Well it seems like skin care and spa experiences go together and there are several techniques I use for enhancing the health of my skin. Overall, I’m lucky to have some good genetics in this department. I have also probably spent too much time “unprotected” in the sun. I love the sun and the warmth of it on my skin. I’m not a sun worshipper who has spent hours sun bathing for the sake of a tan. My time in the sun has more to do with being a nature lover and transporting myself as much as possible by foot or bicycle.
I also think that having a nice glow is generally accompanied by a similar inner state. At least I haven’t known that many people with constant bad attitudes who have radiant skin, no matter how many facials they get. There are different kinds of wrinkles too—the ones that are indicative of a soulful, heartful character and ones that speak to a life pulled down by the weight of the world. I remember years ago having a session with a Chinese medicine practitioner who did face reading. I was fairly young at the time and without a lot of what I thought of as facial characteristics that could be attributed to life experience, and yet I was blown away by how much he could tell about me just from the structure of my face. Some of the things he had to say had to do with my relationships, which made me wonder what my face might look like if the nature of those relationships had been different.
The light in someone’s eyes can really confuse my perceptions of age in a positive way. I had a friend, Barbara, who recently passed at 80 years young. Up to the very end her eyes were those of an inquisitive girl—full of life and exuberance. There was so much love in them, such a twinkle of mischief, awe, wonder and acknowledgement of other as divine potential that she always felt timeless to me. I never for a moment noticed wrinkles when such joyful eyes were engaging me. She was truly a wise elder, but that was always secondary to her eagerness to learn from whomever she was with.
All I know is that whatever lines develop to tell my story, I hope it ends up being a happy one overall. Right now I’m thinking about ways to add some regular laughter into my routine. This is one of those home spa exercises that is definitely easier with other people around, especially young children. I don’t generally burst into laughter when I’m alone, although I can find plenty of things to laugh at myself about. Minds left to their own devices seem to have a tendency to fixate on serious matters. I want to shift that default setting to something more playful and lighthearted. I know this isn’t normally what people associate with a relaxing spa experience, but it probably should be since it is such a potent way to relieve stress and accelerate health and vitality.
In the meantime, I will stick to sharing my surface skin care routine, which includes:
1) Dry brushing. This is done with a stiff bristle, vegetable fiber brush that comes with an attachable stick handle for reaching the back. As indicated by the name of the brush, it is always done with the brush dry. I do it just before showering. The brush I use is made by Yerba Prima. I began this in my early 20s after having a bicycling accident and rolling down and embankment with my bike. I had a really bad knot on my shin and my doctor at the time was concerned about this blood clot going to my heart. Anyway, the specialist he sent me to said it was in the superficial vein system and wouldn’t go to my heart. He sent me home without offering any suggestions on how to get rid of the knot that had persisted for weeks. I began doing research and learned about dry brushing for helping circulation and moving the lymph system. I began using the dry brush daily on the area and within a few days the blood clot was completely gone. I continued the practice as a way to remove the layer of dead skin, increase circulation and to make my skin feel really soft. In doing the brushing you just need to remember to only brush toward the heart, rather than downward or in circular motions. This is because the valves in the lymph system only open when the pressure below them is greater. Brushing in the manner described facilitates that movement.
2) Facial Massage. I came across a book in my mid-twenties for doing facial massage. This is a routine for enhancing facial tone and skin radiance through improving circulation and cleansing. I don’t have the book anymore and I have lapsed in my use of this practice, but I do pick it back up when time allows, and I feel like my skin could use some extra attention. In this case you do use a lot of circular motions. I do three rounds, starting with 25 repetitions in each of the facial zones, then 50 repetitions, and then 100. Use a cleansing cream with a nice consistency for allowing your fingers to glide. After each set of repetitions remove the cleansing cream from the skin with a warm washcloth and then begin the next round. The instructions are to use the middle fingers on both hands and to do gentle motions starting with the space between the eyebrows moving in an upward direction. Then from the center of the forehead outward toward the temples. Next use circular motions on the temples, followed by circular motions around the eye sockets in a clockwise rotation from the tear ducts. Then use a combination of downward strokes on the bridge of the nose and circular motions along the sides of the nose moving down to the cheeks. Again, use clockwise circular motions across the entire cheek area, over to the ears and down to the jaw line. After that, move to the mouth area and continue clockwise circular motions around the mouth, and then on the chin. Finally, come up the neck to the jaw line. The whole process takes about 20 minutes.
3) Facial Steams. Another way I keep my skin healthy is by steaming it occasionally with herbs to help detox and tone it. I buy a specific blend of herbs for this purpose from a lovely woman who sells wonderful, handmade skin care products at the local farmer’s market. I simply boil some water then put a ¼ cup of the herbs in the pot and let it steep for a few minutes. Then I lean over the pot with a towel over my head and let my face steam for a good ten minutes, or however long is comfortable. If it feels too hot just move your face a bit further above the pot.
My preference is to not wear any foundations or powders on my skin because I think it is healthier to let my skin breathe. I use a good moisturizer with minimal ingredients and ones that are organic, and recognizable herbs and oils. If it has a bunch of chemicals in it I avoid it. I also use a raw mineral blush and that’s it. When I am not cleansing my face with a facial massage I just wash it with a basic herbal soap. When it comes to skin I believe less is more and enhancing circulation is always beneficial.
Hopefully the following will elicit a smile. I consider this my warm-up exercise for the belly-laugh routine that I intend to be at the core of my home spa experience. I would love to hear from any of you who have this one mastered.
"The surest sign that intelligent life exists elsewhere in the universe is that it has never tried to contact us." ~Bill Watterson, Calvin and Hobbes
"If Barbie is so popular, why do you have to buy her friends?" ~Author Unknown
"Don't forget your wife's name...That will mess up the love." --Erin, age 8.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment