Cleansers

Using too much of soaps can make skin very dry and dull. Specially in winters skin becomes very dry every time we wash our face. Here are some easy recipes of cleansers which will make your skin soft and healthy...

1. Oatmeal cleanser:
1 cup warm water
1/4 cup oatmeal
1 tablespoon glycerine
1 teaspoon honey

Mix all the ingredients and put it in the blender. Blend till its smooth and creamy. Put it in the clean airtight container. Take a small quantity and massage your face for 2 min. Wash off with warm water and pat dry. Recommended for dry skin.

2. Honey cleanser:
2 tablespoons any liquid soap
1/4 cup honey
1/2 cup rose water
5 drops of lemon oil optional

Mix all the ingredients well. Place it in the pump jar or any clean jar. Use it instead of face wash wash or soap. Massage into your skin for 2 min wash off with warm water. Recommended for winter use.

3. Milky cleanser:
1/2 cup plain curd
1/2 teaspoon olive oil
2 teaspoons lemon juice
1 teaspoon milk powder

Mix all the ingredients well. Take a small amount of this cleanser massage your face and neck for 5 min. Wash off with warm water.
Keep remain portion in the refrigerator.

4. Egg cleanser:
1 egg white
1/2 cup milk
1/4 cup water

Mix all the ingredients well. Apply it on your face and neck, leave it for 5 min. Massage your face and neck, wash off with warm water.

5. Cleansing oil lotion:
1 teaspoon any liquid soap
4 tablespoons water
2 tablespoons glycerine
1/2 cup light olive oil

Mix all the ingredients together in a blender until its creamy. Pour in a clean jar. Take small amount and massage your skin, wash off with water. Recommended for dry skin.

6. Lemon cleanser:
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar

Mix them all together and apply it on your face. Massage for 2 min and wash with warm water. Recommended for acne prone skin.

7. Lemon honey cleanser:
2 tablespoons honey
3 tablespoons lemon juice
1 drop of tea-tree oil optional

Mix honey, lemon juice and tea-tree oil together. Apply this on your face and neck, leave it for 10 min. Pat some water and massage for 2 min. Wash off with warm water.
Recommended for oily skin.

8. Cleansing oil for dry skin:
2 tablespoons coconut oil
10 drops of rosemary oil

Mix the oils together and apply it on your face. Wipe with the soft cotton tissue. Wash your face with warm water.

Foot care..

Taking care and pampering your feet is very simple by using some simple homemade recipes...

There are are several problems like cracked feet, black feet, dry skin, corns. To get rid of all these problems and make your feet soft try these easy and natural remedies at home....

Solutions for cracked heels:
1. Banana pack
1 ripe banana
1 tablespoon honey
1 tablespoon coconut oil

Mix all the ingredients and apply this on cracked heel for 20 min. Wash off with warm water.

2. Glycerine solution
2 tablespoons glycerine
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1 teaspoon rose water

Combine all together and apply on cracked areas. Wear thick socks. Let is sit for 2 hours. Wash off with warm water. You can leave this for long time with your socks on.

3. Neem pack
1 teaspoon turmeric powder
2 tablespoons crushed neem leaves or dried neem powder
1 tablespoon cream
10 drops peppermint oil

Mix all the ingredients to make a paste. Apply this pack on cracked heels. Wash off with warm water after 20 min.

4. Butter for cracks
2 tablespoons butter
1/2 teaspoon any talcum powder
1 pinch of soda bicarbonate
1/4 teaspoon olive oil
5 drops of lemon oil or orange oil (optional)

Whip butter with all the ingredients. Apply this on cracks. Wear thick socks and leave it overnight.

Foot soaks:
1. Milky foot soak:
1 cup milk
4 tablespoons sugar
4 tablespoons moisturizing lotion or olive/vitamin e/ almond oil
1/2 cup water

Heat water, bring it to boil then add milk. Boil milk for 5 min then add moisturizing lotion or any oil. Stir it well. Add sugar. Make a thick consistency, allow it to cool. Pour this mixture in a large bowl of warm water. Soak your feet in this soak for 30 min. Recommended for cracked heels and dry skin.

2. Oil soak
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon honey
2 pinches soda bicarbonate

Mix oil with soda and honey. Pour this in a bowl of warm water. Soak your feet for 15 min.
Recommended for black feet.

3. Creamy soak
1 tablespoon milk powder
1 tablespoon curd
1 teaspoon any liquid soap or mild shampoo

Put all the ingredients in a large warm water bowl. Soak your feet for 30 min.

Foot scrubs:
1. Strawberry scrub for legs and feet
3 tablespoons crushed strawberries
2 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons olive oil

Mix all the ingredients well. Apply this scrub on your legs and feet, massage for 5 min. Wash off with warm water. Apply rich moisturizer or body butter.

2. Avocado scrub
3 tablespoons mashed avocado
2 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon fuller's earth or any natural clay
10 drops peppermint oil

Mix all the ingredients to make a paste. Apply this scrub on feet, legs and massage for 5 min. Wrap your legs with a warm towel, leave it for 10 min, wash off with warm water.

3. Bengal gram scrub
2 tablespoons rough bengal gram powder
1 tablespoon honey
1 tablespoon olive oil or sesame oil
1 egg
Milk to make a paste.

Mix all the in ingredients and make a thick paste. Apply this scrub on your feet for 15 min. Dab some water and massage your feet. Wash off with warm water.

