Feel good. Taking care of your appearance can help you to feel good about yourself, ready for life's daily challenges.
This page has articles on Organic Beauty, Basic Hand Care, Manicure Know-How, Budget Massage, How to Care for Hair and Make-up Brushes
Experimenting with Organics
Pat writes:
A few weeks before Christmas I was queuing in the parcel office and noticed that there were at least 2 boxes (for other people) had labels from So Organic.
I knew about the company: they sell organic cosmetics and toiletries online. Seeing the parcels got me to thinking that some people must put sufficient value on using organic products that they go to the trouble to buy them online. Of course, I buy clothes online, but it just seemed to me an extra effort. I often pop items such as shampoo into my trolley along with the weekly groceries, or dash into the chemist and buy whatever is on special offer.
Tricia and I both eat organic meat and vegetables, and other organic foods when possible, but I had made no effort to try organic beauty products.
Why choose organic beauty products? Some of the reasons must be the same as for organic food – looking after the environment through reduction of artificial pesticides and fertilisers. Maybe there is a health argument, but I really don’t know.
I thought that I would try a few organic products to if they made a difference or if I liked them better than products that I was already using.
I bought two different hand creams. One came from Waitrose and I picked up a product called Organics Body Care at my local health food shop. The latter product is described as a hand and body lotion, and I think it works better as a body lotion; it feels wet after application and I feel that I need to dry my hands before I can do anything. The Waitrose hand cream has a pleasant lavender scent and rubs in quickly; I now keep this Waitrose product by the kitchen sink.
Then I decided to look at So Organic for some products to try. I purchased a
Lavera hair care product called ‘Mango Milk Care Treatment’ which is a deep conditioner for use on coloured hair. This product has proved very effective, and I would probably buy it again.
I also purchased a face mask by Dr Hauschka from So Organic. This was not a very adventurous move as I had previously tried Dr Hauschka products, just not this one. By the way, I recommend Dr Hasuschka deodorant for anyone who has very sensitive skin. It has never given my skin any irritation. On this occasion I chose the ‘firming mask’ as I thought that was what
my face needed – firming. Using the product has not completely rolled back the years, but I think that would be asking rather a lot. However it gives my skin a fresh and dewy glow. I
The products I chose for this experiment have not made any difference to my hair or skin, either for better or worse. I thought that the Lavera hair conditioner works as well as my usual choice and costs less, so would be worth a repeat buy. The Dr Hauschka face mask reminded me that I really like this range because none of the products has ever irritated my skin, and the mask smells nice.
In future I will look out for organic products. If you have had good or bad experiences with an organic beauty product please tells us about it on our Talk Back page.
About Hand Care– Level 1: Neat and Tidy
When you are drying yourself after a bath or shower, take time to gently push back your cuticles. You could use the edge of the towel, or an orange wood stick. Make sure that all your nails are perfectly clean. If you use a body lotion or cream, massage a bit extra into your hands, taking care to rub some in around each nail, and smooth down the skin on your joints, moving the cream from the tips of your fingers towards your wrists.
Keep some hand cream by your kitchen sink, and use it regularly. During the colder months, you might want to carry a small tube of hand cream in your bag, for use during the day. If you have an office-based job, consider keeping some in your desk drawer, to combat the drying effects of central heating.
Last thing at night, try using cuticle oil, or a specialist product, and then massage in some good hand cream before turning out the light.
Take a few minutes every few days to file your nails, to keep them smooth and snag free, and a uniform length. We’re not saying they should be short or long – that’s up to you – but we do think they should all be more or less the same length.
If you smoke, be aware of the effect of nicotine stains on your fingers and nails, take extra time to cleanse the hands. Here’s a tip that we’ve heard of, but not tried personally: wash the stained area of your fingers with lemon juice, and then rub gently with a pumice stone. Alternatively, mix the lemon juice with salt and lightly scrub. Do this about once a week, but make sure that you are not making your skin sore.
About Hand Care: Level 2 - Polished Appearance
When manicuring and varnishing your nails remember to plan ahead. It will take about half an hour for your nails to be truly dry.
