Jeudi: The Art of Beauty

Most of the Northern Hemisphere is beginning to feel the chill of oncoming winter.  Unless you have the good fortune – or some would say misfortune – to live in the Sun Belt, the cold is already upon us. 

It’s not quite time to pull the body butters down from the high shelf, but it’s getting there.  Now is when I like to have an autumn scented body oil to turn to for after-bath moisturizing.  It gets me in the mood for my favorite holiday – Halloween – and is delightfully good for all types of skin.  The added bonus is the essential oils: basil to energize, orange to elevate mood as the light slowly falls away, and sandalwood for a touch of seduction.

3 ½ oz almond oil

1 tbsp honey (try to use a honey from a local producer if possible)

¼ cup jojoba oil

2 500 IU capsules of vitamin E

10 drops basil essential oil

10 drops orange essential oil

10 drops sandalwood essential oil

Put the almond oil and honey in a small saucepan and warm over very low heat, stirring occasionally, until the honey liquefies.  Remove from heat.  Now add the contents of the vitamin E capsules and the jojoba oil; stir to combine.  Add each essential oil in turn, stirring thoroughly before adding the next one.

Pour the completed mixture into a dark glass bottle or an opaque plastic bottle.  To use, shake and then dispense a small amount onto hands, rub them together to warm the oil.  Massage into damp skin.  For best results, allow skin to air dry thereafter.

The almond oil is fast absorbing but luxurious and the addition of vitamin E and honey will help your skin stay healthy and glowing even in the face of autumn chills (real and figurative).  A votre santé ~

Header: Ladies Home Journal cover c 1905