Generations-Old Health and Beauty Secrets

[Liana26]

I confess, I am obsessed with natural beauty secrets, and I collect them whenever I can (mostly from the elderly).

To share a few of my own:
-a dab of honey rubbed on your face in the shower will tighten pores and smooth skin (it will also help chapped lips and heal cuts)

-drenching your hair with coconut oil and letting it soak overnight will do wonders for overall health of the hair (be sure to shampoo twice the next morning)

-almond oil will soothe chapped lips

-sucking on a few whole cloves until the flavor is gone will sweeten bad breath

-eating almonds soaked in milk overnight will improve complexion

-for a more even skin tone mix turmeric spice with milk to make a paste, rub a thin layer on the face, and don't wash it off until it's completely dry (use a cheap hand towel to wash it off, as it will stain)

-eat a small piece of papaya after every meal, its digestive enzymes make it impossible for you to not lose weight

-lemongrass rubbed on the face will cure acne

-a cup of coffee and a small piece of dark chocolate every day will prevent signs of aging (hooray!)

I know I have about a thousand more stuffed somewhere in the back of my head but they're just not coming to me right now.

I would absolutely love for people to add to the list if they have any beauty secrets they'd like to share.

 

[MercyMia]

this is a good thread!

do you think that chilled cucumber slices put on your eyes will really help decrease puffiness?

 

[Liana26]

Yes, because of it's high water content and natural coolness. You can eat them when you're done.

 

[graceanne]

2 cups of Epsom Salts in a tub of water is a great foot soak. It'll help with soarness, and it's great for your feet, especially if you have problems with foot fungus. It draws the poisons to the top, so that you can scrub it off with a rough washrag or a pumus stone.

Epsom Salts are great for all of your skin. Put a few cups in the bath water, and soak for at least 5 to 10 minutes. Then take a loofah sponge and scrub yourself really good. It's a great, cheap way to exfoliate. Same thing as before the epsom salts bring all the poisons to the top of your skin, but it also softens that top layer, so that you can scrub it off to show off the new skin under.

Mayonaise is great for your skin, cause it's made of oil and eggs. You actually can make your own mayo in the blender by adding oil, eggs, and vinegar.

Vinegar is great for your hair. It removes build up from shampoos, and builds elasticity. In other words it makes your hair less brittle. Just make sure to put conditioner in afterward and DO NOT GET IT IN YOUR EYES.

Beer gives your hair a great shine. Of course be prepared to wash it out when you're done, or you'll smell like a lush. lol

Olive Oil is great for really dry skin. It's what I use on my skin, and it's awesome. I prefer it over most moisturizers, cause it doesn't have anything weird in it to make my skin bitchy. I also like grapeseed oil, but that's really spendy.

Noxemia is a great shaving cream. You get a really really close shave with it.

Baby Oil in the bath water is great for moisturizing your whole body, quickly.

Vaseline is great for removing makeup. I haven't found any makeup it won't remove yet.

I'm sure I have more, but I can't think of them right now, either.

 

[graceanne]

Oh, I thought of another one.

Lukewarm water (like two or three tbsp's) with a couple drops of aloe vera juice is great for soothing irritated eyes.

 

[WriterDom]

My cum has been scientifically proven to make any woman look up to 5 years younger if swallowed. But it has to be taken straight from the penis.

 

[graceanne]

My cum has been scientifically proven to make any woman look up to 5 years younger if swallowed. But it has to be taken straight from the penis.

Only yours, hm?

 

[Liana26]

Beer gives your hair a great shine. Of course be prepared to wash it out when you're done, or you'll smell like a lush. lol

Wow, a use has finally been found for Milwaukee's Best (otherwise known as the Beast).

Kitty litter and water exfolliates the skin, that is, if one is willing to put Kitty litter on their face.

For incredibly soft skin, fill the tub with water and add about a liter of milk, a few tablespoons of honey, and one tablespoon of turmeric paste and soak till you heart's content (vigorous scrubbing of the bathtub is required afterwards...)

And if anyone has any rememdies for frizzy hair, I will absolutely need to be informed... damn southern humidity.

 

[Liana26]

Generations-Old Health Secrets

Inspired by my Beauty Secrets thread...
-green tea, needless to say, prevents all sorts of cancers

-lemon tea and honey for a sore throat

-to cure the common cold for a few hours: mix 1/2 a cup of lemon juice, 1T vinegar, 1 minced garlic clove, 1t cayenne pepper, and 1t ginger and chug AS FAST AS YOU CAN because it tastes like vomit

-for a stomach ache, boil a cup of water with a dash of oregano and a dash of salt and drink

-also, ginger tea will do wonders for a stomach ache

-put tiger balm under the nose for congestion

-eat a banana every day, especially if you're at risk for a heart attack because the potassium builds up your heart muscle

-if I remember correctly, garlic keeps your cholesterol low

-do yoga!

-Tyler says if you eat a raw egg every morning you'll never get sick but I think that in itself would make me sick

 

[graceanne]

Inspired by my Beauty Secrets thread...
-green tea, needless to say, prevents all sorts of cancers

It's also great for canker sores.

