The beauty of old fashioned remedies
Beauty products are big business and use our desire to stay younger looking for as long as possible. It is not just women who spend vast sums in the hope of better skin, luxuriant hair and fewer wrinkles, men are becoming just as anxious to hold back the years.
Most of our cosmetics and beauty products contain synthetic ingredients, things that wreak havoc on our health and that of the planet. Not to mention all of the packaging, waste, transportation requirements and other assorted collateral damage that comes along with modern merchandise.
So why not look back to simpler times and heed the advice of the women who paved the way before us? It’s time to roll up the sleeves and embrace your inner granny.
Eat yourself beautiful
Most skincare experts seem to agree that you are what you eat especially when it comes to healthy skin. What you put in your mouths is as important as the products you apply on your skin. Food get digested and broken down into vitamins, minerals and amino acids that your body can use to build healthy skin.
If you crash diet or eat highly processed foods, your skin won’t be as strong and supple as it could be. For example, if you don’t eat enough protein, you are depriving your skin of the amino acids that go into making collagen (which makes your skin strong) and elastic tissue (which makes it supple).
Wear a hat
This is so simple: wearing a hat protects your hair and face from sun and wind without having to slap on a lot of extra sunscreen. And hats are very fashionable now.
A helping hand
The 20th century saw a lot of women wearing gloves – from the brightly coloured “marigolds” for washing up to gloves for gardening. Our hands are an indicator of age and work but it is easy to neglect them. Putting some effort into protecting them will pay off when it comes to their more youthful appearance as you age. So, use gloves, and hand cream; soft gently hands are a lovely thing to offer.
Food for your face
Legend has it that Cleopatra owed at least some of her beauty to bathing in milk and honey. Oatmeal, cucumber, yoghurt, cold tea bags – there are plenty of tips around to use natural products on your skin.
Practice flower power
People have been employing flowers in beauty formulas for thousands of years. There is something undeniably lovely about plucking posies from the outdoors and creating concoctions that rely on the properties of flowers rather than a mix of chemicals stirred up in a lab.
Other old fashion beauty tips include: drink plenty of water, get lots of fresh air, get some exercise, and don’t forget to smile.
by Tina Foster
