Springtime is here and that means lots more reasons to leave the house. And who wants to do that with less than healthy looking skin? A winter indoors can leave your face dry, pale and tired. But no need to splurge on an expensive spa day; you can refresh your skin with simple home facial treatments. In fact, you may have these ingredients in your kitchen.
Balancing Mask
Honey and vinegar heal and bring deep moisture to the skin. The combination can balance out the skin's pH that the artificial heat indoors and blustery cold winter weather outdoors may have thrown off over the last season. Mix two parts honey with one part apple cider vinegar until blended. Dab on with a cotton ball covering face and neck. Leave on 20 minutes before rinsing with cool water. For best results, use a raw, wild honey and an organic apple cider vinegar that still contains "the mother".
Read more about the health benefits of apple cider vinegar
Herbal Facial Steam
Facial steams are incredibly effective at pulling out toxins and impurities from the skin. Your face will feel immediately fresh and invigorated as pores tighten and skin glows. If you're suffering with severe skin issues such as harsh eczema, acne breakouts or psoriasis, steam may aggravate those conditions. To soothe lightly damaged, winter-tired skin, try a simple herbal steam as follows: mix 1/3 cup dried lavender blossoms, 1/3 cup dried calendula blossoms, 2 tablespoons dried rosemary and 2-3 drops of geranium essential oil and 1-2 drops eucalyptus oil into a large pot of 2-3 cups boiling water. Remove the mixture from the stove and set on a surface you'll be able to lean over such as a table or desk. Cover the pot and let the mixture steep for about 3-5 minutes. Add more hot water if it has become too cool. Drape a thick towel over your head and the pot so that the steam is trapped in a tent-like fashion. The herbs will help to purify and tone the skin (the eucalyptus and rosemary will also help open your lungs as an added bonus, so breathe deep!). Take breaks as needed, keeping the pot covered. Try to steam for 10-15 minutes for best results.
Read more about baths for relaxation
Moisturizing Oil Treatment
While we often think of oil as bad for the skin, particularly if ours is already oil-prone, oil treatments are actually quite healthy for glowing skin. Most of us strip away the skin's delicate oils with daily washing. Exposure to the elements can also upset our skin's natural oils, which are needed to keep skin looking young and healthy. Replenishing the moisturizing ability of the skin's oils with plant oils can bring great balance and glow to your skin. I recommend using an oil treatment weekly, if not daily. If making your own is too difficult, skip the creamy moisturizers and look for oil blends for your skin. But try this one now! 1/3 cup jojoba oil, 1/3 cup argan or apricot kernel oil, 1 teaspoon tamanu oil, 1 teaspoon sea buckthorn oil, 15 drops lavender essential oil and 10 drops rose essential oil. Mix all well and store in a dark glass bottle. Dab on with fingers or cotton balls and leave on the face.
Image: Nick-K
