Wednesday Regency: Crushed Strawberries Facial Scrub

I don't mean to eat, though I did find a fantastic recipe for that as well. I'm looking for all natural facial products, though I love my Oil of Olay. A friend told me about a great strawberry face scrub. Summer is a great time for a little exfoliation--all that heat and humidity, all that sweat.

So I made some and it felt refreshing on my face and very fragrant. I loved it! From eHow.com, though I did find others that were much simpler, likecutting a strawberry in half, rubbing it over your face, then rinsing. Why did I choose the harder one with the blender and all? Because of the lemon juice factor.

Things You'll Need

• Lemon juice
• Strawberries
• Blender
• Bowl
• Milk
• Measuring tool
• 1/2 lemon

1. Blend enough strawberries to get 7 tbsp. of strawberry mash. The grittiness of the mixture will act a natural scrub, but strawberries are an important part of the recipe because they contain alpha-hydroxy acid, which helps lift off the old dead cells and reveal new more youthful skin cells.
2. Add 1 tsp. of lemon juice. Lemon juice contains alpha-hydroxy acids, making it another powerful tool to remove the dead skin that no longer retains water to give the skin a youthful, plump, fresh appearance.
3. Blend in 2 tsp. of powered milk into the strawberry and lemon juice mixture. The milk is another ingredient to act as an exfoliant because it contains alpha-hydroxy acids that also slough away dead skin cell and help to unplug pores, thus removing blackheads. Milk also contains fats that help this recipe soften and seal the skin.
4. Apply the mixture to the entire face and neck. Leave it for about 15 minutes and scrub off with a bowl of lukewarm water that has been mixed with the juice of 1/2 of a lemon.
5. Rinse one more time with cold water to help close the pores and remove any residue.

Then I got to thinking about what Regency women used and realized they probably had all natural items as well. Why wouldn't they? A quick search found Regency Cosmetics and Make-up.

Fancy lotions were very popular among upper class women although it's doubtful whether they offered improved efficacity over home remedies such as crushed strawberries and cucumber. The complexion, that is the texture of the skin and the brilliance of the checks, where for once as important as mere prettiness. Women took exercise to brighten their complexion; after two centuries of hiding indoors with nary a draft of air 'taking the air' became a national pastime.