Organic Body Care Recipes : 175 Homeade Herbal Formulas for Glowing Skin and a Vibrant Self

373 Pages·2007·3.81 MB·English

by  Stephanie L. Tourles

ORGANIC BODY CARE RECIPES
175 Homemade Herbal Formulas for Glowing Skin & a
Vibrant Self
Stephanie Tourles
The mission of Storey Publishing is to serve our customers by
publishing practical information that encourages
personal independence in harmony with the environment.
Edited by Deborah Balmuth and Elaine M. Cissi
Art direction and text design by Mary Winkelman Velgos
Cover and concept design by Stewart A. Williams
Text production by Liseann Karandisecky
Illustrations by Kathy Bray: 11; Alison Kolesar: 7, 14, 209; and Laura Tedeschi:
36, 46, 47, 60, 63, 65, 67, 71, 72, 75, 77, 78, 81, 83, 85, 86, 89, 90, 92, 125, 172
Author photo by Janice Semprini
Indexed by Index Arts
Text © 2007 by Stephanie Tourles
Illustrations © 2007 by Kate Quinby, except as credited above
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced without written
permission from the publisher, except by a reviewer who may quote brief
passages or reproduce illustrations in a review with appropriate credits; nor may
any part of this book be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted
in any form or by any means — electronic, mechanical, photocopying,
recording, or other — without written permission from the publisher.
The information in this book is true and complete to the best of our
knowledge. All recommendations are made without guarantee on the part of the
author or Storey Publishing. The author and publisher disclaim any liability in
connection with the use of this information. For additional information please
contact Storey Publishing, 210 MASS MoCA Way, North Adams, MA 01247.
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Printed in the United States by R.R. Donnelley
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Tourles, Stephanie L., 1962–
Organic body care recipes / by Stephanie Tourles.
p. cm.
Rev. ed of: The herbal body book. c1994.
ISBN 978-1-58017-676-7 (pbk. : alk. paper)
1. Beauty, Personal. 2. Herbal cosmetics.
I. Tourles, Stephanie L., 1962– Herbal body book. II. Title.
RA778.T64 2007
613’.488—dc22
2007009814
To my Willy
Here’s to the second half of our lives.
May our love blossom and flourish, being as
sweet and succulent as a handful of fresh-picked,
shiny black huckleberries in August.
Contents
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
INTRODUCTION
1 A Natural Approach to Beautiful Skin, Hair, and Nails
Your Skin
Your Hair
Your Nails
Skin Sense
2 The Natural Apothecary
An Ingredient Primer
The Ingredient Dictionary
3 Tools of the Trade for the Kitchen Cosmetologist
Preparation Tools
Storage Containers
Application and Cleansing Tools
4 All-Natural Face and Body Care Recipes
Face Care
Face Cleansers
Astringents and Toners: Refreshing Agents
Masks
Herbal Facial Steams
Aromatherapeutic Express Facial Steams
Exfoliant Facial Scrubs
Face Moisturizers
Herbal Facial Elixirs
Treatments for the Eyes
Lip Service: Luscious Lips
Your Body Beautiful
Body Moisturizers: Creams, Butters, and Balms
Bath Therapy: The Aromatic and “Scentual” Bath
Bath and Massage Oils
Sun Sense: Tanning Potions and After-Sun Relief
Body Exfoliants: Be Smooth and Glow
Aromatic and Deodorizing Body Powders
Foot Care: Feelin’ Foot Loose and Fancy Free
Beautifying Hand and Nail Treatments
Herbal Oral Hygiene
5 Natural Care for Glorious Hair
Your Hair Personality
Shampoos, Rinses, and Conditioners
6 In the Mood: Arouse the Senses with Herbal Love Potions
7 For Women Only: Delicate Subjects
Douches
Love Your Breasts
Pregnancy Stretch Mark Prevention
8 Herbal Comfort Zone: Physical Stress, Cold, Headache, and Sleep Care
9 Bugs Be Gone: Natural Insect Repellents
RESOURCES
INDEX

Acknowledgments
To all the gardeners; herbalists; aromatherapists; biologists; landscapers;
farmers; cosmetic chemists; elders of the past; and even the plants themselves,
my lifelong teachers of the green world who have shared their wisdom with me
over the years: Without you, this book would have been impossible and my
green soul would not be fulfilled.
I am also eternally grateful to those of you who have been my cosmetic
“guinea pigs” over the years — friends, family members, and complete strangers
who have allowed me to apply my new personal care concoctions to your faces,
arms, legs, hands, feet, backs, and hair, and who have given me in return valued
feedback toward the perfection of my formulations. “Practice makes perfect,” so
the saying goes … and some of you knew when to tell me that an experimental
cream, mask, or massage oil was either far from perfect or that it was positively
perfect and produced the desired result. I made meticulous notes of your
observations, good and bad.
Speaking of far from perfect, I remember the dreaded blueberry-mask
experiment of my early years: This sweetly fragranced fruit mask, high in
beneficial antioxidants and supposedly pampering to the skin, turned a work
associate’s skin supremely soft — and also, regretfully, a lovely shade of pale
blue! At least she had a sense of humor — thank goodness! Live, learn, and
laugh, I say! Without everyone’s comments and patience I could not have gained
the knowledge necessary to become the natural cosmetic chemist and holistic
esthetician that I am today. I thank you all.
Introduction
Did you know that women use an average of 12 personal care products daily?
And men aren’t far behind, with about seven in their daily routine. Each day we
use soap, body scrub, lotion, face cleanser, toner, night cream, shave cream,
aftershave balm, sunscreen, makeup, and deodorant, so it’s important to know
what’s coming into contact with our skin. Remember: Your skin eats — or, more
accurately, absorbs.
The official term for the process of absorption of substances via the skin is
transdermic penetration. All topical substances can either penetrate or affect the
skin’s surface. To what degree depends on the particular substance, molecular
size of the ingredient(s), temperature, and the condition of the skin at the time of
contact.
If you’re having a hard time believing that your skin can actually absorb some
of the ingredients from your favorite body product, then you have only to think
of three popular drugs that are transported into the bloodstream via a topically
applied patch: nicotine used for cessation of smoking, hormones for birth
control, and nitroglycerin for angina pectoris.
As a licensed esthetician and holistic skin care specialist, my focus is on
educating individuals so that they can realize their highest health and beauty
potential through the use of natural skin and body care products and vitalizing
lifestyle habits. I want my clients and readers to become active participants in
their own well-being.
In my years of experience, I have worked with a wide range of commercially
prepared products, including high-end preparations and “natural” products from
health food stores and wellness spas. Many of these skin and body care
preparations, even the so-called natural ones, contain highly toxic and irritating
ingredients. Frequently, I’ve heard from both clients and my readers who have
endured allergic reactions or other skin sensitivities resulting from their use of
these often costly and often synthetic products.
But if potentially irritating or harmful chemicals and artificial colorants and
fragrances can be absorbed by your skin, then so can highly beneficial natural
ingredients, which can promote beauty and wellness.
In this rapidly advancing technological age of skin and body care, you can
visit your local medical spa and choose from a dizzying array of “youthifiers.” A
few of the products and services offered might be pharmaceutically enhanced