Have you ever not washed your face before bed and awakened to a
bunch of little pimples? Probably. Have you ever eaten a bunch of French
fries, chocolate, or junk food and had your skin erupt in an epic breakout
in the next day or two? Who hasn’t! The relationship between your skin
and your body is symbiotic, mutually reliant, and interdependent. It’s
important to realize that the foundation for healthy, radiant skin starts on
the inside.
Your skin is the largest and fastest-growing organ of your body and accounts
for 6 to 10 percent of your body weight. All of your cells require good nutrition,
proper hydration, oxygenation, and detoxification to thrive. What you put on
your skin is just as important as what you put in your body. With this in mind,
healthy skin can be achieved by making positive, well-considered choices in
relation to your mind, body, and spirit. In addition to your skincare regimen, you
want to pay attention to additional factors that can contribute to healthy skin,
including:
Sun exposure
Eating habits
Hydration
Exercise
All of these factors combine with your genetic makeup and overall wellness to
comprise the health of your skin. And while skincare products can help combat
and correct some of the inherent issues and skin conditions, it is best to think of
healthy skin holistically, as part of a completely healthy you. After all, a healthy
you is a happy you. Keeping that in mind, let’s take a look at the simple things
that make the recipes in this book decadent, healthy, and inspiring!
Fresh Ingredients
Throughout the book, you will find many recipes that call for fresh fruits,
vegetables, herbs, and flowers. Just like the food you eat, these natural skincare
ingredients are best used when fresh. Fresh ingredients are at their peak of
vitality, and plants that are picked at their peak and used immediately will
contribute their nutrient-rich vitality to the recipe. You’ll also find superfoods in
quite a few of the skincare recipes due to their high concentrations of vital
phytonutrients that greatly benefit your skin. But no matter which recipe you
make, remember that fresh is best!
Make the Right Size
You’ll find both single use and large batch
recipes throughout the book. Most of
the single use recipes are made with fresh, perishable skin food ingredients and
are intended to be used immediately. The larger batch recipes can be made ahead
of time and used in your daily facial care routines and weekly home spa rituals.
You’ll also find a variety of recipes that make multiples, such as the Bath Fizzies
and Body Butter Bars that you can creatively package as party favors and gorgeous handmade gifts for your loved ones.
For me, organic is a lifestyle. My skincare company, Angel Face Botanicals, was
founded on organic principles. My main goal when I started my skincare
company was to offer consumers highly effective, ultra-luxurious botanically
based products with incredible natural scents. The recipes you’ll find throughout
this book allow you to create your own natural and deliciously scented products
in your own home. So, when shopping for the ingredients, keep the quality of the
final product in mind. Your creation will only be “organic” if the raw materials
you source are organic. Unfortunately, if the ingredient isn’t organic, then you
can almost guarantee that it was grown with synthetic fertilizers and pesticides
and/or is a genetically modified ingredient. I make conscious choices to limit my
exposure to manmade chemicals in our environment, and I encourage you to do
the same. I am a firm believer in the benefits of organic farming for our food and
water supply, for our skincare products, and for the overall health and well-being
of our planet Earth and all of her inhabitants.
Aromatherapy and Herbal Skin Care
Many of the skincare recipes in the book will benefit all skin types, and others
are intended for specific skin types and conditions. You many wonder how the
same facial cleanser could benefit dry, maturing skin and also be good for oily,
acne-prone skin. Well, many botanical ingredients are adaptogens, or balancers.
This means that, as the plant substance makes its way through the bloodstream,
it attends to the specific needs of the individual person. For example, a product
can be either calming or stimulating depending on the person who uses it. While
this concept is not widely accepted in Western medical philosophy, it has been
effectively employed for thousands of years in traditional Chinese medicine, as
well as Ayurvedic medicine, which has a similar concept called rasayana.
Additionally, all skin types benefit from increased cellular health and
regeneration. Many of the skincare preparations included in this book are
formulated as tonic skin conditioners to promote vitality and support balanced
The Home Spa
It is important to set aside some “me time” every once in a while to enjoy a
home spa ritual. This is a completely self-directed nurturing experience that
benefits every aspect of you, including physical and mental detoxification, stress
reduction, raising self-esteem, and increased overall health and well-being. You
may also want to have friends over for a home spa party where you cook up a
fabulous array of homemade skincare treats to enjoy as a group.
Whether you create a meditative solitary spa day or a boisterous home spa
party with friends, the goal is to pamper yourself, nurture your skin, revive your
spirit, and restore balance to your entire being. During these home spa sessions,
deliberately leave your daily worries at the door and surrender to relaxation and
replenishment. This is your “me time” to nurture health and vitality in your
mind, body, and spirit. You have committed to a sensory journey with the sole
purpose of making positive improvements to your overall well-being. Create the
home spa recipes in this book for your enjoyment, your beautification, your
stress release, your joy.
Above All, Love Yourself
True beauty comes from being happy and feeling beautiful. Using fabulous skin
care and home spa products just feels good, makes your skin happy, and makes
your heart glow too. With that in mind, here is my favorite and most valuable
beauty secret, the simple thing that you can do every day to enhance your inner
glow and outer radiance. Are you ready for this? All you have to do is look in
the mirror at least once each day and say to yourself: “You are so beautiful. I
love you!” If this seems hard, do it anyway! The more you do this, the easier it
will become. Just take a deep breath, inhale love, and exhale peace. This simple
process actually goes really deep, to the core of your being. It can bring
emotions and deeper issues to the surface. And that is a good thing! Your
heartfelt emotions are a beautiful reflection of you.
“You are so beautiful. I love you!” Just simply say those words to yourself,
every day. Soon after you start this, people in your life will notice a new sparkle
in your eye or a bounce in your step. Don’t be surprised if you start to receive
random compliments on the peace and radiance that you carry. And it comes
from making this simple statement your reality. The more you say this, the more
you feel it; believe it, and live this truth deep down in your core: You are so
beautiful!
The point of the skincare recipes and the advice you’ll find throughout the
book is to help you feel beautiful. Because when you feel beautiful, you project a
beautiful, happy vibration out into the world. The simple and enjoyable act of
preparing these recipes is nurturing in and of itself. Making these recipes
nurtures your creative side and reinforces a healthful lifestyle that you can feel
good about. The “me time” that you proactively set aside for a home spa
experience is a loving, nurturing gesture of self-love. And you, my beautiful
darling, deserve every minute of it!
So without further ado, let’s take a look at the recipes that will enrich your
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