Beauty Planner: Facial Masks

For this Beauty Planner, I have decided to give you all some homemade recipes for face masks. So here are three, of very many, you could try.

Deep Cleansing Enzyme Mask

To make this facial mask you need:

- 1 or 2 enzyme capsules (available in health food stores or online)

- spring water

This mask is great for deep-cleansing your pores and works well on all skin types. To create this mask, mix powdered enzymes, which usually come in capsules, with spring water until the mix achieves a mud-like consistency. Apply the mixture over your entire face or just over your T-zone. Leave the mask on until it dries completely, and then rinse your face with warm water. Follow with a natural moisturizer. You'll notice your skin will be smooth and your pores will appear smaller.

Moisturizing Honey-Avocado Mask for Dry Skin

To make this facial mask you need:

- 1/2 ripe organic avocado (should feel slightly soft when squeezed)

- 3 tablespoons honey

If you have dry skin your face will love this mask! Peel 1/2 the avocado and mash until creamy. Mix in the honey and apply the mixture to your face. Leave the mask on your face for 15 minutes before rinsing off with warm water. Follow up with a natural moisturizer. Your dry skin should feel deeply nourished and moisturized.

Banana-Honey Mask for Oily Skin

To make this facial mask you need:

- 1 very ripe organic banana

- 1 tablespoon honey

This sweet and fruity mask not only smells great but is fabulous for clearing up oily skin. Mash up your very ripe banana and then mix in the honey. Apply this gooey concoction to your face and leave it on for 20 minutes. Rinse your face with warm water and apply a natural moisturizer. Your skin should feel clean and less oily.

If you decided to try any of these and you like it, please feel free to post a comment! :)

Lady Jess is a teen lady who is homeschooled along with her siblings. She assists her mother in teaching her younger siblings, is an interpreter in her church's deaf ministry, sings in two local choirs, and is in training to be a homeschooling parent herself one day.

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Aloe Vera

Aloe Vera

I was visiting my grandmother a few weeks ago because she had had surgery on her elbow. When she got her cast removed I recommended aloe vera to her. She used a little bit on the incision every few hours for a week and it has completely closed up! I decided to research about, not only the health benefits of aloe vera, but about the beauty helps. Here are some of the ones that I found or knew.

(Be sure to only use the gooey stuff in the middle and not the outside cactusy part. Also, if the aloe vera has yellowed a bit, be sure to cut it off before using so as not to start an infection. If you are looking to buy a bottle of aloe vera, check and make sure that it is PURE aloe vera and not aloe vera+alcohol+dye! If you would like to buy a plant of aloe vera to keep around and take care of, be careful as to plant it out of the way of traffic because the thorns are very sharp and you would not want to be caught on it. Enjoy!)

1. As a skin brightener: You may rub aloe vera on your face to decrease pigmentation and dark spots.
2. Do you have red blotches after plucking your brows? Rub some aloe vera on the discolored area and watch redness disappear.
3. Aloe is a surprisingly good moisturizer and is effective in combating wrinkles because the skin absorbs it quickly - rub some on your neck and see for yourself.
4. Soothe a sunburn.
   
5. Nourish your skin: Aloe vera is extremely nutrient-rich: it has 18 amino acids, B vitamins 1, 2, and 6, vitamin C, niacinamide, choline and the minerals calcium, iron, lecithin, magnesium, manganese, potassium, sodium and zinc.
6. Speed hair growth: Massage aloe vera into the scalp, leave in for a while and rinse well.
   
7. Aloe has properties similar to astringents, so rubbing it on your face may reduce the appearance of enlarged pores.
8. Wash face and towel dry then apply a thin lair of aloe vera wherever you have acne and let dry.
   
9. For scars and stretch marks: Aloe vera speeds cell regeneration, so rub it on scars and stretch marks to watch them fade.
10. For those with eczema or psoriasis, aloe is possibly the best moisturizer available. Rub all over hands and feet, put on gloves and socks so it doesn't rub off.
    
