Sunday, October 6, 2013

Cleopatra's Skin Secrets REVEALED!

Cleopatra's Skin/Body Care Regimen, Now You Can Use It!

Hey skinoholics!

Today I have a really special post for you. Recently, I have been researching the secret to Cleopatra's flawless beauty and about Egyptian beauty secrets in general, and I have found some great recipes used by Cleopatra herself! Most of these ingredients can be found in your pantry or refrigerator already, but if they aren't you can purchase them at any organic or whole foods market near you.

Note: For Cleopatra's hair secrets, I will be adding a separate post onto my hairoholics blog very soon.



Flawless Skin

Cleopatra was known to have a beautiful figure, luscious hair, clean and flawless skin, exotic eyes and a very feminine yet strong personality. All the women were envious of her, and all of the men wanted her, and she knew it. For many years women were trying to figure out how Cleopatra gave her skin that luminous youthful glow, but the secret to her flawless complexion was always a hidden mystery, until now of course. The simple recipes below are proven to brighten, tighten, nourish and prevent wrinkles. Don't believe me? Ask Cleopatra!




Cleopatra's Nourishing Face Wash

Cleopatra's secret to smooth and bright skin was a simple face wash. The face wash consisted of only two organic ingredients, pure honey and donkey milk. Since it is hard to obtain a donkey in this time and day, you may use plain dairy milk. If you are allergic to dairy, substitute the dairy milk with coconut milk which is a great alternative.

Just mix one tablespoon of honey with half a cup of milk. Massage the mixture into your skin using gentle motions, leave it on for a minute, and rinse with cold water. Use this homemade cleanser as often as you want, you will find that after a while your skin is much smoother and brighter than before.





Cleopatra's Gentle Exfoliating Scrub

Cleopatra recognized that to have beautiful skin, exfoliating was necessary. Although she did not do it everyday (because it would dry out her skin), she still exfoliated about once a week to remove dead skin cells. I would strongly recommend that you follow Cleopatra and do this scrub only once a week, doing it too often would result in flaky skin. The only two ingredients that you need are three tbsp. of natron, otherwise known as plain old baking soda, and one tbsp. of water.

Grab a bowl and add the three tbsp. of baking soda, follow up with one tbsp. of water. Mix well. The mixture should form into a thick paste. If you find that you need to add some more water, go ahead and add another tbsp. Massage the resulting paste into your skin and rinse off.




Cleopatra's Anti-Wrinkle Oil

Cleopatra's face was said to be smooth and flawless with no wrinkles. She recognized that taking care of her complexion earlier on would keep the wrinkles at bay! Cleopatra applied a luxurious silk oil before bed everyday, this oil is now proven to help skin retain its elasticity and moisture balance, two key components in anti-aging. The two ingredients in this silk oil are frankincense essential oil and olive oil. You will need three tbsp. of olive oil and 5-10 drops of frankincense oil.

In a small bowl, add your three tbsp. of olive oil and 5-10 drops of frankincense oil. Mix well. Apply to your face, paying special care to your under-eye area, and onto your neck. Repeat everyday for desired results. For a great gift idea or if you want to feel like your own Cleopatra, pour this oil into a beautiful glass bottle or small jar.




Soft Body

After much research, I learned that Cleopatra was a big fan of nourishing baths to maintain soft glowing skin. She frequently bathed in special nourishing ingredients to maintain her beauty. Below I have listed the recipe that she used when she bathed.




Cleopatra's Luxurious Milk Bath

Cleopatra was known to have soft glowing skin, her secret was milk baths. Unfortunately, Cleopatra took full baths filled with goats milk. Since most of us only have access to dairy milk and we probably won't fill the entire bathtub up with it, we can definitely adapt this recipe to our specific needs. Instead of goat milk, we can use full fat milk or milk powder which has alpha-hydroxy acids and many nutrients that are perfect for skin. Essential oils are optional, but you can definitely add a few drops of your favorite scent into the bath.

Take 2 cups of full fat milk or milk powder and add it to your usual bathwater. For an extra boost of relaxation, add a few drops of your favorite essential oil(s). Soak for 30 minutes to an hour, submerge your entire body all the way up to your neck to receive the full benefits of the bath. You may wish to do this bath once a week to pamper yourself and moisturize your skin.





Thank you  for reading this post! If you have any questions or comments, please leave your thoughts below. I read all comments and take in account what all of my readers think.


Saturday, August 24, 2013

Softer, Suppler Skin w/ Greek Yoghurt & Honey!

Better Skin w/ Two Ingredients!


Hello skinoholics,

Today I have a great and simple recipe for softer skin. It is perfect for skin on the drier side because it contains two very moisturizing ingredients that you probably already have in your fridge!





Ingredients & Procedure:

-  2-3 tbsp. of unflavoured all natural Greek yoghurt
- 2 tbsp. of all natural unpasteurized honey

*Mix the ingredients in a bowl and apply onto clean skin, wait for 5 minutes and rinse off. Your skin should be noticeably softer. Do this treatment at least once a week if dryness is a problem for your skin. It should drastically help.*




I would love to hear your results! Tell me how the mask worked out in the comments below. If you have any questions please contact me or leave a comment, I will get back to you.

xoxo

-Lexiehair

Wednesday, August 7, 2013

Establishing a Good Skin Care Routine + Tips

Perfect Skin in 3 Easy Steps!

