Fantastic home remedies for your skin

Is a furrow in your brow starting to become your own small Grand Canyon? Smooth it out by putting a piece of tape on your brow overnight, every night for a month. Before going to sleep, rub moisturiser on the crease and wipe off any excess. Now smooth the furrow with your fingers, hold it taut and secure a piece of tape across the spot. Some people recommend surgical tape, while others make do with any sticky tape. (Just make sure it extends beyond the moisturised area or it may not stay on through the night.) Taping works by retraining the face muscles to relax – and, unlike Botox or plastic surgery, costs very little.

Discourage wrinkles by applying a facial mask made of honey once a week, like Cleopatra did. Honey has properties that soften and hydrate skin and help it to retain moisture, as well as anti-oxidants and various compounds that can soothe irritations and inflammations. To make a honey mask, warm the honey. While it’s heating, press a warm face washer to your face to open the pores. Carefully spread the honey around the face, keeping it away from your eyes. Relax for 15 minutes and then rinse the mask off, using cold water in the final rinse to close the pores. Although your skin may not look like a baby’s, it should feel almost as soft.

If a cup of tea in the afternoon is a calming break, a hot green tea bath in the evening after a tough day can be a little touch of heaven. Place 2 tablespoons dried green tea leaves in the toe of some old pantihose, then bunch it up and close with a twist tie. Put the bundle into a hot bath or tie it with string over the tap opening so that the water runs through. While you’re enjoying the hot soak, the anti-oxidants in the tea will go to work, smoothing, soothing and calming you, both outside and in.

Do you love chocolate so much that you could bathe in it? Here’s your chance. Just warm 120ml honey in a microwave or the top of a double boiler. Then stir in 11/4 cups (150g) unsweetened cocoa until it dissolves. If the mixture cools, reheat it, but don’t let it get hot. Now spread the mudlike paste evenly over your body. Then comes the good bit: wrap your legs, arms and torso in plastic wrap to seal in the paste and sit tight (or lie down) for 20 minutes. When you have finished, peel off the wrap and wash away the paste in a warm shower or bath. Your skin should feel silky smooth, thanks to the hydrating and revitalising anti-oxidants in cocoa and honey. And all without a single kilojoule!

It’s strange but true: many indigestion medicines that contain salicylic acid (also found in aspirin) are beneficial to the skin. It’s because salicylic acid helps to slough off the top layer of dead skin cells and bring new healthy skin cells to the surface. Squash a few cotton wool balls together in your fingers, pour on some of the medicine and apply it to your face, taking care to avoid the eyes. Let it dry for about 15 minutes, then rinse and pat dry.

For a smooth leg shave without shaving cream or gel, substitute hair conditioner or an all-in-one shampoo-conditioner, both of which contain ingredients that soften, smooth and moisturise hair. They will do the same for hair and skin on your legs, underarms and, for men, the face.

Squeeze the juice from a lime, filter out the pulp and pour the juice into a spray bottle. Add 1/2 cup (125ml) surgical spirit and 3 teaspoons lemon or orange extract. Screw the lid on the bottle and shake well. Spritz it on for a great way to cool down in summer. Caution: store the spray in the refrigerator with a clearly marked label so that no one will think it’s for drinking.

Make perfume last for hours by first dabbing a tiny bit of petroleum jelly on your wrists, neck, ear lobes and anywhere else that you usually apply a drop of the fragrance.