What can I do for Lines and Wrinkles?

Once you have lines and wrinkles, you can get rid of them only by plastic surgery. Massage and facial exer­cises can help prevent lines (but it cannot remove the old ones already on the face). By toning up the muscles and nourishing it, you can get rid of lines and wrinkles. There are several basic movements of massage such as stroking, vibrating, pressing, kneading, pinching, squeezing, percus­sion. rapping, patting and clapping.

Remember, whether you have lumpy, flabby, withered or sallow skin or wrinkles, your face can regain the ap­pearance of youth under the action of your own fingers. But you must help your daily self massage by thorough daily hygiene and a sensible diet. Lines and wrinkles usually appear on the forehead, temples, eyes, nose, cheeks, mouth and chin. Massage routine need only take a quarter of an hour. It keeps the muscles of the face and neck firm, forestalls the appearance of wrinkles and ugly concentrations of fat. stimulates the circulation and induces complete relaxation of the face.

To ensure these results, the self-massage must be as follows:

1. Toning, by means of rapid and energetic movements.

2. Calming, by means of slow and relaxing movements.

The best time to self-massage your face is at night before going to bed. Your features will feel more relaxed when you get up the following morning and your day-time make-up will look better. Before starting your self-massage, apply a vitamin cream (massage cream) to your face but not too thick. Allow your hand to run smoothly over your skin. To refine features which have a tendency to plump­ness use a slimming cream.

Homemade Herbal Skin Tonics Recipes for Toning

Here are a few Skin tonics recipes which are easy and quick to make. Try them and give your comments.

Rose Water Skin Tonic
It is one of the oldest skin-fresheners discovered by an Arabian dermatologist in the tenth century. Rose water is available at a chemist, but it is very easy to make on your own too. Mix rose essence in water and shake thoroughly. Two tablespoons essence of roses is sufficient for 4 ½ liters purified water.

Gypsy Rose Water Skin Tonic
Take 2 handfuls of dark, scented rose petals and put them into a jar or a wide topped bottle. Now put 1 liter of water and 200 gms. of sugar into the bottle or jar. Keep this mixture for 2 hours, shake again, then strain and store it in a cool place.

Rose Water and Witch-Hazel Tonic
This is the most famous home-made skin tonic of all. To make this lotion simply mix 3/4 cup rosewater and cup witch-hazel. If you have a very greasy skin you can use equal proportions of rose water and witch-haze1.

Flower and Herb Tonic
Mix 2 tablespoons of dried herbs or flowers or 3 handfuls of fresh ones to a pint of water. Pour the boiling water over the herbs and cover the pan to prevent steam from being lost. Let the herbs steep for a couple of hours. Strain and bottle.

Marigold Skin Tonic
Marigolds are known for their healing properties. Use either fresh or dried flowers to make this skin tonic. Mix 2 tablespoons of dried flower or 3 handfuls of fresh ones to a pint of water. Now add 2 tablespoons of witch-hazel. It is good especially for a greasy and spotty skin.

Hollyhock Skin Tonic
Put 3 tablespoons of hollyhock leaves into half a pint of boiling water. Cover and simmer gently for five minutes. Leave to stand for half an hour, then strain and it is ready for use. Many other flowers and leaves such as lilac, gera­nium, honey suckle, lime flowers, lavender anti dandelions can also be used in the same way to freshen and cure sallowness of the skin.

Elder Flower Water
Wash about a handful of elder flowers and mix 6 tablespoons of boiling water into a large jar. Let them steep overnight, and strain it the next day. In case you have dried flowers, use only 2 tablespoons.

Herbal Tonics for Toning

Always follow your cleansing routine by toning your skin with a mild skin freshener or with a medium stren­gth skin tonic. Toning removes greasiness remaining from cleansing preparations, closes pores, refines the skin and if you intend to make-up, it leaves a smooth clean texture which will hold the foundation and powder for long.

Basically skin tonics freshen the skin. The cheapest toner is simply to splash your face with cold water. Skin tonics are generally composed of infusions of herbs, flowers, vinegar, rosewater and witch-hazel. Stronger skin tonics or astringents dry the skin removing all traces of oil on the skin. They are suitable for greasy skins. A void using very strong astringents for any type of skin, as the harsh action of the alcohol toughens and coarsens the skin and prevents it from functioning normally.

Normally you should use your tonic or astringent with a piece of cotton wool, but if your skin is looking sluggish, pat it on with a brisk slapping movement. Toning stimu­lates the blood supply to the skin. Moisten folded cotton wool with your skin tonic and pat on the cheeks, the neck and chin. A void any areas with broken veins.

