FACE BOOK
How To ‘LIKE’ Your Face.
JAN NORN
Copyright: 30-09-2011
ISBN: 978-0-9867832-6-5
“Where are you going, my pretty maid?”
“I’m going to London, sir,” she said.
“What is your fortune, my pretty maid?”
“My face is my fortune, sir,” she said.
ANON
Everyday Skin Care
Balancing Act
First Line of Defense
Face Massage
Water Power
Emunity
Green Lipstick
Skin Deep
Lend Me Your Ears
Mud and Strawberries
Face Buffet
Mouth Trap
Pearly Whites
Sweet Lips
Crowning Glory
Healthy Hair
Help For Ravaged Hair
Heads Up
A New Wrinkle
The Acne Anathema
Colour Me Safe
Lethal Lipstick
Lip Balm or Lip Bane
Dad-Saver
Plastic Dilemma
Holiday Gifts
Morning Dew
Sweet Lips
The Power of Three
Mouthwash
Shaving Set
Blender Soap
Ingredients
EVERYDAY SKIN CARE
Ask ten women if they wash their faces with soap, and at least seven of them will probably answer, “No way!”
They say that after washing with soap, their skin feels tight and looks shiny. Some of them are allergic to soap, so they purchase and use a variety of cleansing creams and facial rinses to get rid of the daily dirt. What they don’t realize is the basic difference between commercially processed soap and the kind you can make in your own kitchen.
The homemade stuff is usually based on vegetable oils rather than animal fat. It contains lots of natural glycerine, which is a formed by the reaction caused when lye meets oils. This glycerine is prized for its skin smoothing and soothing qualities, and shouldn’t be confused with the manufactured glycerine you use to make bubble mix (that’s a petroleum by-product). Natural vegetable glycerine treats your skin kindly.
Because you know exactly what goes into your soap, you can customize it to avoid ingredients that cause allergies, and you can super-fat it to make it extra rich and luxurious. Just one problem – making soap is addictive and you won’t ever be able to stop after the first batch! It also gets your skin feeling cleaner than anything else you may put on it. Check out the recipe in the HAPPY FACE section - try it!
Simple rules for cleaning your face:
1. Remove heavy make-up. Plain yogurt works beautifully instead of cleansing cream, and is absolutely safe.
2. Use a clean cotton facecloth (no nylon scrubbies, please), homemade soap and plenty of warm water. Give your face and throat a good brisk scrub. Don’t just pat at it, but get rid of oil traces and dead skin. Be firm with your face! Use a soapy loofah if extra exfoliation is needed. Rinse thoroughly and dry.
3. Now for a very important step. Even the best soap is slightly alkaline, so pH balance your skin with witch hazel, dabbed or sprayed on. Allow it to dry naturally.
4. With distilled water or an appropriate hydrosol in a spray bottle, mist your face and apply a natural cream while skin is still wet. Always apply cream by stroking UPWARDS, except for the areas under your eyes. Just pat in gently here as this skin is fragile.
That’s it. Do this twice a day and your skin will be very happy. It works for men too.
BALANCING ACT
Understanding pH
pH stands for Potential of Hydrogen. It is the scale of measurement for acidity or alkalinity in any substance, including our bodies, and is determined by the number of hydrogen ions per cubic decimeter. You may be thinking ‘Who really cares?’ but those wee hydrogen ions can have a profound effect on your health.
