As autumn settles in, I am looking forward to all the fall activities that rejuvenate, refresh, and renew me. One of which takes place in our kitchen. Retrieving mixing bowls, measuring cups, and utensils, I then pluck ingredients off the shelves of our pantry, out of our spice drawer, and from containers on our counter. Yes, I’m ready to stir up a little fun! Creating concoctions with apples, cranberries, pumpkin puree, cinnamon, ginger, brown sugar, honey, and molasses is just perfect this time of year. While all of these ingredients are divine baked into tasty muffins and cakes, even stirred into warm oatmeal, I have something else in mind.
From my journal: October 1, 1996, Fountain Hills, Arizona
“…getting ready for sweater days and 2 quilt nights, fall foods, and ‘caring for me’ recipes..”
It’s these ‘caring for me’ recipes that I am interested in. Just recently, I reached for my 30-year-old copy of Natural Beauty for All Seasons by Janice Cox. Turning to the “Autumn Skin and Hair Care” section, I’ve been getting reacquainted with a number of my all-time favorites, including skin scrubs, facial masks, hair treatments, and a bubble bath recipe named after a famous British sleuth writer who enjoyed long hot baths while eating apples! Ha! Organized by season, I love that this guide offers 250 easy formulas that use the freshest, purest, and most natural ingredients readily available at our local grocery store, farmer’s market, and in our home.
Every time of year is a good time to pay attention to healthy skin and hair care practices, but when the weather changes, I particularly take note. It’s now that my skin and hair feel a bit parched, dry, even dull. And while I could simply slather on my usual facial moisturizer, body lotion, and use a little extra hair conditioner, why not do something a little special? Why not slow down a bit and create a few homemade treats to nourish myself in a different way?
The “Brown Sugar Cleanser” recipe for instance has only three ingredients, takes a minute to make, yet does wonders for my skin. Because sugar dissolves easily, it makes a terrific skin scrub that can be used on the face and body alike. Simply add a teaspoon of brown sugar to your soap and water mixture, lather together, then massage gently onto your skin. Rinse with warm water, follow with a cold splash, then pat dry. You’ll be feeling squeaky clean in no time!
And nothing can be easier than to squeeze a teaspoon of grated ginger through a cheesecloth into a 1/4 cup of sesame oil, massage it onto your scalp, leave it there for 10 minutes, then shampoo it away. This “Ginger Hair Oil” treatment is said to be effective in stimulating hair growth and reducing dandruff. Another bonus is your hair will be left smelling a bit like ginger. Nice. Very nice, indeed.
And fall just wouldn’t be the same without indulging in an “Agatha Christie Bubble Bath”! You simply combine 1 cup of fresh apple juice, with a 1/4 cup of honey, a 1/4 cup of liquid soap, and 1/4 tsp of cinnamon together in a bottle and when ready to use, pour about 1/2 cup under warm running water, then sink into the tub and soak awhile. You’ll emerge wrapped in seasonal delights…no mystery there! This formula makes enough for three baths so you can enjoy it again, and again.
Surprisingly, there are a few recipes I haven’t tried yet, but I am considering them this time around. “Pear Ambrosia Facial Mask”, “Mashed Potato Hand Cream,” and “Cranberry Lip Gloss” sound so, well, yummy. With the cool days getting shorter, cozy nights getting longer, I’m ready to partake in this DIY autumnal activity to rejuvenate, refresh, and renew my senses and spirit. Making my own beauty cosmetics not only means that I know exactly what ingredients are in the products I’m using, but I can personalize the recipes, too, all the while enjoying a hands-on creative pursuit, to boot!
