Wax and Bubbles

Blemishes are one of the main problems people complain about in skin care. To get rid of them you have to figure out the problem in why you are getting them first. Is it your diet, is it your heritage, or is it the simple fact that you just don’t have a good skin care process. If the last one is the case then why not try yogurt as a skin cleanser? Yogurt is rich in natural alpha-hydroxy acids, and lemon blam (Melissa officinalis) and lavender (Lavandula augustifolia) added to that calm the immflamation that most suffer from when blemishes arrive on our skin. Thyme (Thmus spp.) also helps fight the bacteria that causes the breakouts.

Try this Lemon Balm-Lavender Yogurt Cleanser and see if your skin makes a change.

1/2 cup plain lowfat yogurt
1/2 cup water
1 tbs. dried lemon balm leaves
1 tbs. dried leavender flowers
1 tbs. dried thyme leaves

Put yogurt and water into a wide-mouth pint jar and stir well. Add herbs and stir till well blended. Leave mixture in the wide-mouth jar in the refrigerator overnight. Strain herbs from the mixture in the morning, and pour into a container with a tight fitting lid. Store in the refrigerator for up to a week while using the mixture.

To use, dampen your face with warm water. Soak a cotton ball in the cleasing mixture and gently wipe your face with the cotton ball. Repeat until the skin is throughly cleansed. Rinse well with warm water and pat your face dry. Never rub your face with a towel or rag when you have acne on your skin. The acne can become inflammed and at times it may cause the blemish to bleed and become larger.

**Think those energy packed snacks are good for your body? Think again. Stephanie over at Elementary Chef tells why they aren’t and how it’s better to grab an organic apple instead. Read the whole story here.**

FUTURE POST LOOK-ON:

•Making decorative candles from things in your own yard.

•Coffee Wake-up scrub.

•Sore muscle soak.

•Candles made from soy.

•How to make your own lip balm for this winter.

Make your own acne fighting soap. Can be used for troubled, oily skin as well. Here’s how:

You will need:

Sundried tomatoes (1/2 cup)
Clear Vegetable Glycerin (1 and 1/2 cups)
Pure Aloe (1/2 cup)
Pure peppermint essential oil (6 drops)
Stove or Microwave
Wooden Spoon
Stainless Steel Pot
Food Processor or the like
Ice trays or soap molds
Olive oil cooking spray
Wax paper
Butchers paper or plastic wrap
Marking pen or marker

*All of these ingredients can be found at any healthfood store.*

In a food processor you want to grind the tomatoes into a fine powder. Then sift them through a strainer to remove large chunks.

Heat the vegetable glycerin in the stainless steel pot and when melted add the aloe. Heat for 1 minute, stirring with the wooden spoon until heated through.

Add the ground tomatoes and the 6 drops of peppermint oil.

Heat again while stirring until well blended. Remove from heat promptly.

Spray ice cube trays or soap molds with olive oil spray. Pour mixture into the spouted measuring cup and then pour into trays or molds.

I like to stick mine in the refrigerator so they set faster, but you could leave them out at room tempurature as well. After soap sets and has cooled down, pop soaps out onto wax paper.

Let sit over night and then wrap in plastic wrap or butchers paper. Be sure and label your soap and what it does for the skin.

Makes roughly 2-3 medium sized soaps depending on your mold sizes. Smaller ones are great for traveling while the larger ones are great for home use. Make many and have them on hand.

If you are allergic to tomatoes, they can be replaced with dried grapefruit peel or orange peel. And chopped the same way.

**Do you have a Pet-Peeve? JM does over at Fiction Scribe with writters not wanting to use the word “said”. Read the whole story here and you might just agree.**

FUTURE POST LOOK-ON:

•Making decorative candles from things in your own yard.

•Coffee Wake-up scrub

•Sore muscle soak

•Candles made from soy

•How to make your own lip balm for this winter