Home facial using honeysuckle

Before you start

Wash your hands with soap and water.

Wash all the bowls, whisk, utensils, spoons, cups and whatever equipment you will be using for this facial with soap and water. Sterilise these with boiling water. (Note: do not boil glass items as these can crack and the splinters can injure you. Certain plastics can melt if boiled so watch out for that). Make sure all surfaces you use for preparing this facial are clean. Remember. For home facials, hygiene and cleanliness is all important.

Make a cup of honeysuckle tea. Put a honeysuckle teabag or 1 teaspoon of dried honeysuckle flowers into a cup. Pour 1 cup of boiling distilled water over it. Cover and leave it to cool.

Soak 2 sterile cotton pads in rose water.

Prepare 3 large sterile strips of cotton wool. The 1st strip should be large enough to cover your neck. The 2nd strip should be able to cover the lower part of your face from below your ears across your face under your nose. The 3rd should cover the rest of your face (Leaving a gap for your nostrils so that you can breathe.)

Put 1 tablespoon of oatmeal into a bowl.

Put some dried honeysuckle flowers into a bowl. Or cut open a honeysuckle teabag and pour its contents into another bowl.

Fill a kettle with water and set that to boil.

Wear a hair band or shower cap to keep your hair off your face.

Get ready some cotton pads and a clean towel an 1 tablespoon of milk.

Now you are ready for your facial.

The facial

Dip a pair of clean cotton pads into the milk. Use these pads to wipe your makeup off your face. Discard leftover milk.

Wash off the milk with lots of water.

Mix 1 tablespoonful of honeysuckle tea with the oatmeal. Use that as a scrub to cleanse your face. Discard leftover scrub.

Wash off the scrub with lots of water.

Dry your face with a clean towel.

Pour boiling water into the bowl of honeysuckle flowers.

With the towel forming a 'tent' over your head and the bowl, keep your face about 20cm above the bowl. (Caution: Skip this step if you are an asthmatic. The steam could trigger an attack. Skip this step if you have thread veins. The heat could worsen your condition )

Relax and let the steam cleanse your face for 10 minutes.

Put a pad soaked in rosewater over each eye

Soak the 3 large strips of cotton wool in the honeysuckle tea. Apply that on your face as a mask, avoiding your nostrils so that you can breathe. Start with 1 strip across your neck, then the strip below your nose, followed by the strip above your nose over the rest of your face.

Relax with the mask for 5 to 10 minutes.

Remove the pads and cotton wool.

Wash off the residue with lots of water.

Dip 2 new cotton pads in rosewater and use it as a toner to clean your face further.

Apply pure (99% to 100% pure) Aloe vera gel on your face as a moisturiser. Note that the area just below the surface of an aloe vera leaf contains a yellow substance called Aloin. Aloin can cause skin irritation. If you plan to use the gel fresh from the leaf, be careful to use the gel only and avoid aloin totally. Alternatively, you could purchase good quality aloe vera gel from health stores and use that instead. Fresh aloe vera gel can keep for only 1 day in the refrigerator.

Aloe vera itself is an astringent. Suitable on its own for oily skin. Aloe Vera products on the other hand can be formulated for all skin types.

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