Bicarbonate of Soda

As I am sure most of you will know, Bicarb is a wonderful thing!  You can use it for all sorts of stuff.  When it comes to cleaning it is an excellent eco friendly product that will shift grease and grime like nobodies business.  Well this sounds great I hear you murmur.  However, what no one tells you is that you need one extra ingredient for bicarb to actually make a good job of it.  That extra ingredient is Elbow Grease.

Sadly there is no way round it, this wonderful ecologically sound method of cleaning your bathroom or kitchen only works if you are prepared to put a great deal of effort into it.  We are not so used to having to actually scrub our floors clean these days.  So many of the products available are simply wipe on and then off again.  Can you imagine how harsh they have to be to work so effectively.

You can leave a paste of bicarb and water smeared onto stubborn dirt or grease and then come back to it after a little while.  This can cut down the scrubbing a bit.  But when opting for any of these old fashioned (albeit eco friendly) cleaning tips be prepared to turn the clock back a hundred years or so and get your sleeves rolled up and your hair tied back. 

And to finish this post... some other things you can do with bicarb that don't require scrubbing. 

Chlorine damage to your hair? : Mix a solution of half a teaspoon of bicarbonate of soda to a pint of warm water and rinse your hair with it, catch the rinse in a bowl or jug and pass it through your hair several times.  This removes any smell of chlorine and can help to redress some of the damage done - but if you insist on swimming on a daily basis then you really need to wear a waterproof hat.  Bicarb can only do so much.

Dull or Dry Skin Exfoliation:  Mix a quarter of a teaspoon of bicarbonate of soda with your usual shower gel or body wash.  Make sure it is well dissolved and then apply to the skin in gentle circular motions.  Rinse well in the shower and pat the skin dry.  Follow with a luxurious body butter or lotion.  This should not be done more than once a week and a lot less if you are inclined to very dry skin.

Remember, bicarb is basically a cleaning product so although it is eco friendly, it can be a bit strong when used as part of a beauty regime.  So use sparingly and with caution.  I do have a multitude of recipes in one of my old notebooks - copied from some ancient publication no doubt.  If I can find it, I will give you a few more tips in another post.

Alpha Hydroxy Acid - Nature's Skin Peel

Alpha hydroxy acid (or AHA's) and beta hydroxy acids are added to creams and lotions for the 'brightening' effect that they have on the skin. But you don't need to spend a fortune on expensive treatments to get these benefits. AHA's come from many ordinary every day foods that we have in our kitchen cupboard.
As we get older life takes it toll on our complexions. Even if you have never been down the sunbathing route you may still find that your face displays the classic symptoms of sun damage. Solar keratosis or thickened patches of skin, age spots or areas of discoloured skin like large freckles and freckles themselves which can increase in size or join together to produce whole swathes of darkened skin. Acne scarring from difficult teenage years or infected pimples, large open pores from oily skin or deepened wrinkles from very dry, unnourished skin, can all make our complexion appear drab and dowdy.
Skin peeling with alpha hydroxy acid is not new. There are numerous reports in history of beauty treatments that worked to exfoliate the upper layers of skin to reveal a bright new, young complexion beneath. These were achieved mostly by applications of fruit. The natural alpha hydroxy acid in fruit juice produced these effects but the users did not understand or know how they worked. The more modern treatments actually isolate these alpha hydroxy acids and chemically synthesise them to use in skin peels and other applications.
Alpha hydroxy acids and beta hydroxy acids are derived naturally from apples, ginger, oranges, grapefruit, sugarcane or willow bark, and will gradually peel off the top layers of dead skin and promote the renewal process of the skin which can become sluggish as we age. Natures skin peels are much more gentle than the chemical version you may get at the beauty shop or cosmetic clinic. If you have particularly sensitive skin though, they can be just as fierce and even painful. Therefore use these with caution and always trial a small area of skin first before applying willy nilly!!
The simple application of orange or lemon pulp to the face is a basic skin peel. But be warned it could sting!