Hello skinoholics!

As you probably know by now, I have created a skin blog! I am so excited, and I hope you are too because I have tons of recipes and tips up ahead. As with my hair blog, all opinions are my own. I am no skin/hair professional but I do have experience with many products/recipes. I also enjoy sharing my knowledge. In this post I will show you how to identify your skin type, care for it using that knowledge, and make your own skin care products.

  I hope you enjoy <3

STEP 1: Know your skin type!

This is the most important step you must take before you can achieve great skin. Start by looking at your skin, do you see any redness or acne? Now, with clean hands you must feel your skin. Observe your skin further in 5 very important areas. There will be a detailed image below.
Blue (forehead): Is it oily, dry, red or flakey? Take note of what your skin looks likes in this area.
 
Green (bridge of your nose - lower forehead): Do you find this area the oilest on your face, or is it the driest? Try taking a tissue and lightly dabbing this area, if you see any visible oil on the tissue you must have an oily nose.
 
Pink ( left side of nose - left cheek): Do you find this area rather flakey or more prone to acne? Look at this area carefully. Is it shiny?
 
Red (right side of nose - right cheek): Is your skin rather sensitive or is it more prone to acne? Repeat the observation just like you did with the Pink side.
 
Purple (chin): People with sensitive skin usually have flaking in this area, oilier skin types may have many blackheads here. Dryer types have inflamed or tight skin in this area. Make observations.
 
Your Results:
 
1. If you have red, flakey skin than your skin type is sensitive.
2. If your skin is oily in the "T" zone (purple, green and blue) but dry in the other areas (red, pink) then you have combination skin.
3. If you have inflamed, acne-prone skin in the red/pink, green and blue areas then your skin is oily.
4. If your skin is perfectly fine in all areas and seems supple and smooth you have normal skin.
5. If your skin is tight and flakey, your skin is dry.
 

STEP 2: Caring for your skin

Now that you know your skin type, proper care goes a long way. Below are some tips and tricks for all skin types.
 

Combo - Oily Skin:

Needs to be cleansed regularly twice a day, and toned (a great remedy for combo- oily skin is 1 cup of water w/ 5 drops of mint or eucalyptus oil) spritz this mixture after  cleansing. After toning, use a light oil such as argan or almond, ignoring this step might aggravate your skin OILY SKIN NEEDS MOISTURE! Exfoliate skin with olive oil and sugar weekly.
 

Sensitive - Dry Skin:

Needs a lot of moisture (oil) and gentle exfoliation (olive oil and sugar). Cleansing should be done twice a day with a natural mild cleanser, toning is optional. Moisturization is very important, using a light oil such as jojoba s perfect for dry skin.
 

Normal Skin:

Focus on gentle cleaning and exfoliate very lightly. Normal skin is 50/50 with oiliness and dryness so find a balance between them both. A normal washing, exfoliating, and moisture routine will keep your skin in tip-top shape!
 
 

 

 

STEP 3: Products You Can Make!

 

Exfoliation: For All Skin Types

Exfoliation should be done once a week. Keep in mind that commercial exfoliators are too abrasive and full of chemicals. Using this olive oil sugar scrub gives you smooth, soft, satiny skin that is refreshed and rid of dead skin cells.
 
Olive Oil & Sugar Scrub
 
4 tbsp. of olive oil and 4 tbsp. of sugar
 
 

Gentle Cleanser: All Skin Types

Cleansing is important, but truth is your face needs light cleansing. Using stripping cleansers makes acne/dryness only worse. This is a light, watery cleanser that still deep cleans like any other cleanser minus the stripping.
 
 
Castile Soap Cleanser
 
1 cup of castile soap, 1 cup of water, 2 tbsp. of jojoba oil, 3 drops of mint oil, 2 drops of eucalyptus oil, 2 drops of sandalwood
 

Toner: Oily Skin (optional)

Toning oily skin is very important. This toner will remove excess oil and refresh your skin. I personally do not tone my skin because my skin is not oily, in the end it's up to you.
 
Essential Oil Toner
 
1 cup warm water, 5 drops of mint or eucalyptus oil
shake mixture in a plastic spray bottle and spritz onto your face after cleansing for a pick-me-up.
 
 
 

Light Day Moisturizer: All Skin Types

Sometimes we forget to moisturize our skin. It is very important however, and it should be done twice a day. At night we should use a heavier moisturizer to combat dryness and aging, at night we should use a light oil for glowing skin all day.
 
Argan Oil Moisturizer
 
2-4 drops of Argan Oil
 
 
 

Deep Moisturizing Night Cream:

 
 Skin needs moisture, but did you know that your skin absorbs more moisture at night while you are sleeping? To combat aging and dryness, wearing a nourishing cream at night is a must.
 
Shea & Olive Oil Night Cream
 
2 tbsp. of shea butter, 2 tbsp. of olive oil, optional: 2-4 drops of any essential oil of your choice.
Mix in a bowl with an electric mixer until the consistency is that of whipped cream. Put in a jar and use at night.
 
 
 
I hope you enjoyed the post. Leave questions, comments and concerns below. I will get back to you :)
 
xoxo,
 
Lexie