HERBAL HOMEMADE BODY WRAP
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METHOD:
To make a herbal body wrap, make some herbal tea - organic chamomile tea is great for body wraps. Fill your sink with hot, strong herbal tea and soak an old sheet in the tea. Wring out as much tea as you can and then wrap the hot sheet around your body, leaving your head and arms uncovered.
Wrap enough plastic wrap around the sheet to hold it in place. The wrap should be firm enough to keep the sheet against your body, but not so tight that it's constricting in any way.
Lie down on the old towels you placed on your air mattress or in the bath tub and wrap these around the plastic wrap as well. Set a timer for 20 minutes and then simply relax while the body wrap does its work. Remember to take regular sips of water during your wrap.
When your 20 minutes is up, unwrap yourself and rinse off in a warm shower.

Lets look at Lips!!

8.5 million lipsticks were sold in Australia last year.

Lipsticks are the most popular cosmetic, used by an amazing 88% of all women.

Of women that wear lipstick, and that’s nearly all of them, 47% own seven or more shades.

Lipstick is most often purchased on impulse as fee good item, in fact lipstick sales went up after sept 11th. The economy in general may have been depressed but woman were out there giving themselves and easily accessible treat.

Beige / Brown is the most popular lip colour.

The above statistics are all fascinating facts sure to be hot dinner party conversation……

Lipstick Tips

FOR VERY DARK OR BRIGHT COLOURS

Try applying your matching lip liner after lipstick. The colour will stay put this way, and create a clean line.

FOR A FRESH, SHEER LOOK from your stronger or more intense lipstick colours apply a layer of lip tint underneath your lipstick, instead of on top.

WANT TO GLISTEN

Apply Lip Tint by itself – no lip liner

LIPS LOOK TIRED

Red isn’t always the best wake-up call for lips. Try a subtle neutral colour and add some Lip Tint.

LIP LINER PENCILS

Never go more than half a shade darker than your lipstick when choosing lip liner. A darker line around the lips will tend to make the lips recede.

LOOKING FOR A POUT

Glass will always make the lips look fuller. A little Lip Tint, or white Eye definer in the middle of the lips will emphasise the pout.

THICKEN THIN LIPS

Always keep your lips well moisturised and avoid dark, matte colours. Use a lip pencil to line the lips just outside your natural lip line.

I would love to hear your thoughts on how lipsticks work for you and how many you own!

Homemade body scrub recipes you can make at home with simple sugar and salt ingredients. - Perfect for skin exfoliation

Body scrubs have always been a beauty must. Cleopatra's slaves rubbed her down with granulated honey and myrrh, an upscale version of the scrubs of pumice, barley hulls and goat's milk used by lesser Egyptians of the day. Body scrubs have proliferated lately, with recipes including grains, nut shells, sea shells, salts and other minerals scrape-scrape-scraping away the layers and leaving fresh, new skin behind.



It is so simple to make your own body scrub
You may have noticed that you're paying a lot of dough for a handful of scrub. Read the ingredients: you're paying for sexy packaging! Most scrubs contain salt, sugar or nut shells and you can buy any of those things for well under fifty cents a pound. But the seven ounce coconut scrub from The Body Shop sells for $17. How long does it take to use up less than one cup of body scrub? Not long!

You choose the natural ingredients to exfoliate
Make your own body polish! Choose your favorite fragrances, control the granularity of the scrub, avoid ingredients that you may be allergic to, and create a big potful of body polish with about $10 worth of ingredients. Or you can make a cupful for under a dollar and decide if you like the recipe. It's a breeze: you'll need a spoon, a bowl, and a container for storage.

Sugar as the Exfoliating Ingredient
Try it sweet. Sugar isn't as harsh as ground nut shells: it melts fast when it hits moisture, so if your skin is delicate, you're probably not going to over-scrub it. The other benefit is the fact that sugar, unlike pumice, ground shells and other insoluble ingredients, will melt instead of sticking in your bathtub drains. Here's what you need to make a large batch:


Homemade Sugar Body Scrub Recipe
8 Cups turbinado (raw) or light brown sugar
1 ½ to 2 Cups avocado, untoasted sesame oil or jojoba oil
½ to 1 Cup apricot or peach kernel oil
essential oil (we used ginger and vanilla)
honey for smoothing the texture

If you use turbinado, you will probably want more oil because turbinado has a coarser texture than light brown sugar. Turbinado, being a specialty ingredient, also costs a lot more than brown sugar. You can use either form of sugar, just make sure that with the brown sugar, you're keeping a careful eye on the liquid ingredients so your scrub doesn't dissolve into a thin paste. Use honey only if you find your scrub is too dry, or just increase the amount of oil you use instead. Mix oils into the sugar slowly, stirring to keep the consistency smooth, and stop when you can form the mixture into a slightly wet ball without it dripping through your fingers. Add the essential oils last: they are for fragrance, not moisture, and you'll only need a few drops—maybe eight—to get the aroma strong enough. Never use "fragrance oils"—they are chemical fakes that have never been near a plant and can cause irritation or even allergic symptoms. Instead, make sure to use essential oils, which are the true plant oils expressed by pressing or by steam distillation from the actual plants. Before choosing an essential oil, make sure that it is considered to be good for the skin—some essential oils are irritants and are meant for other purposes. Some skin friendly oils include rose, rosemary, lemon, mandarin, lavender and chamomile.