A neutral pH balance is about 7 on the scale. A reading of 1 is highly acidic while 14 is profoundly alkaline. However, interpreting the scale is not what you would expect, as each whole number differs by a factor of 10 from the one next to it. In other words, 8 is 10 times more alkaline than 7 while 10 is 1,000 times (10x10x10) more alkaline than 7. Conversely, 2 is 10 times more acidic than 3, and 3 is 100 times more acidic than 5. This gives more definition to those numbers on the pH scale.
pH SCALE #1 – highly acidic.
pH SCALE #2 – 100,000x more acidic than 7.
pH SCALE #3 – 10,000 x more acidic than 7.
pH SCALE #4 – 1,000 x more acidic than 7.
pH SCALE #5- 100 x more acidic than 7.
pH SCALE #6 – 10 x more acidic than 7.
pH SCALE #7 – Neutral.
pH SCALE #8 – 10 x more alkaline than 7.
pH SCALE #9 – 100 x more alkaline than 7.
pH SCALE #10 – 1,000 x more alkaline than 7.
pH SCALE #11 – 10,000 x more alkaline than 7.
pH SCALE #12 – 100,000 x more alkaline than 7.
pH SCALE # 13 – 1,000,000 x more alkaline than 7.
pH SCALE #14 – profoundly alkaline.
To complicate matters further, we have a different ‘desirable’ pH in different parts of our body. Most internal parts are better with an alkaline pH, but skin has something called an acid mantle to protect it from exposure. Healthy skin has an acid value of between 4.5 and 5.9, but it functions reasonably well within a range of 4 to 6. If the acid mantle is damaged, the skin becomes vulnerable to bacteria and infection as well as to damage from wind and pollutants.
Simply rinsing your hands in water causes an increase in skin alkalinity, but washing with commercial soap can increase the alkaline reading by 3 full points (or 1,000 times). Goodbye acid mantle! It may repair itself within a couple of hours, but this is stressful. So what to do?
Obviously you have to wash properly, but be sure to use gentle hand-made soap, and to revitalize and re-acidify your skin immediately by misting with witch hazel or rosewater. Follow this by an application of acidic cream or lotion, applied while the skin is still damp, and you will have safe and happy skin. This is important for men as well. The poor dears have to subject their faces to the shaving process every day, and their skin needs care too.
Hand-made castile soap, properly cured, should have a neutral pH balance (7 to 7.5). Be sure to ask about the pH if you are purchasing this soap, and also check the types of oils that have been used. For instance a large percentage of coconut oil will make a rich lather but will have a drying effect, so is best for people with oily skins, or for really tough dirt. Most soap makers will be proud to tell you their recipe and its merits.
Your hair has an ideal pH of between 4.5 and 5.5. If it has become dry and dandruff-infested after being subjected to years of substance abuse (chemical shampoos, perms, dyes, etc.) use a natural shampoo so that your scalp has a chance to normalize, and rinse with something acidic such as lemon juice or vinegar, diluted 1:4 in water. Leave this final rinse in your hair to do its balancing act.
Remember that, although pure water has an ideal pH, there is not too much pure water to be found. You can collect rain, melt snow or try to trap some dew, but the water that comes out of your tap is not likely to be pure. If you live in town it will have added chemicals, and if you are in the country with a well, you are at the mercy of whatever minerals are deposited in the local soil. For all my cosmetics, I usually use distilled water unless I have had a chance to ‘catch’ the natural stuff.
The right pH means ‘perfectly Healthy’ – the wrong one means ‘perfectly Horrible’.
FIRST LINE OF DEFENSE
Caring For Your Acid Mantle
Your skin has a miniscule protective outer layer called the acid mantle. It forms a barrier against bacteria, fungi and the elements, and it helps to prevent moisture loss. Without it, skin would be vulnerable to infection and damage from the outside and to leeching from the inside.
We are inclined to think of skin care only with regards to our faces, but the acid mantle covers the whole of our bodies, including the tricky places like hands, feet and elbows. Healthy skin has an average pH value of between 4.5 and 5.9 depending on which part of the body is being tested (skin areas with a higher moisture content differ from dry areas). The body’s internal pH is close to neutral, in the area of 7.35 to 7.46, but the acid mantle itself usually ranges from 4 to 6.
Why should you care? Because your acid mantle is under constant attack and needs your help to shore up its defenses. This is especially true of exposed areas like faces and hands. Every time you wash your hands or your face with soap, it increases the pH of that area by about 3. That doesn’t sound like much, but remember that pH values increase geometrically by a factor of 10. In other words, a pH of 5 is 10 times more acid than a pH of 6, and a pH of 4 is 100 times more acid than a pH of 6.
