Spas and salons abound in Shanghai, but you’d be surprised at what
you can do at home using stuff from your own kitchen cupboard.
The experts let Helen Roxburgh in on their secret beauty recipes.
Adja Sy, founder of Lalu Skincare
Avocado and coconut oil reparative hair mask
Benefits ‘Pollution, our unsanitary
water, colouring and UV can all leave
your hair crying out for help. This
reparative hair mask works wonders
for strengthening and hydrating
your hair, while giving it a whole lot
of shine.’
1 Mash half an avocado in a bowl
until smooth.
2 Add one tablespoon of unrefined
virgin coconut oil, one tablespoon of
sweet almond oil, one tablespoon
of honey and one tablespoon of
extra virgin olive oil to the avocado
mixture.
3 Stir until mixture is thoroughly
blended.
4 Apply to dry hair, and let
concoction sit for up to one hour.
5 Rinse thoroughly, and shampoo,
condition and style as usual.
‘Coffee Mania’ hair conditioner
Benefits ‘This coffee conditioner
invigorates the scalp, gives your
hair incredible shine and hydrates
as well.’
1 Combine one cup of cooled coffee,
one cup of milk and one teaspoon
of jojoba oil in a squeeze or flip top
bottle.
2 Shake well to mix together.
3 Pour through shampooed, wet
hair, and then leave in for at least
two minutes.
4 Rinse thoroughly, and style
as usual.
Creamy facial cleanser
Benefit ‘Egg whites have toning
qualities that work to tighten your
skin and keep your complexion
youthful and glowing.’
1 Mix together one egg white, two
tablespoons of sour cream and
one tablespoon of purified water
until creamy.
2 Scoop the mixture up with your
fingertips and work it into a lather as
a daily face wash
3 Rinse well with warm water.
Dr Zhang, TCM practitioner and professor
Motherwort face wash
Benefits ‘Great for treating acne and
spots, or any scars.’
1 Buy dry motherwort (益母草) from a
local pharmacy or TCM clinic.
2 Add 60g of dry motherwort to
300ml of water in a saucepan.
3 Bring to a boil, then simmer for 15
minutes.
4 Use this liquid as an external face
wash to treat acne or scarring (avoid
getting it in your eyes).
Rose bud foot soak
Benefits To get the qi energy flowing
in your body again and treat aching
feet
1 Buy a bunch of roses and remove
the stems to use the buds and
petals, or buy dried rose buds from a
TCM clinic.
2 Take the petals and buds and
immerse them in hot water
3 Stick your feet in and soak for 20
minutes. Lovely.
Kimberly Ashton, health coach and natural foods educator
Nourishing and brightening face treatment
Benefits ‘This is a lovely nourishing,
healing treatment that helps
balance the pH of our skin with the
superfood ingredients.’
1 Cut a papaya in half and remove
the seeds and flesh/fruit (keep
aside for a delicious smoothie).
2 Cut the remaining papaya skin
into small pieces ready to rub on the
face. Rub all over the face in slow
small circular motions and
let absorb for 10
minutes.
3 Next, to
brighten:
mix two tablespoons honey with
one tablespoon of apple cider
vinegar and one tablespoon of sea
buckthorn juice until you have a
nice paste.
4 Apply to a clean face and then
leave on for 15-20 minutes. Rinse
with warm water followed by a splash
of cold water on your face.
Ye Ping, The Sanctuary
Home-made honey face mask
Benefits ‘Honey contains
marvellously healing, antibacterial,
antimicrobial enzymes, minerals,
amino acids and even cancerfighting
properties.’
1 Buy raw honey; make sure
that it’s the raw kind, with all
the necessary nutrients
still included, before it’s
processed.
2 In raw honey, the top
layer should look ‘dirty’
– mix this top layer of
wax and pollen together
with the rest of the
honey.
3 Spread the mixed
honey mixture across
your face – the darker the
mixture, the better it is for
your skin. Leave for 15 minutes,
and then rinse off.
