Mercredi: The Art of Beauty

I spent the entire day Saturday volunteering at the 33rd annual Christmas Towne Bazaar here in Anchorage. It was a lot of fun, especially since my daughter had great success selling the cute and cuddly sea creatures that she knits so my whole family was there.

Anyway, I wore my boots lined with sheerling because it was that kind of cold, blustery, winter day (perfect for a holiday bazaar). What I didn’t think about was that I was wearing my boots under – not over, as usual – my jeans and with short socks. I also didn’t think about the fact that I’m allergic to sheep’s wool and lanolin… You can see this coming up the street, can’t you? I wish I had.

We got home after nine hours, I peeled off my boots and my lower legs looked like raw hamburger. They also itched as if I’d walked through a field of chiggers. It took me until the next day to figure out what I’d done wrong. Thankfully, though, I knew what to do next.

Milk, really regardless of the animal it comes from but cow’s milk specifically, is both mildly astringent and toning. The lactic acids in whole milk calm sensitive skin but rashes need special attention. And that’s where buttermilk comes in. In past times, patients with eczema, hives and even bee stings were treated with buttermilk soaks. Legend has it that there was even buttermilk in the bath scrofulous French Revolutionary Jean-Paul Marat was soaking in when Charlotte Corday stabbed him to death:

A bath in tepid (you don’t want to soak a rash in hot) water to which buttermilk has been added will sooth itching, ease redness and promote faster healing. The best option for this is powdered buttermilk. About two tablespoons for the average sized bathtub will transform the water into a revitalizing pond for your poor skin. It’s not the most aroma-therapeutic bath you’ll ever sit in but you can add dried herbs if you like. I recommend allspice, which is also calming to the complexion (about ½ teaspoon of the powdered variety to the two tablespoons of powdered buttermilk). Alternatively, try wrapping a handful of dried, whole cloves, dried pine sprigs or rosemary leaves in gauze, tying the little bag with string and letting it steep in your bath with you.

If all of this sounds like too many ingredients to track down, or if you can’t find powdered buttermilk (which is more concentrated and less expensive than the “real thing”) Burt’s Bees makes a Buttermilk Bath Soak which is part of their “Baby Bee” line of products. It’s available at the grocery (usually in the organic/whole foods section) and safe for the whole family.

My legs are still a bit crabby, particularly at the end of the day, but they feel a lot better now thanks to the generosity of our friend the cow. Thanks, Bessie; and no offense to any sheep that might be paying attention.

The Valpincon Bather by Jean-Auguste Dominique Ingres and To Marat by Jacques-Louis David

Mercredi: The Art of Beauty

For those of us in the Northern Hemisphere, the weather is turning cool, perhaps even cold. Where I live it is literally freezing, at least at night. This change, from warm to cold and in many places from humid to dry, can wreak havoc on even so called “normal” skin.

My mother and my grandmother both had that general skin type. It was evenly toned, not terribly prone to breakouts and what my mother derogatorily referred to as “sallow”. This particularly when she was speaking about her mother. Though Mom was a Merle Norman gal through and through, grandma favored more “down home” skincare, probably since she spent most of her childhood on a farm in Minnesota. She was particularly fond of milk for cleansing and toning.

Of course when speaking of milk for skincare we’re talking about whole milk and raw milk if possible. Don’t make that face; no one is asking you to drink it. All the same that gallon of two percent in your frig will do you about as much good as water in this instance. Whole milk has all its lactic acids which are exfoliating and toning without removing oils from the skin. Whole milk (or the powdered version) is a wonderful additive to a bath on cold, itchy, mid-winter days. You might want to add a few drops of essential oil and you will certainly want to scrub out the tub when you’re done. Rancid milk is not a beauty bonus.

But here is one. This recipe for milk cleanser is easy to make and very flexible. While the flowers and herbs used are all gentle enough for use on irritated skin but you can play with the blend once you have some idea of how your skin reacts to certain herbs. You might consider adding oatmeal instead of chamomile for a little extra exfoliation. I like to use dried jasmine petals in place of the lavender if I can get them. They add no scent (jasmine oil can be added sparingly to impart that) but they are calming to the skin; just what mine needs on a chilly day.

2 tbsps dried rose petals
1 tbsp dried lavender
1 tbsp dried chamomile
1/3 cup whole milk
1 tbsp glycerine (preferably vegetable glycerine)

Place the herbs in the bottom of a glass jar with a secure lid. Pour in the milk and glycerine and close tightly. Shake gently, then let the mixture sit in the refrigerator over night. In the morning, strain the mixture through cheesecloth into an airtight bottle. Store your finished product in the frig for up to one week.

You can use this like an astringent, wiping it onto your skin with a cotton ball. Or, you can wash you face with it as you would any liquid cleanser. Just remember to always shake the bottle before use to encourage re-blending of the ingredients. À votre santé ~

Header: Venus With A Mirror by Titian