The Basic Process for using Natural Alpha Hydroxy Acids

Wash your face with your normal cleanser and leave the skin slightly damp. Apply the skin peel mixture and then relax for fifteen to thirty minutes. Rinse the mixture from your face with tepid water and if you feel any irritation or the skin looks red, bathe with a cooled chamomile tea. Pat dry and apply a very gentle (unscented) moisturiser or night cream. This process is best done in the evening, and since, depending upon your skintype you may find your skin slightly red (which can last for a few days), it is probably best to choose a time when you have no upcoming social engagements.

Skin Peeling Fruits and Ingredients to Choose:

Always choose fresh ripe fruit, do not be tempted to use that last black banana in the bowl! Tinned fruit can also be used, although the result is better with fresh. Most fruits are suitable for all skin types so if you really want a fruit salad … go ahead! There are some fruits, however, more suited to certain skin types than others and you may have to experiment with several blends until you find the best one for you but here is a rough guide.

Dry Skin: Mashed Avocado (choose a very ripe one, it mashes better); Apricot; Banana.

Oily Skin: Strawberry; Kiwi; do not be tempted to go for obviously sharp citrus fruits such as lemon or grapefruit, although they will dry up excess oils, too much of them can be harsh on the texture of the skin. Green apples are very good as well as cucumbers, a little of the pulp of an orange is good. Tomatoes are supposed to be excellent skin peelers for oily complexions.

Normal Skin: All of the above and below and more besides… melons are good.

Acne: A couple of garlic cloves mashed and added to clay is excellent for severe acne. Unfortunately nothing can be done about the smell so perhaps choose a day when you are not planning social calls or expecting visitors. A little egg white mixed with clay (not too much); Also strawberries with a teaspoonful of wine – red if your complexion is dark and white if it is not. Marie Antoinette used Cognac on her oily complexion combined with milk for moisturising. Honey is mildly antiseptic and gently healing for inflamed spots.

Dry or mature skin: Try an egg yolk and some honey with mashed avocado to soften and moisturise a tired complexion.

The morning after the night before: try half a dozen mashed green grapes.

Sensitive Skin: A small spoonful of double cream added to your face mask. But if you suffer from allergies choose your fruit with care - perhaps start with a banana and a little grated apple and remove it if you feel any stinging sensations.

Rejuvenating: finely shredded asparagus is reported to be rejuvenating but I can’t personally vouch for this one!

Thick or coarse skin with severe scarring To turn your fruit mask into a real 'skin peel' you can add a teaspoon of citric acid to whichever fruit mixture you are using. But be aware this could leave your skin looking very red and it could last for several days. It is normal for a skin peel to feel a little uncomfortable while on your skin, however if it is actually painful you must wash it off immediately.

Combining Fruit with Clay

Choose the type of clay base that you wish to use, combine the mashed fruit or vegetable (your raw alpha hydroxy acid) of your choice. Add any liquid or runny ingredients and if the mixture is not wet enough then add a little cooled previously boiled water, or even a little warm milk, cream or a herbal tea to make it the correct consistency. A few drops of an appropriate blend of essential oils (I know I have promised some information for beginners on choosing essential oils... it is coming, I promise) can also be added if you wish. Smear the mixture onto a clean complexion and relax for 15 to 30 minutes before rinsing it off. If your skin is very sensitive then reduce the time. I am always cautious about combining essential oils with alpha hydroxy acid face masks since they are to be left on the skin for a good length of time - please exercise caution.

Any mask that is left over can be used on other parts of the body too or covered and kept in the fridge for a short while to be used later, this will depend upon which ingredients you have used and how well they have kept, it should look and smell the same as when you freshly made it, if it doesn’t, throw it away.Oh and be sure to tell other family members what you have put in the fridge... not that I think it would poison them... but then, it could!

