NATURAL BEAUTY

Natural Beauty Homemade Solutions for Glowing Skin

rawpixel/AdobeStock.com

by April Thompson

Skin, our largest organ, plays an important role in suplargest organ, plays an important role in suporgan, plays an important role in supporting and protecting the rest of the body. That’s why it should be treated kindly by using natural, chemical-free ingredients. Many U.S. beauty products contain hidden chemi. Many U.S. beauty products contain hidden chemicals, including dozens of ingredients that are banned in other counties. Even products labeled “organic” or “natural” can contain potentially harmful petrochemicals, according to the Environmental Working Group.

A natural skincare routine doesn’t have to be complicated or expensive. Balms, masks, scrubs and toners can be made from healthy, everyday products already present in most homes. “Oats, yogurt, coconut oil, honey: there are many kitchen staples that you can easily use in your skincare routine,” says Marlene Adelmann, founder of the Herbal Academy, in Bedford, Massachusetts, and author of Botanical Skin Care Recipe Book.

As an example, face masks can be made with ingredients from the spice rack, including turmeric and black pepper. “Oneingredient treatments, like a honey or yogurt mask, feel so good and are easy to make,” says Stephanie Gerber, the Nashville author of Hello Glow: 150+ Easy Natural Beauty Recipes for A Fresh New You.

Facial, body and foot scrubs are great beginner creations, according to Stephanie Tourles, author of Pure Skin Care: Nourishing Recipes for Vibrant Skin & Natural Beauty. The Marble Falls, Texas, esthetician recommends starting with a base of sugar or salt and adding an edible oil such as almond, plus a few drops of an essential oil. Essential oils should be diluted—add only six to 12 drops per ounce of finished product. Her favorites are lavender, tea tree, sweet orange and frankincense. Lemon, lime and bergamot are phototoxic and can cause sensitivity if added to any scrub before sun exposure.

“Scrubs are wonderful for softening, soothing and exfoliating the skin,” Tourles says, cautioning that salt scrubs can sting if applied after shaving or waxing. Other common ingredients that can be added are oats, almonds or sunflower seeds ground in a coffee grinder. When mixed with water, cream or yogurt, they offer a moisturizing facial treatment.

Tourles loves homemade body balms using oil and a thick loves homemade body balms using oil and a thickener such as cocoa butter or beeswax. “Balms are easy to make, great for kids and good for dry cuticles and lips. You don’t have to worry about ingredients spoiling. They condition the skin and smell great,” she says.

In harsher weather, skin requires a little extra TLC. Tourles suggests a hydrating winter toner made with a 50/50 mix of aloe vera juice and rosewater. “Honey is also nice for the face and incredibly hydrating for winter,” she says. “Simply warm a little bit, apply it to your clean face for 20 minutes, then rinse with warm water.”

“People often forget to apply more moisturizer in winter. One of the best things you can do is exfoliate your face with a simple scrub to slough off dry, dead skin. Use gentler ingredients for your face than your body, like oats, baking soda or almonds ground finely,” says Gerber. For chapped lips, she recommends a gentle exfoliant like sugar and honey applied as an antibacterial lip scrub.

“Matcha green tea makes a beautiful mask that astringes and tones skin. Combine it with aloe gel and honey for some soothing moisture in the colder months when our skin needs rejuvenation,” says Adelmann.

Some products are best purchased from a commercial source. “You can make many preparations at home—from masks to cleansing scrubs, cleansers, lotions and creams—but when these recipes contain water, they have a short shelf life. If you are looking for something with a longer shelf life, you’re going to run into more complicated instructions incorporating preservatives,” says Adelmann.

“Moisturizers, creamy cleansers and hand creams have the steepest learning curve to craft yourself,” says Tourles. “Trying to emulsify watery ingredients like herb tea and aloe vera with oils, butters or waxes is like mixing oil and vinegar in a salad dressing; these ingredients want to separate.” According to Gerber, sunscreen is another product worth buying rather than trying to make at home.

Homemade or store-bought products aside, the best skin enhancer is a drink of water, according to Gerber. It doesn’t get easier or more economical than that.

Connect with Washington, D.C., freelance writer April Thompson at AprilWrites.com.

