Here are some lovely hair mask recipes – have fun!

Rescue masks for dry, damaged hair
You can also use these if your hair isn’t in bad condition but just needs a boost. Leave them in for the minimum time.

Coconut cream mask
Soften a large chunk of coconut cream in your hands and massage into hair. Wrap your head in a warm towel and leave it on for an hour. Wash out with a gentle shampoo.

Egg mask
Beat two full eggs with 2 tablespoons of water. Apply to clean, damp hair, massaging in well. Leave for 10 – 15 minutes and then wash out with mild shampoo.

Banana smoothie for hair – not for drinking!

Mix 1 mashed banana, 1 full egg, 3 tablespoons of honey, 3 tablespoons of milk and 5 tablespoons of olive oil. Make sure it’s well combined and then apply to hair. Leave for 15 – 30 minutes and wash out with a gentle shampoo.

Yogurt hair mask
Separate an egg and beat the white until it’s foamy. Mix with 6 tablespoons of natural yogurt. Massage into the hair and leave for 15 – 30 minutes. Wash out with a very mild shampoo.

Avocado hair mask
Mash the flesh of one ripe avocado. Add 1 tablespoon of honey and 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Mix until creamy and then apply to your hair. Leave for 20 minutes and then wash out with a gentle shampoo.

Olive oil hair mask
Whisk up 5 tablespoons of olive oil – it doesn’t matter which sort – with 2 full eggs. Massage thoroughly into your hair and then cover it with plastic wrap or a shower hat. Your body heat will help the oil to penetrate. Leave for a minimum of 30 minutes and then shampoo out, rinsing well.

Honey and olive oil mask
Mix 3 tablespoons of olive oil with 2 tablespoons of honey. Apply to your hair and wrap your head in plastic film or put on a shower hat. Leave for at least 30 minutes and then shampoo as usual, rinsing well.

Banana and almond mask for dry, damaged hair
Mash a ripe banana and add a few drops of almond oil. Mix well and massage into your hair. Leave for 15 – 30 minutes. Wash out with gentle shampoo.

Milk and honey mask
Mix a tablespoon of honey in half a cup of full fat milk. Apply to your hair and leave for 15 minutes. Wash out with a mild shampoo.

Masks to help get rid of dandruff

Fenugreek mask
Soak a handful of fenugreek seeds overnight in just enough water to cover them. In the morning, grind the seeds in the water to make a paste. Apply to your hair and leave it on for 15 to 20 minutes. Wash it out using a mild shampoo.

Thyme hair rinse
Put 7 heaped tablespoons of dried thyme into 2 cups of water and boil the mixture for 10 minutes. Your kitchen will smell heavenly! Strain the mixture and leave it to cool. Lean over a bowl and pour half of the solution onto clean, damp hair. Keep scooping it out of the bowl and re-applying until all your hair is well soaked. Don’t rinse or wash out. Keep the other half of the solution for another treatment!

Rinse for blondes
Add a couple of tablespoons of lemon juice to a pint of water and use as a rinse after shampooing.

Rinse for brunettes and redheads
Add a couple of tablespoons of apple cider vinegar to a pint of water and use as a rinse after shampooing.

Orange musk rinse for shiny hair
Mix the juice of a fresh orange with 1 tablespoon of honey and 5 – 7 drops of sandalwood oil. Dilute with enough water to make a rinse – about a pint – and mix thoroughly. Use after shampoo and then rinse out.

Honey shine rinse
Mix 1 teaspoon of honey into 4 cups of warm water. Make sure it’s well dissolved. Use as a rinse after shampooing and don’t wash out. Dry as normal for a great shine!

Be prepared!
These are quick, easy and fun to make – and they’re great for your hair! Once you’ve found a few favorites, keep the ingredients in your store cupboard so you can indulge in one up whenever you want!

Lime juice: Lime juice is an important natural aid for healthy skin.

1. Lime juice formula

Squeeze lime into a bowl. Add a glass of boiled whole milk and a teaspoon of glycerin to it. Stir well and let it stay for half an hour. Apply this mixture on the face, hands and feet before going to bed at night. This treatment every night will help you to look young and beautiful. It will also help cure pimples.

2. For very oily skin

Squeeze lemon juice in a bowl of iced water. Splash this over the face, massage for five minutes and then wash off with water.

