toujours verte

Basic Go-To 50/50 Skin Oil

Fri, 06 Mar 2009 17:27:10 GMT

This deceptively simple mix - half jojoba, half olive oil - adapts so well to such a range of skin types, conditions and needs, that I must recommend it for everyone who's not allergic to one of the ingredients. Yes, yes, even if you're hearing a little voice saying "ZOMG! OIL! THE TEE VEE SAID OILFREE IS GOOD and OIL IS BAD BAD BAD! ZOMG OIL! ISN'T THAT BAD FOR YOUR SKIN? OIL? OIL?" from the incessant programming by the orchestrated-need, planned-disaster, JUNK skincare industry. Yes, junk. All those vicious bug-mutating, body-wracking antibiotics, absurd peroxide, alcohol and perfume and camphor and plastic beads and grit and more cheap perfume and NASTINESS, which, when you step back and look at it.... who'd put that on skin and expect things to be O.K.? Et tu, Neutrogena.

So, regardless of how you feel about that little editorial rant, let's go back to what humans have been using to keep their skin lovely and resilient and healthy for centuries upon centuries upon millennia. OIL. Oil, oil, oil. Skin itself uses oil, always has, always will. To supplement skin's natural oil, it's only a matter of choosing what's going to fill in the gaps and help heal any damage, bring down any inflammation, or counter any microbial attack without compounding the harm.

I need to put in a word for BORAGE OIL here, speaking of inflammation. Borage oil - along with blackcurrant oil and evening primrose oil - is beautifully anti-inflammatory. Find it in capsules, refrigerated, at better health food and vitamin stores. The capsules provide perfectly fresh individual applications, spill-proof and easily tossed into a cosmetics bag. TSA (Transportation Security) may or may not consider them "liquid" or "vitamins," so that's up to you. They're small.

But the oil. The oil. Jojoba oil, actually a liquid vegetable wax from the seeds of a desert plant, is astonishingly similar to human skin's sebum, yet resists rancidity while it stays liquid. Its tendency to stay liquid while dissolving hardened sebum makes jojoba perfect for clearing pores and balancing skin's natural oil without any harsh, drying ingredients.

Olive oil, on the other hand, has special healing and nourishing properties along with its rich emollience. Always use the very best olive oil you can find and afford, and "afford" means "think about what you spend on a drink, a restaurant meal, a movie, and then consider how important your skin is." I use and recommend the purest raw, organic, cold-pressed (or UN-pressed!) extra-virgin olive oil, which is quite expensive compared to other cooking oils, but fantastically economical as fine skincare. $30 at the health food store, $300 at the department store for 1/8 the stuff, your call.

So. The formula. One half organic cold-pressed jojoba oil. One half raw organic cold-pressed olive oil.
Keep tightly capped, away from light, heat, sun, and air. Use frequently as a cleanser, conditioner, and protective emollient. Put some in a tiny bottle to take with you. And this blend makes a fine base for other oils and essential oils - test in tiny amounts, mix in small amounts to keep your blends fresh.

Xylitol and Olive Oil Dentifrice

Sun, 20 Jul 2008 22:57:46 GMT

This super-gentle dentifrice is anti-bacterial and soothing to sensitive teeth and gums, and helps to restore saliva flow for a healthy mouth. The oils may lift stains gently, while the xylitol keeps bacteria from attaching to mouth tissues. It contains NO detergents, creepy additives, gritty abrasives, or harsh peppermint. The lemon oil is optional - PLEASE TEST for sensitivity, and do not use ANY essential oil if you are pregnant, have a seizure disorder, or have any signs of sensitivity at all.

Granulated XYLITOL (half a shot glass)
Cold-pressed virgin OLIVE OIL (half a shot glass)
a few drops of PURE FOOD-GRADE LEMON OIL (optional: SENSITIVITY-TEST FIRST, and ask your doctor if you have any unusual conditions)

Stir. Brush teeth and tongue gently, thoroughly, with a SOFT brush. RINSE WELL. Do not swallow!
Cover the shot glass with a small lid to keep your evening portion fresh.

How I Make My $50 Face Cream Work Harder, and Save Hundreds of $$$ (X-posted vorona & beauty101

Mon, 21 Jan 2008 22:09:13 GMT

My ultimate daytime face cream is really an eye cream, Clinique's All About Eyes Rich.

