Beautiful Skin Tip: Apple Cider Vinegar

October 11, 2006

Excerpted from Anti-Wrinkle Treatments for Perfect Skin, by Pierre Jean Cousin.

The use of vinegar with a variety of plants or essential oils for cosmetic purposes can be traced back to the Romans and was fashionable during the nineteenth century as vinegar de toilette.

Simple Solution:

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Vinegar has a tonic action that promotes blood circulation in the small capillaries that irrigate the skin. It is also antiseptic, preventing the proliferation of bacteria, viruses, or yeast that trigger infection. It can dissolve excessive fatty deposits at the surface of the skin and reduce scaly or peeling conditions. Lastly, vinegar regulates the pH of the skin. Vinegar is most effective when used with lavender, rosemary, rose, or elder flower. It is essential to use top-quality white wine or cider vinegar. Dry any fresh plant material for two days before using.

Measure and mix only dried plant material and then add the vinegar. Apple ciders composed entirely of liquids can be used at once. Those containing plant material must be left to macerate. Prepare the latter in a screwtop jar and leave on a window sill as instructed, strain, and then bottle. To use, add 1 teaspoon of apple cider to a cup of bottled or spring water to wash your face or pour 3-4 tablespoons into a bath.

Lavender, Rosemary and Rosewood

Vinegar: 17 1/2 fl. oz good-quality white wine or apple cider vinegar

Essential Oils: 3/5 teaspoon each lavender and rosemary, 2/5 teaspoon rosewood

Plus: 2 tablespoons glycerin

Calendula and Elder Flower

Plant material: 2 oz calendula flowers and 3 oz elder flowers

Vinegar: 2 pints good-quality white wine or apple cider vinegar

Macerate: 2 weeks Lavender, Rose, Pink, and Lime

Plant material: 1 oz each lavender and lime (or linden) flowers, rose petals pinks

Vinegar: 2 pints good-quality white wine or apple cider vinegar

Macerate: 2 weeks

"When you get to the end of your rope, tie a knot and hang on."