Feed Your Face

Posted: Mon 7 Feb, 2011

The following yummy foods will make your skin glow with health – but don’t just eat them rub them on your face and body!

Coconut oil – There’s no stopping coconut oil, use it inside and out for supple, smooth and hydrated skin. Massage into warm, damp skin after a shower as a delicious daily moisturiser. If your skin feels a bit oily afterwards, simply blot with a towel. Use as a deep cleanser by massaging warm oil into clean skin. Gently massage for 5 minutes to dissolve oil and dirt stuck in your pores. Take a warm, damp face cloth and hold over your face to allow the steam and warmth to infuse the coconut oil into your skin. Repeat the compress several times then wipe the excess oil from your skin.

Peppermint tea – cool peppermint tea makes a great toner for skin that tends to redden easily. You can simply dab cooled tea bags over your face or pour some tea into the palm of your hand and gently press into your face. As its preservative free, you’ll need to make a fresh batch each day.

Rosemary tea – Place fresh or dried rosemary leaves in a teapot or coffee plunger and cover with boiling water. Strain when cool and use as a leave in rinse after washing your hair. It will impart a glossy shine to dark hair. Stimulates circulation for a healthy scalp and hair.

Raspberry seed oil – whilst not technically a food, raspberry seed oil is one of my favourite cosmetic oils. It’s incredibly rich and highly moisturising and its antioxidant properties make it a favourite ingredient of natural sunscreens. It has a natural SPF of between 10 and 15 and can be used as a stand alone sunscreen.

Apple cider vinegar – Always dilute before using. Add a few tablespoons to your shampoo to help remove the build up of hair product for clean, shiny hair and a healthy scalp.

Avocado – avocados are incredible moisturising for your skin both inside and out. Apply mashed avocado as a hydrating DIY face mask. Leave for 10 minutes then gently wipe off. Add a few drops of apple cider vinegar for oily or spotty skin, or a teaspoon of raw honey for dry or mature skin.

Pumpkin seeds – Blend in the food processor with extra virgin olive oil or coconut oil for a deeply moisturising face treatment. Great for skin that’s had too much sun.

Whey – Probiotic rich whey makes a great toner for skin that’s prone to breakouts or infections. It helps to restore the natural bacterial balance to your skin. Apply after cleansing in the evening and leave on overnight.

Recipe:

Fermented Almond Facial Scrub

This gentle exfoliating, deep cleansing and moisturising facial scrub is great for dry, oily or combination skin. For best results, don’t scrub your face with it, instead mix a teaspoon of the Almond Meal Scrub with a little warm water and gently press all over your face, neck and décolleté. The gentle press and release action will stimulate your lymphatic system, your body’s internal sewage system for an even deeper cleanse. Remove with a warm face cloth.
The fermentation process creates lactic acid, a gentle and non irritating exfoliant that also helps to correct the pH of problem skin.

You’ll need:

• Almond meal (commercial almond meal will produce a finer finished product or you can create your own almond meal in a food processor for a coarser, more rustic finish)
• Whey (for best results you’ll need to create your own whey. Kefir whey is fine to use. If you don’t have any whey, open a probiotic capsule and sprinkle through the almond meal)
• Raw Honey
• Apple Cider vinegar
• Grapefruit seed extract (optional)

Combine all ingredients in a glass container and leave to ferment for 24 hours then store in the fridge. It will have a very faint ‘banana’ smell to it which is completely normal.

Anti Fungal Scalp Treatment

This natural and non toxic treatment can be safely used on adults and children for the treatment of dandruff, seborrhoeic dermatitis or dry itchy scalps. For severe conditions use daily or every few days. Use weekly as a maintenance treatment. If you plan on making a big batch, omit the thyme tea and it will keep for several months.

• 200ml Unscented thick natural conditioner 100ml (Melrose or Akin are good brands – do not use a protein enriched conditioner if you plan to leave on overnight)
• 3 tablespoons of apple cider vinegar
• 50 drops organic tea tree oil
• 50 drops Grapefruit seed extract
• Optional 50ml of strong Thyme tea

Mix all ingredients together in a plastic squeezy sauce bottle apply directly to a dry scalp. Allow to dry and leave on overnight or cover with plastic and leave for 20 minutes. Rinse under warm water then shampoo and condition hair as normal.

 

About the Author

Sarah Luck uses a combination of food, homoeopathic remedies, specific nutrients and herbal medicine. She has also practiced pregnancy massage for the last 10 years. She is passionate about using food as medicine wherever possible and specialises in PCOS, Fertility and Hormonal Problems (men and wemon). For more information on this article or to make an appointment with Sarah, contact Levity Health (02 9389 0278) or email Sarah directly at sarah@levityhealth.com.au.