This is NOT to be confused with Clinique's original All About Eyes, which is more of a tightening gel, not an emollient, and which simply does not do what I want my eye cream or my face cream to do for me. They are very different products, somehow. It can be confusing, and I've been handed the wrong one a few times, but it's important to choose the DARKER clear orange frosted jar, with the word RICH in the name, because All About Eyes Rich has made my daily skincare so soothing and foolproof.

Using one cream for the whole face - delicate eye area, dry spots and oily spots alike, saves me so much time and stress, and I can't say enough about how well this cream works. It costs something around $50 for the one ounce jar, but I'm finding that this product is saving me more money than I can count... and it's saving my skin! What it does besides pampering my eye-area skin is soothing my menopause- and chemo-ravaged combination skin. Yes, the oilier, troublesome T-zone (hormonal breast cancer treatments have made this act up) AND the chronically dry skin on the rest of my face BOTH respond to it by balancing their oil production, relaxing, and staying soft and hydrated. Wow. It evens my face out better than any cream ever has. I just had to look past the designation as "eye cream." This happened accidentally one day when I was extremely tired and stressed, and my face was sore and dry. I ran into Nordstrom on my lunch hour and bought All About Eyes Rich on a whim, opened it up in the lobby, and used a generous glob from the lid all over my thirsty face. And it was good. It felt incredible, and I've been using it as face cream ever since.

Could it get any better? YES.

More and more, I am making Clinique All About Eyes Rich multitask for me, filling in for the much pricier La Mer as a heavy-duty night cream, Dr. Perricone's, Lancôme's, and other great cosmetic companies' costly anti-aging formulas, and expensive spa nutriceutical facial treatments, with a few inexpensive additions. All About Eyes Rich blends easily with oils of all kinds, and many supplements, creating different unscented products in my palm for uncontaminated individual application. AAER emulsifies even the thickest oils, creating a more matte, dewy finish and a lighter, more wearable, easily absorbed product. It also emulsifies nourishing or exfoliating liquids, buffering them with emollients while making them cling to the skin as no plain liquid can.

One dab of All About Eyes Rich + a few drops of Solgar Natural Liquid Vitamin E (or one snipped vitamin E capsule) = an intense vitamin E treatment, made so much more wearable than straight vitamin E oil ever was by the emulsifying properties of AAER. Emulsion is the key to how this works.

One dab of All About Eyes Rich + one snipped vitamin A & D capsule = a soothing overnight A & D treatment. I do this when I think my skin needs it, and often combine it with the vitamin E oil.

One dab of AAER + one 5 mg biotin capsule (Country Life) = a fabulous overnight or 20 minute masque biotin treatment. Biotin is incredibly nourishing for skin - this is part of how I make up for missing estrogen, bathing my skin in nutrients.

One dab of AAER + one Hydraplenish (100 mg hyaluronic acid) capsule = an intense hyaluronic acid masque treatment. A bottle of Hydraplenish costs $20 or less for 60 capsules. That's 60 amazing treatments for a fraction of what department store hyaluronic acid creams and products cost. Because I have been so desperate for youthful skin after the shock of medically-induced menopause, I have tried some of these $100+ skincare formulas myself, and I honestly find the straight supplement MUCH more effective as a treatment.

One dab of AAER + a few drops of raw unfiltered organic apple cider vinegar = an unbelievably refreshing vinegar treatment. Vinegar is a miracle exfoliant, a greatly overlooked acid treatment which gently removes only dead proteins, arrests current sun damage, and leaves skin "re-set" with a healthy balance. (Bragg or any other organic, raw brand.) The AAER keeps the vinegar on the skin, permitting it to work, while the emollients keep the process soft and soothing. Leave it on or rinse it off, everyone should try this.

One dab of AAER + a few drops of organic extra-virgin cold-pressed olive oil = a velvety, surprisingly "non-greasy" and easily absorbed olive oil treatement. Olive oil is an outstanding emollient for skin, but it's oily by itself. Blending it with AAER, dab to drops, creates a softer, more matte, actually wearable olive oil cream which sinks in. Try this for the very worst painfully dry hands, too. One tiny dab, plus a few drops of oil, makes a cream that beats all kinds of expensive, perfumey, or greasy hand creams.

