to make sure the color is evenly dispersed.
Add the jojoba oil and Castile soap next, a little at a time, stirring after each addition.
Mix well and the pour into clean container.
To use, stand in the tub or shower and massage the sugar scrub onto your skin from head to toe. Rinse. Inhale. Smile.
Avocado body scrub
Ingredients
1 ripe, mashed avocado (peeled and pitted)
1/2 cup of almonds
1 cup of dry oatmeal
Preparation
Coarsely grind the almonds
Put on a muslin mitten and place it in the mix of almonds and oatmeal
Scoop up some avocado
Rub the body with this mixture
Rinse off with warm water and pat dry
The next scrub is based on sea salt and apricot oil. Salt exfoliates the skin and removes the dead skin cells, while apricot oil goes behind it and heals and moisturizes the skin.
Apricot salt body scrub
Ingredients
1/4 cup of apricot kernel oil
2 cups of sea salt
Preparation and use
Take a shower before you start with this
Combine the salt and the oil into a paste like mass
Scoop up the paste and apply it on your body, using circular motion the whole time
When done, rinse off with warm water and pat dry
Use a moisturizer (body lotion) for best results.
Lemon is one of the most commonly used ingredients in homemade skin care recipes.
This dry skin rub, sent to us by Kayleigh, is based just on that: lemon. Lemon which leaves the skin cleansed and elastic, is bursting with Vitamin C, a vitamin that stimulates production of collagen.
Lemon dry skin rub
This will help repair cracked and drying skin, and can also help oily acne prone skin to clear up.
For dry skin, particularly the areas on your elbows and knees, cut a lemon in half and rub it all over your skin. When you get to your knees and elbows, bend the joints so that the whole surface is covered. You will notice that the pieces of lemon start to fall off all over your skin, this is alright! Take care to avoid any serious cuts, as the lemon juice would sting them. Once you have covered all of your skin with the lemon, let it dry for about five minutes. The acids in the lemon juice saturate into your skin. Then shower off to remove the sticky juice and pieces of pulp.
Amazingly, this works to tame oily skin as well. The acids counteract oily skin, and the pulp helps exfoliate. The difference with using lemon halves on your face is you may need to cut them into smaller pieces to effectively target problem areas. Try not to get any into your hair, it may bleach your hair out slightly, especially in the sun. Leave the lemon on your skin a little longer, approximately 10 minutes, then be sure to wash well.
