Natural Beauty Treatments Good Enough to Eat

Cleopatra, the legendary Queen of Egypt was renowned for her exquisite complexion. She of course lived in a time when only plants, fruits and other natural ingredients like milk and honey were used to create beauty treatments. Our diet can also be a major contributor to our complexion, with that old adage – ‘you are what you eat’ now being supported by more and more scientific research.

The naturally occurring beneficial properties of plants are abundant. Everything from preventative anti-ageing for your skin to diminished wrinkles and even hair care possible with just a few simple ingredients that you’ve probably got sitting in your fridge or pantry. What you’re putting on your skin will also have positive effects if eaten as well.

As the warmer weather approaches, swimsuits and summer dresses mean we’ll be showing a little more skin. Now is a great time to kick-start your natural skincare regime with some easy to make and super effective completely natural beauty treatments.

Face

Normal to Dry Skin Mask – to Moisturise, Tone & Smooth
½ Avocado
1 Egg
1 tsp Mayonnaise
1 tsp Honey
1 tsp Baking Soda

Everything, except the Honey & Baking Soda goes into a food processor or mix with a fork. Then add Honey and stir by hand, then Baking Soda. Apply to face and neck, using the entire amount at once and leave for 20 minutes. Use warm water to remove.

Oily Skin Mask – to Tone & Matify
1 Egg White
¼ tsp Lemon Juice

Whisk Egg White, then add Lemon Juice. Apply to cleansed skin and leave for 10 minutes. You’ll feel your skin tighten during that time – that means it’s working. Remove with warm water.

Luscious Lips – to Smooth Wrinkles and Plump Lips

Mash ¼ Papaya/Paw Paw

You’ll need to lie down for this one. Apply mashed Papaya to lips and surrounding skin, leave for 10 minutes and wash off with warm water.

After Sun Care

Organic Green Tea
Cotton Balls
Aloe Vera Plant or Pure Aloe Gel

Make up a big pot of Organic Green Tea and allow it to cool in the fridge. Soak cotton balls in the ice-cold tea and dab onto sunburnt skin. Once skin has cooled a little, apply Aloe Vera direct from the plant or pure Aloe Gel (keep in the fridge too.)

Hands

Deep Moisturising Mask – Don’t let the back of your hands give away your age!

½ Avocado
1 tbsp Lemon Juice
1 tbsp Honey

Mash ingredients together and apply to the backs of your hands. Leave for 20 minutes and then remove with warm water.

Hair

Treatment for Dry, Damaged or Coloured Hair

1 Ripe Banana
2 tbsp Coconut Milk (or 1 tbsp Olive Oil)

Mix a ripe Banana with either 2 tablespoons of Coconut Milk or 1 tablespoon of Olive Oil. Use it like you would a conditioning mask. Wrap your hair up in cling film and a hot towel for 15 minutes. Rinse and then shampoo and condition as usual.

Oily Hair Treatment

Make a pot of Mint Tea (using tea bags or a handful of mint from the garden) and allow it to cool. Wash & Condition Hair as usual. Use as final rinse to give oily hair a nice shine.

You are what you Eat!

Antioxidants in our foods are what many believe to be the answer to ageing and disease. Antioxidants protect the body from damage caused by harmful molecules called free radicals. You can take one of the many preparations that contain high levels of Antioxidants or you can simply get these from your food by making a few good choices.

Raspberries, Blueberries, Strawberries, Blackberries, Cranberries, Apples, Peaches, Mangos and melons are the tops scorers in Antioxidant levels. A few blueberries or strawberries on your cereal and an apple for afternoon tea will increase your levels as much as many of the preparations available.

In 2001, Monash University, Melbourne began a study where researchers analysed the diets of 453 people (aged 70 years and over from Australia, Greece and Sweden) to determine the correlation between the consumption of certain types of foods and skin wrinkling. The overall finding was that a low-glycemic diet high in varied fruits, vegetables, nuts, legumes and fish was associated with less skin wrinkling.

The foods they found to have less correlation with skin wrinkling were:

Mono-unsaturated fat
Olive oil and olives Fish (especially fatty fish, such as sardines)
Reduced fat milk and milk products, such as yogurt
Nuts and legumes (especially lima and broad beans)
Vegetables (especially leafy greens, spinach, eggplant, asparagus, celery, onions, leeks and garlic)
Wholegrain cereals
Fruit and fruit products (especially prunes, cherries, apples and jams)
Water
Zinc (foods which contain zinc include seafood, lean meat, milk and nuts)

The foods they found to have more correlation with skin wrinkling were:

Saturated fat
Meat (especially fatty processed meats)
Full fat dairy products (especially non-fermented products and ice cream)
Soft drinks and cordials
Cakes, pastries and desserts
Potatoes
Butter
Margarine