11. Did you run out of conditioner? Use aloe vera instead! Your hair may be silkier than ever - just make sure to rinse well.

These are just some of the benefits of using aloe vera. If you know of any other tips for aloe vera use, please post a comment and share!

God Bless!

Lady Jess is a teen lady who is homeschooled along with her siblings. She assists her mother in teaching her younger siblings, is an interpreter for deaf ministry, sings in a local choir, and is in training to be a homeschooling parent herself one day.

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Natural Energizing Face Mask

For Normal to Dry Skin

Ingredients:
2 tablespoons natural local honey
1/2 cup plain yogurt (not low-fat)
1 teaspoon grapefruit zest
1 cup iced black tea

Pull all of your hair away from your face. Mix first three ingredients and apply mixture to your clean face and neck. Leave mask on for a minimum of 15 minutes. The honey acts like a giant sponge, pulling out impurities and brightening the skin, while the yogurt moisturizes and softens. (The grapefruit scent is energizing.) Splash off with the tea, then massage in your usual moisturizer. Be cautious not to get black tea on your clothing.

Lady Jess is a teen lady who is homeschooled along with her siblings. She assists her mother in teaching her younger siblings, is an interpreter in her church's deaf ministry, sings in two local choirs, and is in training to be a homeschooling parent herself one day.

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More with Baking Soda

by Miss Maria Pauline

I use baking soda as a face scrub. Mix with water into a paste and rub in circular motions on oily spots. Removes oil effectively without nasty chemicals.

My face is usually spared from major breakouts. My secret is quite simple, I wash it with water twice a day. Once in a while, I will use some baking soda, but I have found that most soaps only make my skin dependent on them - by taking out necessary oils my skin feels the need to make more.

Baking soda is also good for nice teeth. Just add some to your regular toothpaste, that way you still get fluoride, but the baking soda makes teeth feel very clean and it whitens them.

This beauty planner tip was sent in by Miss Maria Pauline

Beauty Planner: Cleaning Curly Hair

By Lady Jess

Well, I have just recently discovered how curly my hair is. Here are some home remedies that I found for cleaning curly hair.

1. Ingredients: 1 tb baking soda, 1 cup warm water.
~ Combine above ingredients in a spray bottle and shake.
~ Wet, wash, and blot dry hair.
~ Spray with mixture.
~ Allow to sit for a minute or so, then rinse with cool water.
~ Blot dry again, style as usual.

2. Ingredients: 1 lemon, your usual amount of conditioner.
~ More clarifying and cleansing than any shampoo, this moisturizing and neutralizing tonic adds shine to your hair and removes buildup. It's especially good for very dry or damaged hair.
~ Combine juice of 1 large lemon with your usual amount of conditioner, then rinse through hair thoroughly.

Well, that is all that I will leave you with for now, but I may share more later on. Enjoy, and post your comments if these tips worked for you. ;)


Lady Jess is a teen lady who is homeschooled along with her siblings. She assists her mother in teaching her younger siblings, is an interpreter in her church's deaf ministry, sings in the choir, and is the Toys for Tots Assistant in her county.

Related Articles:
Clarifying the Hair
Hair Colors
Healthy Hair

The Beauty Planner: Clarifying the Hair

We know there are several great uses for baking soda and you'll be reading more about them in upcoming Beauty Planner articles. However this one was discovered as a fluke as we tried to find something to rid hair of product build up and dandruff. While I am sure someone already knew this fact, it was new to us and worked GREAT!

For hair with dandruff or product build up we parted the dry hair in several places and sprinkled Baking Soda in each part and gently massaged the area with a brush. Be sure the brush you choose has the smooth round ball tips so you don't scrape your head. Brush through the entire head and down the hair once you have massaged well. The baking soda will also absorb oil from your hair.

