Herbs for Healthy Skin, Hair & Nails: Banish Eczema, Acne and Psoriasis With Healing Herbs That Cleanse and Tone to Body Inside and Out (Keats Good Herb Guide)

187 Pages·1998·0.42 MB·English

by  Brigitte Mars

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Page i
A KEATS GOOD HERB GUIDE
Herbs for Healthy Skin, Hair & Nails
Banish eczema, acne and psoriasis with healing herbs that
cleanse and tone the body inside and out
Brigitte Mars
Keats Publishing, Inc. New Canaan, Connecticut
Page ii
To My Daughter Rainbeau Mars
Herbs for Healthy Skin, Hair and Nails is not intended as medical
advice. Its intent is solely informational and educational. Please
consult health professional should the need for one be indicated.
HERBS FOR HEALTHY SKIN, HAIR AND NAILS
Copyright © 1998 by Brigitte Mars
All Rights Reserved
No part of this book may be reproduced in any form without the
written consent of the publisher.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Mars, Brigitte.
Herbs for healthy skin, hair and nails / Brigitte Mars.
p. cm.(Keats good herb guide)
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 0-87983-838-8
1. Beauty, Personal. 2. SkinCare and hygiene. 3. Hair
Care and hygiene. 4. Nails (Anatomy)Care and hygiene. 5.
HerbsTherapeutic use. I. Title. II. Series.
RA776.98.M376 1998
646.7'2dc21 98-23435
CIP
Printed in the United States of America
Keats Good Health Guides are Published by
Keats Publishing, Inc.
27 Pine Street (Box 876)
New Canaan, Connecticut 06840-0876
Website Address: www.keats.com
98 6 5 4 3 2 1
Page iii
Contents
Natural Beauty 1
The Skin 2
Facial Care 14
Skin Problems 23
The Secrets of Youthful Skin 35
Facial Exercises 39
The Hair 41
Natural Hand Care 54
The Nails 55
Herbs for Skin, Hair and Nails 57
Simple Cosmetic Recipes 79
Resources 85
Index 87
Page 1
Natural Beauty
The word cosmetic comes from the Greek word kosmos, meaning
"order in the universe." The wise use of natural cosmetics can help us
reflect the beauty of nature, enhancing our health from the outside and
providing us with a pleasurable experience while using them. Plants
transform the nutrients of the earth, making them more bioavailable to
our bodies. What we put on our bodies makes a difference. Even
medical doctors recognize the transdermal delivery system of the skin
when they prescribe a patch of estrogen, nicotine or heart medicine to
be worn on the skin as a means of delivering that substance to the
bloodstream. The face is especially permeable. Plants such as aloe
vera and calendula soothe the skin and benefit both from the outside
and into the deeper layers of the body.
For thousands of years, millions of people have relied on the bounty
of plant preparations to cleanse and nourish the skin, hair and nails.
Their benefits are legion. When we use pure botanicals, there is no
need to test them on animals. Plants come with their own natural
fragrances and colors. The chamomile or rosemary that nourishes our
hair also provides nectar for the bees and oxygen for our planet.
Cosmetics that are truly made in harmony with nature enhance rather
than pollute the environment. Would you rather have an acre of
lavender or a large chemical company in your neighborhood?
Page 2
The Skin
The skin is our interface with the world. It protects the bones and
organs of the body by keeping them clean and holding them in place.
Our largest organ, the skin, weighs about seven to ten pounds and
covers about 20 square feet. This amazing covering is supplied with
more nerve endings than any other organ except the brain. The skin,
linked to the brain, is considered a sensory organ. We pale when
fearful, blush when embarrassed and glow when delighted. The skin
mirrors our health. Sleepless nights, sadness and joy are all reflected
in the skin. The skin serves a multitude of functions; it is a sensory
device, an excretory and respiratory organ and a temperature
regulator. Sometimes the skin is referred to by natural health
practitioners as our "third lung." About two percent of the oxygen that
enters the body does so through the skin. Toxins are released from the
body through the skin in the form of perspiration.
Wearing natural fiber clothing and even taking relaxing nude "air
baths" for ten minutes daily can be very beneficial to the skin. Fresh
air is free medicine for the skin.
Deep breathing is also very important for healthy skin. Water makes
up over 70 percent of the content of the skin. Not uncoincidentally, the
earth is also about 70 percent water. We are a reflection of our
environment.
Exercise also benefits the skin, delivering oxygen and nutrients to the
skin cells. Exercise also raises the temperature of the skin's surface,
thus causing many types of

Page 3
harmful bacteria to die off. Massage also moisturizes and tones the
skin.
The thin outer layer of the skin is called the epidermis, which renews
itself with new skin cells growing from within. The epidermis has four
layers; new cell growth begins on the bottom layer and then moves
upward. Below the epidermis are small capillaries that supply
nourishment and water. The skin may get clogged from the inside
(food, toxins) or the outside (dirt, chemicals, cosmetics).
The layer below the epidermis is known as the corium or dermis. It is
within the dermis that the elastic fibers collagen and elastin are found.
Below the dermis is a barrier of fibrous tissue containing nerve
endings, hair roots, blood vessels, sweat glands, sebaceous glands and
fat globules. There are three types of protein in the skin which account
for about 30 percent of the skin's composition: keratin, collagen and
elastin. Keratin is found in the epidermis, and collagen and elastin are
found in the dermis and connective tissue. People with dark skin have
more melanin, the pigmentation that helps protect the skin from the
sun.
Foods for Healthy Skin
Nourishing foods to improve skin quality include dark orange beta
carotene-rich foods like winter squash, carrots, pumpkin, sweet
potatoes and yams as well as apples, apricots, avocados, green leafy
vegetables, parsley, soybeans, lentils, barley, oatmeal and yogurt. Fish
contain beneficial oils for the skin, especially sardines, salmon, tuna,
bluefish and monkfish. Be sure to include some vegetable oils in the
diet such as olive oil in salad dressing. A cup of yoghurt enriched with
one tablespoon each of bran, brewer's yeast, flax seed oil, blackstrap
molasses, wheat germ and lecithin is a super skin cocktail.