To go beyond ‘neat and tidy’ hands to polished perfection, give yourself a manicure. You will need steady hands plus patience, and ideally the following list of items:
1. Nail file
2. Base Coat (especially advisable for dark colours)
3. Varnish
4. Top Coat (to enable nail varnish to last longer)
5.Quick dry (Optional, and may be part of the top coat.)
6. Have an orange wood stick at hand to correct mistakes with the polish.
Cover your work surface with something that you can throw away if you have a spill – e.g. yesterday’s newspaper.
Here are the basic instructions:
1. Ensure you have carried out basic maintenance. Your nails should be clean with cuticles pushed back. Nails should be filed to an even length with no rough edges.
2. Start by applying a layer of Base Coat. This will even out nails, and provide a slightly sticky surface so that the polish goes on well.
3. Roll the nail polish bottle between your hands to mix it up. A vigorous shaking can create air bubbles that will look like little blisters when you apply the polish. The finished result will quickly chip or peel.
4. Wipe any excess polish from the brush on the inside of the bottleneck. The brush should have just enough polish for one nail.
5. Apply the polish, starting from the base of the nail stroking towards the top. Depending on the width of your nail plate, use two or three strokes to cover the nail. To avoid getting polish on the cuticle, place the brush on the nail about 1/8 of an inch away from the cuticle, then push backwards towards it, stopping just short of the skin. Then stroke upwards towards the nail tip.
6. Apply two thin coats of polish, leaving time for the first coat to dry before applying the second. If you go over the edge of the nail plate, you can use the orange wood stick to take off the extra polish – but be careful not to spoil your other nails in the process.
7. Wait three minutes before applying Top Coat.
8. You may wish to apply a quick dry finish, depending on your choice of Top Coat.
9. Your nails will appear to be dry in a few minutes – but it will be at least 30 minutes before they are thoroughly dry.
It’s easier to keep your nails looking lovely if you have the right tools.
We list here items to help you to maintain your hands and nails. 
Basic maintenance,
1. Orange wood sticks to clean under the tips of your nails. These can also be wrapped in cotton wool to gently push back cuticles. Wind the cotton wool around the stick, like candy floss. This provides a buffer so that you don’t tear the cuticle.
2. Nail clippers and/or curved scissors. Can be used to trim long nails, and to cut back any hang nails. The latter should always be trimmed back. Never attempt to tear them off, as you may make them worse.
3. Nail file. Try to find one with a fine grain, these give a much smoother finish.
4. Hand cream
5. Cuticle oil
To polish your nails, add the following to your kit
1. Base coat may be considered optional, but it does make polish last longer. Also, if you are using a dark colour, it will prevent your nail plate from absorbing colour. You may wish use a formula to strengthen your nails.
2. Nail varnish
3. Top coat ,again, optional, but it also makes the polish stay on longer.
If you use a ‘quick dry’ formula, it can speed up the process.
4. Nail varnish remover and cotton wool . You can purchase cotton pads that are soaked in remover, in a plastic case. This is very good for travelling.
In addition, consider a cuticle remover if you have fast growing cuticles. It may be sufficient to simply push your cuticles back with a towel when you are drying yourself after a bath or shower. We don’t recommend cutting your cuticles.because their purpose is to protect the area between your skin and nails from infection.
If you are fanatical about nails, you could buy even more kit. Check out the relevant section next time you visit a large branch of a chemist or drug store.
There is a huge choice of products for specific nail problems. For advice, we suggest having a professional manicure. Then you can discuss this issue with a trained person. If you are short of funds, you may live near a college that trains beauty therapists. Colleges often have training salons, where you can have inexpensive treatments by students under the supervision of fully qualified tutors.
Budget Beauty - Massage Treat
In the distant past, I had a lovely massage at a college local to me. I decided to repeat the experience, albeit at a different location. I found a training college with a beauty department from an internet search and booked my appointment.
The Experience.
There was a specific parking area for the beauty department, which was helpful. This was a college site over a fairly large area, the signs weren’t brilliant and it took me a few minutes to identify the correct door. Once that major challenge was over, I could relax.
