• Essential oils: A few drops of essential oil in your bath are a cheap non-chemical alternative to bubble baths that is chemical free and won’t dry out your skin. As an added bonus, different oils have different properties to match your mood – lavender is calming and relaxing, lemon stimulating and invigorating.
• Thyme Bath Bags: A refreshing herbal bath to soothe the skin and relax aching muscles. Place dried thyme in an 8-inch square of cheesecloth, add a little raw oats to soften the water. Tie with string and either hang from the tap as bath runs or let it float in the water.
• Steaming: This is the most thorough, deep-cleansing method of cleansing your skin and is beneficial to all skin types. Once a week normally, less often if skin very dry, daily if very greasy lean over a bowl of boiling water, cover your head with a towel and make a tent around the bowl. Stay one to two feet away from the water surface and add herbs or essential oil to the water for even more benefit. Use lavender, thyme and rosemary for a stimulating cleanse. 
• Muslin face soak: Soak a muslin cloth in warm water laced with several drops of essential oil such as rose or lavender. Wring out and press to your face, inhaling the calming properties. The heat oxygenates and the cloth loosens dead skin cells.
• Oatmeal skin scrub: Take 1 tsp of finely ground oatmeal (available from health food shops) in the palm of your hand, mix with a little water and wash your face with the paste.  
• Avocado Mask: Mash and sieve an avocado and add a few drops of lemon juice to stop it discolouring. Add 1tsp liquid honey, mix together and apply to skin, leaving on as long as possible. It counteracts the drying effects of the sun, softens, moisturises and nourishes the skin. 
• Skin smoothing spritz: Boil dried chamomile flowers with mineral water. When cool, add a drop of lavender oil and decant into a spray bottle and use as a skin smoothing spritz.
• Lemon Hair Rinse: Use diluted lemon juice in your final rinse when washing fair hair to increase shine. (1 part lemon juice to 8 parts water).
• Hands: Never throw a squeezed lemon away without first using it to rub over yours hands and elbows. It softens, cleans and bleaches them. Rinse fingernails and hands daily in a lemon rinse. 
• Camomile Eye Freshener: After a cup of camomile tea, don’t throw the bag away – squeeze out excess water and put over your eyes for ten minutes. Reduces puffiness and refreshes tired eyes. Thin slices of cucumber placed over closed eyes are also refreshing and soothing and can relieve eyestrain, pink eyes and sunburn.
• Herb Deodorant: Grind:
  • ½ tsp cloves
  • 1 tsp myrrh
  • 1 tbs coriander seeds
  • 1 tsp cassia
  • 2 tbs lavender flowers
  • 1 tsp thyme
  • With a pestle and mortar. Use under arms as a deodorant. Some skins are sensitive to dried herbs so test a little first.
• Teeth: Rubbing sage leaves across the teeth cleanses them and sweetens the breath. Mix 2 tbs salt with 3 tbs of bicarbonate of soda and use as a toothpaste. Chew cloves to sweeten the breath.

This entry was posted on Saturday, September 1st, 2007 at 4:00 pm and is filed under Healthy Living, Natural Alternatives, Natural Cleaning Products. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.