Our garden is exploding with ripe vegetables and herbs... We have literally spent the last 4 days (or more.. they are all running together at this point!) canning, blanching, freezing, and preserving, trying to keep up with all that we need to harvest before anything goes bad. It is a rewarding feeling like no other when you can say that you have harvested about 130 ears of corn, 10 pounds or so of collards and 30 jars worth of pickling cucumbers all from your backyard! Not to mention the 100 pounds of tomatoes starting to ripen, and... well, you get the point.
Today I have vowed to take the day off (with the exception of harvesting beans later, as my loving husband just pointed out as I type this very sentence!! LOL) from gathering and cleaning, so that I can get back to my other passion - Creating natural, organic skin care and sharing my experiences with YOU!
A lot of my products contain ingredients such as Coconut Oil, Mango Butter, Rosehip Seed Oil, etc., and all must be purchased from a store or online. But, looking around, we can always make something soothing for our skin from things we have growing in our very yard, or maybe already purchased and it is sitting in the vegetable drawer in the fridge!
So today we will create with cucumbers!
Slice one open and you can smell its refreshing aroma from across the room. But there is so much more to them than their delicious smell and taste!
After doing much more research, I have found all kinds of incredible benefits and now I want to share them with you....
Cucumbers are infamous skin-soothers and have been used for ages to help treat and relax inflammation in the skin. The Ascorbic acid/Vitamin C prevents water retention; the antothenic acid/Vitamin B5 helps in the retention of moisture; and the combination of these vitamins, as well as other nutrients, makes for a great, natural moisturizer. Also, these green wonders have silica, a building block of collagen, which helps to reduce wrinkles!
But wait.. there's more! Another powerful antioxidant found in cucumbers is Vitamin K. It helps to remove the excess hemoglobin that results in those pesky dark circles under the eyes that we're always trying to fight. Also, Retinol (vitamin A), helps to control and reduce the production of melanin, which causes dark spots too!
Now that we are all in awe of these all-around-green-delights, let's start creating!
For an easy remedy, you can simply apply cucumber slices directly to your skin anywhere you need soothing, and go ahead and lean back in your recliner or on your bed with cool, fresh slices over your eye lids! (peeled or mostly peeled cucumbers rest easier on the eyes, from experience) Turn on some soothing, ambient music and take a mini-vacation for yourself, all while reducing dark circles and signs of 'tired eyes'.
If you want to go a step further, juice your cucumber (or just peal, chop and mash it) and add the cucumber juice to your favorite lotion. It will add its natural and yummy aroma, and boost your lotion with all the vitamins we talked about above!
If you want to go even further, you can create this amazing cucumber toner from this recipe I have created for you. :)
As always, avoid non-organic foods and products to avoid the detrimental effects of GMO's!
Visit our shop for our latest creations.... Moonsway ~ Dedicated to inspiring a more natural approach to skin and body care.
Thanks for reading!
Bright Blessings & Namaste~
<3 Amanda*