I was welcomed at reception by the lecturer supervising who introduced me to my student. The person I was booked with, we will call her Rachel for confidentiality, was in her final term. This meant that she was one of the more experienced students and almost qualified.
Rachel was friendly and quietly assured. She took a medical history, as is usual with a treatment, then mixed up my aromatherapy oils for the massage. Rachel remembered that I liked lighter fragrances and used these in her mix.
The massage was professional and really relaxing. I had remembered to wear ‘respectable’ undies for it and I could forget that she had had to leave the curtain around the massage couch open a little (obviously a necessary safety precaution for a student). My feet have been quite sore lately from many hours standing on cold hall floors with my work. Rachel was also trained in reflexology and spent some time working on my tootsies for which I was very grateful.
The whole massage was wonderful. It did take longer than a usual massage but I didn’t mind at all as Rachel was taking a great deal of care and we had been warned on booking that treatments would be a little longer than at a commercial salon. I was relaxed for the rest of the day, so much so that it was difficult to teach my Pilates classes that evening but in a lovely ‘I just want to go to sleep’ way.
Having been a Primary School Teacher for many years, I am excellent at ignoring noise around me when required and could switch off to relax. This was a college with students in their teens around. Although everyone made an effort to speak quietly, quite a bit of chat could be heard, including the necessary conversations between student therapists and clients. The area was a large open room with just curtains around the couches. The curtains were rather splattered with oils in places, the blind at my window didn’t pull down and massage couches with breathing holes for laying down on your front were in short supply. An arrangement of towels sufficed. These problems were probably due to college budgets –or lack of. Everything else appeared clean and in working order.
The department was friendly and professional; my student therapist was skilled and could have worked in any salon. The surroundings were not as relaxing as in a salon, but this cannot be expected in a college. Care had been taken to re-create the salon experience as much as possible with a designated reception area, a waiting area and flowers in the ladies.
The cost of my aromatherapy massage, which lasted for around ninety minutes, was just £12.00.
Five stars for value.
Care for your brushes
Your hair and make-up brushes will perform better and possibly last longer if you clean them from time to time.
Hairbrushes
The method of cleaning varies according to the type of brush.
I have a cheap plastic brush that I clean by first removing as much hair as possible with a comb. Then I fill the washbasin with warm water, and dip in the whole brush to get it wet. I pour some shampoo onto the palm of one hand, and then rub this into the brush. When the shampoo appears to be evenly distributed, I use the comb to remove the remaining wet hair that is tangled in the brush. After that, I submerse the brush in the water in the basin.
If the brush is still laced with hair, or it appears to still have a layer of hair spray and general gunge, I give it a second wash. If necessary I use a (clean) old toothbrush to make sure the brush is really clean.
When the brush is clean, I prop it on the edge of the bath to dry naturally.
My styling brush was more expensive; it has a wooden handle, and real bristles. Cleaning this brush requires more care.
I spend more time removing all the loose hair while the brush is dry. I use a comb (and sometimes that clean old toothbrush) to get down close to the bottom of the bristles, and gently lift the hair away.
If the bristles feel greasy or sticky, I put some warm water in the washbasin, and then add some shampoo to the water. I very carefully dip the brush into the water, but only far enough to get the bristles wet. I try not to get the wooden part of the brush wet.
If you have a brush with foam backing to the bristles, use the same technique, as it is important not to get the foam-backing web.
A wooden or foam-backed brush should be placed with the bristles down for drying, so that the water does not run down onto the backing. I prop my wooden styling brush up against the corner at the end of the bath; this method seems to work reasonably well.
Make-up brushes
You can buy special solution for cleaning make-up brushes, but I have always used mild soap. My brushes all last well, so I don’t plan on spending money on a product that I do not appear to need.
I get a bar of mild hand soap wet, and then stroke my make up brush along the soap, so that the brush picks up the soap and water mix. I then gently rub this through the bristles, and then rinse the brush under warm water. You will need to rinse the soap as well! Leave the brush to dry naturally.
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