One dab of AAER + a few drops of cold-pressed avocado oil (Aura Cacia, $9 for 4 ounces) is crazily rich, light, and penetrating, supplying the benefits of avocado oil with a velvet finish. Good as a very light, soothing, emollient night cream.

One dab of AAER + one dab of shea butter + one drop of jojoba oil = a more manageable, less sticky heavy shea butter treatment. Shea butter is unbeatable for cold weather protection, and the jojoba oil plus the AAER keeps ultra-occlusive shea butter wearable, with pores unobstructed. This super-heavy emollient is surprisingly anti-blemish because of acne-fighting jojoba oil. To make it even better, I use a 50-50 cold blend (stirred, NEVER heated) of shea butter and jojoba oil with a little neroli essential oil added. Neroli is gently anti-microbial, regenerative, calming and relaxing bitter-orange blossom oil. A drop or two of olive oil or avocado oil can make this even more nourishing. Flaky, inflamed, broken-out winter skin often responds well to this serious emollient, and blending it with AAER makes it easier to wear.

AAER can also be combined with DMAE and alphalipoic acid capsules for a giddily affordable DIY version of Dr. Perricone's famous and very expensive treatments. Mixing it in one's palm just before use is the only inconvenience. I save myself hundreds of dollars by doing this, using this one versatile $50 jar of cream and ordinary supplements in capsules. Another difference is that I do not wear the DMAE and alphalipoic acid treatment all day, but I use this much more concentrated version as a masque, and rinse it off. Then I follow it with plain All About Eyes Rich with just one drop of vitamin E, a tiny sprinkle of biotin, or a little vinegar blended in. I change the supplementation to suit my skin's needs throughout the week.

I also mix a dab of AAER into my daytime foundation (Fresh's Freshface Foundation, SPF 20) with a drop of La Roche-Posay Anthelios XL 60 SPF UVA/UVB on sunnier days. It blends well and pumps up my makeup/sunscreen with constant hydration.

Cookie Scent Body Splash

Wed, 29 Nov 2006 04:00:40 GMT

Apply this to underarms with a cotton pad for deodorant (vodka cleans skin and kills bacteria) or use as an ultra-light freshening splash anywhere. This is a very soft, sweet, vanishing fragrance for those who don't like most perfumes or colognes. You can experiment with your own variations on this by adding any flavor you'd enjoy in cookies - just be sure that it's alcohol-based (not glycerine or oil-based) and contains no sugar or syrup. You can make it in larger quantities, of course, and put it in any bottle that works.

1 airline-size bottle of any plain vodka
1-2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract (use the kind which contains no sugar)
1/2 teaspoon pure lemon extract

optional: add only a few drops of almond extract
(test for skin sensitivity, discontinue if it bothers you)

coconut bath

Mon, 10 Apr 2006 16:47:42 GMT

For less than the price of a fancy bath bomb, you can have a tub full of creamy white, deep-moisturizing, naturally coconut-scented water.

Open one can of coconut milk and dissolve it under running hot water. Relax. Something about this is much more softening than oil by itself - maybe it's the emulsion?

Don't, obviously, do this if you're allergic to coconut.

Hamantaschen-scented Body Scrub

Tue, 14 Mar 2006 20:00:44 GMT

1 cup poppy seeds
enough raw honey to moisten the poppy seeds
to a pleasant consistency, a thick paste

1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon lemon extract

Mix these together and put the compound in a pretty jar.

After soaking yourself in a warm bath or shower, use a scoop of this in circular motions all over your wet skin to exfoliate and to increase circulation. Then shower it off thoroughly. You can make a facial version of it by leaving out the cloves, cinnamon, and lemon extract, or by just adding a tiny pinch of cloves and a few drops of lemon along with the vanilla. Use it very gently on the face, and don't stress the skin around the eyes.

If you are sensitive to the spices or the lemon, leave them out. The vanilla alone should be fine.

If you are at all allergic or sensitive to opiates or honey, do not use this.

If you are kinky or hungry, yes, this body scrub is completely edible.

The Perfect Aspirin Masque

Sun, 20 Feb 2005 00:51:48 GMT

Snabbed and adapted from thehivemind - you won't believe this stuff!

