Baby Yourself from Head to Toe Clap Clap Baby Magazine

Baby Yourself from Head to Toe

Jan/Feb/Mar 2007
Cover Articles:

Sign Language: The Best Second Language?

How to Have a Happy Marriage When You're Busy Being Parents

Health & Development

A-Z's of a Healthy Pregnancy

Caring for a Newborn

Stages of Development of Your Baby

Health Alert! Sickle Cell Anemia

Growth & Nutrition

Facts on Breastfeeding

Bottle Feeding Your Baby

Introducing Solid Foods

Safety

Protect Your Baby from SIDS

Babyproof Your Home

Firearm Safety

Just for You

Lack of Time! Reality or Perception?

Baby Yourself from Head to Toe

Single on Valentine's Day?

Inhale, Exhale & Pray: Break the Cycle

In Every Issue:

Talking from the Heart: Achieving Success in the New Year

A Moment of Consciousness

Mama's Kitchen: Mama's Mouth Watering Macaroni & Cheesee

Tender Loving Hair

On Call with Dr. Nicole Cameron: Thumbsucking

Family Fun & Entertainment Guide

Clap Clap Baby of the Month

What's the 411 on
Parenting Resources ?

Let's face it, your life is hectic and you never seem to have time for yourself. You keep hearing "You need to take some time to pamper yourself." Only you can make this happen and this year is YOUR year!

I have collected a few ways to treat your body from Head to Toe that don't require a lot of costly products. In fact, you can make almost any skin care product at home.

Aromatherapy and essential oils are keys to creating masterpiece remedies just for you. I suggest investing in a few small bottles of essential oils that you can mix and match for suggested uses.

Head:

Start with coconut oil or butter, stick it in the refrigerator in a small sterilized jar and it will solidify in no time. Add a capsule of Vitamin A, E, or wheat germ oil for extra moisture. (Vitamin A is good as an antioxidant, vitamin E helps slow down the aging process, almond oil soothes and lubricates the skin, apricot oil protects and softens the skin and wheat germ oil promotes skin elasticity.)

Make a lip balm, using it on its own or add peppermint or spearmint oil.
Treat acne by adding a couple of drops of tea tree, lavender or patchouli oil.
For reducing wrinkles, add rose, orange or patchouli oil.

Set some of that coconut oil/butter aside for your body and mix up some of these organic products:

Facial toner- mix green tea, chamomile or ginseng tea (made with mineral water or distilled water) with lavender oil.
Moisturizing facial mask - mix avocado with shredded cucumber. (Avocados are rich in protein and Vitamin A, while cucumbers are cooling and cleansing.)
Skin firming mask - mash a banana on your face!

One thing you can not make at home is SPF coverage for your face. All skin colors need protection from the sun's rays. Sunscreens containing Titanium Dioxide tend to leave darker skin tones looking "ashy". A sunscreen gel is preferred and it absorbs invisibly into your skin. Use sunscreen daily, year-round, to prevent wrinkles and skin cancer.

Body

Remember the coconut oil/butter balm you made for your "head"? Well that can be used for your body as well. Just add the following oils to treat parts of your body:

Eczema - add chamomile, geranium or orange oil.
Cellulite - add grapefruit, tangerine or orange oil.
Stretch marks - add palmarosa oil.
Burns - add geranium, patchouli or lavender oil.

Now that you've treated some sour patches, pamper yourself with these recipes:

Body Moisturizer - gather: 1/2 cup coconut milk, 1/2 cup honey, 1/2 cup uncooked oatmeal . Combine the ingredients and then use a washcloth to smooth the mixture over your body, then rinse

Dry Skin Treatment - gather: baking soda and olive oil . Treat dry, scaly skin with a paste of soda and olive oil. Apply to dry areas and wait three minutes. Rinse thoroughly with warm water.

Body powder - mix cornstarch and baking soda with your favorite essential oil.

Note: Darker skin has a tendency to appear "ashy" when it's not well-lubricated. Creams work best after showering when skin is slightly damp and can hold more moisture.

Toe

Don't forget your feet need lots of pampering too. I don't know anyone with perfect smooth feet but at least there are some treatments to help soften and moisturize them:

Dry, Cracked Heels - Apply an antibiotic ointment, such as Neosporin, to cracks. Then, apply a generous amount of Vaseline petroleum jelly to the heels as well as to other dry areas of your feet. Put on socks and in the morning, wipe off any excess. Repeat this ritual every night for about a week.

For a foot powder - mix cornstarch, baking soda and tea tree or peppermint oil. Baking soda acts as a deodorizer and soothes the skin. Tea tree oil is a natural antiseptic, germicide, antibacterial and fungicide. Peppermint oil is soothing to the feet and swollen ankles.

Well that about wraps up your pampering from Head to Toe. Remember to take a few minutes for yourself, whether it's morning, afternoon or night. Skip a phone call for a few minutes and whip up a remedy for your body. Let the laundry hang out in the washing machine for a few extra minutes while you take care of your feet. You know there is a moment in the day waiting just for you.you just have to "seize the moment!"

Written by Shani Lucas