Salt to exfoliate your skin
Salt recipe. In this body scrub, you can substitute 8 cups of coarse or kosher salt for the sugar in the recipe above. The nice thing about do it yourself scrubs is that you can then vary the ingredients to make your own favorite scents. Instead of essential oils, you may decide to add cocoa or coffee for a chocolate or mocha body scrub. Add vanilla; your scrub will smell fantastic. Here's how:


Salt Scrub Recipe
8 Cups coarse pickling or Kosher salt.
2 Cups avocado, untoasted sesame oil or jojoba oil
1 Cup apricot or peach kernel oil
1 Cup unsweetened cocoa or ¼ Cup freeze dried coffee crystals
2 Tablespoons vanilla extract
honey for smoothing the texture

When you make your own scrubs, you can afford to use the best ingredients. Add a handful of ground dried white tea leaves to your body scrub and follow it up with natural cucumber extract for a soothing, summery fragrance. With some practice, you'll understand how to make practically any scrub you want. And they make terrific gifts: buy some pretty jars and labels and package your own recipes for your friends!

Treatments for Preventing and Healing Dry, Cracked Feet & Heels

It’s the end of your day and as you remove your shoes you are once again met with dry cracked feet. They not only feel scaly and painful, but they also look like you’ve been walking on razor blades! No matter how rough and callous your feet currently are, this does not have to be the fate of your feet forever. There are five steps you can follow to learn how to heal your dry cracked feet and prevent them from drying out in the future.

Treatment for Dry Cracked Feet
The first step for at-home treatment is to wash or soak your feet everyday in lukewarm water and a mild soap. You can add a soothing foot product to help condition your feet if you choose. Dr. Scholl’s and Burt’s Bees offer great medicated moisturizing products. However, if you’d rather use items from the kitchen, mixing one cup of honey with a gallon of water and soaking ten to fifteen minutes can drastically improve the moisture in the skin. Honey is also a natural antiseptic and is a safe cure for cracked or bleeding skin. Be careful not to use the pumice stone too vigorously on your cracked feet as it may make them worse.
Second, you’ll need to dry your feet well. Pay close attention to the skin in between the toes. If this area is not dried properly it can create a breeding ground for bacteria and lead to infection. Pat the feet and do not rub harshly or you can cause more damage!

Next, apply a foot cream, lotion or foot ointment. There are many lotions available offering moisturizers such as Vitamin E, shea butter, aloe and more. These are often helpful for dry, but not severely dry skin. Podiatrists and diabetic specialists often recommend a foot cream such as O’Keeffe’s working feet cream. This cream is not greasy, hypoallergenic, has no odor and contains no oil or alcohol. It helps replenish the skin with glycerin and protect the skin with paraffin. These ingredients help to sooth, hydrate and repair the skin tissue of the feet.


Try a Home Remedy
There are also home remedies available which are said to soothe. For instance, mixing baby lotion with spearmint and eucalyptus oil is a known remedy. It is said to create a “super lotion” which sooths, heals and smells fresh. Other natural remedy moisturizers include almond oil, avocado oil, jojoba oil and coconut milk. You can try the moisturizer of your choice to see which works best for you.
The fourth step requires you to put on clean, white cotton socks. The cotton helps to whisk away moisture while the colorless material prevents any dyes from irritating the skin. Many people choose to put their socks on at bedtime and wear them overnight for enhanced moisturizing. When you wake up your feet will feel as if you got a spa pedicure overnight!

Finally, be sure to check your feet everyday. Look for cuts or blisters and treat them promptly. Keeping your feet clean and applying moisturizer is an excellent way to care for your feet. You can also insure foot health by eating a diet rich in Vitamin A, which promotes skin health. Foods such as carrots, sweet potatoes, kale, spinach and pumpkin are all excellent sources.

In addition to the foods you eat, the amount of water you drink is important as well. Drinking six to eight glasses of water can help to keep your skin, soft and subtle naturally. The main causes for severe dry skin or xerosis (as it is known medically) is often dehydration, Vitamin A deficiency or diabetes. You do not have to suffer from dry cracked feet or feet fissures! Simply follow the steps above and you’ll be kicking up your heels with happiness.

How to Get Rid of Scars on Legs

Scars can be incredibly difficult to remove. To remove or greatly reduce the appearance of a leg scar most effectively, treat it immediately. You can treat scars in many different ways: For best results, try store-purchased products (ointments, creams and patches), herbal remedies or surgical procedures.

Instructions


Step 1 Apply cocoa butter, one of the most inexpensive scar remedies, to your legs. Available in a variety of different formulas, cocoa butter promotes elasticity and moisture retention in the skin. Apply cocoa butter to leg scars several times daily in a massaging motion. Repeat this process until the scars are no longer visible.