Get fresh, smooth new skin for Spring with this luxurious calming and clarifying aspirin-yogurt facial, or full-body scrubby masque. Mix good plain live-culture yogurt with plain, unbuffered, uncoated aspirin in the proportions you prefer, or start with mine:

Facial masque ~ 1/2 shot glass yogurt + 10 aspirin tablets
Full body masque ~ 1/2 to 1 cup yogurt + 50 to 100 aspirin tablets

Let the aspirin soak in the yogurt for a few minutes. It will dissolve easily.
Stir it around briskly, creating a smooth, creamy, but grainy consistency.

For the face, smoothe it on gently and massage lightly. Relax for 5-15 minutes, then rinse with lukewarm water. You may also use a vibrating pulse facial applicator. If you have rough patches, focus on massaging the grains in there.

For the body, fill a tub with warm water, then massage the masque all over vigorously, focusing on any rough or dry areas. When you've covered everything well enough to feel a tingle all over from the grains of aspirin, relax in the warm water and read a magazine for half an hour while your skin benefits from the extended gently acidic soak. This is also good for preventing yeast infections.

If you are allergic or sensitive to aspirin or
any salicylates, please do not use this formula.

If you are vegan, or allergic to milk, you may substitute any good unscented moisturizer you already use, or a neutral lotion such as Cetaphil, or even applesauce. Experiment with small amounts to see what you like best.

Using the best yogurt and the biggest bottle of generic aspirin available, this home spa treatment runs about $5 for four full body & facial applications, or 16 to 32 facial masques.

Vanilla Jojoba Oil

Fri, 09 Apr 2004 23:43:34 GMT

This is one of the best formulas I've ever fallen into.

It's super simple, but you'll be shocked and amazed at how fabulous it is. If you like vanilla at all, I mean.

Take one big bottle of cold-pressed jojoba oil, I use 8 ounces.
cut up one vanilla bean into small chunks, and split them.

Toss the vanilla bean chunks into the jojoba oil and put the bottle away in a safe, cool place for at least a month before you touch it. The longer you store it, the stronger it will get. Mmmmmm.

Then you'll have vanilla-scented jojoba oil to use wherever you normally use jojoba oil. A great body moisturizer, it's gentle enough to use on the face. Mix it with Emergen-C for a facial masque which smells like cake. Use it as a base for your own perfume oil blends. Use it as an overnight oil treatment for hands, with cotton gloves.

Making One Bar of Brilliant Glitter Soap

Tue, 10 Feb 2004 04:01:36 GMT

You can make this one bar at a time, and indulge your whims for color and scent. Use any soap mold that'll hold four ounces of glycerin soap, or make smaller guest soap shapes. I oil the soap mold very lightly with PAM cooking spray or a little jojoba.

Buy Clearly Natural unscented glycerine soaps when they're on sale, and set them aside for this project, or get colorless, unscented glycerine soap in bulk.

Grate one Clearly Natural bar, or four ounces of unscented glycerine soap into a glass bowl. Put this in a small pan of hot water, and heat gently until it melts. Keep it on low heat for five minutes or so.

Add two or three tablespoons of ultrafine glitter (the UW bookstore art department and most craft stores have this for $3 a tube) to the melted soap. Add your choice of essential oils, perfume oils, or perfume spray. I just made a bar of this with bergamot oil, Aveda Chakra II, linden, and neroli, with blue-violet, light green, and multi-colored glitter. Remove the bowl from the water and let the mixture cool a little while you swirl it very gently to stir the glitter. If it starts congealing, put it back in the hot water briefly. The glitter should be suspended just right. This takes a little intuition. If it doesn't work out perfectly, your soap will have a scrubbier layer and a clear sparkly layer, and it will still be lovely.

Pour this into your soap mold and let it cool completely.
The glitter won't stay on your hands, but it really scrubs!

The Emergen-C Facial Treatment

Sat, 07 Feb 2004 00:43:30 GMT

This is good for soothing inflamed skin, clearing up and preventing blemishes, moisturizing, balancing oil, countering sun damage, and refining the skin's texture.

Emergen-C is a vitamin C supplement drink mix available at most health supplements stores, and at many supermarkets and drugstores.

Take one packet of Emergen-C Lite, empty it into your palm.
Add a spoonful-sized glob of any good, neutral lotion--
try Kiss My Face, Cetaphil, or Alba, anything hypoallergenic.
Add a dash of jojoba oil, if you wish.

Mix this, and apply the foaming mixture to your face, wet or dry.

Relax, wait five to fifteen minutes, then rinse thoroughly.

Moisturize as usual.