To remove the discoloration from your elbows, just cut a lemon in half and rest an elbow in each half for 10 minutes. The acid in the lemon juice breaks down the dark patches, so they wash away.
Dry Patches:
To relieve dry patches, massage in vegetable shortening like Crisco. Sounds yucky! But it is emollient rich and full of vitamins and replenishing oils. And, it's preservative and fragrance free. Best of all, it works!! Freckles? Sorry, ya can't remove these darling dots but you can lighten them. Try one of these tips:
1) Rub your freckles with fresh cut eggplant every day. You should see a difference in a week or so.
Or rub on fresh crushed cranberries daily and leave on for fifteen minutes, rinse with cool water and pat dry.
2) The more sugar that you eat, the darker your freckles will be! This is a scientific fact. So, eliminate refined sugar and watch your freckles fade.
3) Now this is the killer! If you are really determined to make your freckles lighter than ever, try this old time remedy: Put six ounces of urine in a jar with one tablespoon of white vinegar and a pinch of salt. Cover the jar let it sit for twenty four hours. Take a cotton ball and pat on the solution. Do this until the freckles have faded enough for you. Yuck!
A Great Natural Exfoliate:
Mix together two cups of Epsom Salt and 1/4 cup of petroleum jelly. Add a few drops of lavender essential oil for a pleasant fragrance. Apply the mixture to gently scrub away old cells and encourage a healthier-looking complexion.
Terrific Eye Cream:
Before bed apply unscented castor oil around your eyes. Plastic surgeons use this on their patients after surgery! Puffy Eyes? Put cool slices of cucumbers on your eyes. Or soak two tea bags and place in
freezer for a few minutes, place on eyes & lay back & relax! Or, grate a raw potato, mold it into a mushy pack, and put it on your eyes and lids for 10-20 minutes. The potato starch will help smooth eye-area skin and ease away puffyness.
Baggy Eyes:
Got baggy eyes? Try this trick! Dab some Preparation H hemorrhoid cream on those bags!! It will shrink them up in no time!
Under Eye Dark Circles:
Here is a beauty tip from way back.... For under eye circles and wrinkles, mix a drop or two of honey with 2-3 drops of fresh lemon juice. Apply to the area under the eye. I honestly can not remember how long to leave this solution on, but I leave it on for about 15 min. to 1/2 hour and it seems to work.
Curly Lashes:
To get long curly lashes, buy an eyelash curler at the drug store. They're only a couple of bucks. Before curling, use your blow dryer to "heat up" the curler. The results are great!
Shine Stopper:
Using a clean makeup brush, brush your face with pure lemon juice. Let it stand for 5 minutes then rinse. Do this in the evening before bed since the citric acid may cause temporary redness. Lemon juice contains astringent and antiseptic properties that will get rid of the excess perspiration and unwanted shine from high humidity (that also causes oil glands to work over time!). Another shine stopper tip: In a cup, combine 10 drops of lemon juice with one half cup of water. Saturate a cotton ball with mixture and dab over
clean skin. Do not rinse.
Slenderize A Round Face:
To make your face appear thinner: Sweep bronzer over temples, cheekbones and under chin using a fluffy brush. Highlight forehead, bridge of nose, cheekbones and tip of chin with light powder.
Slimmer Legs:
This seaweed wrap releases water retention and leaves legs looking their sleekest! Soak legs in bath of warm water and Epsom salts for 5 minutes. Pat dry. Apply a seaweed mask (there are many to choose from on the market today!). Then wrap legs with plastic wrap and a warm towel. Relax for 15
minutes. Remove towel and plastic wrap and rinse.
Hair Conditioner:
Heat up one half cup of mayonnaise and apply to dry unwashed hair. Cover with plastic bag and wait for 15 minutes. Rinse and shampoo thoroughly. Gotta try this one! Bye Bye Shampoo Buildup!
