Kitchen Beautician #3

This little gem of a facial scrub is a decadent treat for that tired skin. I had been sitting at the computer all day and just felt so "yuck" that all I wanted was something to get rid of the stale feeling on my face. I flipped thru some of my organic body care books and just didn't have the ingredients on hand that they called for, so I just opened the fridge and stared. Staring back was plain yogurt, the perfect base for a mask. I love sugar scrubs, and came up with a treatment better than I could have imagined. Mix one tablespoon of plain yogurt (make sure it's plain, and preferably organic) and two tablespoons brown sugar. You can thicken or thin this concoction to your liking. Mix well and apply with gentle pressure over face and neck. Be sure to put your hair back first, as it is sugary and therefore sticky. You don't want your hair to get stuck to your face that would ruin the experience! Massage into skin until the sugar is almost dissolved, then rinse thoroughly. The lactic acid in the yogurt acts as an exfoliant, as does the sugar granules. Your skin is left soft and smooth, ready for your favorite moisturizer. And, unlike those synthetic scrubs, this will taste quite pleasant should some you "accidentally" eat some.

Kitchen Beautician #1

The dry and cold weather of winter can be brutal to lips. Flaking, chapping, and wind burned puckers are anything but attractive and can be quite painful! Head to your pantry for some comfort food for your mouth… mix up a couple tablespoons of organic cane sugar with a few tablespoons of organic extra virgin olive oil. (I usually have enough for two or three applications per batch.) The goal is to have a paste. Apply it with your fingers over your bathroom sink to your lips, rubbing gently to scrap away flakes and allowing your lips to absorb the super hydrating effect of the oil. Rinse well and polish off your treatment with a great lip balm… I love, love, love Aquaphor! Exfoliating is important when you want to rehydrate your lips because it allows the moisturizing elements to penetrate past the scaly skin and down to where it matters. The granules of the sugar provide just the right amount of sweet scrub to let the oil and lip balm do its job.