Holistic Protocols for Face and Hands

Please login to like posts.

📖 7 min read

Please login to follow authors.

font size

Today, not only pregnant women or women with health issues are looking for a clean skin care approach. More and more people are reading labels and seeking cleaner ingredients. This is why many aestheticians, even those who work in medical spas, are adding holistic skin care treatments and products to their menus.

In this article, I will share a few corrective, holistic protocols you can safely use on even the most sensitive complexions. Skin care formulations made from organic, whole plant ingredients and other natural sources are especially effective because the ratio of vitamins and nutrients are optimal for assimilation by the skin. Vitamins require an array of specific enzymes and micronutrients that need to work in harmony to produce their intended biological effects.

ESSENTIAL ELEMENTS OF A HOLISTIC FACIAL

Create an Herbal Decoction

Start a holistic facial with herbal tea (called a decoction by herbalists), instead of water, for cleansing the face and for herbal compresses. You can make the tea the traditional way or use a regular coffee maker. Instead of coffee beans, use a blend of loose herbs. For oily or problem complexions (acne, rosacea, or inflammation-prone skin), I suggest using burdock root, dandelion root, calendula, echinacea, peppermint, arnica, or St. John’s Wort. All of these botanicals have strong antimicrobial, healing, and purifying properties. Be sure to use certified-organic or wildcrafted blends grown in clean areas away from busy roads and polluted areas.

For dry, aging complexions, I suggest using red clover, chamomile, rose petals, althea, and gingko biloba. You don’t have to use all of them together, just use what is available. Take a handful of the herbs, put them in a coffee maker filter, and brew them with purified water. Herbal teas are excellent for use in compresses and add extra botanical power when mixed with mask bases.

Making Botanical Masks

For oily, problem complexions, mix the correct herbal decoction with a tablespoon of food- grade diatomaceous earth, which is rich in silica, or use bentonite clay, which has strong detoxifying properties. Organic rye flour also serves as a nice base because it is a wonderful source of vitamin B and helps detoxify the skin. Mix any of these bases with the tea to create a mask with a creamy consistency.

For dry and aging complexions, you can use skin soothing, organic oat flour as a base or organic sunflower lecithin, which will nourish the skin with phospholipids and deliver the botanicals deep into the skin.

SKIN POLISHING AND BRIGHTENING MUSHROOMS

When we work with very sensitive skin, sometimes we have to avoid any type of natural acids or enzymes. A fabulous alternative is a skin polishing mushroom massage. Kojic acid and antioxidants that naturally occur in many mushrooms (like oyster and shiitake mushrooms) help to gently exfoliate and brighten the skin. Most edible mushrooms, which you can easily find in grocery stores, also contain high concentrations of vitamin B, which help to de-stress and heal the skin. Other mushrooms deliver skin hydrating benefits. For instance, truffles contain ceramides, which help prevent moisture loss, and tremella mushrooms are often used in place of hyaluronic acid due to their water-retaining properties. Make sure you use organically grown mushrooms or mushrooms grown in the wild.

The simplest way to give a client a mushroom face massage is to use two fresh king oyster or shitake mushrooms. With a sharp knife, cut off the curved top of the two mushroom caps to make a flat surface. Hold the mushrooms by the stems and perform a symmetrical, skin polishing massage in the direction of the lymphatic flow (similar to a facial massage using sponges or cotton rounds) for five minutes. Miniature portabello mushrooms also work well.

The Mushroom Mask

Mitakke mushrooms have healing, calming properties, which makes them helpful for acne and rosacea-prone complexions. To make a mushroom mask, simply slice the mushrooms and put them into a blender with a little bit of purified water and organic oat flour. Blend this mixture until it has a creamy consistency – if dealing with stubborn melasma, add organic parsley juice instead of water.

It takes time to create fresh mushroom masks, so consider preparing them in advance and freezing them in ice cube trays. This way, they will be ready when you need them.

AROMATHERAPY FACE MASSAGE OILS

For dry and aging complexions, you can perform a face rejuvenating massage with an aromatherapeutic blend of skin nourishing oils. Here is a simple recipe:

one ounce of grapeseed or olive oil
three drops of rose
two drops of jasmine
three drops of ylang ylang or frankincense essential oil

CALMING PLANT WATER MISTS

For oily and inflamed complexions, avoid intense manual massage. This can increase blood flow and result in damage to fragile capillaries. It can also trigger the overproduction of sebum. Instead, use a hydrosol or plant water – put it in a fine mister and spray the skin for a couple of minutes.

Complete the procedure by applying organic serums and moisturizers appropriate for the client’s complexion. Finally, apply a zinc oxide-based sunscreen to protect the skin.

HAND REJUVENATING BOTANICAL PROTOCOL

The hands are the most abused area of the body. Most people are unhappy with the appearance of their hands because the skin often looks rough and wrinkly. Many struggle with hyperpigmentation, as well. They call them age and liver spots, but in most cases, they are the result of an accumulation of ultraviolet exposure combined with harsh chemical products. Often, when hands look dry, people rub heavy creams and butters over them without good results because their hands need to be exfoliated first.

Herbal Hand Soak

Brew an organic parsley decoction and add a teaspoon of baking soda per two cups of tea. Have the client soak their hands in that solution for three to five minutes. If during the treatment there is no flat surface near the client (for instance, if they are laying on a massage or facial table), soak hand towels in this herbal solution and wrap them around the client’s hands. Then, place each hand inside of a warm mitten or under a warm blanket. Remove the compresses and apply lemon juice over discolored and wrinkled areas. You can use organic, pre-squeezed lemon juice or just cut a lemon in half and rub it over the hands. In addition to vitamin C, lemon juice also contains a high concentration of citric acid, which helps to exfoliate, hydrate, and brighten the skin.

For clients with cracked, dry, and super sensitive hands, use eggplant slices instead. Eggplants contain skin restoring flavonoids, as well as phenolic, nasunin, and chlorogenic acids. Of course, you can also use bromalin or papain enzymes, which come from pineapples and papayas.

Finally, proceed with a hand massage using this hand rejuvenating polish:

two ounces of grapeseed oil
one tablespoon of honey
three ounces of sugar

To create finer particles, you can put the dry sugar in the blender – lemon zest can be added, as well. Perform a skin polishing hand massage with this scrub for five to seven minutes for each hand. Remove the polish with herbal tea compresses. Complete the procedure with the application of a high-quality, organic hand cream. If that is unavailable, complete the procedure with organic, vegetable glycerin to hydrate and protect the hands. Finally, apply a zinc oxide-based sunscreen.

Elina Fedotova is the formulator and CEO of Elina Organics and an award-winning cosmetic chemist and aesthetician. She hand makes her professional skin care line in her laboratory using holistic principles and organic ingredients from around the world. In 2007, she founded the Association of Holistic Skin Care Practitioners (AHSCP), a nonprofit organization that provides ongoing training and education for professionals. We know that beauty is more than skin deep and that a person is much more than a physical body. Our well-being requires mental clarity, positive emotions, whole food, and a clean environment. By taking a holistic approach to our health and personal care, we can continuously feel and look our best, care more about our resources, and help create a harmonious life for all.