3. T o improve a dull and greasy complexion

Mix half teaspoon of lime juice with one teaspoon of cucumber juice and a few drops of rose water. Apply on the face and neck and leave on for 15 minutes. Remove with water.

4. To improve a dry and rough skin

Take an egg yolk and mix in a few drops of lime and olive oil. Spread on the face and leave it till the skin feels dry. Wash off with ordinary water and splash on cold water.

5. To relieve tired eyes

Take four tablespoons each of lime juice and iced water. Saturate cotton pads in this water and place over your closed eyelids for 10 minutes.

6. To remove freckles

Blanch and grind two almonds. Mix it with white of an egg to which half teaspoon of lime juice has been added. Spread on the face and leave it on till the skin feels dry. Then, wash off first with warm water and then with cold water.

Peach treatment

The skin of the peach is useful in improving the complexion.

Gently massage the inside of peach peelings on the face every night for a few minutes. Don’t rub off the moisture afterwards. This will cleanse the skin thoroughly and free the pores. It also has an astringent action and tightens the muscle of the face slightly, thus preventing sagging tissues.

Anti-wrinkle cream

Mix a teaspoon of olive oil with an egg. Smoothen the face and neck with it. Let it remain till the skin gets dry.

To remove the cream

Add a teaspoon of soda bicarbonate to hot water. Stir. Dip a piece of cotton-wool to this mixture and use it to remove the cream.

Natural beauty mask

Ingredients:
1 tablespoon of gram flour
1/4 teaspoon orange peel powder
1 tablespoon beaten yogurt
1 teaspoon olive oil

Mix the ingredients well and apply the paste to your face and neck. Let it remain till the skin starts feeling a little dry and then rub your face with your hands till it glows.

Wash your face first with warm water and then with cold water. This will remove all the embarrassing blemishes from the skin and make the skin soft and smooth.

To improve a dark and dull complexion

Ingredients:
1 teaspoon of gram flour
pinch of turmeric powder
few drops of lime juice
1/2 teaspoon olive oil
1/2 teaspoon milk

Mix the ingredients together. Apply the mixture to your skin. Leave it on for half an hour. Wash off with water.

Cleansing lotion

To one-fourth teaspoon of lime juice stir in one teaspoon each of milk and cucumber juice. Apply on the face and neck and wash off after 14 minutes. This lotion cleanses and purifies the pores of the skin.

Cabbage mask

Grind a couple of cabbage leaves and extract juice. Dissolve one-fourth teaspoon of yeast in it and stir in one teaspoon of honey. Mix well and apply thickly over face and neck. Keep it for 15 minutes. Remove with cotton-wool soaked in water. This mask will counteract any tendency towards wrinkles and dryness and give your skin a flower-like bloom.

Tangerine juice treatment

The use of orange or tangerine juice has also been found valuable for a glowing complexion.

Dip your fingers in fresh tangerine or orange juice. Apply it liberally over your face, chin, neck, and forehead. Make a paste from the powdered sun dried pips of unripe oranges. Use this paste on the pimples and acne at bed time.

Orange tonic

Blanch and grind a couple of almonds to a paste and mix in two tablespoons of milk and one tablespoon each of carrot and orange juice. Apply thickly on face and neck and leave on for half an hour. Removes scars and blemishes from the face and makes it soft and smooth.

Watermelon juice

The juice of water-melon is useful in the removal of blemishes on the skin.

Prepare a lotion by grating and squeezing the juice of a small slice of water-melon. Apply this lotion over the face and neck for fifteen minutes. Wash with hot water. Follow this by a splash of cold water.

Tomato

Tomato, used externally, is good for getting a good complexion.

Apply the pulp of a tomato liberally on the face. Leave this for an hour. Then wash off with warm water. Repeat this daily. You will have a good complexion. It will also remove ugly-looking pimples in a short time.

Tomato lotion

To one tablespoon of tomato juice add a couple of drops of lime juice. Apply on face and remove after 15 minutes. It is very effective for shrinking enlarged pores.

Tomato tonic

To two teaspoons of tomato juice add four tablespoons of buttermilk. Apply. Remove after half an hour. It is excellent for removing sunburns.

