Holiday Hair & Beauty Treats

Introduction

Blizzards, ice storms and frigid temperatures often accompany the Holiday Season in many parts of the world. Even in those areas where the sun imparts warmth and gentle winds blow, appropriate festivities are enjoyed. Why not get into the Holiday season by jazzing up your favorite beauty treatments with wintery treats?

Listed below are some special hair, beauty and body treats guaranteed to get you in the mood for Holiday cheer.

Eggnog Body Lotion*

So yummy you might be tempted to lick your fingers - but don't because this recipe contains witch hazel.

Ingredients

Warm margarine gently and mix with oil. Cool mixture to room temp before adding eggs. Just stir them by hand until smooth. Now, stirring constantly with an electric beater, add other ingredients one at a time, making sure each is thoroughly accepted by the liquid before going on to the next.

When you’re finished, you’ll have about 3 cups of smooth, elegant Eggnog Body Lotion which has skin-loving proteins of egg, milk and yogurt. It has also the soothing pectin from apple juice, the acid pH contributed by the apple juice and the vinegar and the refreshing astringency of the witch hazel plus lots of good “skin” vitamins. It may smell yummy, but don’t eat it.

Optional: Add a dash of cinnamon to the finished lotion. It provides a provocative fragrance. Or go wild and try a bit of grated nutmeg and rum flavoring like you would with real eggnog. Be creative and experiment with your oils substituting luxurious oils such as apricot-kernel, jojoba or sunflower. Try different juice substitutes for a different outcome. Experiment with lemon, pineapple or coconut.

Refrigerate and shake well before using.

This makes a fabulous after-bath oil.

Eggnog Bath Soak*

So yummy you might be tempted to lick your fingers - but don't because this recipe contains witch hazel.

Ingredients

1 cup Eggnog Body Lotion (recipe above) 1 cup fresh whole milk

Shake the Eggnog Body Lotion and the whole milk together. Refrigerate.

Pour about a cup of the Eggnog Bath Soak into your bath to feel like Cleopatra. It is a very rich dispersing bath oil that first mixes with the water in your tub and then sends part of its emollient goodness back up to the surface, to coat your skin as you exit the bath.

*From The Complete Book Of Natural Cosmetics by Beatrice Traven

Peppermint Scalp Massage Oil

Transfer that fabulous aroma from the traditional red and white striped candy canes that dominate your Holiday decorations to your scalp.

Ingredients

8-10 drops of pure peppermint essential oil (do not use synthetic oils) 1 ounce of jojoba, sweet almond or other light carrier oil. Blend the essential oils with the carrier oil. Store in an amber of cobalt blue glass bottle in a cool location. Do not store in direct sunlight.

Apply a few drops to your fingertips and massage gently into your scalp. Be careful to avoid getting into your eyes or applying to sensitive areas. Do NOT take internally. Peppermint may act as a stimulant for some people so avoid using this treatment right before bedtime.

Peppermint has been proven to be helpful in relieving general indications of asthma, colic, exhaustion, fever. flatulence, headache, nausea, scabies, sinusitis and vertigo.

Note: Avoid the use of peppermint when there is indication of cardiac fibrillation, epilepsy or fever.

Sugar & Spice Shampoo

20 drops of Vanilla essential oil 20 drops of Grapefruit essential oil 5 drops of Mandarin orange oil 8 oz of unscented shampoo 1 tablespoon jojoba oil

Add the essential oils to the unscented shampoo. Mix very well. It is important that the oils are completely mixed. Use like you would your normal shampoo. The jojoba oil is optional but will add a moisturizing influence to dry hair. You may experiment with increasing or decreasing the amount of oil that you use. Do not take internally. Avoid sensitive scalp areas and keep out of eyes.

If you want to talk more about this or other hair care articles on HairBoutique.com or anywhere else, please post a message on HairBoutique.com's Hair Talk Forums.