You can find all you need for skin care in the food section of a good grocery store, and pay a lot less than if you bought a fancy bottle of lotion. Here’s a list of items you want in your skin care larder, depending on skin type.
- apple cider vinegar
- oatmeal (look for the good coarse stuff in the bulk buy section)
- flax seeds (bulk buy)
- eggs
- honey
Other ingredients include fresh avocado and cucumber, for occasional use when in season. You will want a coffee grinder to grind the ingredients for the exfoliant and face pack. I am recommending flax seeds because flax oil is expensive and has a short shelf life. The seeds keep for a while, especially if refrigerated.
Exfoliate your skin once a week
Exfoliating removes the dead skin cells to expose the fresh new skin underneath. Your skin produces a whole new layer every 28 days, not every day, so you only need to scrub the old cells off once a week. Less often if you prefer. Grind a teaspoonful of oatmeal and one of flax seeds in the coffee grinder until fine and mix with bottled or boiled (not boiling) water to a wet paste.
Scoop some of the paste with your fingertips and rub onto your face with a circular motion. Be gentle and avoid the soft skin around your eyes. Depending on your skin type you’ll want to use more or less of each ingredient. If you have dry skin try just the flax seeds, for oily skin the oatmeal can be used alone.
You can wipe cucumber slices over your face for a minute before using the exfoliant if it has been a while since you did a scrub. The mild acid helps to release the skin cells
Soothing face pack
For oily skin try the white of an egg mixed with 2 teaspoons of ground oatmeal. You can also mix it with yoghurt or water and add a teaspoonful of apple cider vinegar. Leave on for about 15 minutes.
For normal or dry skin mix ground flax seeds with a teaspoon of honey and enough hot water to form a smooth paste. Leave on for ten minutes.
If avocados are in season , mash a spoonful with ground oatmeal and add a spoonful of apple cider vinegar. Use water if necessary to get a paste. Leave on for 10 minutes.
Your skin is what you eat
Flax seeds have Omega 3 fatty acid and are beneficial to every cell in your body, and will really help your skin glow. Add some ground flax seeds to a banana milkshake and drink it while you wait for the face pack to work its magic. If you have high cholesterol add oat bran too, but drink it quickly, before it thickens. Oat bran and flax seeds help strip cholesterol.
Sally Anne Lewis - Sally has master's degrees in science and journalism, is fascinated to a degree in most things. Always something to learn.
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