AromaTherapy

What Is AromaTherapy?
Therapy Makes Scents
50 Uses of Essential Oils

Herbal Info

Introduction To Herbs
Collecting Wild Herbs
Grandma/Grandpa's Remedies
Herbal Tea Collection
Top Ten Researched Herbs

Growing

Common Companions
Drying/Preserving
Feeding/Fertilizing
Harvesting/Drying
Growing Indoors
Insects In The Garden
Planting/Cultivating

Natural Child Care

Herbs & Children
Natural Remedies For Children
Using Essential Oils With Children
Herbal Medicine For Children
Herbal Treatments For Children

Natural Beauty

Homemade Beauty Solutions
Essential Oils In The Bath
Essential Oils & Affect On Skin

Natural Health Care

Miscellaneous

Therapeutic Teas & Mixtures
Honey As A healer
Aphrodisiacs
Herbs For Liver Problems
Herbs For Obesity
Herbs For Quitting Smoking
Infertility
Native American Herbal Remedies
Natural Care For Hair Loss
Dealing With Head Lice
Herbs For Arthritis
Natural Arthritis Care
Herbs For High Blood Pressure
Herbs For Kidney Stones

Blood/Circulation

Herbs For Circulation
Herbs For Hypoglycemia
Herbs For Diabetes
Herbs For High Cholesterol
Herbs For Edema

Resources

Herbs
Aromatherapy
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Self Help

Natural hand care

Caring for Your Hands Naturally

When you hear about wrinkles and skin aging, your first thoughts are about face and neck. But the earliest signs of aging will show on your hands.

Often neglected, hands need to be regularly taken care of. Frequent contacts with water and chemicals, sun, cold weather, gardening - all put your skin under a big stress. While hands do not have many oil glands, they will give away your age earlier than your pampered face.

In the meantime, it has been noticed that after making eye contact, the next thing people pay attention to is your hands.

What can you do to keep your hands beautiful?

• Moisturize! Several times a day. Dry skin is easily injured and looks wrinkled.
• Protect your hands - wear gloves when gardening, washing dishes, or dealing with chemicals
• Use sun protection
• Keep your hands dry. Any water left on your hands will evaporate and dry out the skin.
• Give your hands a special treatment - herbal or oil bath - once in a while.

Here are a few suggestions for your next hand spa:

* Herbal hand bath
Bring 1 qt of water to boil and pour over 1 tbsp of herbs (you can use all of these or just one: chamomile, nettle, sage, coltsfoot, calendula). Let the infusion cool to 100-110F and soak your hands in it for about 15-20 minutes. Dry your hands thoroughly and apply a rich moisturizer.

* You can make your own nourishing hand cream.
Thoroughly mix 1 teaspoon of honey and 3 tbsp of unsalted butter. Add 1 tbsp of strong herbal infusion. This will make a very rich cream. It will take a while to absorb, but leave your hands silky and smooth.

* For dry skin use this hand treatment 1-2 times a week:

• 1 tbsp Glycerin
• 1 Egg yolk
• 2 tbsp vegetable oil (olive, almond, or another oil of your choice)
• Lemon Juice of 1 lemon
• 3 1/2 - 4 oz of an herbal infusion (for example: chamomile, calendula, elderflower) or rose water.

Other tips:

• Mashed potatoes (with milk) will make a great hand mask.
• When cooking with eggs, don't throw the eggshells away. Scrape out the remaining egg white and spread it over your hands.
• Rubbing your skin with a piece of lemon will give the skin a more even tone.
• After washing dishes or dealing with other alkali detergents, rinse your hands with sour milk or with vinegar-in-water solution (1 tbsp. vinegar per 2qt of water). This will help to restore pH balance of the skin.
• Keep your hands warm. Not only for the sake of better skin, but for your overall health. Flue and colds often start with cold hands.

Tip for gardeners

Before digging in the dirt, scratch a bar of soap with your nails. When you are done working, cleaning your hands will be so much easier!

Nails

• Just like your skin and hair, your nails need moisture and conditioning too. Here are few tips for better nails:
• If you use nail polish, do not use acetone polish removers.
• From time to time give your nails a break - let them be "naked" for a few days.
• For stronger nails, soak them in horsetail infusion.
• Olive oil that you probably have in your pantry will make a perfect strengthening nail bath (warm it first).
• Cuticles. Removing them is not always a good idea because it makes your nails more vulnerable to infections. Yet, if you decide to do the procedure, prepare the nails first:
• apply a rich cream to the cuticle area
• soak your nails in warm soapy water for 5-6 minutes.
• after drying your hands, push the cuticles back and then carefully cut them off with small scissors.

As always, topical measures are not always enough, especially if you have brittle, split or dull nails.

There are vitamins that will help:

* Organic Silica - to speed up the growth, avoid brittle and split nails.
* Essential Fatty Acids - Omega 3-6, Primrose Oil, Borage Oil, Fish Oil - for healthy and strong nails.
* Vitamin B (particularly B5) - for healthy nails and skin.
* Chelated Iron - to avoid vertical ridges and spoon nails.
* MSM (Methyl-Sulfonyl-Methane) - provides building material for healthy cells.

For better absorption of vitamins and minerals, take digestive enzymes or bitters to stimulate digestion and help your body clean itself of toxins.

Whichever way you choose to care for your hands, even if it is just a hand lotion from your local grocery store, use it regularly. After all, doing so many things, your hands deserve care and attention.

Colds/Flu/Respiratory

Beating The Cold Bug
Herbs For Common Cold
Herbs For Cough
Natural Asthma Care
Natural Care For Fevers

Digestion/Stomach

Herbs For Constipation
Herbs For Diarrhea
Herbs For Digestion
Herbs For Motion-Sickness

For Men

Herbs For Prostatic Hypertrophy
Herbs For The Prostate
Herbs For Impotence
Natural Care For Prostatis

For Women

Anemia During Pregnancy
Back Pain During Pregnancy
Fertility & Contraception
Herbs For Childbirth
Herbs For Delayed Menses
Herbs For Menopause
Herbs For Post Childbirth
Herbs For PMS/Menopause
Herbs For Post Partum
Herbs For Pre-Menstrual Tension

Headaches/Migraines/Insomnia

Get A Good Night's Sleep
Herbs For Headaches
Herbs For Insomnia
Herbs For Migraines
More On Insomnia

Injuries

Herbs For Burns & Scalds
Natural Care For Bone Fractures
Herbs For Dog Bites

Skin Ailments

Herbs For Eczema
Herbs For Poison Ivy
Natural Acne Treatments
Natural Care For Dermatitis
Natural Care For Stretchmarks
Natural Care For Wrinkles
Stop Cold & Canker Sores

Natural Pet Care

Herbal Healing For Pets
All Purpose Herbal Pet Kit
Dealing With Fleas
Pets & Essential Oils
Traveling With Catnip