Cleansing Milk

My introduction to cleansing milk was When I was about 18 years old. With only a bare pass in O’Level French, I landed a job in France and my new sophisticated French girl friends were aghast that I used soap on my face! Soap was a big "NON NON" for 'le visage'. There were many other "Non Non’s" concerning just about everything to do with my lack of a skincare routine.  Paris was an eye opener I can tell you, and the most important topic of conversation to my new French friends was that I did not make the best of myself, and I was also fat – that being a greater sin than ugliness, but I digress.
I was sent off to visit a beauty parlour that wanted volunteers for their trainees to practice on, I didn’t have to pay. But I did have to put up with the discussion by the teacher and a room full of fledgeling beauticians that my nose was 'encrusted with blackheads'  and how British girls didn’t know the first thing about caring for their skin.  After making me feel awful, the very friendly trainee beauticians actually helped me a great deal - not only did I get free cleansing treatments, but advice and lessons on skincare too. Cleansing milk was to become part of my daily routine.  Of course it was my fault entirely that the best cleansing milk to be had in Paris brought me out in a rash, and when looking at the bewildering list of ingredients, almost impossible to know which one could be the culprit!
It took several purchases to find one that my skin could tolerate, not the most expensive but certainly the most obscure. On returning to Britain, I looked down my nose at the smooth pink bar of soap on the hand basin and reached for my 'oh-so-chic' bottle of 'laits corps' only to find it was empty and a replacement impossible to find… Substitutes were sought among the bottles at the local chemist and I settled on one that promised to be gentle… and it was… for about a week when I once again developed an unsightly rash. I was allergic to just about everything Boots had to offer and became convinced that I was simply ‘odd’ and went back to water with the occasional smear of soap.

The connection I did not make at the time was that ‘cleansing milk’ isn’t just a name. The composition of milk varies depending upon which animal the milk comes from, goat milk being considerably higher in fat than that of cows and already a favourite for sufferers of excema who may have found that even drinking it can help their condition. It's this fat that makes it perfect and very gentle for cleansing.
My point is, you can simply take the milk from the fridge and wash your face in it. And it is often the best solution for people with sensitive skin or a problem such as blackheads or pimples. Use a bit of cotton wool and simply pour on the milk and then wipe (always upwards remember) on your face. It doesn't remove makeup, but it will remove daily grime and it is certainly one of the most simple homemade beauty recipes. Just add a few drops of a well chosen essential oil bottle it - label it - keep it in the fridge and use daily. Of course you should discard it the moment it shows any signs of going off.

Recipe for A Fresh Cleansing Milk

Ingredients250ml milk. (choose whole (or Jersey) milk if you have dry skin; semi skimmed if your skin is inclined to be oily.
½ cucumber
1ml Essential Oil of your choice.
Method
Use a blender or liquidiser to reduce the cucumber (including the skin) to mush. Add the milk and heat in a pan until just boiling. Allow to cool. Strain through muslin into a jug and allow to cool before mixing in the essential oils. Apply with cotton wool in an upward sweeping motion on your face. This mixture does not contain a preservative and so will only keep in the fridge for around 4 to 5 days. Discard the moment it shows signs of going off.

Water-Based Cleansers for Sensitive Skin

Water on it's own is limited in it's ability to clean the skin. Therefore water-based cleansers must have something else in them to help remove the daily build up of grease and grime. You could of course make it into a cream cleanser with the addition of plant oils and emulsifier but to keep it very simple for very sensitive skins, one of the best additives is glycerine. There are one or two people allergic to glycerine so it isn't a sure fire choice for everyone but it's worth trying it to see.
Be sure to ask for vegetable glycerine. It is impossible to tell chemically whether the glycerine you are using is from a vegetable or animal source so you need to trust your supplier. Simply picking some up in the chemists shop is not a guarantee of an all-vegetable product.
Another option is to add a little vinegar or lemon juice to water... but you have to be very careful, too much and the whole thing becomes like an astringent toner and will be too harsh for most sensitive skintypes. 

