By Barbara Bishop
Many people compliment me on my wrinkle-less, youthful complexion. When I was younger, in my 20s, my face was so oily that I had to apply power to soak it up almost every 10 minutes. Little did I know that that oil would keep me from ever getting wrinkles.
I just turned 58, and reflected back upon my youth, and realized I got those great genes from my grandmother. I used to call her Granny Anny. She was a natural beauty; never wore make up, never had one wrinkle, and was always happy. But it wasn’t just her genes. She used natural products to keep looking fresh and dewy. And most were run of the mill stuff that some people have long forgotten about. Here are a few of her “secret remedies.”
Vaseline – This was my grandmother’s go to for everything; eye cream, lip balm, feet softener, cuticle and elbow moisturizer, you name it. She also used it to help with her Excema. I use it for many of the same purposes and it’s on average $3 a jar. Beats the $350 eye creams I used to buy.
As young as girl my grandmother encouraged me to rub fruit and vegetable peels on my skin. Rather than discarding the peels left over from fruits like mangoes, avocados, and apples, she showed me how to massage the inner peels on my face and hands, explaining that her mother taught her the very same thing when she was a little girl. It turns out they are wonderful natural moisturizers and provides the skin nutrient-rich benefits. I still practice this ritual; it soothes the skin and smells so clean and fresh!
I recently started getting a little adult acne. To combat any zits, my Granny Anny maintained fresh and acne-free skin by squeezing a lemon into a container and added the same amount of water and then, applied the mixture to her pimples with a Q-tip, being careful to avoid her eyes. The antibacterial properties of the lemon fight the cause of acne and pimples and leaves you with a bright and clear complexion.
There were never expensive exfoliation treatments for grandma. She just added some sugar to her soap or mixed sugar with a plain thick cream, before bathing, and she got a simple exfoliating body massage at no extra cost or effort. It removes the dead skin cells and it willl improve your blood circulation too.
Potatoes will lighten dark circles your eyes and remove the puffiness too. Just slice some raw potato, give it a wash and place the slices under your eyes for 5-10 minutes and see the difference that it makes.
You can plump up thin lips with Shea butter and cinnamon. Mix a pinch of cinnamon with some Shea butter and rub it onto your lips. Leave it on for just a minute, before washing off, and it will stimulate the blood flow to your lips and you will be left with gorgeous, beautiful and luscious lips. To add some color to your lips, go to your kitchen, find beetroot and apply a slice to your lips as you would use a lipstick; beet lip stain is all natural, it looks simply adorable and it compliments wonderfully all skin tones.
Love you and miss you Granny Anny! Thank you for your tips; after more than 50 years, I’m still using them…