Cucumber

Grate or blend a cucumber. Apply this over the face, eyes and neck for 15 to 20 minutes. It is a great tonic for the facial skin. Regular use of cucumber prevents pimples, blackheads, wrinkles, and dryness of the face.

Whitening lotion

To one tablespoon of cucumber juice stir in a few drops of lime juice and a dash of turmeric powder. Apply on face and neck and wash off after half an hour. Makes an excellent whitener for all types of skins.

Cucumber lotion

Mix one tablespoon each of cucumber juice and milk and a few drops of rose water. Apply on the face and neck. Remove after 15 minutes. Makes excellent whitener for delicate skins.

Apple Tonic

Mix one tablespoon of apple juice with one-fourth teaspoon of lime juice. Leave on for 20 minutes. Makes excellent tonic for combating oily skin.

Amaranth juice treatment

The juice of amaranth, applied over the face with a pinch of turmeric powder, bleaches the skin, prevents it from drying and wrinkling, cures pimples and makes one look fresh.

Add to this mixture milk and lime juice. Massage the mixture delicately over the face and neck for half an hour. Wash it off with lukewarm water. Do this every night before going to bed. This is an effective skin tonic that increases and retains its beauty.

Mint juice

Application of fresh mint juice over the face every night, cures pimples and prevents dryness of the skin. The juice can also be applied over eczema and contact dermatitis with beneficial results.

Almonds

Make a paste of almonds with mild cream and fresh rosebud paste. Apply it daily over the face. This softens and bleaches the skin and nourishes it with the choicest skin-food. Regular application of this mixture prevents the early appearance of wrinkles, blackheads, dryness of the skin, pimples. It also keeps the face refreshed.

To improve rough and dry complexion:
Take a teaspoon of almond oil and mix it with half a teaspoon each of milk cream and lime juice. Apply every night before going to bed both on the face and on the neck.

Yogurt

Yogurt is a very important natural beauty aid.

Apply yogurt on the face every morning. Wash it off after a few minutes with cold water. This will keep the complexion smooth, healthy and fresh. A mixture of yogurt and lemon juice is ideal for softening hands.

A paste of lentil and yogurt, applied as a mask, cleanses the skin and gives it a glow. Let it dry. When dried, remove it with fingertips and wash off with water.

Honey, olive oil and a mixture of turmeric and sandalwood paste are all very effective in rejuvenating dry, parched skin.

Honey with milk

Honey is a natural humectant that attracts and retains moisture. With its antioxidant and antimicrobial properties, it’s been touted for centuries to repair damaged, sensitive skin. Bacteria cannot grow in honey so the ancient Egyptians painted it on wounds to keep infections from forming. Smear some honey on your gums to help heal sensitive, sore mouths.

You can make a classic old time smoothing lotion for extra dry skin by combining equal parts honey, lemon juice and any kind of vegetable oil (extra virgin olive oil or avocado oil are excellent), leave it on dry areas for 20-30 minutes and rinse off or jump in the bath and soak it off leaving skin soft and smooth all over.

It’s also touted that if you take a spoonful of honey daily that is produced by bees in your geographical area, it will help you become immune to allergies of pollens since that honey is made directly from the pollens you’re affected by. Honey is good to take for a sore throat since it helps sooth and disinfect the throat.

Taking honey daily can also help ward off arthritis and joint problems. Using honey to sweeten everything instead of sugar can gain you many health benefits while omitting the bad calories and dentist bills. See also under the category to the right “General Health ” for information on apple cider vinegar and the ‘other wonder tonic’.
Traditional Skin Care Recipes ” Beauty Tonics”
Rose Water and Glycerin Skin Care

Rose water and glycerin has been a popular skin care product forever. The rose is anti-inflammatory and nourishing to skin while the glycerin helps pull in moisture to the skin from the air. It makes a great skin toner that is slightly astringent with oil free moisturizing, and just pure rose water alone can be used as toner. Here is a recipe to make your own and following this one is a recipe to make your own authentic rose water.

1 cup real rose water-recipe follows

(or you can substitute placing a handful of dry rose petals in a jar, cover with boiling water, seal and let sit overnight to infuse the water then strain)

2 teaspoons glycerin

4-8 drops of rose essential oil

Combine all in a jar and shake well to blend. Adding about ½ teaspoon of grapefruit seed extract will help preserve it so it will last longer.