 

[graceanne]

Also vitamin B12 will keep fleas, ticks, and mosquitos from bighting. I'm not sure how it works, but it's something about the taste or something. Don't know why, but it works.

A great site for home remedies is:


http://web.ask.com/redir?bpg=http:/...p://www.recipegoldmine.com/health/health.html

 

[MercyMia]

Health and Beauty are Intertwined

Thanks for the tip about epsom salts and loofah sponging...I think I'll do that tonight.

Doing eye exercises every morning for a few minutes should help your eyesight from deteroriating so quickly (especially those of us who use the computer so much). Roll your eyes around slowly to stretch the muscles and make the blood circulate inside.

Drink 6 glasses of water first thing in the morning to flush your system and cleanse out the toxins that accumulated over night. Your skin will look more radiant after a couple of weeks.

Liana, I hope someone does post a tip for controlling the frizzies. It's humid in the tropics, too!

 

[Desdemona]

My grandmother used to keep a tub of sheeps fat, otherwise known as lanolin, in the refrigerator. She massaged it in her skin. Not sure it helped much. She was pretty wrinkled when I saw her do it, but maybe she would have looked older without it.

I'm with Grace on the olive oil as well as the epsom salt soaks. I soak my entire body in hot salt water several times a week.

The cheapest and easiest beauty secret: don't smoke and stay out of the sun. It will keep your skin looking young for years.

 

[LadyNatasha]

Washing your hair with honey (1 T to about a liter of water) will help cure the frizzies.

Since you're washing your face with it anyway, may as well continue where you started.

Lanolin is absolutley amazing stuff for skin. Instant cure for dryness...

 

[DarkWolfMoon]

Citrus Tips

Here are some tips using citrus fruits.

Dark

This recipe will fade age and dark spots the skin can get. As with creams, it does take time and patience to see the results...Mix the juice of 1 lemon, 1 lime, 2 Tablespoons of honey, and 2 ounces of plain yogurt. Massage this mixture into the spots at least once a week, more often if the spots are extremely dark.

If you have pimples that keep popping up, try this: Dip a cotton swab in lemon juice and apply it directly to the pimple or pimples before you go to bed. Repeat this every night until they are gone.

Mix 2 ounces of Witch hazel with 10 drops of lemon juice for a lemony skin toner for problem skin/ This will control oily skin and cleanse surface oil and dirt that contributes to acne. You can mix this up in a bottle and keep it in the refrigerator for a cooling treatment for the face.

Get yourself 3 ripe oranges and squeeze the juice into a tub of warm water. Soak for 15-20 minutes. Orange Juice will rejuvenate dry skin.

Tangerine oil can reduce the appearance of stretch marks. This can be purchased in health food stores. Mix the tangerine oil with a few drops of olive oil to dilute it. Rub the stretch marks and leave the oil on the skin. Leep in mind, any citrus oils shouldn't be used on skin that is exposed to direct sunlight for long periods of time.

 

[DarkWolfMoon]

Rubdown Oil

This mixture is perfect for muscle therapy and rubdowns. It may sound complicated, but it isn't. You can find any of these oils at your local health food store or body shops.

Ingredients:
1 1/2 Table spoons sweet almond oil (or grapeseed oil)
2 drops essential oil (EO) of thyme
7 drops EO of lavender
3 drops EO of eucalyptus or lemon
3 drops EO of ginger
1 drop EO of peppermint
1 drop EO of rose

Mix the oils in a bottle and store it out of the light. You can double or triple the amounts to have enough to use anytime you need a therapeutic massage. This mixture is great for strained muscles and sports injuries. It can be gently massaged into the skin or placed on a compress and wrapped around an injury.

 

[hydrex]

this is a good thread!

do you think that chilled cucumber slices put on your eyes will really help decrease puffiness?

I read here on lit that putting preperation H around your eyes (not in them) helps get rid of wrinkles.

 

[D's mariposa]

I'm going to try to the olive or grape seed oil, I think. Lotion wise, I use cetaphil or the generic equivalent, depending on how close the ingredients are. My skin is so hypersensitive that for years, we thought I was allergic to the sun! (Which is why I stay out of it as much as possible.) But cetaphil is buku expensive.


Here's some of mine...

If you get a rash and it's not from some sort of infection, take one packet (about a 3rd of a cup) of PLAIN oatmeal wrap it in a washcloth and drop it in the tub while it fills. Make the water warm, but not hot. Alternatively, if you have a spice or coffee grinder, grind the same amount into as fine a powder as you can get and pour it in to the bath. This will soothe the skin. It also works to soften dry skin in the winter.

If antibiotics upset your stomach after a few days of taking them, it may be because the drugs are killing off healthy bacteria in your digestive tract. Eating a cup of yogurt with live cultures will help with that.

Bathing a sunburned area with tea will ease the burn. If you need to, take a bath and drop in a few tea bags.

My grandma swore that drinking a glass of water at each meal would keep your skin young. I think it's the water that's important. Drinking it at each meal was just an easy way to remember to do it.