photos by Herbal Academy


make, great for kids and good for dry cuticles and lips. You don’t have to worry about ingredients spoiling. Tey condition the skin and smell great,” she says. In harsher weather, skin requires a little


extra TLC. Tourles suggests a hydrating winter toner made with a 50/50 mix of aloe vera juice and rosewater. “Honey is also nice for the face and incredibly hydrating for winter,” she says. “Simply warm a little bit, apply it to your clean face for 20 minutes, then rinse with warm water.” “People oſten forget to apply more


moisturizer in winter. One of the best things you can do is exfoliate your face with a simple scrub to slough off dry, dead skin. Use gentler ingredients for your face than your body, like oats, baking soda or almonds ground finely,” says Gerber. For chapped lips, she recommends a gentle exfoliant like sugar and honey applied as an antibacterial lip scrub. “Matcha green tea makes a beautiful


mask that astringes and tones skin. Combine it with aloe gel and honey for some soothing moisture in the colder months when our skin needs rejuvenation,” says Adelmann. Some products are best purchased


from a commercial source. “You can make many preparations at home—from masks to cleansing scrubs, cleansers, lotions and creams—but when these recipes contain water, they have a short shelf life. If you are looking for something with a longer shelf life, you’re going to run into more complicated instructions incorporating preservatives,” says Adelmann. “Moisturizers, creamy cleansers and


hand creams have the steepest learning curve to craſt yourself,” says Tourles. “Trying to emulsify watery ingredients like herb tea and aloe vera with oils, butters or waxes is like mixing oil and vinegar in a salad dressing; these ingredients want to separate.” According to Gerber, sunscreen is another product worth buying rather than trying to make at home. Homemade or store-bought products


aside, the best skin enhancer is a drink of water, according to Gerber. It doesn’t get easier or more economical than that.


Connect with Washington, D.C., freelance writer April Tompson at AprilWrites.com.


November 2020 23


Homemade Mask Recipes Excerpted from Botanical Skin Care Recipe Book, by Marlene Adelmann


Green Tea Facial Mask Green tea contains polyphenolic flavonoids called catechins, which are strongly antioxidant. It’s also an astringent and anti- inflammatory. Matcha green tea (a powder) makes a beautiful green mask that astringes and tones skin. Combined with aloe gel and honey for soothing moisture, this is a great recipe for the colder months when our skin needs rejuvenation.


2 Tbsp matcha or another green tea (Camellia sinensis) leaf powder 4 tsp aloe vera leaf gel 1-2 tsp raw honey


Combine all ingredients and mix well. Adjust proportions, as needed, to achieve the desired consistency—add more honey and/or tea powder if it’s too fluid, or more aloe if it’s too thick. Apply gently to the face, avoiding the eyes. Leave in place for 20 to 40 minutes. Rinse the face with warm water and lightly pat it dry with a towel. Follow with moisturizer.


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