Forever Young's kitchen raids for beauty aids

CHANCES are your kitchen is not the first place you turn for beauty products or for tips to enhance your looks. Beauty Health But for entrepreneur Elaine Hayden, the food items in her kitchen have blossomed into a natural ingredient beauty care business.

"I started out making natural products at home for my daughter who could not use regular lotions and shampoos. She had extreme allergies and eczema health club. I would give some to my friends and family and eventually I decided to make it a business," said Hayden, who will be talking about home- made beauty aids at the Forever Young: A Health, Nutrition and Rejuvenation Expo being held at the Jamaica Pegasus hotel on March 29 and 30.

Her presentation will focus on masks for normal, dry and oily skins and will provide a hands-on experience for attendees. Volunteers will mix the 'preparations' and apply to other volunteers from the audience. At the expo, she will also be displaying her line of products including lotions, shampoos, body butters and shower gels. "Most of my products are 98 - 100 per cent natural," said Hayden, who still comes up with many of her creations while working in her kitchen.

She says that strawberry or any fruit with antioxidant properties is good for use on the face, cautioning that the fruit should be applied to a small section of the skin to see whether there are any allergies before general use.
Cucumbers are good for reducing puffiness around the eyes. Teabags are also a good alternative, she added.

As well as picking up some good tips about at-home beauty aids, Forever Young attendees will also learn how to feed their sex drives from Dr Heather Little-White, a nutritionist who last year delighted her audience with her presentation on how to be Fifty, Sixty, Healthy and Sexy. Forever Young offers its audience some 10 seminars in health, nutrition and rejuvenation matters each year.

Some of Hayden's top recommendations are:
1.Oatmeal and Honey facial - grind the oatmeal to the consistency that you desire. Heat the honey to get it a little thinner. Combine both and apply to the face for 15 minuteshealth club. Rinse with warm water. This helps to give the skin a smooth tone and a radiant glow.

2. Cornmeal and coconut oil scrub - Beauty Health mix the cornmeal with the coconut oil (or avocado, soyabean, almond or any other essential oil that you have) and apply for 15 minutes. Use warm water to rinse and then apply a moisturiser. Cornmeal is known for its cleansing abilities while the coconut oil gives it a healthy glow.
3. Egg white and aloe vera facial - beat the egg whites, combine with the aloe vera and apply to face for 15 minutes. This is great for rejuvenating the skin. The egg whites can also be used without the aloe vera.