Stressed? Give Yourself Red Carpet-Worthy Pampering Right At Home!

A trip to the spa can often set us back a few hundred dollars. With Carla Emery’s excellent organic recipes, we can give ourselves soothing facials right at home, minus the hefty price tag.

Steaming. This is a good treatment for skin problems and a general pick-me-up. I’ve enjoyed it many times. It deep-cleans your facial pores. To experts, steaming means putting your face in a hot towel tent. To me, it means spending 5–10 minutes with a few hot washrags on my face. When you’re done, wash out any dirt that’s left; then close those pores with cold washrags or an astringent.

NOTE: Don’t use this or any other heat treatment on a face that already has broken veins, because it can make them worse.

Face Masks. A mask consists of a “binder” (which makes it adhere) and other ingredients mixed in with the binder.

Choose your binder according to whether your skin tends to be oily or dry. For oily skin, use yogurt or egg white as a binder. For dry skin, choose lanolin, honey, sour cream, or egg yolk. Experiment with the other ingredients. You can blend vegetables and fruits and combine them with your binder, or use any of the recipes below. Wash your face clean before applying the mask. Don’t ever put a mask onto the area around your eyes. Rinse off after a half hour or as soon as the mask dries. (While you’re waiting, it’s a good time to take a nap.) To remove the mask, use a washrag and warm water. Then use cold water to close your pores.

NOTE: If you feel any irritation, rinse off immediately!

Egg White Mask

This helps drag blackheads and whiteheads out of your pores. Slightly beat an egg white and spread it fairly thickly over your face. Let it dry. Do the same thing with another egg white right on top of the first.

Oatmeal Mask

Mix together 2⁄3 c. oatmeal and enough honey to make a pasty consistency. Optionally, add 2 t. rose water.

Honey/Lemon Mask

Mix 2 T. slightly warmed honey with 1 t. lemon juice. Put the mixture on your face and leave for about a half hour.

Brewer’s Yeast Mask

Mix yeast with enough water to create a paste. Smooth it over your face (not into eyes!). Let dry. Then remove with warm water. Do this 1–2 times a week. For dry skin, add 1 T. wheat germ oil or 1 egg yolk to mask. You can also add 3 t. brewer’s yeast to milk or fruit juice and drink it daily.

Herbal Steaming Facial

Moisten your hot washrags with an herb tea — chamomile, nettle, rosemary, or peppermint.