Step 2 Apply Mederma gel to leg scars. Mederma, a topical gel, is highly effective at removing new and old leg scars resulting from burns, acne, surgery or injuries. Onion extract, one of the main ingredients in Mederna, acts as an anti-inflammatory agent, regulating the formation of collagen in a scar. Massage mederma on leg scars 3 or 4 times daily for up to 6 months.

Step 3 Vitamin E plays a very important role in general skin care. Massage a Vitamin E--enriched lotion onto your leg scar several times a day. Continuous massage helps break down scar tissue, while Vitamin E encourages collagen production in the skin. You can purchase vitamin E in liquid form and massage it onto your skin.

Step 4 Get microdermabrasion treatments. Microdermabrasion, in which you spray tiny crystals over the scarred skin area, can drastically improve most leg scarring. It's a nonsurgical procedure that works on all skin types and complexions without leaving scars or skin discoloration. Skin typically recovers within 24 hours. This gentle abrasion technique removes the damaged outer layer of skin and exfoliates and rejuvenates the skin.

You can either purchase Microdermabrasion systems and kits for use in your home or receive the treatments at a doctor's office or spa. Microdermabrasion works best on superficial leg scarring.

Step 5 Use silicone. Silicone, available in sheets or as a gel, is especially effective for thick leg scars. Apply the silicone gel and sheets to the affected area for a minimum of 12 hours each day. Over time, you will notice that scars have become flatter, lighter and less noticeable.

How to Keep your Belly Button Clean All Year Long

Belly button is an exceptional feature of a female body, and is considered an object of sexual appeal in many cultures. Keeping the navel area clean is just as important as washing hands or feet. If your belly button is pierced, it is essential to clean the skin and navel accessories regularly. By following these easy steps, you can have a healthy looking belly button all year long.

Instructions

Things You'll Need:
Wash cloth or Tissues,
Cotton Swabs,
Vitamin E Oil,
Moisturizing Lotion.

Step 1
After shower using washcloth, clean your belly button inside out with soap & water.

Step 2
Wipe the area with a dry cloth or tissue.

Step 3
Slightly soak a cotton swab in Vitamin E oil.

Step 4
Gently rub the belly button skin using the swab - inside and outside.

Step 5
Keep your hand pressure firm on the swab. You don't want to rub your skin too hard.

Step 6
Once you see your belly button looking clean, wipe off the oil with a cloth

Step 7
Gently massage the belly button with a moisturizing lotion.


Tips & Warnings

Your belly button skin is sensitive, be gentle when you clean.

If you wear navel piercing, clean the piercing mark and accessories with rubbing alcohol regularly.

DO NOT USE sharp objects and/or instruments to clean your belly button.

Contact your doctor if your skin gets allergic reaction - example: Itchiness, inflamed red spots.

How to exfoliate your skin

Get smooth glowing skin

Exfoliation removes dead skin cells, leaving your skin radiant and smooth. Whether it's bikini season or you just want soft, clean skin, exfoliating from head to toe will get you glowing.

Many women exfoliate their faces but forget about other body parts. As the weather heats up and you get bikini-ready, you should exfoliate all over. Exfoliation is also important before applying tanning products or when rejuvenating winter-weary skin.

Items you need for exfoliation

Exfoliating cleanser
Loofah, body brush or exfoliating gloves
Pumice stone
Body lotion

How to exfoliate

1. Before stepping into the shower, brush your dry skin with your loofah, body brush or exfoliating gloves. This will help remove the loose skin and prepare your skin for the exfoliating process. Begin with the soles of your feet, working your way up your body.

2. Get into the shower and wet your body from head to toe. Don't exfoliate your skin if you are sunburned or have any open cuts or wounds.

3. Use a pumice stone on your feet to eliminate rough spots and calluses. If your feet are extremely rough, soak them in a basin of warm water mixed with a cup of milk for 30 minutes before getting into the shower.

4. Apply your exfoliating cleanser to your loofah or gloves. Begin scrubbing your body in a circular motion starting with the bottoms of your feet and working your way up. When you reach the bikini area, don't scrub too hard because the skin is very sensitive.

5. Use a body brush to exfoliate your back and other hard-to-reach places.

6. Be gentle on your face, particularly around your eyes and mouth. Use an exfoliating product especially formulated for the face, which is gentler than products designed to be used on the body.

7. Don't forget about your hands. You want them to look and feel soft and smooth too!

8. Rinse your body with lukewarm water, follow by the coldest water you can stand. Apply a shower gel to soften your skin, if you'd like.

9. After stepping out of the shower, apply a moisturizing body lotion all over. Body lotions and facial moisturizers containing alpha or beta hydroxy acids are ideal choices because these acids contine to remove dead skin cells.

10. Use body moisturizer once a day. Exfoliation is drying to the skin, so you must keep your skin hydrated.

Exfoliating products
Select exfoliating cleansers that contain sea salt, sugar, ground almonds, walnuts, seeds or other grainy components.

Exfoliating once or twice a week is usually enough to achieve silky skin; however, women with oily skin should exfoliate more often than those with dry skin. If your skin become excessively dry or irritated after exfoliation, don't scrub so hard. Cut back on how often you exfoliate, and explore the possibility that you may be allergic to the products you used.