Homemade skin care concoctions

Nov 16, 2004

Herbal creams and lotions for smoothing, protecting and keeping the skin looking young have been in use since time immemorial. From the current trend, this is not about to stop.

By Gladys Nanteza

Herbal creams and lotions for smoothing, protecting and keeping the skin looking young have been in use since time immemorial. From the current trend, this is not about to stop.

However, Gillian Asiimwe, a beauty consultant with GIVA Beauty Solutions, says you can make some of the skin herbal concoctions right at home.

The plants you can use in their natural form include:

Cucumber: this is good for a facial treatment. Slice cucumber and press a little of the juice from it. Apply the juice to the face with a small clean cloth/cotton. This is especially good for hot weather.

The skin becomes dewy and fresh. For a sparkling skin, rub it with slices of ripe strawberry.

These fruits contain moisture that passes instantly into the pores; your tired skin will be revitalised.
Onions: Just eating onions daily will improve your skin complexion. If possible, eat them raw. As your skin improves, eruptions disappear and the intestinal lining undergoes the same process. Note that it is not good to fry them.

Neem: You can get rid of skin infections with many herbal remedies such as taking a neem bath. Bathe in the leaves of neem tree mixed with hot water. It is effective against acne, fungal infections and eczema. If symptoms persist, seek medical advice.

Avocado: You can make yourself a beauty mask by mixing the flesh of a very ripe avocado fruit (six parts) and lemon juice (one part).

Mix in the evening, put on damaged skin and wash off in the morning without soap. If you want to use beauty oil after, mix lemon grass/lemon tree leaves/orange tree (two parts) with eight parts of vegetable oil and apply to skin.

Caution: “Skins with bacterial or fungal infections, however, will not respond to beauty therapies,” Asiimwe cautions.

She says though antibacterial and anti-fungal products are available, she advises that consultations be done with a dermatologist to get to the cause of the problem.

Though you can make these remedies from home, it is usually hard to tell what the skin’s problem is. For example, before I spoke to Asiimwe, I did not know that my skin was dry. She says it is important that the skin is first assessed by experts before any products are used.

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