Open, Sesame!

I am not sure why that treasure trove in 1001 Nights (or Arabian Nights, as they are called) responded to the name of Sesame - I might investigate it, in which case I'll post it here - but I can assure you from personal experience that its oily namesake does "open" - or"close", if needed - a few ducts in your body that need to be clean and smooth for your health to improve and your beauty to flourish.

SESAME OIL

If I were to choose and keep just one oil from among the many that we can choose from today, it would be sesame oil. It doesn't go bad nearly as quickly as almond oil and some other oils, it makes a very good base for essential oils (for therapeutic purposes, not for perfumes), I find its taste very pleasant, it contains seven times more calcium than milk - and it features a remarkable ability to "draw out" impurities from the body.

In fact, in regions where water is scarce people often use sesame oil to wash themselves.
(My favourite method would be the one that I used in the deserts of the Middle East: I smeared my body with sesame oil, all over, and after a few minutes I used the fine sands of the dunes to scrape it off, followed by a good rub with a towel. I did this in the evening, of course - it's not a good idea to have that scorching sun get you well oiled, unless you are actually edible...)

Incidentally, oiling was the method that athletes, among other people, used in antiquity to remove dirt from their bodies and keep the skin healthy. First, they smeared their body with perfumed oil, then scraped it off with a strigil, a scraping blade. Water was often used to finish the procedure, but it is not indispensable.

A very famous representation of the procedure is the Apoxyomenos ("The Scraper"), a Roman copy (around 20 B.C.) of a Greek original from the 4th century B.C. by Lysippos.
And here is another, much "fancier" (and, not surprisingly, artistically much less respected) depiction, this time from the all-romanticising 19th century (1879), by Alma Tadema.

Sesame oil is particularly effective for hygienic purposes because it seems to draw out the impurities (although there could be other explanations for its efficacy).
Even more than that, it can help cure certain skin conditions. And it does that because it detoxifies the body.

Indeed, the use of sesame oil is a standard recommendation in Ayurveda.
(Personally, I am not too crazy about Ayurveda; its precepts and countless limitations based on just three body "types" - and I, typically, seem to combine the features of all three in perfectly equal proportions! - seem much too dogmatic for my taste. But I'll be the first to admit that my reticence might have something to do with the fact that the person who introduced me to it was a total... well, jerk. And not a particularly healthy one, either. However, he did not actually practice this procedure, so his example - or the lack thereof - means nothing in this context.)

The Ayurveda recommends "oiling" oneself - specifically, with sesame oil - every day, including the oral cavity (AKA mouth).

This last step, a very simple (although not always practical) procedure, could make a difference in your health, so you may want to take note of it:

Take a tablespoon of unrefined sesame oil and put it into your mouth, then swish the oil - forcefully and as thoroughly as you can - around your oral cavity for as long as you can; 15-20 minutes is the usually recommended time. (You can do it, as I do, while watching TV.)
When you're done, spit it out.
(The oil should have become milky white.)

DO NOT SWALLOW IT.

And be sure to rinse your mouth as thoroughly as possible - preferably with salt water and/or some baking soda (they destroy bacteria) - afterwards, to finish off the nasties that you have "pulled" out of your body.


This kills off bacteria (and thus odours), strengthens the teeth and seems to have a very good effect on the health of the gums. It also helps detox the entire body.

And it seems "the West" has caught up with this ancient practice.
There is a procedure called "oil pulling", which is exactly what I have described above - only, it is not confined to the use of sesame oil.
A new fad?
Based strictly on my personal experience, I don't think it is. If you are interested, be sure to research it; meanwhile, here is a website featuring not only the procedure itself but also some interesting comments from actual users.

And finally, with winter approaching, you might be interested to know that sesame oil does a very good job of protecting the skin against the elements.

For facial care, you can apply it alone or with added essential oils (more on this in the future).
Do not be afraid of its "greasiness"; it absorbs relatively quickly, and any excess oil you can simply wipe off with a tissue.

Because of its penetrating qualities you can, obviously, use it for cleansing the skin.

For hair care, rub your scalp with sesame oil approximately two hours before washing it.
Here, too, you can add essential oils: for example, two drops of 100% pure rosemary essential oil, to reinvigorate the blood circulation and prevent hair loss.
(Again, more on this in the future... at which time I might reveal my personal secret for sweet-smelling and alluring hair. :)

If you persist - and assuming you don't have any health conditions that would make the use of sesame oil impracticable for you - I think you may find that "Sesame" can indeed help you make at least some of your wishes come true... :)

Have you put the coffee on ?

