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This time of year is rife with preparations — prepping the garden for planting, your mind for finals and your feet for summer sandals. Try these easy recipes to naturally soothe and polish your skin and get a handle on stress as you go into the final two weeks of the semester.
The Sweet Citrus Body Polish is fabulous for working off the rough edges of winter skin, especially on feet. I use it a couple of times per week in the shower all over my body. Whenever I finish yard work, I wash my hands and then scrub them with the polish.
Sweet Citrus Body Polish:
1 large lemon
1 1/2 cups sugar (granulated or sanding)
1/2 cup olive oil
Juice the lemon and mix it with the olive oil and sugar, pulp and all. Add a little extra oil if your lemon isn’t very juicy. The polish should be easy to rub on your skin. If it is too abrasive, add a little extra oil, and if it is too runny, add a little more sugar. Keep it at your sink or in the shower and use whenever you feel the need. Rinse off and apply lotion.
Lavender is naturally calming and the honey and milk in the Lavender-Honey Cream Soak will do wonders to moisturize winter-weary skin. I like to soak my feet and hands before a home mani/pedi or I’ll add it to the bath for a post-work soak.
Lavender-Honey Cream Soak:
3 tablespoons dried lavender flowers
1 1/2 cups of cream or whole milk
1/3 cup honey
In a blender, process the dried flowers until they form a powder. In a bowl, mix the lavender powder, cream and honey until well blended. This can be used as a milk bath to soothe and nourish the whole body, or it can be used as a foot or hand soak. Rinse off the mixture and pat dry when you’re done. Store any leftovers in a jar in the fridge.
