Nature Glow – Natural Beauty

Angela is one of our current assistants at our Embracing Health Detox Retreats. Yoga Teacher and general hands-on superstar, Angela is a wonderful asset to our team and her kind nature and optimistic attitude is always appreciated by staff and guests alike.

Angela runs her own small business called Nature Glow which focuses on all things natural and healthy- from natural beauty to delicious recipes to one on one health coaching and more. Angela aims to introduce people to simple lifestyle practices that encourage conscious living and radiant vitality.

With her keen interest in natural beauty, Angela demonstrates that you don’t need expensive beauty products or laborious regimes to look and feel radiant. Instead, Angela offers simple recipes for looking after your skin and hair that uses 100% natural ingredients that you will most likely find in your kitchen!

There is a great deal of focus on eating well and eating food free from chemicals, pesticides and additives. Yet what many people don’t realize is that what we put ON our body is equally as important as what we put inside! Most beauty products on the market today- from shampoo to toothpaste to moisturizer to sunscreen all contain a dizzying array of harmful and toxic ingredients.

Be inspired to look and feel your best with these gorgeous recipes from Angela. Find out more at our upcoming Detox Retreat in Byron Bay in February where Angela will be holding an afternoon workshop on creating natural beauty products!

Beautiful Natural Face Masks and Scrubs

Ingredients:

-1/2 cup clay – use any clay available, even natural clays if they are relatively pure will work. Green clay is the most absorbent of the clays, with white clay being the gentlest of the clays. I have chosen an Australian pink clay for this recipe.

-1/2 cup oats – just basic rolled oats. Organic are best, and if you can buy organic oat meal, that cuts out one step. If you just have rolled oats, that’s fine, but we need to grind them up. You can use either a mortar & pestle or a coffee grinder. I’ve used both.

-2 tbs Macadamia nuts (optional) – these add another gentle exfoliating element and also a nourishing element.

The fun bit:

1. Measure out the ingredients
2. Grind the macadamia nuts either using a mortar and pestle or a coffee grinder
3. Mix all together in a bowl, and voila this is the basic ‘dry’ mix.

This can be kept in a sealed container in a dry cupboard for up to a few months. I often keep a small jar of it in the shower, and replenish this when it is finished. It is better to do this than keep the entire quantity in the bathroom as it may become wet and decrease its shelf life. Remember, it is water that can then create an environment for mould or bacteria to breed. The dry mask can also be used as a gentle exfoliant.

To use as a daily exfoliant, take a teaspoon of dry mask mix into the palm of your hand, add a few drops of water from the shower or bath to make a paste, apply to damp skin in circular motion. This fine exfoliant will remove dead skin cells. Rinse. Pat the skin dry and apply a serum followed by a moisturiser (or aloe vera gel followed by rosehip or jojoba oil work fine too).

To use as a cleansing or nourishing mask, take ten minutes out at least once a week and apply the mask to damp skin. Avoid the gentle eye area as this is too gentle to use a mask on. You could apply cotton wool buds soaked in rose water or a thin slice of cucumber over each eye lid. Allow the mask to partially dry on the skin. I often have a bath, and use my homemade bath salts (see previous post). This is such a lush way to give yourself some inexpensive DIY self-pampering. The mask will gently draw out excess oils and dirt from the surface of the skin. Use a dampened face cloth to remove the mask by pressing it on the face. Do not drag across the skin as this may scratch the skin surface.

Options – the extra playful bit

These sumptuous masks add nourishing qualities to the basic mask mix. Honey is a natural antiseptic, heals blemishes , nourishes and tones skin. You may feel it zinging on the skin, working its honey magic. The lactic acid in yoghurt gently exfoliates the skin while the clay draws out toxins and dirt that clog pores and smooths complexions. Fresh mint gives a cool, refreshing aroma that will leave you feeling refreshed and ready for your night ahead. Strawberries contain alpha hydroxyl acid (salicic acid, which is also found in aspirin and aloe), and helps remove dead skin cells, excess oiliness and evens skin tone.

The fresh components in the masks only last a couple of days so only make enough to use for you (and/or your partner/buddy). Blend all ingredients together and apply to face.

Purify & soothe mask

1 tbs basic dry mix
1 tsp honey
1 tsp yoghurt (optional)/ or 1 tsp floral (or filtered) water – enough to make a paste

Summer herb mask

1 tbs basic dry mix
1 tbs fresh mint leaves finely chopped
1 tbs yoghurt

Berry mask

2 tbs fresh strawberries crushed up (your hands work best!)
4 tbs floral water (a cooled herb tea works well too or filtered water)
2 tbs basic dry mix

All recipes are by Angela at Nature Glow and reprinted here with permission.

Enjoy!

Leisa