Herbs for Healthy Skin, Hair & Nails: Banish Eczema, Acne and Psoriasis With Healing Herbs That Cleanse and Tone to Body Inside and Out (Keats Good Herb Guide) PDF
Preview Herbs for Healthy Skin, Hair & Nails: Banish Eczema, Acne and Psoriasis With Healing Herbs That Cleanse and Tone to Body Inside and Out (Keats Good Herb Guide)
title: author: publisher: isbn10 | asin: print isbn13: ebook isbn13: language: subject publication date: lcc: ddc: subject: Page i A KEATS GOOD HERB GUIDE Herbs for Healthy Skin, Hair & Nails Banish eczema, acne and psoriasis with healing herbs that cleanse and tone the body inside and out Brigitte Mars Keats Publishing, Inc. New Canaan, Connecticut Page ii To My Daughter Rainbeau Mars Herbs for Healthy Skin, Hair and Nails is not intended as medical advice. Its intent is solely informational and educational. Please consult health professional should the need for one be indicated. HERBS FOR HEALTHY SKIN, HAIR AND NAILS Copyright © 1998 by Brigitte Mars All Rights Reserved No part of this book may be reproduced in any form without the written consent of the publisher. Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Mars, Brigitte. Herbs for healthy skin, hair and nails / Brigitte Mars. p. cm.(Keats good herb guide) Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN 0-87983-838-8 1. Beauty, Personal. 2. SkinCare and hygiene. 3. Hair Care and hygiene. 4. Nails (Anatomy)Care and hygiene. 5. HerbsTherapeutic use. I. Title. II. Series. RA776.98.M376 1998 646.7'2dc21 98-23435 CIP Printed in the United States of America Keats Good Health Guides are Published by Keats Publishing, Inc. 27 Pine Street (Box 876) New Canaan, Connecticut 06840-0876 Website Address: www.keats.com 98 6 5 4 3 2 1 Page iii Contents Natural Beauty 1 The Skin 2 Facial Care 14 Skin Problems 23 The Secrets of Youthful Skin 35 Facial Exercises 39 The Hair 41 Natural Hand Care 54 The Nails 55 Herbs for Skin, Hair and Nails 57 Simple Cosmetic Recipes 79 Resources 85 Index 87 Page 1 Natural Beauty The word cosmetic comes from the Greek word kosmos, meaning "order in the universe." The wise use of natural cosmetics can help us reflect the beauty of nature, enhancing our health from the outside and providing us with a pleasurable experience while using them. Plants transform the nutrients of the earth, making them more bioavailable to our bodies. What we put on our bodies makes a difference. Even medical doctors recognize the transdermal delivery system of the skin when they prescribe a patch of estrogen, nicotine or heart medicine to be worn on the skin as a means of delivering that substance to the bloodstream. The face is especially permeable. Plants such as aloe vera and calendula soothe the skin and benefit both from the outside and into the deeper layers of the body. For thousands of years, millions of people have relied on the bounty of plant preparations to cleanse and nourish the skin, hair and nails. Their benefits are legion. When we use pure botanicals, there is no need to test them on animals. Plants come with their own natural fragrances and colors. The chamomile or rosemary that nourishes our hair also provides nectar for the bees and oxygen for our planet. Cosmetics that are truly made in harmony with nature enhance rather than pollute the environment. Would you rather have an acre of lavender or a large chemical company in your neighborhood? Page 2 The Skin The skin is our interface with the world. It protects the bones and organs of the body by keeping them clean and holding them in place. Our largest organ, the skin, weighs about seven to ten pounds and covers about 20 square feet. This amazing covering is supplied with more nerve endings than any other organ except the brain. The skin, linked to the brain, is considered a sensory organ. We pale when fearful, blush when embarrassed and glow when delighted. The skin mirrors our health. Sleepless nights, sadness and joy are all reflected in the skin. The skin serves a multitude of functions; it is a sensory device, an excretory and respiratory organ and a temperature regulator. Sometimes the skin is referred to by natural health practitioners as our "third lung." About two percent of the oxygen that enters the body does so through the skin. Toxins are released from the body through the skin in the form of perspiration. Wearing natural fiber clothing and even taking relaxing nude "air baths" for ten minutes daily can be very beneficial to the skin. Fresh air is free medicine for the skin. Deep breathing is also very important for healthy skin. Water makes up over 70 percent of the content of the skin. Not uncoincidentally, the earth is also about 70 percent water. We are a reflection of our environment. Exercise also benefits the skin, delivering oxygen and nutrients to the skin cells. Exercise also raises the temperature of the skin's surface, thus causing many types of Page 3 harmful bacteria to die off. Massage also moisturizes and tones the skin. The thin outer layer of the skin is called the epidermis, which renews itself with new skin cells growing from within. The epidermis has four layers; new cell growth begins on the bottom layer and then moves upward. Below the epidermis are small capillaries that supply nourishment and water. The skin may get clogged from the inside (food, toxins) or the outside (dirt, chemicals, cosmetics). The layer below the epidermis is known as the corium or dermis. It is within the dermis that the elastic fibers collagen and elastin are found. Below the dermis is a barrier of fibrous tissue containing nerve endings, hair roots, blood vessels, sweat glands, sebaceous glands and fat globules. There are three types of protein in the skin which account for about 30 percent of the skin's composition: keratin, collagen and elastin. Keratin is found in the epidermis, and collagen and elastin are found in the dermis and connective tissue. People with dark skin have more melanin, the pigmentation that helps protect the skin from the sun. Foods for Healthy Skin Nourishing foods to improve skin quality include dark orange beta carotene-rich foods like winter squash, carrots, pumpkin, sweet potatoes and yams as well as apples, apricots, avocados, green leafy vegetables, parsley, soybeans, lentils, barley, oatmeal and yogurt. Fish contain beneficial oils for the skin, especially sardines, salmon, tuna, bluefish and monkfish. Be sure to include some vegetable oils in the diet such as olive oil in salad dressing. A cup of yoghurt enriched with one tablespoon each of bran, brewer's yeast, flax seed oil, blackstrap molasses, wheat germ and lecithin is a super skin cocktail.
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