Herbal Secrets From The 80's That Made Me A Beauty Therapist!

I wish to share some of the herbal secrets I have been using since 1980 ~ I started as a child and this led to me becoming a qualified Beauty Therapist in my adult life.

Here are a handful of the remedies and treatments I have used over the years and have found to be beneficial and fun!

All the herbs I use are home grown ,and all the pictures are of my own plants.Where possible I advise the use of fresh herbs ,but dried herbs and the cut ones which are readily available are also good to use.If you find gardening just isn't you~ a small pot of herbs on the window is a nice idea ~ I say this as there is a certain satisfaction to using home produced herbs in beauty treatments!!

Before you commence please do a patch test for allergic reactions ~ this is done by using a small amount of the ingredients to be used and placing in the crook of the elbow or behind the ear area ~ leave for 24 hours and if there is no redness or irritation then you are able to continue
Treats for the Face ~
Herbal Steams

suggested herbs to use~ you may mix them as you wish ~

NORMAL SKIN ~ lemon balm, spearmint, lime flowers.

DRY SKIN ~ (also sensitive skin types) parsley, pansy flowers.

OILY SKIN ~ lavender, sage.

COMBINATION SKIN ~ bay, comfrey, thyme, chamomile, rosemary

OLDER SKINS ~ lemon verbena

Contra indications to this steam treatment are thread veins on the face, heart disease, eye infections, asthma and respiratory illness

Cleanse your skin and leave your face damp.

Take 3 handfuls of fresh herbs or 3 tablespoons of dried and place in clean bathroom sink.

Pour over a kettleful of boiled water and stir with a wooden spoon especially reserved for your beauty regime.

Tie your hair away from your face.

Hold your face a minimum of 25 cms away from the water and herbs and place a bathroom towel over your head and the sink.

Close your eyes!!

The steam will work its magic for about 10 mins! You can pop your head out for some air as it does get quite hot!

After 10 mins add cold water to the steam liquid until it becomes tepid and splash on your face to close your pores.

Moisturise as normal.

 
Tomato Face Mask

You will need ~

2 medium to large tomatoes

1 tablespoon of chopped peppermint leaves

1 teaspoon of lemon juice

1/2 tablespoon dried yeast (not fresh as it's too strong)

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Place the tomatoes in hot water until the skins become cracked, then peel them.

Cut them in half and scoop out the seeds,chop up and add to pestle and mortar.

Add the peppermint leaves and the yeast and pound into a paste.

Put on the face and neck ,avoiding the sensitive eye area and leave for 15 mins.

Wash off and tone as normal.
Tooth Cleaner

you need 4-5 fresh sage leaves and rub them on your teeth - it feels great and tastes good too!!
Treats for the body
Salt Rub

You can do this either in the shower or bath

you need~

coarse sea salt

olive oil

2 drops of essential oil ~ your fave one!

mix all the above ingredients and use as a rub all over your damp body ~ it will exfoliate any dead skin cells and can be rinsed off in the shower or bath ~ yummy!