Dead Sea Salt | suzannerbanks

Salt scrub – pic via themethuselahcenter.com

Our skin is one of the largest systems in the body called the Integumentary System. It is our protector against the environment and something that holds us all together. We absorb nutrients through the skin and this is why I love to use nourishing essential oil blends on a daily basis. We eliminate toxins through our skin too.

Our skin is just as important as our other organs like the liver, pancreas, thyroid and everything else we are made of. It forms part of our personality by giving us a certain look and comes in a variety of colours. Our skin can easily be ignored but we really need to give it a helping hand. Moisturising is a must which will definitely keep skin looking younger and feeling more supple. Exfoliating is also a great benefit to skin to keep it healthy so it can do all the jobs we need it to do. It can help with general feelings of lethargy and will definitely wake you up too.

We exfoliate automatically as new skin cells are made and old cells dying make their way back into the universe, however, sometimes our skin needs a helping hand and we need to manually exfoliate for health and vanity reasons. Skin varies in texture and colour in different parts of the body so what is good for scrubbing your body, may not work very well for your face. We could use a few methods for exfoliation of the body:

Exfoliating Gloves - pic via www.aliexpress.com

Exfoliating Gloves – pic via http://www.aliexpress.com

1. Exfoliation Gloves

* environmentally friendly because they last a long time

* inexpensive

* use a little soap in the bath or the shower and don’t rub too hard it will hurt!

* once or twice per month is enough

dry skin brushing – pic via slenderresults.com

2. Dry Skin Brushing

* lightly done on dry skin

* benefits are said to be varied from minimising cellulite to stimulating new cells growth and getting rid of old cells, improving the elimination of toxins

* once or twice a week is enough and shower afterwards

Body-Scrub – pic via blog.freepeople.com –

3. Scrub with a Product

* use a product that you love or make your own body scrub or face scrub

Face and body scrubs can be made easily at your place with lots of different ingredients that you may find in your cupboard.

almond meal – pic via urbanposer.blogspot.com

Face Scrub

I often use almond meal but if I need more oomph I use LSA (a blend of linseeds, almonds, and sunflowers). Just mix a little water or coconut water with it and gently rub on your face. It’s not very user-friendly so do it over the bathroom sink so the little bits can fall off in that rather than on the floor. I rarely use essential oils with this one because it’s divine on its own.

When you add liquid to the almond meal it becomes milky and soft straight away. This almond milk is lovely and combines with the natural oil n the almonds will make your face so soft. It’s easy and it’s a winner. Try it! After rinsing off you wont even need to moisturise.

Sea salt – pic via cooks.ndtv.com

Body Scrub

I recommend using sea salt as a base and adding ingredients to that. I think I may have to write an article on the benefits of sea salt its an amazing treatment! You could choose Celtic or Dead Sea salt or a locally produced sea salt. Use fine grade as the coarse grade will scratch your skin. This is best done in a bath so you can soak in the salt afterwards. If you only have a shower then wet your body, step out of the stream or turn off the water, scrub then rinse.

If you are a lover of essential oils then try adding about 5 – 8 drops of the oils you choose, into 2 cups of salt and slosh in some oil to make a gooey, grainy paste. It can be olive oil, almond oil, coconut oil, sesame oil or anything you have in the cupboard. You could even try coconut milk or coconut cream to take you away on an island holiday in your mind.

Then get creative by adding spices and extract from your cupboard like, cinnamon, nutmeg or vanilla extract. For a more comprehensive list of suggestions see my article It’s Easy to Make Your Own Body Scrub.

Happy blending and remember to use your intention when you are creating your formulas. See my article about intention

Mystic Hot Springs Utah via thesoakinglife.com

Balneotherapy – what is it?

It encompasses many aspects of bathing including soaking in mineral enriched waters in natural springs (either hot or cold or both); it may also include massage while in a bath and may also have added extras like clays and essential oils. The water may be hot or cold or both.

While it is not hydrotherapy, the title balneotherapy is basically about bathing in water, and all its variations.

Rotorua hot pools enriched with sulphur

There are many amazing natural springs all over the world, including the incredible pools in Rotorua, New Zealand which have a very high sulphur content, and a very high sulphuric scent too. Nature is a wonderful thing, but if we can’t get to a hot spring once a week, I’ve decided that we can create our own balneotherapy treatment schedule. If you don’t have a bath use a bucket and soak your feet and legs instead. It wont be as fabulous but you’ll be amazed at how much difference it can make.

This regime will:

* relax your muscles

* help your body unwind

* soften and improve the look of your skin

* hydrate your body

* increase flow in your lymphatic system to help rid your body of a build up of toxins

* cleanse and balance your energetic body

* allow your mind to release stress

* allow space for change and creation

TIPS:

Don’t make the bath too hot. It’s better to add more hot water if necessary. Soak for 15 minutes minimum.

Sometimes essential oils can sting the skin when mixed with a hot bath. If you find you feel a bit prickly, then smooth a carrier oil like almond, all over your skin (when you get out of the bath) to disperse the essential oil.

3 Week Balneotherapy Course (In Your own Home)

sea salt

Week 1 “DETOX” – 2 baths

Try and have the baths a few days apart but if that wont work just do it whenever you can.

Bath 1

To a bath add 2 cups of sea salt either Dead Sea Salt or Celtic Sea Salt

with

Lavender 6 drops

Juniper 4 drops (add the oils to the salt first)

++++

To a foot bath add 3/4 cup of Dead Sea Salt or Celtic Sea Salt

with

Lavender 3 drop

Juniper 2 drop

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Bath 2

To a bath add 2 cups of magnesium sulphate (Epsom salts)

with

Eucalyptus 4 drops

Rosewood 6 drops (add the oils to the salt first)

++++

To a foot bath add 3/4 cup of magnesium sulphate

and

Eucalyptus 2 drop

Rosewood 3 drop

—————————————————————————————————————————————

clay bath or a mud bath?

Week 2 “NURTURE” – 2 baths

Bath 1

To a bath add 1 cup of white clay

with

Rose 3 % 18 drops

Bergamot 4 drops (add the oils to the clay first)

++++

To a foot bath add 1/4 cup of white clay

with

Rose 3% 9 drops

Bergamot 2 drops

—————————————————————————————————————————————-

Bath 2

To a bath add 1 can of coconut milk (high fat)

with

Geranium 6 drops

Marjoram 4 drops (add the oils to the milk first)

++++

To a foot bath add 1/2 can coconut milk

with

Geranium 3 drops

Marjoram 2 drops

—————————————————————————————————————————————

a petal bath – looks great but the cleaning -UGH!

Week 3 “CREATE” – 2 baths

Bath 1

To a bath add a bunch of fresh mixed herbs including coriander, basil, marjoram and thyme. You wont need any essential oils as the oils from the herbs will make an infusion.

To a foot bath add the same bunch, but just a bit less.

** This may be quite stimulating so try not to do it right before bed

—————————————————————————————————————————————

Bath 2

To a bath add a 4 or 5 herbal tea bags. It could be plain chamomile, or a relaxing blended tea. If you have loose leaf tea that’s even better, just put it in a stocking, a piece of fine material or a larger infuser.

To a foot bath add the same as above, but just a bit less (2 teabags should be enough)

—————————————————————————————————————————————-

3 weeks of balneotherapy to nurture your body, open your mind and connect with your spirit.

I’m going to do this course and report on my findings. If you’d like to try it I’d love to hear from you.

Good Luck!