Milk and Sea Salt Bath

This milk bath is great for all skin types and will make our skin become luxurious.
Ingredients:

• 1 cup of instant dried skim milk
• 3/4 cup of either fine or coarse sea salt
• 20-25 drops of fragrance oil if desired or 15-20 drops of essential oils

Place the dried milk and sea salt into a large bowl, then mix well. Scoop out about 1/2 cup and place it into a small bowl. Sprinkle your fragrance or essential oils over the top of this mixture and stir well. Add this back into the main bowl and thoroughly mix. Store the milk bath in a grass jar with a tight fitting lid. This recipe is enough for 5-6 baths.

Scoop out about 1/3 cup and dissolve under running bath water. Let's enjoy it.

Foaming Vanilla Honey Bath

Ingredients:

• 1 cup sweet almond oil (light olive or sesame oil may be substituted)
• 1/2 cup honey
• 1/2 cup liquid soap
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract

Mix all the ingredients together and pour about 1/2 cup under running water into tub.
Put the remainder in a canning jar for later use and refrigate for up to 30 days.

Tips for Dry Elbows and Knees

Start by using a good body scrub to exfoliate in the shower. Next mash-up pineapple in the blender and rub it on your elbows and knees. Leave it on for 15 minutes so the natural enzymes can do their work. Shower it off and follow up with a thick lotion. You'll be amazed at how soft your sknin feels!

Masks and Homemade Cleansers For Acne Treatment

First, prepare the honey cleansing scrub: 1 tablespoon of honey, 2 tablespoons finely ground almonds, and 1/2 teaspoon of lemon juice. Rub gently onto face, rinse off with warm water.

Then use the tomato mask. To make the tomato mask, remove skin and seeds and mash 1/4 of a tomato, add with 2 tablespoon plain yogurt, 1 teaspoon mashed cucumber, 2 teaspoon aloe gel, 3 teaspoon oatmeal powder and 2 mint leaves (crushed). Mix ingredient together in a bowl, apply to face and leave on for about 10 minutes. Rinse with warm water.
Finish the treatment using the Firming Face Mask. Whisk together 1 tablespoon honey, 1 egg white, 1 teaspoon glycerin, and enough flour to form a paste (approximately 1/4 cup). Smooth over face. Leave on 10 minutes. Rinse off with warm water.Your face will feel refreshed and your acne will start to clear-up.

What Causes Acne?

What causes the plugged pores that result in acne is a question that scientists and doctors still haven’t been able to completely agree upon. Today, most theories seem to point to a combination of factors that include genetics, hormone changes, and stress. Previously it was believed that diet was a strong component to acne, but most evidence suggests that hormones and stress are more likely to be the culprits.

Almost everyone will have some form of acne in their lives. Most people get acne during their teenage years, associated with the massive hormone changes that occur during puberty. It is equally common to men and women, and usually occurs in facial regions. However, acne can begin or persist at any stage in adult life, and can sometimes occur on the back, neck, arms and legs.

Briefly About Acne

Acne is a medical condition describing blocked skin pores that result in lesions. The reasons why skin pores can become plugged with sebum, the natural oil produced by skins sebaceous glands aren’t entirely understood. Once plugged, dead cells and bacteria become trapped in the pore, resulting in the acne.

The most common lesions are called ‘comedones’. Comedones come in two basic varieties, ‘white heads’ and ‘black heads’. A white head is a plugged pore that has begun to bulge outward from the skin due to bacteria, dead skin cells, and other contaminants that have become trapped inside. The bulging dome shape often takes on a white appearance. Black heads are simply comedones that have become opened, revealing the dark follicle plug within. Acne comedones are often referred to as pimples.

Microcomedones are a less common form of acne lesion, sometimes referred to as papules. These are basically small comedones that form from localized cellular reactions to the processes that cause acne. That usually occur in clusters and are sometimes too small to see, but can be felt as a series of little bumps along the skin surface.

In more severe forms of acne, pustules, nodules and cysts can form. A pustule is like a normal comedone, but larger due to a higher amount of dead white cells, or pus, trapped inside the plugged sebaceous follicle.

Nodules are a more severe form of papules, extending deeper into the skin tissue and resulting in large raised legions that are usually inflamed, and painful to touch. Cysts are very large fluid filled sacs that can result from pustules or nodules. Though none of these forms of acne are dangerous or life threatening, they can leave scars and are sometimes very disfiguring.

What You Need To Know About Stretch Marks

Stretch marks are scientifically known as are a form of scarring. They start appears during puberty, or as the result of excessive weight gain, such as during pregnancy.

Stretch marks are the result of skin being stretched beyond its natural elasticity. This stretching causes a disruption of the body’s collagen production. Collagen is a special protein that helps keep the skin elastic and, therefore, able to stretch when we gain weight. When this collagen production is disrupted, the skin loses its elasticity, which makes it more prone to stretch marks.
Stretch mark are usually found in a series as small, indented streaks. They are generally rough and uneven. In women with light skin, they are usually a pink or reddish-brown color. They might sometimes almost look purple. For darker skinned women, stretch marks are usually brown.
Genetics plays a larger role in stretch marks developing. So, if our mom or sister have stretch marks we possible will be more likely to get them as well.
To help avoid getting stretch marks, it is important to monitor weight gain closely. Pregnant women need to put on weight as a natural part of the childbearing process. They should be careful to not gain more weight than what is recommended by the doctor. Watch the diets and put pregnancy weight on slowly. This gives the skin more time to gradually stretch to accommodate for the growing baby inside.
The last trimester of a pregnancy is when women generally put on the most weight. This is because this is when the baby is doing most of its growing. To help avoid stretch marks during this time of the pregnancy, and at any other time, be sure to regularly apply rich body creams, cocoa butter, olive oil or shea butter on your skin. Make sure to consult with a doctor first because some ingredients found in certain creams can be harmful to unborn babies.
Body cream helps decrease the likelihood of developing stretch marks because it helps keep the skin flexible. Likewise, drinking plenty of water helps maintain the skin’s elasticity. This is especially true if you are pregnant.
Fortunately, stretch marks generally fade after weight lost. For women who gain stretch marks during pregnancy, stretch marks usually fade to a slightly lighter color than the surrounding skin, though the etching will always remain.
For women who are bodybuilders (even people who engage in body building can get stretch marks), it is important to put on muscle mass slowly. Quickly adding on muscle mass will force the skin to stretch beyond its ability. Therefore, a bodybuilding program should be designed to slowly add on bulk.
For women who are not pregnant and who are not bodybuilders, the best way to avoid stretch marks is to simply monitor our diet and maintain a healthy body weight.
If we still develop stretch marks, there is little that can be done to get rid of them. Although there are many lotions and creams on the market claiming to be able to get rid of stretch marks, there is no proof that they work. There are also surgeries available to help with lessening the visibility of stretch marks, but they can’t get rid of stretch marks completely. Instead, the best option is to cover up the stretch marks. Many women used over-the-counter sunless tanning lotions to do this, or they get a sunless tanning treatment from a salon. These lotions help even out the skin color, since the pigmentation of stretch marks is lighter than the rest of the skin.