April 8, 2010

Personal Hygiene for the Physical Body

In taking care of our physical bodies, our temples that house our souls, we first address the issue of hygiene. Good hygiene helps to keep our energy fields unpolluted of toxins and nurtures the health of physical beings.


This week I examine the products and routines we use on skin, hair and teeth.

Skin

Your skin is the largest excretory organ of your body, ridding you of toxins while protecting your body from pollutants. It’s an amazing organ that serves so many functions. It regulates our temperatures, monitors our environment through touch and pain receptors, and sends this data to your brain. It contains sweat glands, oil glands, fat cells, nerve fibers, immune cells, and blood vessels.

So how do you take care of it?

One thing to keep in mind is that your skin excretes a natural acid mantle which is important to prevent infections. If your soaps, lotions, and make up products are too alkaline, you remove this natural defensive acid mantle.

The best products to use are natural ones that are pH-balanced for your skin. If you don’t feel comfortable with the ingredients going into your stomach, you shouldn’t be putting them on your skin as well.

You can shop around for natural products to use or you can make your own quite simply. It all depends on your budget and time.

Another valuable item to have is a shower or skin brush to use daily either before or in your shower to help remove dead skin cells.

Here is a recipe a for homemade skin cleanser:

Herbal Cleansing Face Powder:

Equal Parts: Dried chickpea flour
Dry milk powder
Nutmeg
Lemon Peel
Ground Coriander

Use ½ tsp with a bit of water to make a paste. Apply to your wet face and let it dry a bit before rinsing.

You can also experiment with other herbs such as neem, manjistha, or sandalwood powder.

After cleansing, you can help revitalize your skin with fresh yogurt. Apply it to your skin and leave on for 5 minutes before rinsing.

In place of a commercial moisturizer, you can make your own using pure vegetable or nut oils such as almond, jojoba, avocado or sunflower, with a few drops of an essential oil added like rose, lavender, sandalwood, jasmine, geranium, or lemon. Apply a small amount to your skin and let your body absorb it.

Here’s a good hygiene routine for your skin each day:

Morning:

1. Brush body skin with a body brush. Be gentle on face area.

2. Shower, cleansing your body with a natural, pH balanced cleanser. You may want a separate one for your face (the above recipe or your own choice).

3. While you condition your hair, apply the fresh yogurt to your face, neck and shoulders and let it sit for five minutes.

4. Rinse and dry off.

5. Apply your natural moisturizer to face and body (where needed).

6. If you are spending time in the sun, apply sunscreen.

Evening:

1. Cleanse your face with your natural cleansing powder or other natural product.

2. Apply the natural yogurt to your face for five minutes. (You could spend the time caring for your teeth.)

3. Rinse yogurt off and apply your natural moisturizer.

A nice weekly treatment would be to do a herbal steam bath on your face to open your pores and release toxins. Put a few drops of an essential oil like lavender, juniper, rosemary, bergamot or sage, in the hot water. Put a towel over your head and bend over the steam, letting your skin sweat for 10 to 15 minutes.

Ladies, if you must use makeup, look for natural, pH balanced ones. This is especially important for foundations or any other product that covers an area of skin.

Hair

Same rule applies to your shampoos and hair rinses or conditioners: use natural and non-toxic products. Make sure not to use anything that makes your hair feel ‘heavy’ or full of residue after it is rinsed off.

Teeth

Brush your teeth twice a day and floss once a day. Shop for a natural tooth paste or use 1 part salt:8 parts baking soda. Don’t forget to brush your gums and tongue as well.

Boil your toothbrush for 5 minutes every two weeks or replace it with a new one.

It is also nice to use a plaque removing device occasionally.

Feeling clean, fresh and natural, using homemade or manufactured natural products, is an important step on your road to taking care of your physical being and creating the energy body your desire. It is also a great psychological boost to know that you are giving yourself the best care that you possibly can.

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