Add your clarifying shampoo (We use Melaleuca's Clarifying Shampoo) to the dry hair and massage gently while rinsing with warm water then shower and rinse well. Use cool water with your final rinse, not hot. Hot water is damaging to your hair and may make it frizz.

What we noticed about their hair was that the oil, build up, and dandruff was all gone. In addition to that their sandy blonde hair now seemed blonder. We don't think it necessarily lightened their hair, but rather it was SO clean now that the light strands of blonde shone through. We decided this clarifying treatment would be done regularly.

Beauty Planner: The Winter Sun

Did you know in the winter the sun is closer to the earth and air is drier as well? That means the sunrays are closer to your skin and more harmful. Be sure to drink plenty of water and add some kind of protecant to your skin. Some suggest using sunscreen, though I don't know that aloe lotion wouldn't work just as well.

This beauty planner tip was sent in by Miss Elizabeth

Beauty Planner: Tips From Starr Salon

Cleansing Tips

For Clean Locks:

You shouldn't shampoo your hair more than 2x a week, as it makes your hair too dry and flyaway.

When you shampoo your hair you should always wash it 2x with the shampoo before conditioner. The first time is to loosen the dirt and oils, and the second time is to make sure your hair is all the way clean.

Cleansing the Sensitive Eye Area:

When touching (or wiping) under your eye, you need to go (lightly) from the outside towards your nose.

Declatage:

Always wipe or rub up from the bottom of your neck up to your chin.

aka Grandma Starr at Starr Salon

Beauty Planner : Lashes

A problem that some people have is very small eyelashes. So, I will be giving some tips on how to remedy that by using natural home remedies and as minimal amount of makeup as possible. This article is geared toward older girls and adults.

First of all, some natural ways to achieve long eyelashes are petroleum jelly on your eyelashes for about five minutes and then, using a wet cotton ball, remove it. If you wear contact lenses, do not try the petroleum jelly, because it might cause your lenses to become blurry. The over night lash treatment is to apply olive oil with your ring finger, because it is the weakest of all of your fingers and will be more delicate than using any other fingers, then when you wake up remove it with a wet cotton ball.


Then comes the makeup part. Curl your eyelashes so that they will stay looking long. If you want your eyelashes to hold the curl, you can use waterproof mascara because it has more wax. (Although, if you live in a humid climate, the same climate that causes your hair to droop will cause your eyelashes to droop.)

Only apply mascara to the top lash, otherwise it will look like you are wearing makeup. Apply the mascara using a zig-zag motion from base to tip. You only need to sweep your lashes about 2 times from bases to tip of the lash, then sweep the tips a few times to lengthen.

If you want to go for the very natural look, you can swipe the mascara wand on a tissue before you use it to remove the excess mascara, or you can use the clear mascara which is also called brow gel.

If you use eyeliner, be sure to apply it very thin and only to the top lid. If you apply it to both the top and bottom lid, it might smear and make it look like you have dark circles under your eyes. Make sure that you apply it evenly to both lids, or else your face might look unbalanced. Make sure that every night before you go to bed, you use eye makeup remover. If you do not, sleeping on mascara can cause your eyelashes to break or fall off.

Whatever you do, do NOT use fake eye lashes. The long term effect is not a pleasant one. You might end up loosing all or most of your lashes.

Beauty Planner: Fair Skin

The sun, as you know well, will make your skin darker if you are outside in it even part time. So, for those of us who like to keep our skin fair, here are some natural home remedies that Mrs. Dixon helped me find, that may help you to get your fair skin back.

• Dry orange peels in sun. When they are fully dried, grind them in a mixture and make powder. Add raw milk to it, make a paste and apply it on your skin everyday. Rinse it off with lukewarm water when dries.
  
