Natural Health & Beauty Tips
While waiting to experience your next blissful spa treatment at La Vida Spa, we offer ancient herbal health and beauty recipes to help you achieve a state of utopia for mind, body and spirit. We will add a new health & beauty tip every week, both on our facebook page and on this site, so please check back regularly or simply sign up to be a fan.
Featured Natural Health & Beauty Tips
Homemade Lotion BarsMake your Own Sugar Scrub
Jasmine for Bliss
Parsley to Rejuvenate Tired Eyes
Clove Oil - Good for What Ails You
Thai Body Scrub
Yogurt Cleanser
Nourishing Carrot Facial
Dry Skin? Try Rice!
A New Super Food!
Simple Tips for Healthy Hair
Trick-or-Treat for Licorice!
Ever So Versatile Coconut Oil
Chamomile Shampoo
Turmeric for Optimal Health
Super Simple Cuticle Softener
Need Help with Dry Summer Hair & Skin?
Fun Summer Toners
Watercress - a Powerful Detox
Nourishing Neroli Hand Cream
Bathtime Aromatherapy
Quiet your Brain
Yogi Yogurt Cleanser
Revitalizing Moisturizer
Cleansing for Joint Pain
Seaweed Helps with Slimming
The Power of Sweet Jasmine
Starting the New Year with the Basics
Honey Face Lotion
The Lowly Onion
Dealing with Allergies
Rose & Chamomile Face Mask
Oats for Optimal Health this Winter
Soothing Foot Pedicure at Home
Multi-Purpose Evening Primose Oil
Yogurt and Polenta Scrub
Cellulite Melter Massage
Rosemary Shampoo
Herbal Immune Boosters
Honey Cucumber Facial
Homemade Lotion Bars
Combine the following in a one quart mason jar:
1/3 cup beef tallow (find a healthy source at your local Farmer's Market)
1/3 cup shea or cocoa butter
2-3 T. beeswax
Place jar in a small saucepan of water on the stove and simmer until ingredients are melted and smooth. Then remove from heat and add 20 drops of your favorite essential oil, or leave plain. Pour into molds (silicone baking molds work well, or you could use a plastic ice cube tray) and let harden. Remove from mold when completely cool. Store in a cool, dry place for up to 6 months.
Make your Own Sugar Scrub
Mix 2 cups of organic brown sugar with 1 cup oil (almond, olive or coconut). Then add 1/2 teaspoon Vitamin E oil along with a few drops of your favorite essential oil.
Jasmine for Bliss
Parsley to Rejuvenate Tired Eyes
Clove Oil - Good for What Ails You
Thai Body Scrub
1. Mix together 1 cup of runny honey, 1/2 cup sesame seeds and a sprinkling of dried herbs (lavender leaf or mint work well).
2. Rub this paste over your body as vigorously as you can handle to exfoliate and buff your skin.
3. Shower off and enjoy your smooth, sweet-smelling skin.
Yogurt Cleanser
For oily or normal skin, mix 1-3 Tablespoons of plain, organic yogurt with a pinch of salt. For dry skin, puncture a capsule of vitamin E and add to the mixture.
Slather onto your face, massaging into the skin. Rinse off with lukewarm water.
Nourishing Carrot Facial
Dry Skin? Try Rice!
A New Super Food!
Simple Tips for Healthy Hair
Trick-or-Treat for Licorice!
Ever So Versatile Coconut Oil
Chamomile Shampoo
1 cup boiling water
2 T. dried or fresh chamomile flowers
1/2 cup mild shampoo
2 T. glycerin
Juice of 1 lemon
Pour the boiling water over the chamomile flowers, stir and let steep for 30-60 minutes. After straining out the flowers, add shampoo, glycerin and lemon juice to the herbal water and combine thoroughly. Let the mixture stand for 24 hours to thicken. Store in the fridge. Shake well before using.
Turmeric for Optimal Health
Super Simple Cuticle Softener
Need Help with Dry Summer Hair & Skin?
1 cup plain yogurt
1 T. honey
1 T. almond oil
1 T. wheat germ
Combine all of the above in a bowl and mix thoroughly. Slather all over hair and body, wait a few minutes, and then rinse with warm water.
Fun Summer Toners
For Dry Skin
Rub a mashed up a peach, pear or cantaloupe into your skin and then rinse off with tepid (not hot!) water.
For Oily Skin
Mash a fresh cucumber, tomato, grapefruit or strawberries and gently rub all over your face. Rinse with warm water.
Watercress - a Powerful Detox
Nourishing Neroli Hand Cream
Blend the following and massage into hands and nails:
1 T. unscented natural hand lotion
1 drop neroli essential oil
1 drop carrot essential oil
Bathtime Aromatherapy
Quiet your Brain
Yogi Yogurt Cleanser
Combine 1-3 T. plain organic yogurt with a pinch of salt. Apply to face and massage into skin before rinsing off with warm (not hot!) water.
