DIY Home spa - Rehydrate

To continue the "do it yourself" series, we are going to talk today about hydration. It's not so hard to do, easy steps can be followed in order to help you, internally and externally. And the benefits are numerous.

In these days, doctors and nutritionists can't stop advising us to drink water, tea or organic juices. I already talked about ways to help you drink more fluids during the day, in my moisturizing post. I would like to add that now I also drink compote (boiled fruits) with some vanilla or honey. I'm hooked up on mirabelles (corcoduse) because they help me cool down in a hot summer day, the are toning and a great fluid for the internals.

Natural face and body hydrants:

1. Yogurt. Don't know about other people, from other countrys, but here, it's an unwritten law that if you have sun burns, you should put cold yogurt on it. It will cool the sensible area and rehydrate it, minimizing the after effects like blisters with water or skin cracks. Even if it's not the case for you, why not try it out:
- take a warm shower in order to open your pores; while still in the tub, rub in (as much as you want and need) a 24% fat or higher yogurt; sit about 10 min and massage; wash of with warm water.
If you can get natural, straight from the producer one, if would be even better. You don't necessarily have to pay a lot...go to a dairy farm and ask if they have for sale.


2. Honey. This is great for small areas like your lips, knees, elbows, etc. Also, if you get burned, it stops the pain and you wont get a scar. So how to use it?
- mix it with sugar and put it in the desired area; it will exfoliate and hydrate (i use this for my lips and it works like a charm);
- apply it after exfoliating and leave it as much as you can; wash the rest.


3. Olive oil. This is a great tip I learned in my constant travels to Greece. We saw young, but mostly old people use it when they were sun bathing. Back then it looks like you were putting a chunk of meat into the frying pan and wait for it to roast...but it also made me wonder...

Sun bathing re-became popular recently actually...in Ancient times it was a way of showing from what part of the world you came, but after that, it was a sign that you were a peasant and had to work for your daily bread. High society went to great lengths in order to keep their "whiteness" ( we all know about the French Court and Japanese society ). We all have to thank Coco Chanel for her "eccentric" ways ( thought at that time ).

So it's no wonder that when people went to the beach again...they had no idea of SPF or UV, appropriate hours or other factors. But they did feel how the salt and sun made their skin dry. So what better choice than olive oil? For a country that exports it by gallons?

If you are wondering, I did use! And I have to say...my legs never get tanned...but that summer they did :D!

- use it on the beach;
or
- use it in small amounts on your freshly washed skin and rub it in throughly.


4. Aloe. This is a tricky ingredient to get a hold on around here. But if your do, you should know that it comes in two way: pulp and the entire leaf. Pulp is great to eat and drink.

Leafs:
- you can cut them and drag it on the skin and let it absorb it on its own.
- you can squash it and put in spritzer; it work wonderfully when you want to cool yourself down or if you get a contusion, cut, burn...you get the idea :P


5. Marigold cream. I can't even tell you enough about this one! It works wonders!! If you can get it, naturally made, keep it with you at all times! You can use it in more ways than those I mentioned before :)!


6. Green, Marigold and Chamomile tea. Tea rehydrates your system and also you could use it in a final wash before you get outside of the tub. You can also take a towel, moisten it in tea and press it on yourself (make sure it is a temperature you can handle). You can also use...used tea bags: put them in the fridge, in a new clean bag; leave them over night and the next day you will have your own personal "gel mask"...that will help even more :D.
There are more ways to rehydrate your skin, but these are the ones I could think that are easy to get a hold on by everybody.

I wish you a great sunny weekend!
kissu

DIY Home spa - Exfoliants

Hey guys! How are you? Summers here...still a little rainy, but I kinda like it like this :D. Still, the Sun is brighter now then always, so don't worry...you'll still get that glamed up tan you dream about :)).


I know a lot of gals and boy that have a trunk full of cosmetic items stored up in the bathroom. I do admit that I am also guilty, but in this economical state you have to set priorities straight and see if it's really worth it all! Personally, I found that home made cosmetics work better on my skin than those from the drugstore. Plus...it's free from parabens ( preservatives ), petrol derives and no animal have been hurt in the making of :P. If you want to know how...keep on reading.
Home made body exfoliant:

I know I use them up like crazy!! Exfoliants are great for your skin. They help you get rid of the dead skin, renew it and also tone it. In summer is a must because it can make your skin get tanned faster and keep a longer bronze ( after exfoliating, you tan a fresh layer of skin ).

If you are still at home:

1. Grab about 4 spoons of salt and 2 to 3 spoons of sugar ( sugar is strong ingredient, so you can vary the amount for a gentle or harder scrub ). In order to make the combine, you can add your shower gel of choice, but if you want to go natury all the way...add olive oil, vitamin E in and vitamin A in oil form ( vitamin E: prevents aging of the cells and also helps the vitamin A to work better; vitamin A: takes care of the skin and hydrates ). Wash your entire body and use a hard sponge to take wash off any oils left. (this is great for dry or normal complexions).



2. If you have oily or normal skin and you don't want to use oils, you can use sodium bicarbonate and mix it with your shower gel of choice. It is a little drying, but it's a very good exfoliant.

If you are sun bathing:

The most efficient exfoliant is right next to you and you can't get more natury than this: the sand and sea. Go get yourself wet and rub some wet sand on your skin. ( I would go for that which is next to the water or if you can get some from under...it has already salt and minerals from the sea ). Go back in for a wash and apply sun lotion after you dry yourself. Feel how incredibly smooth your skin is? Repeat it a few times during the day and you are going to get an incredible tan!


Home made face exfoliants:

Your face skin is a little more sensitive than your body...but you already know that. You can have different skin tipes and you have to know how to work with them.

For oily skin:

1. Just as before...salt and sugar are your friends. You can add them separately in your daily face wash lotion or mix them.
But you can also try something more "green":
-on a cotton bud squeeze some lemon juice; add sugar on it and rub it vividly on your face;
or
- wet your face; rub in sugar; remove the sugar with a cotton bud that was lemon juice on it.
The sugar with take away dead skin cells and the lemon will absorb the excess oils.

2. For a daily exfoliant ( I wouldn't recommend it, because you can force the skin to over produce oils; once every 2-3 days is better ) you can used sodium bicarbonate:
- in your daily cleanser;
or
- wet your face; apply it and rub it on your skin; remove with water;

3. In case of acne: take a few pills of Aspirin ( preferably without "skin") and let them sit in a few drops of water. They will break up and you can use it as such on your face. You can also use a old toothbrush to rub it in on the areas where acne acts up.

For dry skin:

Exfoliating is tricky on a dry complexion. It is necessary, but once or twice a week is more than ok!

1. Sugar ain't so good for you, being so hard. You can use it, but mix it with hydrating agents like: yogurt, honey, olive oil, vitamin E in oil form or even tea. You can also do this with salt and sodium bicarbonate and even mix them.

2. For acne problems, you can use Aspirin, but mix it with honey.

For mixed skin you can use the tips from above and alternate. For the T zone ( forehead, nose and chin) use oil free and on the rest use some sort of hydrating factors.

In any of the cases, please be careful not to over do it!! You can cause your skin to react in a way that will over produce oils or over dry.

You can also use salt and sodium bicarbonate in your bath.


Hope this was helpful!
Kissu

Ps: Stay tuned for more home spa posts!