Posted before Dec-31-2007
It is very simple to prepare your own herbal ointments or creams at home. These herbal creams have great therapeutic value and are effective in curing several skin conditions. Normally, herbal creams or ointments are applied on dehydrated, faulty skin and also for healing trivial skin damages. If you desire to prepare these herbal or natural ointments at home, apart from the basic ingredients or herbal components, you will be requiring a stainless steel saucepan, a whisk, a bowl, a spatula and a thermometer having temperature measurement range of up to 100°Celsius.
One is able to prepare herbal creams with vegetable oils and beeswax. Oils extracted from vegetables nurture the skin and simultaneously soften and shield the skin from various disorders. On the other hand, the beeswax protects the skin and also provides uniformity to the ointment. Vegetable oils and beeswax have different roles in protecting the skin as well as providing a texture to the ointment. The more vegetable oils you add to the ointment, the softer it will become. Contrarily, the more beeswax you will be putting into the natural cream, the harder it will be.
It is interesting to note that a number of herbs or ingredients required for preparing a natural ointment or other skin care products may be obtained from your garden. For instance, the beeswax obtained from your own beehive is always exceptional for preparing skin creams and lip ointments. In the event of the climate not being suitable for extracting vegetable oils from the products grown in your garden, you may as well procure non GM (genetically modified) and organic grape seed oil from a neighborhood farmer. In fact, such GM free organic grape seed oil is perfect as a base for several skin care products. It may be mentioned here that in the past, people usually made use of animal fat like lard and tallow obtained from sheep and pig fats to prepare ointments that were applied for different therapeutic purposes.
Lanolin is another fat that is very effective in preparing different balms and ointments. Lanolin is obtained from sheep wool after it is sheared. Lanolin present in sheep wool helps to protect the wool as well as the sheep skin from dehydrating. Lanolin is also water repellant and acts as a water proof for the sheep. Lanolin from sheep wool is extracted commercially. It is important to remember that since a lot of pesticides are used in sheep dip (a liquid formulation of insecticide and fungicide that shepherds and farmers use to protect their sheep) these days, little amounts of these toxins may be left behind in lanolin. Hence, whenever it is possible ask for lanolin cleared of pesticides.
As much as 50 per cent vegetable oil is enclosed in sunflower oil and it is possible to extract the oil by pressing the seed or making use of a coffee. Some time after the pressing, the vegetable oil contained in the sunflower seeds begin to detach from the residual pulp. The next process includes filtering the oil for use as a base for herbal creams.
It is interesting to note that majority of the basic ingredients required for preparing facial masks may be present in your garden, refrigerator or even the cupboard. You need to select your preferred herbs and flowers, like chamomile or lavender flowers, to prepare a potent herbal infusion. Permeate fresh or dehydrated flowers in unmoving water in a manner similar to preparing a strong tea brew. Next drain the liquid containing the flowers and utilize it right away to prepare the home made facial mask. In case you desire to preserve the infusion for use at a later period, add about one per cent of Paraben (a common preservative that is found in many health and beauty products) as a stabilizer. This procedure will enhance the shelf life of the concoction by approximately one month provided it is stored in a refrigerator.
Many people often make use of colored clay from France that is sold in cosmetic stores and pharmacists. This clay is available in diverse colors and is very effective for protecting the skin as well as healing different skin conditions. This clay is moisturized and applied as a face mask and when it dehydrates in the sun, it becomes ionized. However, if you decide to use clay available from the neighborhood, you ought to make certain that the substance is free from any sort of contaminant. Hence, you need to dry the clay in the sun and make a powder before applying it as a face mask.
Clay has several therapeutic features that are effective in protecting the skin as well as healing several skin disorders. Some of the properties and effects of clay are mentioned below:
Water and clay forms the fundamental basis of the face mask discussed above. However, a number of other elements may be added to water and clay to make it aromatic or make the face mask more effective therapeutically. To prepare the simplest face mask you need to blend equal quantities of water and clay and include a little amount of essential oil - anything between one to 10 drops for each 100 ml of the clay and water mix.
You may add a little amount of vegetable oil to the clay, water and essential oil for the face mask in case your skin is very responsive. A face mask prepared with these ingredients may be applied on dry skin that has previously been covered with a thin coating of oil. It is important to wash off the face mask before it is completely dehydrated. One may also use the face mask to cleanse the skin that has already been dampened with water.
On the other hand, people having normal skin need to allow the face mask to dehydrate fully before washing it off with cold water. Grimacing may be an effective way to remove the dehydrated facial mask for people having normal skin. Adopting this process prior to washing off the face mask may help in eliminating the dead skin cells. Remember, it is essential to moisten the lips before applying a face mask. Secondly, a face mask should only be applied on a clean skin and washed off after allowing it to remain for approximately 15 minutes.