Homemade Mask Recipes

Excerpted from Botanical Skin Care Recipe Book, by Marlene Adelmann

photos by Herbal Academy

Green Tea Facial Mask

Green tea contains polyphenolic flavonoids called catechins, which are strongly antioxidant. It’s also an astringent and anti-inflammatory. Matcha green tea (a powder) makes a beautiful green mask that astringes and tones skin. Combined with aloe gel and honey for soothing moisture, this is a great recipe for the colder months when our skin needs rejuvenation. 2 Tbsp matcha or another green tea (Camellia sinensis) leaf powder 4 tsp aloe vera leaf gel 1-2 tsp raw honey Combine all ingredients and mix well. Adjust proportions, as needed, to achieve the desired consistency—add more honey and/or tea powder if it’s too fluid, or more aloe if it’s too thick. Apply gently to the face, avoiding the eyes. Leave in place for 20 to 40 minutes. Rinse the face with warm water and lightly pat it dry with a towel. Follow with moisturizer.

Turmeric Facial Mask

This is an anti-inflammatory, astringent and nutritive face mask with antimicrobial action that is well-suited for acne-prone skin. Combining turmeric with a fat, like yogurt, mitigates its staining effects. Test this recipe on a small area of skin before using. 1 Tbsp plain yogurt 1 tsp turmeric (Curcuma longa) rhizome powder 1 tsp raw honey Combine all ingredients in a small bowl and mix well. After washing the face, apply this mask and let it set for approximately 15 minutes. Rinse with warm water and gently pat dry with a clean towel.

Online Advertising on Big Brand Websites

►Custom Targeting ►Hyper-local Geo-targeting ►High Click Thru Rates ►Monthly Reporting ►Results!

Easy & Effective

Learn more. Call 845-593-0065.

Digital Connection NY

Allison Adamiak, owner and esthetician, and Nazmie Bruncaj, esthetician

Balance Day Spa Offers Custom Organic Facials with New Safety Features

Balance Day Spa, Westchester County’s only certified green spa, has resumed offering its customized organic facials, but with broad-ranging safety protocols in place. “Our goal is to make our customers feel even more comfortable,” says owner and esthetician Allison Adamiak. “We were already all organic, all the time. Now we’re safer than ever.”

Among the many new safety features are virus-filtering MERV-13 Air Filtration throughout the building; virus-filtering HyperHEPA Air Purification throughout the spa; therapists working in double masks plus face shields; custom acrylic facial barriers on all treatment beds; all common furniture replaced with non-porous plastic (for ease of disinfection); eco-friendly and FDA-approved hospital-grade disinfection in between each client; appointments staggered and spaced so that no two clients are ever waiting together; and temperature checks for all clients upon entry.

“In addition to our popular full array of eco-friendly services, we are also offering masked skincare services to meet the comfort levels of all our clients,” Adamiak says. “We have nearly 40 combined years in the business, so we invite everyone to come in and see the difference that experience makes.”

Hours (by appointment only) are Tuesdays and Wednesdays 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.; Fridays 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.; and Saturdays 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Location: Balance Day Spa, 280 Mamaroneck Ave., Ste. 310, White Plains, NY. For appointments, call 914.358.9898. For more info, visit Balance-DaySpa.com. What’s New at Fresh Organic Salon

Fresh Organic Salon, in Bedford Hills, has launched a new online space where people can learn about and purchase the latest in organic skin care, makeup, scalp and haircare from the comfort and safety of their own home.

“This platform allows customers not just to relax while they shop, but to trust who they’re shopping with. They’ll learn where the ingredients were harvested and the cultivated biodynamic technology behind our plant-based skin care,” says owner Maureen Maureen Toohey, owner Toohey.

Online customers receive exclusive gifts; 10 to 20 percent off purchases, custom treatments and home spas; and 24-hour booking and purchasing options.

“We’re here to guide you through the many benefits of joining our Fresh Organic Salon experience,” Toohey says.

She takes the guesswork out of healthy skin care by only recommending product lines that offer complete transparency about their ingredients and follow biodynamic farming practices—so no toxins or synthetic fertilizers.

“Arbonne’s latest breakthrough in ingredients is bakuchiol, a plant-based alternative to retinol that helps reduce lines and wrinkles,” she says. “Plant-cell extracts help skin glow from within, and stabilized vitamin C increases collagen production. Powerful and concentrated essences are extracted by way of green chemistry. These infused nutrients produce maximum benefits without harmful chemicals or injections.” Not all skincare products that claim to be natural have safe ingredients, Toohey notes. Some have fragrances or phylates, which can cause adult breakouts. Warning signs are red, itchy, bumpy or flaky skin.