Foot massage oils:
1. Soothing oil
2 tablespoons olive oil
5 drops ginger oil
5 drops geranium oil

Combine these oils and warm it up little. Massage your legs with this oil.

2. Oils for cracks
2 tablespoons sesame oil
1 tablespoon camphor oil or camphor powder if oil is not available

Combine oils together. Massage your heels and feet for 10 min.Wear thick socks leave it over night.

3. Rich oil
2 tablespoons vitamin e oil
1 tablespoon olive oil

Combine oils together and warm it up little bit. Massage your legs, feet for 5 min. Wrap your legs with a warm towel. Wear socks and leave it over night.

See beautiful hands section to do pedicure at home.

Tips and daily care for feet:

- Avoid high and pencil heels. Its harmful for spine and regular use of pencil heels can change shape of thighs and hips.

- Standing for a long time or hectic work makes your feet too tired. To get rid of this, soak your feet in warm water soapy water or use any recipes given in this section.

- Use pumice stone to remove dead cells.

- Scrub your feet 2-3 times a week.

- Brush your feet with soft brush daily while having bath.

- Do exercise like brisk walking, cycling, squats and running.

- Give yourself a nice relaxing pedicure and massage once a week.

- Don't wear too tight shoes. Applying olive oil before wearing shoes can prevent corns.

- Wash your feet every time you come home and apply some lotion. Use Peppermint cooling foot lotion from The Body Shop.

- Wear thick socks or slippers at home.

Winter skin care

Winters can be very stressful for your skin because of cold wind, temperatures and heaters inside your house.

Here are some tips to care of skin to make it soft and supple..

- Drink lot of water to hydrate your skin. Instead of strong tea and coffee, drink herbal, lemon tea.

- If you are using heaters, use humidifier which will help your skin remain soft and supple.

- Use rich body butter creams like Cocoa butter, Coconut butter and Brazil nut body butter from Body Shop. These are best options for dry and extremely dry skin types.

- Massage your body with vitamin e oil. Massage your hair and face with almond oil.

- Don't stop using Sunscreen just because summers are over. Apply sunscreen lotion or creams of SPF 15 or more before going out.

- Use bath oils. Take hot water tub baths with aroma salts.
Recipe of bath salts for winters, 4 tablespoon sea salt, 1 tablespoon olive oil, 10 drops geranium oil, 5 drops lavender oil, 5 drops myrrh oil. Mix all the oils with sea salt. Add this aroma salt in running water of tub. Take a hot water tub bath.

- Don't lick your lips. Use oil based lip balms. See lip care for homemade recipes of lip balms.

- Go for a professional facial massage once month. Once a week apply homemade packs on your face and body.
Face pack recipe for winter, 1 tablespoon cream, 1 teaspoon honey. Mix cream and honey together. Apply it on your face and neck for 20 min. Wash off with warm water.
See skin care for more recipes.

- Apply rich oil based moisturizers on your face every time you wash your face.

- Exfoliate your skin with scrubs contains shea butter, almonds and vitamin e oil.

- Exercise regularly.

Body treatments...

Taking care of our body mainly contains exfoliating, soothing and relaxing.
Here i am suggesting some refreshing, revitalizing body treatments which you can do easily at home...

Treat your body from massage to exfoliation...

Massage oils:

1. Oil for winters
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon almond oil
1 tablespoon vitamin e oil
1 tablespoon avocado oil

Mix all the oils together and warm it up little bit. Massage your body with this oil. This oil is excellent for dry skin.

2. Aroma massage oil
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon avocado oil
10 drops ginger oil
5 drops eucalyptus oil
5 drops juniper oil
5 drops basil oil

Combine all oils together. Warm it up little bit. Massage your body ( specially joints, stomach).

Body packs:

1. Mud body pack
2 cups fuller's earth or any natural clay
1/2 cup curd
1/2 cup honey
3 eggs
1 cup salt water

Mix all the ingredients together. Apply this pack on your body (ask your partner to put this pack on back). Let it set for 15 min. Shower off with warm water. Apply rich moisturizer.

2. Avocado body mask
1 cup mashed avocado
1 cup fuller's earth or any natural clay
1/2 cup honey
1/2 cup water

Mix all the ingredients and make a thick paste. Apply it on your body. Let it dry for 10 min, wrap yourself with a warm towel for 10 min. Shower off with warm water. Apply rich moisturizer.
Body wrap treatments are very famous in spas for glowing skin, weight loss and cellulite removal.

3. Aroma body pack
2 cups fuller's earth or any natural clay
1/2 cup curd
5 tablespoons jojoba oil
10 drops ginger oil
5 drops lemon oil
5 drops basil oil
water to make a thick paste

Mix all the ingredients and water to form a thick paste. Apply this pack all over your body for 10 min. Wrap yourself in a warm towel or cotton sheet with the help of your partner. Relax for 10 min. Unwrap yourself and shower off with warm water.

Body scrubs:

1. Sugar body scrub
1 cup sugar ( fine)
1 cup avocado or jojoba or olive oil
10 drops of ginger oil
5 drops lemon oil.
5 tablespoons honey

Mix all the ingredients together. Use this scrub for your body.
You can use above quantity for one time use.

2. Sea salt scrub
1 cup sea salt
1/2 cup olive oil
4 tablespoon mashed avocado
5 drops vanilla oil
5 drops orange oil
3 tablespoons honey

Mix all the ingredients together. Massage this scrub on your back, legs. This removes dead skin.