Cleansing
Orientation-
As usual, please listen to Jinny, your animated helper, give you the chapter overview. Then please head over to Aphrodite’s Salon. Could you bring your laptop and a beverage?
When you find a seat and get settled, read the chapter notes and watch the videos. Then, assemble what you need and create a homespa. Do this as often as you would like. Refine the experience so your needs are thoroughly cared for. Remember to rinse and repeat this experience. Most women do not treat themselves to fabulous experiences like a home spa. Ensure you do!
First Step- The Steam
Adapted from Laurie’s aromatherapy book- Scents of Wonder
Create A Personal Spa Day Whenever You Choose:
A day at a spa can be therapeutic and sublime. The effects can be enhanced if natural, high-quality ingredients are used. The good spas are expensive, however, and many of us need help to indulge regularly because of cost and convenience. Creating your aromatic products allows you to have a spa experience as often as you like.
Possibly, you have created your spa day in the past. If this is a long-forgotten pleasure for you, here is a chance to reclaim it. If it is something you have never tried, proceed with a warning; this much pleasure can be addictive! You may do this treatment for yourself or with someone you love. Both ways are exquisite.
Assembling ingredients for each stage of your spa experience before starting allows more time to enjoy your creations, making the experience smoother.
For certain skin types, steaming is a great practice to indulge in once a week, once a month or whenever you can make time for a luxurious, at-home spa treatment.
Steaming hydrates skin. Much moisture loss is because of water. Steaming opens pores to allow deep cleaning. Blackheads and whiteheads are like waxy plugs that clog pores. These plugged pores cannot breathe or absorb creams and oils. It is also a thrifty and effective way to use essential oils, as steaming opens pores and allows essential oils to penetrate better.
Right after steaming, apply a mask to help pull out toxins. Post-steam is the best time to draw out old sebum, as the open pores can release build-up. Steaming also helps open the sinuses, which is a great bonus. Then, apply a lotion to lock in moisture.
How to Steam–
One must be careful when steaming. It can cause harm, as you are working with boiling water. Let the water cool down somewhat before you put your face by it.
Please keep your face a reasonable distance from the steam. If you are uncomfortable, move further away, let the steam cool, or discontinue. You might buy a portable steam unit for facials, or if you are lucky, you may have a steamer built into your shower. At the most, steam for 5-10 minutes once a week. Cleanse first to ensure impurities do not enter.
Cautions: Only some people should steam. Do not steam when there is broken or very fragile skin. Do not steam if you have rosacea, broken capillaries, eczema or severe acne. Steaming may also activate oil glands with very blemished skin. So this should also be avoided. Practice safe methodology. Do not burn your skin or burst blood vessels. Cover eyes with pads or cloths. Never stay in if you are uncomfortable or feel pain. Never use Steam with anyone under the age of 14. Asthmatics should not steam. Never use essential oils to which you are sensitive.
Steam, Scrub, and Tone Video -Overview of Section:
AHA’s (The Aha experience)
(Alpha hydroxy acids)-
AHAs occur naturally in many foods, herbs, fruits, and cultured milk products like yogurt, kefir, and buttermilk. They stimulate the skin’s ability to exfoliate and renew itself. Use AHAs to slough off old, dead skin, allowing new cells to emerge. AHAs are used commercially in many products, including scrubs, masks, and creams. However, they may not benefit sensitive skin or those with rosacea or acne.
Facial Compresses:
Another soothing way to open pores is to make a compress. A compress has a similar effect as a steam bath. The face should be cleaned before using the compress. Boil a litre of water and allow it to cool. Add 3 or 4 drops of essential oils to suit your skin type. (Check this unit’s Oil for Skin Types Chart for ideas.)
Dip a luxurious face cloth into the boiled and slightly cooled water. Wring it out so it is still damp, and apply the fabric to your face. You can keep the water in the pot warm so you can reapply. For very dry or sensitive skin, use lukewarm compresses. Pressing out blackheads when the pores are open and the grease is removed is easier. The blackhead can then be carefully eased out with clean fingers. Afterward, could you dab the area with witch hazel or tea tree hydrosol?
Whiteheads look like tiny white lumps on the skin. Unlike the blackhead exposed to air, the whitehead remains closed, as dead skin cells have covered the duct opening, making it hard for the oil plug to move out of the pore. Whiteheads are challenging to clear at home, and you may need an appointment with a skilled aesthetician. Wildwood pg. 216.
A pimple is formed when oil-blocked follicles become irritated and inflamed. White blood cells move into the area to fight inflammation, which creates pus. The pimple usually heals within a couple of days, but if the inflammation occurs more profoundly in the skin, it can become an acne cyst. These stubborn beasts may lurk beneath the surface for several weeks.
Wildwood (pg. 216) states that the best treatment is to steam the skin, apply a warm compress, and add a yogurt or clay face pack. Then, dab the pimple with tea tree essential oil or calendula tincture. I have also used a sulphur mixture on spots for this purpose.
Facial Scrubs/Cleansing Grains
Cleansing grains is an age-old method of sloughing off old skin. Do not use scrub-type products on skin that is sensitive or has rosacea or acne. It may make it worse. Many favourite recipes for cleansing grains include oats, poppy seeds, cornmeal, and almonds. However, a good deal of food products have been used successfully, so you have a lot of latitude when making your creations. Avocado pits and apricot seeds are often pulverized as the base of scrubs. It is essential to make the texture smooth, as anything too sharp can create fine cuts on the skin. When applying scrubs, massage the face in a gentle, circular manner. Rinse well with warm water and gently pat dry.
Toners-
Skin tonics and toners combine distilled water or hydrosol, cider vinegar, and essential oil.
Cider vinegar helps restore the skin’s natural acid mantle. Skin tonic is applied after washing and for men after shaving. It leaves skin feeling fresh and tingly.
Skin tonics are especially helpful if you live in a complex water area. Limescale deposits in hard water can disrupt the skin’s acid mantle, causing dry and irritated skin (Wildwood, pg. 222).
It is often surprising to people that skin prefers a slightly acidic tonic, as we are told to drink alkaline water and eat alkaline foods.
Check your Practical Potions Journal downloads below for recipes and formulas.