DIY Autumn Skin Care: Raspberry Mint Toner

Happy Sunday all!

There are so many great berries out there that I wanted to keep the theme going for this week! So, today I bring you a Raspberry Mint Toner.  Here's a toner that will not only tighten your pores with the help of mint, which is a natural cleanser with antibacterial properties, but will also be a luscious treat for your nose, with the infusion of raspberries. The berries also add the beneficial antioxidants A & C into the mix, which are good for all skin types.

You'll need: 

* 1/2 cup chopped mint leaves (or two organic mint tea bags)
* 1/4 cup whole raspberries (any variety, rinsed)
* 3 cups water

Combine water & mint (or tea) in a small saucepan. Once the liquid comes to a boil, reduce the heat to a gentle simmer & add the raspberries. Let the mixture simmer for about another four minutes — just until you will smell the strong aroma of raspberries releasing (you don't want to overcook the berries and have them lose their shape). Remove from heat and allow to cool. Strain the liquid into a container.

Use a cotton pad or ball to tone your face liberally after washing, using upward strokes.  Alternately, you can pour the toner into a bottle with a spray top and spritz your skin liberally, allowing the toner to dry before you continue with makeup, moisturizer, etc. 

This mixture will keep for two weeks in the refrigerator.  Or, you can add 5-7 drops of grapefruit seed extract to the mix, shake well, and extend the life of the product to about a month.  Enjoy!

Peace & Natural Blessings - 

Candace

RedSunflower Designs

Autumn's Harvest: Strawberry Antioxidant Face Mask

Happy Sunday all!

As I move through the list of Autumn harvest ingredients for skin care, we finally come to berries.   Now, berries are one of my FAVORITE foods of all time.  They're juicy, sweet, and full of antioxidants.  

But how are strawberries beneficial in  organic skin care?

First, it is a natural exfoliant. Its gentle acidic nature can take care of all those flaky dead cells on top of the skin. It’s natural salicylic acid (please be aware that if you have an allergy to salycylic acid, you should NOT use this recipe!) is a good combatant for acne and black heads. Strawberry also has antiseptic and skin lighting properties.  It has all those wonderful vitamins & antioxidants. And don’t forget folic acid, which is essential for healthy new cells! 

So, let's get on with the recipe:

Mix 5 strawberries with 1 tablespoon of milk and 1 teaspoon of honey. Blend it into a state of purée. Spread the mixture on your face for 15 to 20 minutes. Gently wash off with warm water.

For dry skin you may also try mixing a few strawberries with 1 teaspoon sour cream & 1 teaspoon honey. This is especially good for flaky skin.  (You can also use cream (2-3 tsp) and milk (1 tbsp or so).)

I hope you've enjoyed this week's skin care recipe, straight from nature and your kitchen.  More berry recipes next week:)!

Peace & Natural Blessings - 

Candace 

RedSunflower Designs

Facial Cleanser from Grapes? Absolutely!

Happy Sunday all!

As a tribute to my love for a good red wine, this week's DIY Fall Beauty recipe is going to focus on the amazing grape.   So, if your face needs some pep, red grapes can give it an anti-oxidant lift!  

Here's what you'll need:

• 1 cup mashed grapes (or so; doesn't have to be exact)
• around 1 tsp olive oil (adjust up or down a smidge depending on skin type)
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/4 cup milk (can be cow, goat, soy, whatever you want)

In a blender, combine the grapes, oil, baking soda and milk, and mix well.  Gently wash your face with this morning and evening. Rinse off with warm water.  

If you refrigerate, this should keep for about a week. 

This is GREAT for your skin because, as we all know, grapes are super high in antioxidants.  The olive oil helps your skin to retain moisture.  Baking soda helps to soften the skin - for that "smooth as a baby's bottom" complexion we all want!  Finally, the enzymes in milk help to gently exfoliate your skin.

I hope you guys have all enjoyed this recipe and found it useful.  Please feel free to comment and let us know how it goes. 

See ya next week :)!

Candace

RedSunflower Designs

Pumpkin Face Mask: Fall's Facial!

Happy Sunday all!

Sorry this post is alittle later than usual; I went to the farmer's market earlier, and the bounty was just so good I got kinda carried away.  But I'll be canning and preserving the yumminess throughout the week, so that makes it worth it for me.  But on to the good stuff!

This week starts my series on bath, body, & beauty you can make with our Autumn bounty, things you either already have at home, or can grab up at the farmers market or your local grocer. Today, I'm going to give you a recipe for a Pumpkin Face Mask, so let's get started.

You'll need:

• 2 tsp canned pumpkin (or you can puree your own fresh pumpkin)
• 1/2 tsp honey
• 1/4 tsp milk 

Honey acts as a humectant, which means it helps your skin to retain moisture.  For the milk, you can use any kind you want (cow milk, goats milk, soy, etc) just be sure it's not a flavored milk because that's too much sugar.  The milk, surprisingly, contains acids that help to gently exfoliate your skin.  You can check out last week's post here for the skin benefits of pumpkin. 

Customizations for dry skin: 

1/2 tsp heavy whipping cream instead of milk (high in alpha hydroxy acids)

OR

1/2 tsp brown sugar (instead of milk, to exfoliate)

Customizations for oily skin: 

1/4 tsp apple cider (instead of milk; it's a great toner, hich in alpha hydroxy, and helps to regulate skin's pH level)

OR

1/4 tsp cranberry juice (really high in antioxidants)

I also have a dry formula that will be in my shop by end of day if you prefer something that will last alittle longer, and has more skin-loving ingredients in it.  Click the link below to check it out!