For more info, call 914.242.1028, email maureen@freshorganicsalon.com or visit FreshOrganicSalon.com. See ad, page 29.

Oxygen Facial with Pumpkin Mask is on the Menu at Bové Medical Spa

Pumpkin is on the menu at The Bové Medical Spa, in Somers, which offers a combination of medical, aesthetic and holistic treatments in a tranquil environment. The spa’s November special is an Oxygen and Pumpkin Facial, and it also is offering Circadia’s Pumpkin Perfecting Mask with Bakuchiol.

“The Circadia oxygen treatment is great for redness. It kills bacteria to leave a glowing complexion,” says spa owner Karen Merritt. “With this treatment, the oxygen penetrates the skin through a chemical reaction, with lasting results. Oxygen in this form is extremely nourishing and beneficial for all skin types.”

The mask treatment is “not your basic pumpkin mask,” Merritt says. “It’s fortified with a rich antioxidant profile and bakuchiol, the most effective natural vitamin A alternative. This mask is great for aging and acne.”

The Bové Medical Spa offers a wide array of services. Its facials are designed to be relaxing, fully customized, multi-step treatments that improve the skin’s general health while also addressing specific concerns and conditions.

Location: The Bové Spa, 366 Rte. 202, Somers, NY. For appointments, call 914.276.2200. For info, email Karen@ thebovespa.com or visit TheBoveSpa.com. See ad, page 31.

Coming Next Month

DECEMBER Spending Locally Plus: Creating Community & Connection

Tell them you saw it in Natural Awakenings.

Natural Awakenings BODY WORK GUIDE

CRANIOSACRAL THERAPY Joy Matalon LMT, CST 914.519.8138 Joymatalon.com Ossining & Garrison

MASSAGE THERAPY Donna Costa, LMT Yonkers 914.907.4485 coyoteqn@gmail.com dcostamassage.amtamembers.com Facebook.com/Donna.Costa.LMT Hilda Demirjian Remains at Forefront of Modern Skin Care

Since opening in White Plains in 1996, Hilda Demirjian Laser and Skin Care Center has been at the forefront of modern skin care, combining science with ancient therapies and treatments, and offering its own research-based premium skincare line featuring 100 percent botanical sources, including fruit stem cells. Made in an FDA-registered facility, Hilda Demirjian products are pharmaceutical grade, cruelty free and appropriate for all ages. “I’m particularly proud of my CollagenHilda Demirjian Elastin Gel with Apple Stem Cells—an innovative formula that stimulates collagen growth in the epidermis,” Demirjian says. “By replacing lost collagen, it strengthens the skin and reduces the appearance of scars, acne, fine lines, wrinkles and stretch marks. Users quickly see substantial improvements in the look and feel of their skin, and with consistent application, they see dullness disappear.”

She says clients have used the gel before and after medical procedures to prevent surgical scarring and to heal skin damage from cancer treatment, including mastectomy. Her twin focus on aesthetics and healing reflects her experience growing up in Persia, where as a young girl she would go to the spa every week with her mother and grandmother. At age 11 she lost her maternal grandmother to breast cancer and postmastectomy complications, and she still remembers the skin damage her grandmother experienced.

“Since then I’ve been working to enhance people›s skin, pre- and post-surgery, by improving the collagen level,” she says. “I love to educate my clients and the public about the largest organ in the body, their skin. I take pride and pleasure in transforming people›s lives for the better.

Hilda Demirjian Laser and Skin Care Center provides aesthetic laser services such as hair regrowth and hair removal treatments, collagen treatments, skin tightening and skin rejuvenation for all skin types, conditions and complexions; anti-aging facials; facial massage; and radio-frequency treatments for dark circles around the eyes and mouth, acne, crows› feet, turkey neck and fine lines.

Location: Hilda Demirjian Laser & Skin Care Center, 34 South Broadway, Ste. 607, White Plains, NY. To schedule a free consultation, call 914.374.1756. For more information, visit HildaDemirjianLaser.com or HildaDemirjianSkincare.com. Hilda Demirjian products are also available on Amazon. See ad, page 27.

To place a listing here call 845-593-0065