In spite of this, washing your hands and face thoroughly with soap is extremely important, essential in fact, if you are to be really clean. Equally important, though, is the next step, replenishing the acid mantle. Skin takes at least two hours to replenish itself after washing, so you must give it instant help.
Most creams and lotions are not acidic enough to be of any real value, so always keep a bottle of witch hazel or hydrosol beside your soap and pat or spray it on right after washing to restore the balance. Another alternative is kombucha tea, which gives you a balance of acids and other essential nutrients. Apply it topically, with a cotton puff, as it does not spray well.
While your skin is still damp, apply the most acidic cream you can find (or make). If you always follow these steps, your skin will never feel tight or dry, as it does if you wash with soap and don’t pH balance afterwards. The same principle applies for men after shaving, and for babies who suffer from diaper rash. Never neglect the ‘acid treatment’ on your hands as well. Restoring the acid mantle is the answer. It’s simple, it’s basic, and it works!
If you are not sure whether the products you are using are sufficiently acidic, check them with litmus paper. You will be amazed!
After you’ve tested some commercial products for acid pH, you may want to make your own cream. Try the ‘Morning Dew’ recipe in the Happy Face section.
FACIAL MASSAGE
Everyone Needs A Happy Face
Why bother?
There are four good reasons for making this a part of your health and beauty routine:
Massage stimulates the flow of blood.
The pressure of your fingers helps to release trapped toxins.
It encourages absorption of oils.
Massage makes your skin feel good (everyone needs a happy face!)
What to use?
Any good quality plant-based oil that is absorbed easily. Emu oil, sweet almond oil, sea buckthorn oil, shea butter, cajeput oil, grapeseed oil or ricebran oil are all fine. If you choose something expensive (emu, sea buckthorn, cajeput) dilute with grapeseed oil using one part (expensive) to four (grapeseed).
Do NOT use cocoa butter, coconut oil, corn oil or olive oil for facial massage. They are made up of larger molecules that are likely to clog pores. They are also comogenic, which means that they can cause acne. These oils are fine in soap, because soap cleans your skin without deep penetration, but don’t rub them into your face.
How to do it?
1.] First, get to know your bones. Using the thumbs and starting under your chin at the center, press and release gently four or five times, at the same time rolling thumbs up and around the back of the jaw bone. Don’t dig – just gentle pressure. Move outwards and repeat the presses, continuing until you reach the point of bone under your ears.
2.] Now take your three center fingers and do the same thing on the top of your jawbone. Repeat the gentle finger presses above your teeth, lower and upper.
3] .Find your cheekbones and cover them with a series of finger presses, up as far as your eye sockets. Use thumbs again underneath the eyebrows, then cover the forehead with a series of finger presses.
4] .Now for the oil. Pour a tiny amount into a saucer for easy dipping, remembering that your aim is to use only enough oil to slick your fingertips. A face dripping with oil is not a thing of beauty! Starting at the base of the throat, and using both sets of oiled fingertips, stroke gently up and out, following the jaw line. Use more oil as needed and stroke until it is absorbed.
5.] Repeat from chin to ears, from upper lip to outer eyes, and from bottom to top of cheeks. Always work from bottom to top. Never press so hard that your skin drags and stretches.
6.] The skin below and above your eyes is extremely delicate. Don’t stroke it at all, but simply pat in the oil, using gentle fingertips and not going too close to your eyes. Next rub a little oil into your eyebrows and complete the finger strokes on your forehead, stopping before you reach the hairline.
7.] Nose and ears are made of tougher stuff. First the ears, which are often neglected when it comes to massage: take off all your earrings and grasp ear lobes between thumbs and first fingers. Pinch lightly and massage in small circles. Continue around the edges of your ears. Now take lightly oiled ring fingers and rub in small circles all over the inside surfaces of your ears, but stop at the ear canal. Last of all, take the pointy part of your ears and give them two or three little pulls (don’t worry – they are not going to stretch).