Ha, I doubt very much this is what you think it is... :)
And if I am right, you are going to be so glad you read this.

I often like to think of my skin in terms of »alabaster«, »ivory«, »porcelain«... Oh yeah.

That's because I like beautiful, vivid, corny words.
Also, because other people have been calling it such pretty names.

In fact, my skin's colour is very light "beige", with occasional frightening streaks of porcelain blue on my neck that only appear on some photographs (that's what makes it frightening :).

Right now, however, as I am sitting here and writing this, I look – and feel - as if I had been dipped in coffee for some crazy »top fashion« photo shoot of the ANTM kind (and that's a pretty low kind).

That's because I have been.

Have you ever read the ingredients on one of those more or less expensive face creams – sorry, cremes - and body lotions that supposedly fight cellulite and/or sagging and/or wrinkles?

In the past few years, there is one ingredient that almost all of them feature – often quite prominently, in their advertisements: CAFFEINE. (That's because it tightens the blood vessels and it has a general astringent effect on the tissues.)

And so, I have been »dipping« myself in coffee – at least my face, neck and hands, with the occasional coffee bath – ever since I first heard that caffeine was being added to cosmetics.

My first try was with coffee grounds, because that's the »recipe« - more of a (supposed) »folk tradition« - I found on the internet.

Not bad, but the coffee grounds are rather difficult to get into the skin. (On the other hand, coffee grounds can be a wonderful face peeling scrub.)

If you are interested in this version of the treatment, then you might want to know that the Japanese purportedly put pineapple peels – or just chunks of the fruit flesh – in coffee grounds and let it ferment. (That's right: they let it rot.)

This combination supposedly works wonders against wrinkles and sagging skin.

I tried to make it myself. I put coffee grounds and some (cleaned) pineapple peels in a clean porcelain vessel and let it be. But I am sure I did something wrong because after a day or two that mess was just... a mess. A stinking, rotten mess . I couldn't get rid of it fast enough.

Still, you may want to try it. (If you succeed, do let me know!)

So I decided to heed my own maxim – whatever goes into your stomach must be good enough to go on your skin, and vice versa – and went for the kind of coffee I actually drink every day: instant coffee.

(Yes, I know many brands use chemicals in the process. Then again... have you looked at the ingredients in those commercially sold facial concoctions? Would you dare to eat them? If not, they are not good enough for your skin. On the other hand, you probably wouldn't have too many misgivings about drinking a sip or two of instant coffee, would you? If so, there is no reason not to put it on your skin.)

Originally, I just took a tiny spoon of coffee granules and mixed it with a small amount of hot water... and smeared it on my face and neck. After some 20 minutes or so, I washed it off with water.

I was instantly pleased with the results. I have no pores to speak of – I mean, they are almost invisible – and yet, after the coffee mask the skin did look somehow invigorated, as if the pores had tightened even more.

But then I thought the results – whatever they are supposed to be – might be even better if I found a way to get the coffee, along with the caffeine, deeper into the epidermis. I needed a transdermal agent. And one of the best natural – and widely available - transdermal agents I know of so far is aloe vera gel.
(Sesame oil is another interesting agent, but more on it some other time.)

And so, now I mix a tiny spoon of instant coffee with a tiny squirt of aloe vera gel into a dark brown slimy paste and apply it – quickly – on the skin of my neck, face (except the area around the eyes) and hands. It dries very quickly, it smells nice (as you can imagine), so you can let it on for as long as you wish, although 20 minutes should be more than enough. Then I rinse it off with water and a final splash of distilled water (actually, just a cotton soaked in it). The distilled water is totally optional; I only use it because the tap water in my area, while very good and healthy, is rather »hard«.

The final step depends on your needs or preferences.

(If you have read this, you already know this. But just in case, let's recapitulate. ;)

* If you are going to apply a moisturiser, then do NOT dry your skin – instead, apply the cream or oil on the skin while still moist.

* If you are NOT going to apply anything on the skin, then do dry it well (no scrubbing!), because water left on the skin without an agent to bind it – e.g. a moisturiser – actually dries out the skin. An oil or light cream, however, binds the moisture from the water and »seals« it in, making this procedure the absolutely best moisturiser you could possibly want.

