Seven Herbs to Enhance your Beauty

Most people consider herbs only useful for cooking but the practice of using herbs to enhance one’s beauty and health is an age old practice dating back to the Egyptians.  Herbs have been used for hair color, skin cream, and massage oils for many centuries.  Here are seven useful herbs to enhance your beauty.

1. Olives or Olive Oil:  The Ancient Romans used Olive oil to wipe off their sweat after a steam bath.  You can use it in a similar way.  Put olive oil on your skin after you take a shower or a bathe to keep the moisture in your skin that has been taken off by harsh soaps and shower gels.  You can also use olive oil as a heat conditioner for your hair.  Just put it on your hair after you have shampoo your hair and let the steam from your shower or bath do its work.  You can leave it in your hair for as long as you want to but just remember to rinse it out of your hair.

2. Burdock:  Burdock isn’t an herb that’s known by many people but it can be useful for many things.  Burdock is native to Asia and it is the root that is most useful and not the plant itself.  You can get Burdock in tea or capsule form.  You take it internally and it will help almost any skin problem from acne to eczema.  Don’t worry Burdock is a sweet tasting herb that as a side bonus will help with digestion.

3. Chamomile:  Well, we all know that chamomile tea relaxes you and makes you sleepy, but did you know that you can use chamomile tea as a gentle, natural, hair lightener.  Unfortunately, it only works on lighter or fair hair people (Sorry brunettes).  You can also put warm tea bags over your eyes to help get rid of dark circles and bags.

4. Aloe:  Another familiar herb is aloe.  Most people already know that aloe can help soothe and heel cuts and burns to the skin.  Aloe can also be used as a moisturizer.  You can cut of a piece of the plant and use the liquid that comes out of it or buy the gel from the store.

5. Horsetail:  Got a short haircut and you want your hair to grow back fast?  Take capsules of horsetail.  It will not only make your hair grow but it will make your nails grow too.  It will also prevent your nails from turning yellow and growing brittle.

6. Lavender:  The great thing about lavender and chamomile is that you can exchange one for the other or combine them both.  You can put sachets of warm lavender over your eyes to help treat tired and/or baggy eyes or use lavender oil on cotton balls and gentle pat the eye and under eye area.  In the summer time if you can get the actual herb and put it in a bottle of baby oil and put the baby oil in the refrigerator for 30 minutes, just enough time for it to be slightly cool.  Put it on your skin to soothe and cool you off.  This mixture also makes a nice natural insect repellant.

7. Nettle:  Nettle is called the stinging herb because if you touch it you’ll feel a slight stinging sensation.  If the stinging sensation bothers you don’t use this herb or only have direct contact with it for a short time.  Nettle can be very good for the hair.  It will give it a noticeable sheen and strength.  You can buy a basic cheap shampoo put a couple of capsules of the herb in the shampoo to enhance the effects of it.  In a few weeks, you’ll have strong, shiny, full hair.  Some people even say if you suffer from hair loss, it will help prevent further hairs from falling out.
I

t feels good to make your own beauty treatments, especially when you know they come from nature and you have cut down the number of chemicals that your body absorbs everyday.  These seven herbs can be a very useful part of your cosmetic and/or beauty regiment.  I strongly suggest you test these beauty treatments and remedies on small areas of your skin cause, even though they are natural, you could be allergic to one or more of these herbs.  I hope this list helps you form your own natural beauty treatments.