8.] The nose can be a problem area with large pores and blackheads. If you are lucky enough to have a ‘dry-skin’ nose, just stroke in oil as you did with the rest of your face. If not, try some cajeput oil (diluted) and rub it in firmly. Cajeput belongs to the melaleuca family and is a great cleanser and breaker-down of sebum. Be sure to do an allergy test first though (dab a little on the inside of your elbow, cover with a band aid and leave for twelve hours – no reaction means no allergy).
9.] For the last step in your massage, take your dry fingertips and tap briskly but lightly over the entire face and neck. This stimulates the flow of blood and gets your skin working.
All of this works for guys as well as girls.
WATER POWER
The Essential Ingredient
Skin craves water. That fresh, dewy look does not come primarily from oils, but from lots and lots of water. Have you read about the famous ‘English rose complexions’? They got that way because England has a lousy climate, with cool rain and mist beating out sunshine and warmth for a lot of the time. Australia, on the other hand, has a marvellous climate for sun-worshippers, and the ladies pay for that by being prone to develop skin that looks like leather once they reach middle age. No place is perfect!
Our Canadian summers can be skin-bakers too, and right now my hands are telling me that our winter weather is equally drying. That lovely, cozy air-conditioning that we all take for granted is a bad thing for faces and hands.
So give your skin what it needs. The first rule is to wash properly, using soap and water, not just a put-on-and-then-wipe-off-concoction of oils and chemicals. Only soap and water really get rid of the fallout that coats our faces every day. (When I say soap, I mean actual, homemade soap, not the detergent bars that lurk on store shelves).
Second rule is to pH balance your face. Because even the greatest soap is going to be more alkaline than your skin, you need to wash and dry, then spray or pat with witch hazel (can be diluted if you wish). After the balancing is complete, mist again with distilled water or a hydrosol.
Third rule is to apply cream or lotion while face is still wet. Creams will soothe, heal and hold the moisture in your skin, but oils do not actually moisturize, only moisture (water) moisturizes. For this reason, a good cream or lotion will contain as much water as possible, and that’s not as simple as it sounds. Oil and water are equally determined that they should not mix. By combining them in a bottle and shaking vigorously, you can trick them into a temporary alliance, but it’s not going to last. They’ll separate as soon as they possibly can into layers.
There are a couple of alternatives. Commercially, there’s the use of high-speed mixers and various chemicals that force the ingredients to emulsify into a permanent blend. A way of stabilizing the ingredients yourself is to use a thickener such as guar gum. This is harmless and works well, but it is of no particular benefit to your skin and I don’t really like the feel of the stuff, so don’t use it much.
The third method entails warming the oils and liquids separately, blending very carefully, chilling in the freezer and, finally, beating in a little ice-cold water at high speed. It is a bit tricky (something like making a soufflé) but it makes a dream of a cream! The recipe for that one is in ‘Kitchen Cosmetics’.
EMUNITY
Tested In Australia for Several Million Years . . .
Sometimes an ingredient is so beneficial, so versatile and so effective, that even a frugal person like me doesn’t mind paying a high price for it. Emu oil is one of those things.
Emus have made their home in Australia for about 80 million years. The aborigines, who are the oldest existing race of people on earth, have traditionally shared the outback with emus, and considered them a source of the necessities of life, both physical and spiritual. Modern research is beginning to confirm what the aborigines have known all along – that emu oil does great things for your skin and keeps you in good running order. (Arthritis is largely absent from aboriginal tribes, whereas about 10% of the white population in Australia suffer from it).
Here are some of the things scientists have discovered about emu oil:
It can penetrate the stratum corneum barrier of the skin with beneficial oleic acid.
It is anti-inflammatory and reduces pain, swelling and stiffness.
It emulsifies oil with water to produce a cream with no oily residue.