If your life style has taken away your healthful glow, there are a number of herbal potions that can provide temporary relief. One is an ancient remedy called “Virgin’s Milk.” to make it, combine seven drops of tincture of benzoic and two drops of rose water with one cup of water. After washing your face, and before moisturizing, rub your skin with the mixture, and you will see it begin to glow. Keep this mixture in the refrigerator, where it will last for about five days.
You can also use leftover black tea in the same way, rubbing it into the skin after washing and before moisturizing. Yarrow tea works equally well. These remedies do not provide the same glow as Virgin’s Milk, but the tannin temporarily tightens up the skin.
Another facial revitalizer is a mask made of powdered clay and brewed peppermint tea. To try it, buy bentonite and kaolin clays at your local health food store. Combine a handful of each in a bowl and pour on enough brewed mint tea to make a paste. Press the mask on clean skin and relax until it is dry. Rinse the mask away with warm water then apply a toner and moisturizer. Even better, rinse the mask away with a tea made of the herb Saint-John’s wort. To make it, boil a handful of fresh leaves and flowers in four cups of water for three minutes. Steep, covered, for five minutes more, then cool. Strain and rinse your face. For convenience, you can make the rinse ahead and stash it in the refrigerator for up to five days.
You might want to treat your face to an oatmeal and chamomile mask, to tighten pores and refresh your complexion. To try it, grind half a cup of rolled oats in a blender or processor until very finely ground. Do not skimp on the grinding or the mask will be a mess to apply. Mix the oats with enough brewed chamomile tea to make a paste that will spread easily over the skin. Cleanse your face and neck, then splash on warm water to open your pores. Press on the mask, then lie back and relax until it is dry. Rinse off the mask, splash your skin with a toner, and apply a moisturizer while your skin is still damp. For a dry skin variation, add a tablespoon of organically grown dried rose petals to the chamomile tea when you are brewing it. If you do not have rose petals, stir half a teaspoon of rose water into the brewed tea. For oily skin, add a tablespoon of cider vinegar to the tea before mixing it with the oats. Or add a tablespoon of fresh or dried lemongrass to the tea when you are brewing it.
Which ever method you choose to use, your skin with look and feel better within a matter of days.
