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... :)

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.