Special Massage for a Bride

Here is a special recipe for brides to be used daily at the time of bath for ten days before marriage. The following ingredients are mixed to a paste and rubbed thoroughly. They cleanse and stimulate the skin leaving it soft and shiny.

1 tablespoon dried, ground and sieved orange peel
1 tablespoon dried, ground and sieved lemon peel
2 tablespoons ground almond
a pinch of salt
4 tablespoons wheat germ flour
1 tablespoon ground thyme
a pinch of ground allspice
almond oil sufficient to make a paste
a few drops of jasmine oil (to perfume)

Homemade Bath Recipes

Every woman owes herself a little time each day to spend over her body. The easiest and the least time-consuming way to achieve it is to combine yourself a 'body beautiful' treat­ment with your bath. Choose a time at least once a week when you are likely to be undisturbed for about 30 minutes and enjoy a real beauty bath.

Take off your clothes, get into the bath and relax com­pletely for a few minutes. Now clean the upper part of your body (with soap or scrub). Rub every part of your body except breasts with the friction mitt. Pay particular attention to your neck which is the most neglected area of your body. Give care to your upper arms, elbows and shoulders too. Towel your body dry by patting and rubbing it very gently. After your bath, relax on your bed for a few minutes before making up and dressing. There are many ways of bathing, which can be easily and usefully adopted.

Milk Bath:
Cleopatra bathed in asses' milk and So also did Poppaca, the wife of Nero. Now-a-days it is unlikely that anyone could or would use milk for bathing, but you can emulate it by simply adding a handful of powdered milk to the bath water.

Soft-Water Bath:
Use of rain-water is very beneficial. If you cannot get rain-water, soften the bath water by simply adding a little sodium sesqui carbonate.

Vinegar Bath:
If you have an itchy, dry skin, add a cup of vinegar to the bath water. This is very effective.

Bran or Oatmeal Bath:
Oatmeal and bran contain oils and vegetable hormones which soothe and soften the skin. Use one tablespoon of oatmeal in the bath.

Honey Bath:
Add a spoonful of honey to your bath, it will not only relieve tiredness and sleeplessness, but will also leave the skin feeling smooth and satiny.

Epsom Salt Bath:
Two handfuls of Epsom salt added to a bucket of the bath water relieves tiredness.

Starchy Bath:
A few tablespoons of laundry starch and a teaspoon of glycerine added to bath water leave your skin feeling beautifully smooth, tight and soft.

Herb Bath:
Lavender, hyssop, mint, pennyroyal, borage, yarrow, rosemary, balm or camomile are useful herbs, which can be used in bath water either separately or in a mixture.

Bath Salts:
These are very easy to prepare. Mix two cups of ordinary washing soda with two tablespoons of potassium carbonate and a few drops of an aromatic essential oil (lavender and pine). Keep this mixture in a large jar and use about a tablespoon in each bath.

Washing Your Body

The superstition that soap and water are bad for the skin arose in the days when soaps were very alkaline and did tend to dry and irritate the skin.

With the advancement of techniques in the world, modern soaps often have lanolin and other oils to counter­act this drying effect. Cleansing thoroughly is a must for the skin, as the skin needs to be free from all oils and grease to allow it to breathe freely.

One of the most invaluable aids to a good skin is a complexion brush. Soap the skin and scrub. Use a small circular movement. The scrubbing stimulates the skin, brings blood to the surface, removes dead cells, smooths and cleans.

An Amazing Washing Secret

Soap your face well, adding a small handful of sugar to the lather. Massage this in for a couple of minutes, then rinse off with warm water. This scrub is good for a spotty and a sluggish looking skin.

Skin Care with Steaming

Steaming is beneficial for cleaning all types of skin. It cleans the skin of all surface dirt, stimulates the circu­lation and unclogs blocked pores. If your skin is dry, steam your face once a week. It can be used every day if you have a very greasy skin. Electrical devices are avail­able to produce steam and this process is known as Sauna Facial.

Steaming can be taken by leaning over a large bowl of boiling water, by covering your head with a towel and making a tent around the bowl. The steam will open the pores, loosen blackheads and bring spots to a head. Do not get too close to the boiling water, for if the steam is too hot, it might cause broken veins. To make steaming more beneficial, add a tablespoon of herbs to the water. Elderflower and camomile are the old favorites for this. You can also try lavender, thyme and rosemary for a stimulating cleanse. These herbs smell delicious. Steam your face for about ten to twenty minutes. By steaming blackheads come out of the pores and it becomes easy to extract them. If you suffer from pustular acne, I would not advise steaming as the steam and heat can spread the infection. If you have been extracting blackheads use a face mask containing curds, kaolin, cucumber or comfrey as these are astringent and healing.