WHEN THE GOING GET DRY, GET THE OILS FLOWING

Oils come in all colours and textures.

Mother Nature has provided every area of the world with an abundance of oils. Why? Because they are absolutely necessary in our diet and on our body, especially for the maintenance and repair of the nervous system and the skin. Think of coconut oil and shae butter everywhere in the tropics, olive and sesame and almond in the mediterranean area, rice oats oils in Asia, canola, sunflower and grape seed in more temperate areas. People from northern countries, living above the tree line, found their source of oil

HOT OFF THE PRESS: THE BOOK OF BEAUTY

It sometimes takes a long time to make a dream come true. This week, mine finally arrived in four boxes. My first official publication, The Book of Beauty: Making Skin Care Products with Aromatherapy and Ayurveda. When I was six years old, my mother bought me my first brand new book, Martine à la mer. Right there and then, I knew I wanted to become an author. I spent most of my career writing as a reporter, as a communications officer or in some other capacity but it did not meet this urge deep within. Now this one did and propelled me to start another one.

The Book of Beauty summarizes everything I learned over the past 15 years about making skin care products. I share with readers the basics of Ayurveda as it relates to skin types and provide a test that allows you to assess your own and other people's dosha or constitution with photos that support the teachings.

BEAUTY TIP - CHECK YOUR FACE FOR CLUES

Consider your face as a map on your journey to beauty. Pimples, wrinkles and other blemishes in various areas of the face indicate an area of depletion, stress, emotion and loss of balance of one element:

FOREHEAD: a loss of balance of the air (Vata) element; a discomfort or problem in the colon and/or can related to emotions of anxiety, fear and worry

NOSE AND CHEEKS: a loss of balance of the fire (Pitta) element; related to the small intestine and/or emotions of anger, jealousy and frustration

MOUTH, CHIN AND NECK: a loss of balance of the earth (Kapha) element; issue relates to the chest and stomach and/or to emotions of grief, depression and attachment.

Identify what is happening on you face and in your emotional life. See how this relates to the above.

Reviewing what you know about the elements and what you discovered about the emotions to which you gravitate most often, what will you do to bring back balance to your skin?

BEAUTY TIP AND RECIPE WITH PATCHOULI

I visited a new friend yesterday with whom I share a passion for aromatherapy. She gave me a bottle of patchouli essential oil, which I knew of but had never used. She said that it is like a good wine, meaning that it improves with age. I tried it last night and its scent and texture are very soothing. I thank her for inspiring the recipe and beauty tip below.

RECIPE: Cuts, wounds and scars mix 

Patchouli essential oil has the reputation of healing cuts and wounds, and speeding up the fading of their scars, as well as being effective to help marks left by boils and acne disappear.

In a small bottle, mix:

3 drops of patchouli e.o.

½ teaspoon of neem oil

3 tablespoon of ghee

Clean the affected zone, then apply the oil mix and help it penetrate well.

BEAUTY TIP: Calming insomnia

Insomnia is a Vata condition that affects many people, especially during the fall (Vata) season.

Putting 6 to 8 drops of patchouli essential oil, a sedative among many other things, in your diffuser will help alleviate or eradicate that condition. And look how synchronicity works: it also is a tonic for the liver and had started a liver cleanse that day!

BEAUTY TIP - YOUR HANDS AFTER GARDENING

After gardening for a few hours, your hands and nails are likely stained and dried out. Wash off the surface dirt with a mild soap, then friction generously with olive oil. Make sure oil goes under the nails too. The dirt lodged more deeply will come off. Then clean around and under the nails. Then friction with freshly squeezed lemon or lime juice and give a quick rub to your nails with Vit. E. Your hands will get back their vitality.

If you have blisters, there's use a lavender, calendula and yarrow maceration. For details, see article on macerations in previous entry.