The same mixture will work for those with dry skin, though instead of adding salt to the yogurt, you will want to thoroughly mix in the oil from a Vitamin E capsule.
Revitalizing Moisturizer
1 T. olive oil
2 T. avocado oil
2 T. almond oil
2 T. sesame oil
2-5 capsules vitamin E oil (400 I.U.)
2 capsules vitamin A oil (50,000 I.U.)
2-5 capsules evening primrose oil
2-3 drops of your favorite essential oil - lavender, ylang-ylang, jasmine (optional)
Cleansing for Joint Pain
Seaweed Helps with Slimming
The Power of Sweet Jasmine
In addition, jasmine oil can relieve pre-menstrual mood swings and pains, as well as labor pains when applied as a compress. Along with softening dry skin, it will also help to minimize stretch marks.
Starting the New Year with the Basics
The basic minimum requirement is 8-10 eight ounce glasses of water per day, though more is needed in times of illness, hot weather and demanding exercise.
Water is essential for healthy hair, skin, nails and body. Drinking ample amounts of water will combat dry skin, dull and limp hair and brittle, cracked nails.
So before you go out and spend a small fortune on bottled beauty products, remember to invest first on this simplest of natural ingredients.
Honey Face Lotion
1 T. honey
1/2 c. cold water
1/2 t. apple cider vinegar
Combine the above ingredients and spread all over face and neck right after showering. Leave this on your skin to dry naturally so the honey can penetrate and nourish.
The Lowly Onion
Dealing with Allergies
What can you do to alleviate allergy symptoms?
Drink cumin/coriander/fennel tea; keep your house free of dust and mold, do a cleanse 2-4 times a year, eat simple food combinations (do not mix fruit or dairy with meat and fish), ingest anti-acid herbs.
What makes allergies worse?
Dairy products in your diet; oily, rich and sweet foods; hot spices; fatigue; complicated food combinations.
Rose & Chamomile Face Mask
Combine the following:
1 mashed avocado
2 T. jojoba oil
2 capsules evening primrose oil
2 T. heavy cream
1 drop rose oil
1 drop chamomile oil
Spread this mixture on your face, leaving it on until the paste is fully dried. Then rinse off with warm (not hot!) water.
Oats for Optimal Health this Winter
In addition, oats are an anti-depressant. That morning bowl of oatmeal not only warms your belly, it also provides a helpful emotional boost during the dark and dreary days of winter.
If you or anyone you know suffers from eczema and dry skin, try the following home remedy: Add a tablespoon of oatmeal to a bowl of warm water and wash your skin with this mixture before showering.
Soothing Foot Pedicure at Home
Wipe your feet with a towel and then cut your toenails in a straight line across. This will prevent ingrown toenails from occurring. Use an emery board to smooth out any rough edges.
Next, soften cuticles with almond oil and then gently push them back using an orangewood stick.
Use a leather buffer to buff nails to a shine, which will also help increase circulation and aid in healthy nail growth.
Finally, gently massage your feet with a soothing lotion - ideally one containing tea tree oil. Happiness with every step.
Multi-Purpose Evening Primose Oil
After cleansing your skin, simply puncture a capsule and spread the oil evenly over your face and neck. You will notice the difference in a matter of days, with skin a reduction in visible wrinkles and skin that feels more elastic.
Yogurt and Polenta Scrub
1 T. polenta (ground corn meal)
2 T. organic plain yogurt
Mix ingredients to form a paste. Gently rub the mixture into your skin, in small circles. Leave on for about five minutes so your pores can drink in the nourishing qualities of the yogurt. Rinse and enjoy your newly invigorated and glowing skin.
Cellulite Melter Massage
The following combination of essential oils is effective in both detoxification and the reduction of cellulite. Geranium oil will help reduce retention of fluids, while rosemary helps to break down fat.
2 T. safflower oil
2 T. olive oil
5-10 drops rosemary oil
5-10 drops geranium oil
Combine the oils and massage deeply into problem areas. Of course the addition of exercise and healthy eating, combined with lots of water consumption, will also help tremendously.
Rosemary Shampoo
4 T. dried rosemary
3 pints boiling water
1/2 c. liquid castile soap
2 egg yolks, beaten
Bring the water to a boil, stir in rosemary and remove from the heat. Cover and let steep for 2 hours. After straining, add the castile soap and stir until thickened. When cool, whisk in the yolks. Let sit overnight. Shake well before using. Store in refrigerator, in glass receptacle if possible.
Herbal Immune Boosters
Honey Cucumber Facial
1 cup organic honey
10 drops fresh lime juice
1 medium-size cucumber, thinly sliced
After cleansing your face, mix the honey and lime juice together and massage into your face for a good 10-15 minutes. The lime will peel away surface cells, while the honey will soften your skin.
After wiping away as much honey as possible, cover your face with a layer of cucumber slices. Relax and enjoy the refreshing sensation as your skin is tightened and moisture is replenished.