If you want a full body coffee treatment, just mix the coffee granules with some sesame oil (or aloe vera gel, if you don't mind the price), rub it on the parts you want to treat, leave it on for 20 minutes... and voila.

A more fun way of treating one's body to coffee without having it pass through the stomach is, of course, a coffee bath.
It is as simple as it sounds: fill the tub with hot or warm water, put in a handful or two of instant coffee, get in... and enjoy. (If you like, and if you have some olfactory experience with them, you can add a few - I said, a FEW - drops of any pure essential oil that complements the aroma of the coffee: for example, vanilla. Or chocolate. There are many other options, too, but we'll discuss them some other time - fear not, we will, because essential oils are one of my pet subjects!)

As for drinking coffee...

Are you one of those health-conscious people who have exchanged coffee – or even tea – for herbal »teas« (in fact, infusions)?

If you really enjoy your new regime and feel better, good for you!

I couldn't be more happy for you. Each one of us should absolutely know what is best for US.

But if you are not really happy about it – or if you feel guilty for enjoying it (that is a DANGEROUS attitude, my dear friend, but more on that some other time) – then you might want to consider some of the facts listed here:

THE COFFEE DETECTIVE

(although I must admit that the quantities seem somewhat excessive to me!)

But there is another thing that you can do that will make this world just a little bit – or more than a little bit – more beautiful for other people; certainly for those who grow the actual beans for your coffee.

Buy FAIR TRADE coffee, if you can afford it.

Why?

Because it is fair.

Think of the extra money you pay for it as an investment into a better world.

Because that's what it is.

And if you think you cannot afford it, then spread the word about the reality of coffee growing and trading. Let it know to those who can afford it. Your contribution to a better world will still have been a very real one.

Because...

IF YOUR HEART AND YOUR WATER ARE PURE YOU CAN MAKE FANTASTIC COFFEE...

(Oh yeah - check the October 1941 advertisement from LIFE magazine below, if you don't believe me! That famous Like Water for Chocolate doesn't look all that original now, does it...?)

It was taken from this fantastically entertaining collection of "Coffee Paraphernalia".

If you visit it (no hidden commercial links here), then I am sure you shall deserve "their orchids". ;)

AHA!

OR

THE SMART WAY TO CLEANSE AND PEEL

AHA fruit acids...

I am sure this has occurred to you, but... wouldn't it make sense to at least try getting the AHAs from the actual fruits themselves?


(Allergies etc. Well- the same goes for the ingredients of commercially sold potions, doesn't it?
Only their action could be much more insidious and/or long-lasting than any rash you might get from a fruit.
N.B. I never did get a rash from any fruit, except pesticide-infested strawberries.)

Well, it works.


And the best thing about it - not counting its minimal-to-null cost (it can be considered null if you are using the remnants of a fruit you bought to eat - and actually ate) and the oddly deep satisfaction of really working with nature - is that, by using different fruit, you provide the skin with different nutrients, different kinds of AHA.

Apples:
Cherries:
Apricots:
Blueberries (or, preferably, bilberries):

After you are done (20 minutes or so, as usually), wipe it off with a soft tissue and then wipe the skin again with a tissue or cotton ball soaked in distilled water. (You can use tap or bottled water to simply wash it off, of course.)

I prefer NOT to follow this - at least not immediately - with any cream.
But if you want, you can, after a few minutes, lightly massage your skin with a light neutral cream or, preferably, with the oil of your choice (almond, sesame, coconut... often enhanced with a few drops of pure essential oil.)

I have also, on occasions, used (whole) milk.
(Not bad.
More on milk as a beauty aid on another occasion.)

"Does she... or doesn't she?"

OR

How to morph streaks of grey(ing) hair into "highlights".

Having a genetic predisposition for early (very early) greying, as I do, can be a blessing in disguise. 

Sure, in theory most people would like to retain their natural hair colour and avoid the hassle of excessive hair care. (And I should tell you right now that, in my case, even a visit to a  hairdresser every few months, to trim my hair - no blow-drying, no "hairdos", no nothing: just washing and trimming the hair, which I then let dry at room temperature, or even outside - qualifies as "hassle".)

On the other hand, my early grey hair has given me the opportunity to  experiment with hair colours (which always appealed to me, but I never found the time or the energy to go through the "hassle" while the colour of my hair was still pristine).

It's so easy, really. It's amazingly, almost appallingly easy! (Yes, I know: it's a strange choice of words. Cal me a "verbal impressionist". ;)) Which is why I never could understand why people - women, specifically - do it so rarely.

