CHEAP and EASY SKIN CARE

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Another excellent hand lotion can be prepared by melting 1/2 cup of vegetable shortening (a grocery store item) with 1 tablespoon of lanolin (obtained at a pharmacy) and 1/8 ounce of beeswax, of which your local beekeeper has ample supply. Remove from the heat and add 1/4 cup of almond oil and a few drops of glycerin and rosewater, which covers up the unpleasant odor of the lanolin. While lanolin, or sheep wool fat, is great for restoring the natural oiliness to the skin, you don't want to go around smelling like a flock of sheep. Mix the substances well and let cool. Once it is cooled check the consistency of your product. If it is too watery, add some more melted beeswax; if it is too stiff, add more almond oil. An additional value of the almond oil is its great moisturizing ability.

One other hand lotion formula employs leaves and flowers of the violets growing in your garden. Did you know that the violet plant has more vitamin A than any other known plant, and that vitamin A is an irreplaceable tonic to the skin? To make this lotion, place 1/4 cup of violet leaves and 1/4 cup of violet flowers in a stainless steel pan and cover them with almond oil. Place the pan over gentle heat and leave covered to steep for about 6 hours. Now strain off the flowers and leaves and add 1/2 ounce of melted beeswax to the almond/violet extra. Stir until the mixture is creamy, and you're ready to use it.

Birch: The Herb All Around You

The whole point of using herbal remedies is to make an end run around the ridiculous cost of prescription medications, but what good will that do if you then have to run to the herbal store for the "Fenugreek" an herbalist suggests? Here's one herb that you won't have any difficulty finding, not only because of it's unmistakable white bark but because it grows in abundance in virtually every temperate forest in North America. Birch not only cleanses the stomach and intestines but it is reported to help in the alleviation of arthritis and is additionally used by herbalists to treat acne and minor skin irritations and itching. Use leaves or bark, dried (2 tablespoon) or crushed fresh (2 tablespoons), to make a tea taken two or three times daily. Steep fresh leaves or bark longer.

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