A Guide to Natural Skin Care.

Many natural items that are readily available in the supermarket and your fridge can have a beneficial effect on your skin tone and appearance, often costing a fraction of the price of proprietary branded skin care products. In this article, I will be looking at various natural skin care remedies and treatments using products that are readily available.

1. Lemon juice.
   Lemon juice is well known for its astringent properties - here are some ways in which it can be put to good use.
   - If you suffer from blackheads, dip some cotton wool into lemon juice and rub it over your face at night (keeping away from the eye area). Wash your face in the morning. Repeat each night and you should see an improvement.
   - If you have dark to medium blonde hair and would like to have some lighter blonde highlights, mix some lemon juice with water in a ratio 1:3 and comb through your hair. Sit in the sun (if you can find any) or dry your hair with a hair dryer to increase the lightening effect.
   
   
2. Olive Oil.
   Olive oil has many skin care uses. If you have dry skin, you can give yourself an effective facial scrub by applying olive oil to your skin, then applying granulated sugar on top and using it to scrub and gently exfoliate your skin. Rinse the mixture off with warm water when you have finished, and pat your skin dry with a soft towel. (Again, stay away from the eye area).
   You can make a great hair conditioning treatment by mixing olive oil with eggs, in a ratio of 2 eggs to 4 tablespoons of olive oil, which should be mixed together, applied to towel dried hair and left on for 15-30 minutes. If you wrap your hair in a towel, this will increase the heat which will enhance the conditioning properties.
    
   
3. Cucumbers
   Place a slice of fresh cucumber over your closed eyes and relax for 15-30 minutes. Cucumbers are reputed to leave the eye area feeling refreshed and reduce the appearance of dark circles.
    
   
4. Avocados
   Avocados are high in oil - in fact, it is the only fruit that is not considered to be low fat due to its high oil content. Whilst this may be bad news for slimmers, it is good news for your skin. Take an avocado, mash it up and blend it with two tablespoons of wheatgerm oil (the avocado will need to be ripe or it will be difficult to mash). Apply the mixture to your skin and leave on for at least 15 minutes, then wash off with warm water and pat your skin with a soft towel - your skin should feel soft and smooth.
    
   
5. And finally, remember that a diet that is rich in fresh fruit and vegetables will benefit your skin and your health in general. Also drink lots of water - most people do not drink enough. If you are drinking enough water, your urine will be very pale yellow in colour. If you are drinking insufficient water, your urine will be darker in colour. Strong smelling urine can be indicative of an infection - click here for more information if this affects you.

Note: If you are allergic to any of the ingredients mentioned above, do not use them. If you are in any doubt about whether you are allergic to any of the ingredients or not, test the above remedies on a square centimetre of skin behind your ear and wait 24 hours to see if there is a reaction before using elsewhere. Except for the cucumbers, keep all products away from the eye area.

See page 1 - Cosmetics Guide - how to apply makeup