Water-Based Cleansers with Glycerine

Ingredients100ml Rose Flower Water - If you use rose water from the cake baking section of the supermarket it will contain a preservative… this ensures that your preparation will last for a long time, there is also no reason to think that it will be detrimental to your skin, but you may prefer to buy a rose hydrosol from a specialist supplier, which will be more pure.
10ml Vegetable Glycerine
1 or 2 drops of Rose Otto essential oil (Rose otto is a very expensive oil but to substitute with a cheaper oil is defeating the object – my advice is to choose an organic Rose Otto and buy the smallest amount possible (usually 3ml) and use it very sparingly, sometimes only one drop is enough.
If you really feel that rose is out of the question, purchase a lavender hydrosol and use a good quality organic lavender essential oil. Or you could choose a suitable blend of essential oils (eventually I will put some suggested blends onto the blog... in the meantime scour the internet or the charity shop for books on essential oil blending - there are a lot out there.

Method
Combine the flower water and vegetable glycerin. Shake well. Add the essential oil if using and shake well again. Decant into a small bottle and place in a dark cupboard for a week. Shake once or twice every day. Filter the mixture through a coffee filter paper and then decant into a clean bottle. The mixture is then ready for use. If you have made your own Rose water, then halve the amounts above and keep in the fridge for two days – shaking every day. Finally strain through the coffee filter paper and decant into a clean bottle and return the mixture to the fridge.
Use the mixture by pouring a small amount onto cotton wool and cleanse the face with an upward sweeping motion.

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Vinegar & Water-Based Cleansers

Ingredients100ml White wine or Apple Vinegar
1 handful of fresh Rose Petals
100ml Rose Hydrosol or plain distilled water.
2 drops Rosewood Essential Oil
Method
Steep the fresh rose petals in the vinegar for two or three days. Make sure that they are well covered in the vinegar. Strain and then add the rose hydrosol or plain distilled water. Mix well. Add the Rosewood essential oil and then shake the bottle well. Allow to rest for 24 hours before using for the first time. Use by applying the solution to cotton wool and cleanse the face in an upward motion.

Herbal Teas as water-based cleansers

Herbal teas can be wonderful for sensitive skin. Faces inclined to become puffy or red at the drop of a hat often respond well to washing in a herbal tea. When making herbal water-based cleansers it is important to choose your herb or flower very carefully and to understand which herbs or flowers are going to be most useful for your condition. The usual method is to boil some spring water and infuse the fresh herbs taking it off the boil and letting it steep until cool. Strain the mixture and use it straight away as a natural face wash. Or add some essential oils and bottle it, keeping it in the fridge for only a few days.
This will not keep much beyond three or four days in the fridge. If you are using a particularly woody herb (stems and barks) then you may need to boil the herb for a while rather than letting it steep. Follow the same advice given for extracting the medicinal qualitites of the herb for taking internaly.
If you would like further information about herbs and their uses other than skincare take a look at The Herbal How-To Guide. This site is run by a friend of mine whose friendly approach to the subject makes us all feel like experts!

Non-Soap Cleansers

A truly natural non-soap cleanser is not a far-fetched idea. In this world of mass-produced facial cleansers and makeup removers, containing all sorts of strange sounding chemicals, it might seem like soap is your only option. NO! It certainly isn't.
For example, did you know that you can remove your make up by using any vegetable oil from your kitchen cupboard? Well it's true - a little olive or sunflower oil on a damp cotton wool pad will remove even waterproof mascara. And it doesn't have to be olive or sunflower, it could be any kind of oil at all, even lard. Using lard may be taking things a little too far. But this website is not about buying masses of expensive ingredients (although you can if you want to, and I have recipes for those too!) or spending a fortune just to make natural skincare products. It's really just to open up the possibilities to you, another example...

