Beautiful Hands And Nails

Hands an feet are the two areas of our body most often exposed to the elements of pollution. Our face is another such part of the body that is exposed but we usually take good care of the face. Hands and feet are the neglected parts and often bear the brunt of our carelessness. As there is only a thin layer of flesh over the bones of the hand, the back of our hands can age more quickly than the skin of the face. So even if we are blessed with a youthful looking face, our hands can instantly reveal our true age.

There are two tips to improve the condition of your hands and feet; 1) A barrier cream that can be applied regularly throughout the day to maintain the moisture level and 2) Night massage with rejuvenating oils and aromatic waters.

A barrier cream has two functions. One is to provide an invisible film or barrier against the environment- the weather, central heating or AC, water in all its usages like washing up, handling laundry and so on. The second function is to soften and moisturise dry skin and to feed it with nourishing fatty oils and essential oils.

An emollient day cream can be prepared with beeswax, jojoba oil, almond oil, water and essential oils. Take 15 gms of beeswax and add 1 table spoon of Jojoba oil and 3 table spoons of almond oil and put it in a bowl. Place the bowl on low heat and stir occasionally allowing it to melt. Once the wax melts, remove it from the gas stove and let it cool.

As it becomes a bit cool, add hot water and whisk it to make an emulsion, add essential oils and store in a jar. This is an excellent day cream and free of any preservatives, the above mentioned quantity is sufficient for 3 weeks. Do not make large quantities as it cannot be stored for long.  Before retiring to the bed, soak your hands and feet in aromatic water.

To prepare this take a bowl of warm water and add 2 drops of lavender, 2 drops of niaouli and 3 drops of Vitamin E oil.  Soak up your hands and feet in this aromatic water for 10 to 15 minutes depending on how starved your skin is. Rinse with normal water and massage with little jojoba oil or the barrier cream.