Here is a tip to get rid of shampoo and conditioner build-up on your hair. Take a tablespoon of baking soda and massage into wet hair, rinse and shampoo as usual. Do this weekly. For a super-duper cleansing, rinse off the baking soda with a few tablespoons of cider vinegar mixed with warm water. It fizzes like crazy and really strips out all of the junk (except the grey!).
Age Spots:
Cut a lemon wedge and hold directly on spot for ten minutes. Rinse with warm water. Repeat this step every day until the spots lighten or vanish altogether!
Bath Secret:
Pour a cup or more of powdered milk under running bath water. The lactic acid in the milk will remove dry dead skin and leave you baby soft. Powered milk is quite reasonably priced compared to those expensive bath oils and soaks. Just add a drop or two of some scented oil if you want a really dreamy bath!
Blackheads:
To erase blackheads, try this quick cleansing mask: Mix 2 Tbs. of oatmeal, 4 Tbs. of plain yogurt, 1 tablespoon lemon juice and 1 Tbs. of olive oil into a paste and gently apply to skin. Leave it on for five minutes and rinse with cold water. Let your face air-dry.
Banish Bemishes On Back or Chest:
Mix one half cup of honey with one half cup of orange juice and apply to the affected areas. Let sit for 5 minutes then rinse. Honey heals and banishes blemishes and the orange juice will dry up the excess oils. Clogged Pores? This is a great deep cleansing scrub! Mix 4 Tbs. of plain yogurt with 2 Tbs. of grated orange peel. Massage into skin for three minutes. Rinse with warm water. The yogurt is an exfoliant and the orange peel will extract dirt and oils.
Cold Sores:
When you feel that first little warning "tingle" dab some Pepto Bismol on the spot before the sore has a chance to appear.
Bath Products:
Bath Bonbons
INGREDIENTS
9 tablespoons virgin coconut oil (see note)
3 tablespoons honey
3 tablespoons baking soda
3 tablespoons sea salt
3 drops ylang ylang pure essential oil (optional)
Since coconut oil has a melting point of 76 degrees F, the temperature of your oil will make a difference in the method you use. Coconut oil does not need to be refrigerated, but once you make the bonbons keep them there so that they don't melt. You can't start with refrigerated coconut oil because it is very hard, so start with room temperature. Dissolve one or two bonbons in your bath, get soft. Makes 12 bonbons.
Organic Honey Cream Bath
Adapted from Organic Body Care Recipes by Stephanie Tourles (Storey Publishing, 2007).
This is an ultra-luxurious, hydrating bath blend formulated to moisturize the driest of skin. The combination of emollient cream with soothing, healing, humectant honey feels great on parched, irritated skin. Relax and let this honey cream bath soothe your skin.
Recommended for all skin types, especially dry, dehydrated, environmentally damaged, sunburned or windburned skin. Submerse your entire body for 20 to 30 minutes.
INGREDIENTS
1 cup heavy cream or half and half
1 cup raw honey at room temperature
Pour the cream and the honey together directly under running bath water. Swish the water with your hands to mix before getting into the tub.
Use: As desired Follow with moisturizer Prep time: Approximately 5 minutes Do not store; mix as needed Yield: 1 treatment.
Bath Cookies
2 cups finely ground sea salt
1/2 cup baking soda
1/2 corn starch
2 tbsp light oil
1 tsp vitamin E oil
1 eggs
5-6 drops essential oil of choice.
Preheat oven to 350.F Mix together all the ingredients. take a tsp of the dough and roll it gently into a ball about 1 " in diameter. Continue doing this with all the dough and place the balls on ungreased cookie sheets. (You can decorate the cookies with clove buds, anise seeds, or dried citrus peel if you wish.) Bake the cookies for 10 minutes until they are lightly browned. Do not overbake. Allow the cookie to cool completely. To use, drop 1 or 2 cookies into a warm bath and allow to dissolve. Do not eat! Yield: 24 cookies, enough for 12+ bath