Why do you think Cleopatra bathed in asses milk? Well we don't actually know if she did, but she is attributed with having done so, and if she did... well done her! Asses milk is high in fat content and very gentle and soothing - especially if you have sensitive skin prone to flare ups.Why would you buy a preparatory cleansing milk when you can purchase fresh goat milk (which comes without synthetic preservatives I might add) which will do exactly the same job? I bet you never thought about it like that did you? Yes there are considerations like how long will it keep before going rancid, but if you use milk on a daily basis in the kitchen there is no reason why you couldn't use some of it every day for your complexion.

Choosing what sort of non-soap facial cleanser you want to use will depend upon your skintype.

The choices you have are as follows:
All oil cleansers: from the simplest olive oil to a more sophisticated blend - removes makeup as well as daily grime.
Water-based cleansers: plain water with just one or two simple additions for cleansing the most delicate of complexions.
Milk-based cleansers: gentle and effective and cold from the fridge! If it worked for Cleopatra maybe it will work for you.
Cream-based cleansers: products to rival anything you can buy at the chemist. You could try a victorian cold cream as a cleanser. Great for removing theatrical make up and/or really stubborn dirt especially if you have very dry skin.



Starting with oil-based cleansers I have given you a couple of recipes to get you started.  Other recipes coming, keep checking back!


Recipes:
Rose Petal Oil for Dry or Mature Skin
Ingredients
75ml Sunflower Oil25ml Macedamia Oil
Three drops Rose Otto essential oil
Three handfuls of fresh rose petals dried. In preference choose an old-fashioned scented variety.
Method
Macerate (instructions on macerating oils at the bottom of the post) the rose petals in the two oils for two to three weeks, after which, strain and use as is or add the essential oil. Leave the mixture for 24 hours to allow the essential oil to settle in prior to using it as a makeup remover for the first time.
To vary
The same recipe can be made substituting the expensive rose essential oil with lavender and replacing the rose petals with dried lavender buds.

Yarrow for Oily Skin Prone to Acne
Ingredients
100mls Olive oil (you can choose whichever grade of olive oil you wish, if olive oil is too reminiscent of kitchen and cooking for your taste, then choose almond oil.
Two drops tea tree essential oilThree drops lavender essential oil
A good handful of fresh Yarrow stalks complete with flowers and leaves. you should choose a mixture of both leaves and flowers because of the different chemical makeup of each - the balance is important.
Method
Dry the yarrow and macerate in the oil (for more informaiton on how to macerate oils see the bottom of this post). Once the oil has been strained you can use it, as is, or add the essential oil. Leave the mixture for 24 hours to allow the essential oil to settle in before using it as a makeup remover for the first time.
To vary
Add the peeled rind of a large unwaxed lemon (make sure that you do not include any of the pith or white underside of the peel as this contains different chemical qualities) to the oil along with the yarrow and macerate together for two to three weeks.

Macerates

Macerates make superb skincare oils. And it is possible to tailor them specifically for yourself. Maceration is the process of transfering the therapeutic parts of plants and flowers into the oil. You must use dried herbs or flowers and it is very important to identify which herb or flower you are using correctly. Not all plants have beneficial qualities. Very clear easy to follow directions for drying your herbs can be found at The Herbal How To Guide as well as any help identifying which herbs to use.
Once you have your dried herb, you then bruise it substantially in order to break the tough outer skin. The herb can then be covered with a suitable skincare oil. Plain olive or sunflower is most common but it is entirely up to you which oil you use. Cover the bruised herb with your chosen oil and then allow it to steep for two or three weeks in a sunny place, giving it a gentle swirl every day. If you do not have reliable sunshine, then simply place it in a warm place - airing cupboard or close to the Aga will do.
After two to three weeks the oil is then ready to be strained. First through a fine mesh sieve and finally through coffee filter paper or muslin, to remove any last traces of plant material. The oil can then be used to make your chosen skincare product.