I hope you've found this interesting, and I'll be back next week with another easy, at-home spa recipe.

Lots of love, and enjoy the bounty of the season!

Candace

RedSunflower Designs

How A Visit To Your Local Farmer's Market is Better Than A Trip to Sephora!

Happy Sunday all!  

It's Labor Day weekend, and I know many will have plans.  Family gatherings, a pick-up game of football with friends, maybe getting in that last camping trip of the season...  It's truly a time to go out and appreciate nature and the bounty that this year's harvests have (and will) bring us.  Not only is it sustenance for our bodies, with the shmorgousboard of fruits and veggies available to us, but also for skincare.  I always say that some of the best skincare recipes are those that our great-grandmothers grandmothers used.  Nature gives us most anything we could need, and as my "thank you" to Mother Earth, I thought I'd share the skincare uses of some of the things growing at this time of year!

• PUMPKIN  contains a wide spectrum of vitamin A derivatives with an outstanding effect on the skin's cellular turnover, meaning you're left with younger-looking skin.  It also contains a multitude of vitamins and minerals with strong antioxidant protection.  The natural fruit acids, along with Vitamins A, C, E, minerals and replenishing enzymes make it a great exfoliant, breakout inhibitor, and pore refiner for your skin. Pumpkin also decreases oxidation and free radical stress in the skin. It is extraordinarily effective for dull, sluggish skin as it stimulates circulation, promotes healing, and provides vitamin nutrition leaving skin glowing and healthy looking. If this isn't enough, it further helps to restore elasticity while allowing ingredients to better penetrate the skin. So, try some pumpkin this fall and use it all year long for radiant, silky smooth skin!
•  APPLES help treat and control acne breakouts to improving your complexion.  Applying the fruit to your face as a mask gives your skin a healthy dose of Vitamin A, B, C and E. This will act as a gentle face scrub and will clean your pores from deep within!  If you suffer from acne, apple cider vinegar is a must.  Soak a cotton ball in the vinegar and then apply lightly over your face and neck (I'd start with alittle and go from there; you want to test your skin first, as anyone can have allergies to anything). Let it stay on a few minutes then wash off with warm water.  This will help to get rid of impurities, as well as excess oil on your skin.  
• BERRIES contain ellagic acid, an antioxidant found in numerous fruits, vegetables and nuts, (but especially raspberries, strawberries, cranberries and pomegranates), which can protect the skin against UV damage.  Strawberries in particular are high in alpha-hydroxy acid, a great little substance that helps us slough off dead skin cells so that new, youthful skin is revealed.  It's also a natural exfoliant, as are all berries. Berries also help the body to manufacture collagen, which helps keep the skin looking supple, smooth & wrinkle-free. 
• GRAPES are full of antioxidants, reservatrol (found in the skin of the grape), and are very nourishing for your skin.  Grapes can be used as a tonic, and are wonderful for mature or dehydrated skin. 
• AND FINALLY...  Masks of peaches and tomatoes are excellent for oily skin care for removing grease and to shrink pores. 

This is going to be the start of a new series! Through October, I'll be featuring a home spa recipe using these and other ingredients you can easily find at your local farmers market, etc during this time of year!  I hope everyone enjoys it, and finds this series useful. 

Wishing everyone a wonderful, restful Labor Day weekend!

Candace 

RedSunflower Designs

How To Age Like a French Woman!

Happy Sunday all!  Sorry this is coming to you so late in the day; I had a project to complete, and it took alittle longer than planned.

Given my new vinotherapy skin care line, I've been planning to speak about the benefits of reservatrol for a couple of weeks now. We all know that red wine is good for your health, but why is that?  Simply put: reservatrol.  Reservatrol is the main phytochemical (a naturally-occurring chemical compound found in plants that help stave off disease in many forms) found in the skin of red grapes.  Reservatrol is also a natural anti-oxidant, meaning it can also help to protect your body from the effects of environmental pollutants, found in most every city worldwide today.  Combine that with the amount of processed foods we eat, particularly in the West, and you can see why it would be beneficial to try to combat these affects.

Aside from being an anti-inflammatory, reservatrol also has anti-aging benefits;  the phytochemical helps in cell regeneration, allowing your skin to appear younger.

Reservatrol is further credited with being responsible for the French Paradox. The French Paradox is the observation that the French suffer a relatively low incidence of coronary heart disease, despite having a diet relatively rich in saturated fats (think full fat dairy), and high rates of smoking.  By all accounts, the French should probably have significantly higher rates of disease, but they don't.  While there are still studies being done, many believe reservatrol is the reason.  Think about it: don't you look at French women and wonder how they age so well???  As someone who lived in France for several years, I can tell you that the French don't believe in "fat free".  And we all know that the French love their red wine!

I hope this has helped to shed some light on why reservatrol is "the" thing right now, and why the French and other cultures have known about it's benefits for years.   Feel free to leave me comments and let me know what you guys think!

You can view my WineOh! Vinotherapy Skincare Line here.

Until next week, Natural Blessings!

Candace

RedSunflower Designs