Home Mixtures for Problem Skin

Winter is coming which means that cases of dry , itchy skin will become more common. Here are some more home remedies to help you stay soft, moisturized and free of the chemicals in commercial lotions.

Buttermilk has been used in the USA since the earliest settlers arrived to help moisturize dry skin, including buttermilk baths to keep the whole body in tip-top skin condition. If you suffer dry facial skin, try dabbing buttermilk on before allowing it to air dry and subsequently washing it off with warm water.

The Native American Indians on the other hand have traditionally used the oil of the Jojoba plant to keep their skin moist and to keep minor irritations, rashes and skin blemishes at bay. This is because Jojoba has well established anti-inflammatory qualities making it an ideal skin treatment for those with minor skin problems and irritations.

St. John's Wort is another herbal remedy that is highly recommended for dealing with dry skin too. It works especially well if you are having problems with chapped or damaged skin in particularly cold weather or if you suffer dry skin as a result of exposure to strong detergents.

There are also several ways to dry out oily skin. Your teen might find these treatments effective for acne.

The first and easiest thing to do is to avoid washing your skin too much. All that does is encourage the skin to produce even more oil. Instead, use tissues to dab away any excess oil as often as necessary.

An alternative is to dip a washcloth in natural yoghurt before dabbing it on the greasier areas of your skin. Allow the yoghurt to dry and it will bring the excess oil away with it.

An oily skin recipe that many find to be highly effective is a mixture of 1 egg white, ½ a cup of oatmeal, ½ a cup of mashed apple and 1 tablespoon of lemon juice. Mix all the ingredients together to a smooth paste, apply to your face for 15 minutes and then rinse off with warm water.

Exfoliating your face keeps it healthy too. An alternative exfoliant recipe that is especially effective for oily skin is a mix of 3 tablespoons of aloe vera gel, 1 tablespoon each of lime juice and honey and 2 tablespoons of brown sugar. Start by combining the aloe vera and honey until the mixture is completely smooth before adding the lime juice and then the sugar.

Apply the mask to the complete facial area with the tips of your fingers (once again, be gentle), leave on for 15 minutes and finally rinse the mixture off with warm water.

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How to Make Your Own Chemical-Free Moisturizer

Essential oils of many types are very good 100% natural moisturizers. However, it is important to note that you need to choose the right kind of oils for your own skin if you want to use them as a moisturizer.

For example, dry skin is best treated with richer, heavier oils such as olive oil or sesame whereas combination or sensitive skin would be better treated with lighter oils such as jojoba, avocado or grapeseed.

As an example of how you would use oils in this situation and assuming that your skin is dry, you could apply a mixture of olive and vitamin E oil directly to your skin. Alternatively, a combination of olive oil, eggs and lemon juice (better known as mayonnaise) is also extremely good for dry facial skin.

All-round natural moisturizer: For an excellent all-round natural moisturizer that will work with almost any skin type, mix together half a tablespoon of cocoa butter, two tablespoons of beeswax, 2 teaspoons of boiled water, three tablespoons of sesame oil and two tablespoons of both coconut and olive oil.

Start by mixing the grated beeswax with the water so that the wax can be melted over a low heat. Mix the cocoa butter with the wax before gradually stirring in the three oils.

Once the ingredients are well mixed together, remove it from the heat so that it can cool and thicken. Before it does so however, make sure that the mixture is transferred into airtight glass containers that can be kept in the refrigerator so that the paste stays usable for a long as possible.

Each of the individual ingredients serves a different purpose. For example, coconut oil is rich in vitamins as well as fat to soften your skin, whereas cocoa butter protects the skin against the worst ravages of the elements, particularly the wind and the rain.

Glycerin for dry skin: If your problem is dry skin, then glycerin is a natural emollient, a substance that moisturizes, softens and limits the harshness of your skin condition.

For this treatment, you are going to drop 5 teaspoons of gelatin into 2 cups of hot water. Once the water has cooled, add three tablespoons of glycerin plus any essential oil that you want to add to give the mixture a lovely fragrance. You could for example use an oil such as rosemary to give a mixture a relaxing aroma before applying it to your skin.

Dry skin moisturizing solution: For this dry facial skin treatment, you need 2 ounces of olive oil, 4 ounces of shea butter, 2 teaspoons of vitamin E oil, six drops of essential lavender oil and 1 teaspoon of active royal jelly which you should find in the refrigerated section in your local health food store.

Once you have all the ingredients, mix them together over a high heat until the mixture is smooth and creamy. Once it has cooled, keep it in airtight container in the fridge to prevent the mixture spoiling. This is a fantastic treatment for dry skin, but unfortunately, it is one that you can only make in small batches because the royal jelly is active.

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Nevertheless, it's very well worth doing if your problem is dry skin.

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