A lot of the tips make use of items you can find in your kitchen. That’s cost-saving already, don’t you think?
1. To cleanse your nose properly, you need to cover the sides, stem, grooves and tip. If the skin on your nose is oily or congested, wrap a flannel around your index finger, lubricate it with a mild soap, oatmeal scrub or a mild commercial exfoliant and, using small circular movements, go over the entire nose twice.
2. One of the oldest and gentlest methods of cleansing the skin is oil; it is particularly good for mature skins. Apply a light film of almond or sunflower oil all over your neck and face (including your eyelids) and rub in gently. Leave for up to a minute and remove with dampened cotton wool or a facial sponge.
3. The tendency to over-moisturise undermines the skin’s capacity to keep itself taut. Allow yourself to be guided by the changing condition of your skin – and don’t be frightened to leave it bare occasionally.
4. Get into the habit of applying oil or cream to slightly damp skin – night and morning – as this helps to ‘lock in’ valuable extra moisture.
5. Take care not to pull or drag the skin around the eyes when applying or removing make-up as this can hasten the arrival of premature wrinkles.
6. To keep your eyes white and bright, apply cold milk to your eyelids with cotton wool each morning like a toner.
7. Never use a toner on the eyes: simply splash your eyes with cold water after cleansing, which will also invigorate the circulation.
8. Don’t fall into the trap of slathering your eyes with a super-rich cream to replace lost moisture and restore suppleness, as this will simply overtax the delicate eye tissue and do nothing to enhance your eyes.
9. To boost the circulation and lift dead skin, massage your lips from time to time with a soft toothbrush.
10. Invigorate your gums with a salt rub, which will leave your mouth feeling thoroughly refreshed.
11. By massaging along your jawline, you can prevent stagnation occurring and release a lot of the tension held in this part of the face, which can otherwise lead to headaches and dental problems.
12. Cleanse your neck night and morning in the same way as your face, starting at the collarbones and working up to the jawline.
13. Apply a rich moisturising cream to your neck at night, and a moisturiser combined with sunscreen during the day. Do not forget to include the sides of your neck and the area around your collarbones.
14. Apply handcream whenever your hands have come into contact with water and always last-thing at night – glycerine-based hand creams are non-greasy and help to rehydrate the skin.
15. Moisturise the fine skin on your breasts regularly. Using the palms of your hands, apply almond oil or body lotion, moving upwards around the breast, lifting each one gently so that you can massage the underside, and sweeping up into your armpits. This helps to clear toxins from the breast tissue while assisting the firming process.
16. If you want a good night’s sleep, avoid eating protein-rich foods after 6 pm: they take much longer to digest. Try to eat your evening meal before 7 pm.
17. If your hair is looking limp and dull, oil the hair with coconut oil – comb a small amount through your hair, from roots to ends, and leave overnight for a glossy head of hair.
18. To treat dandruff, mix one egg yolk with a squirt of lime juice and a few drops of camphor and apply to your scalp for ten minutes. This will reintroduce missing protein to your scalp. Rinse with warm water.
19. To keep the skin around the jawline clear of spots, pinch and draw the jawline in the direction of your earlobe, where there is a lymph gland waiting to filter out toxins – do this exercise two or three times a day until the skin is improved, then once a week to keep skin clear.
20. If the skin on your cheeks is prone to dryness, use a gentle, cream-based cleanser and wash it off with a damp natural sponge or cotton wool pad.
21. To avoid rings of lighter skin around the neck, always hold yourself as tall and straight as you can and extend your neck to its maximum length.
22. To prevent the build-up of facial hair, from an early age rub the affected skin gently with a towel/face cloth or bleach with lemon juice (Edit: to be honest, I’m not too sure about this. Bleach is very strong, especially to the skin. If you still would like to try it out, please use a minimal amount of bleach. Lemon juice is also very acidic; use sparingly).
23. To soothe puffy eyes, soak black tea bags in warm water (or, if you prefer, cotton balls dipped in witch hazel) and place upon your closed eyes for 15 minutes.
24. Droopy eyes are caused by a lack of muscle tone in the upper eyelid, combined with the downward force of gravity. If massaged regularly over a period of time, it is possible to regain some degree of tone.
25. Cracking of the skin on the lips is caused by dehydration – resist the desire to lick dry lips for temporary relief as this only makes them dryer still.
26. To treat loose skin around the neck, gently stimulate the area using the palms of your hands in a sweeping action, and nourish the skin with almond oil. Repeat night and morning.
27. If the muscles in your arms feel weak and tired, using upward strokes, rub olive or almond oil into the skin of your forearm after your bath or before you go to bed. Continue for three minutes.
28. Exfoliate your buttocks at bath times using a mildly abrasive mitt, lubricated with a squirt of bath gel. This will remove dead cells and help to even out the skin’s pigments. Moisturise well afterwards.
29. When using eyeliner, draw the line as close to your eyelashes as possible, top and bottom; if you like, gently smudge the line if you wish to soften the effect.
30. When applying eyeshadow, apply the colour thinly and gradually, darkest along the lid and at the outer corner of the eyes.
31. For a natural glow, apply a touch of cream blusher to well-moisturised cheeks.
Source: iVillage
I bought a book Bharti Vyas years ago, not sure if I still have it or not.
One of my fav. things for the skin is Bicarbonate of soda as it gives a really deep but gentle clean. You can also use it on your hair.
April: Oh I gotta try that then. Hope it’s not too strong though.