• Take sandalwood powder, add lemon juice, tomato juice, cucumber juice to it, make a paste and apply on the skin till it dries to get a brighter, lighter and even skin tone.
• Gram flour has whitening agents to it. Take 2 spoonfuls of gram flour; add a pinch of turmeric to it, few drops of lemon juice and few drops of milk cream. Make it a paste and apply on the skin. When it dries scrub it off. It can be applied all over the body everyday.
• Soak almonds in water overnight. Peel them off in the morning. Make a paste and add honey to it. Apply it on face and scrub it off when dries to make skin whiter and glowing.

I hope that this has been of help. I look forward to trying some of these out myself. If you have any beauty questions or tips to share, please contact me. Maybe your tips will be featured in an upcoming article of The Beauty Planner.

Esther 2:7, "... that is, Esther, his uncle's daughter: for she had neither father nor mother, and the maid was fair and beautiful; ..."

Underarm Tips

Summer has hit and the temperatures are soaring in some parts of this world! One thing young ladies detest is underarm moisture and odor! We did some research and found a few products that are all natural and claim to be safe for their customers. Finding a good natural product isn't always easy so we wanted to share our findings with you.

In May we attended a Science fair and one of the projects was about those popular deodorants that claim to leave no mark or residue on your black dress. The student experimented with four different brands and found that not one of them actually performed as their advertisers claimed they would.

When you choose an underarm product, be sure to have your parents help you to research and be sure it's the best for your skin. There are a few things you'll want to keep in mind when caring for that sensitive skin.

1. When you shave be sure to use a safe product to help reduce the risk of cutting yourself. Aveeno has a sensitive skin formula in their shaving cream line.

2. When you shave, the blade will exfoliate the skin for you so there is no need to scrub that delicate area with an abrasive sponge.

3. Replace your razor regularly and be sure to clean the blade thoroughly with hot water after each use.

4. When you're done showering, pat underarm slightly dry. You want to have the skin slightly moist when you apply the deodorant to help activate your product.

5. Deodorant/Antiperspirant applied to the inside of the thigh will help reduce irritation from walking in skirts.

Here are a few sites to check out with your parents for safer underarm care.

Toms of Maine

Mother Nature

Jason Natural

Do you know of another product that you'd like to share with us? Be sure to reply below!

Caring For Your Beauty Brushes

How to take proper care of your makeup brushes

With proper care, your brushes will remain luxurious for years and years.
Follow these 10 guidelines from Bobbi Brown for long-lasting use:

-Wipe off excess makeup after each use.
-Wash brushes periodically with mild cleanser. You can use your own facial cleanser or baby shampoo.
-Dampen brush head and gently work cleanser through the bristles, always
stroking in the direction of the hair.
-Never submerge entire brush into water.
-Rinse and pat dry with a towel.
-Reshape and pat dry with a towel.
-Reshape brushes and lie flat to dry on a towel on edge of table, with brush
bristle extending beyond counter edge.
-Never stand up to dry; excess water will weaken your brushes.
-Never harshly rub brushes.
-Protect brushes when traveling in a case or pouch so hairs do not get bent
and tangled.

The recommended time to clean your brushes is every month.
Always keep them in a pouch or wrapped in a cloth to keep them protected.
Once you have added your color to the brush turn it upside down and tap the handle of the brush on the counter to sift the makeup down into the bristles.


When choosing beauty brushes be sure they are double crimped with Aluminum, Copper or Brass.
The highest quality hair for bristles is goat, squirrel, or mink. There's no need to worry about the little animals, their hair is harvested, but the animals are not harmed.
The handles should be made of hard wood, not plastic.

Avoid trying to save a few bucks by purchasing inexpensive beauty brushes. When compiling your beauty set, your purchase in beauty brushes is one of the most important 'investments' you'll make. With proper care of high quality brushes, you may not ever have to buy another set again.

A weak set of brushes will have wobbly handles, bristles that fall out, and that is not what you want in a beauty brush.

Recommended Beauty Brushes:
BareEscentuals
BeautiControl (Available with Sisterlisa)
Physicians Formula (available at most Wal-marts)