"Sun-kissed" hair

She walks in beauty...

If there were some internet-specific gnome or something (why not? after all, ancient scribes had their Titivillus!) collecting pennies for every time an expression were used, (s)he would be rich from this poetry line alone.

But there is a good reason for including this particular poem here.
For in it, Byron speaks of true grace: effortless, natural, free grace.
The only real sort of grace.
The only effective sort of grace.


She walks in beauty, like the night
Of cloudless climes and starry skies,
And all that's best of dark and bright
Meets in her aspect and her eyes;
Thus mellow'd to that tender light
Which Heaven to gaudy day denies.


(Read the rest - or hear it - here.)


There are two things that can make or break your personal appeal (including sex appeal) - and, amazingly, both can be improved (starting) NOW.

Even more amazingly, you need ZERO money to achieve the transformation.

One is your walk.

(Do you know what is the second one?
Stay tuned. ;)


One of the greatest - or most dramatic - successes I have had as a personal "life stylist" was a case of a lady who







http://www.shewalksinbeauty.org/truly-being-free

ALMOND OIL: why it's good for your skin - and when it's not

One of the earliest recipes for a skin mask that I remember hearing - from my fair mother, of course - was a tip she got from an acquaintance:

Take a spoon of almond oil, mix it with a squashed strawberry or two, and apply it on your (cleansed) skin. After 20 minutes or so, wash it off. (I like distilled water for the final rinse.)


Needless to say, DON'T DO THIS IF YOU ARE ALLERGIC TO STRAWBERRIES.

Strawberries have mild whitening properties (which also makes them very good for teeth brushing).

Unfortunately, they are also chock-full of pesticides, so try to get them organically grown. (And if you can't get organically grown strawberries, at least wash them with baking soda. That should remove some of the nasties.)

You can find all kinds of fun and frightful facts on this wonderful strawberry-fan site:

JAMM

But it's the almond oil what matters here.
Almond oil for skin care is a time-honoured classic. I am sure the matrons - and maidens - of ancient Rome used it; and among the many celebrities that are said to have used it for skin care is Marilyn Monroe (who really had good skin - unlike some today's unfortunate stars, like Cameron Diaz).

You can use it for makeup removal, or you can use it to protect your skin against the elements. It will soften your skin; and it is a wonderful agent for essential oils and other cosmetic ingredients. (More on that in the future.)

(IMPORTANT: Resist the temptation to buy "enhanced" almond oil, i.e. almond oil with additives, no matter how wonderful they are supposed to be. If you want additives, YOU can add them on your own - good, quality ones, suited to YOU.)


HOWEVER... almond oil gets rancid very, very fast.
Therefore, you should - if possible - buy it at a chemist's store, or if you are buying it in a store, at least unscrew the bottle top and smell it: oil that has gone "bad" has a very distinctive smell, I don't think you can miss it.

Always store almond oil in the REFRIGERATOR.
(Ice-cold almond oil has the added bonus of decompressing puffy eyelids.)

Did you know...?

You can use almond oil for salad dressing and in different other foods, sweet as well as salty, that require some sort of fat. (Just do NOT heat it!)
You can easily check its nutritional value by using the NutritionData search box at the bottom of the page.






And now, something completely different...

Vincent van Gogh: Almond blossom, Saint-Remy, probably late January or early February 1890, Van Gogh Museum, Amsterdam.
(Van Gogh painted this beauty in honour of his newborn nephew who was also called Vincent and who later built the museum that now bears his - and his uncle's - name, to house the world's greatest collection of Van Gogh's works. See more here.)


And listen to this piece of prose that is in fact, anything BUT.
It's sheer poetry.


It’s a day to bathe in almond,
in the pond under magenta maple leaves and cathedral bells.


Taken from a fantastic "interview" (by Kate Braverman) that is a cornucopia of words, all with newly, freshly assigned meanings and associations.

RED-HOT MAMA!

Ready for red?
You better be.

This just in:

Dress red for success (among men, that is)

(It doesn't seem to work on females.
I am assuming turkeys are all male, then...?)

So, ready or not, here they come: legions of redly dressed women, invading our cities and countryside like the Huns of yore, to ravage our retinas.

Until the next groundbreaking (shouldn't that be groin-breaking?) "scientific study", that is...



Originally published here (and,secondarily, here).