Welcome
to this month’s edition of Witch Hazel, the gothic/pagan answer to Heloise! This month, here are some of the questions I received:
Dear Witch Hazel, Is there any way to get rid of acne naturally?
– Nadine
There are plenty of natural remedies you can try and they’re all available at the supermarket!
Chopped fresh parsley is great for cleaning out your pores. Steep about a handful in one cup of boiling water, as if you were making tea. After half an hour, strain and keep refrigerated in a jar with a tight fitting lid. Apply to the face daily as a compress with a clean wash cloth.
Try fresh onion juice (yes onions) for more severe breakouts. Apply just to the trouble spots and leave on for about 15 minutes. Be sure to rinse well to clean off all the odour.
To make your own acne fighting astringent, make this simple infusion. Steep three tablespoons of thyme in 1 1/2 cups of boiling water. Remove from stove after about 2 minutes and let the mixture sit for up to 1/2 hour. Strain and refrigerate. Apply daily to the face after cleansing with a cotton ball.
Here’s an easy all-natural cleanser that’s very inexpensive. Cook some carrots in a small amount of water until soft and mash into a paste. Apply a thin layer to skin the same way you would use a clay mask and leave on for 15 minutes. Rinse with warm water. The vitamin A in carrots is also effective for preventing wrinkles.
If your skin tends to be overly sensitive, try cleansing with a simple hot water compress. Soak a clean wash cloth under tap water that is as hot as you can comfortably stand it (be careful not to burn your skin) and apply to skin until the washcloth cools down. Repeat a couple of times. The steam from the hot water will clean dirt off of skin. You may need to follow with an oil-free moisturizer if your skin feels dry.
I am having a difficult time locating peppermint. I’ve found bunched leaves at my grocers, ambiguously called “mint”. Will this be acceptable or should I hunt up something that I know to be peppermint? Thank you, and I look forward to your next installment on Morbid Outlook.
– Gerri
Well I’m glad that you are enjoying my column! Since all mints have basically the same properties as peppermint, this should be no problem. Peppermint tends to be a bit stronger than other mints, but you can substitute another mints for the peppermint remedies
(see March 2000 Witch Hazel in the archives). The mint in this package may very well be peppermint, though, so ask somebody in the produce department what variety this mystery mint is if you want to be certain!
A reader named Mary Alice sent in these wonderful hints just in time for summer:
For sunburn – Use a washcloth immersed in tepid water. Wring out, and pour cider or white vinegar on. Squeeze through. Pat gently to scorched area. Repeat ad infinitum. You will not smell like a salad. It stops the sting and you will not peel. Alternately, you can fill a tub full of tepid water, add 1 cup vinegar, and 4 or 5 aspirin (nothing else such as Tylenol, Advil, etc.) Enter and soak. Do not rinse off. This will also stop the pain. Oils keep the heat in and the burn going, so avoid them completely.
Mosquito bites – wet an aspirin and rub on area. Let dry. It will help stop the itching.
Bee stings/Ant bites – Straight ammonia out of the bottle directly applied as often as needed. Make sure the stinger from bees is out–scrape it out or pull out if you can still see it. Ants have formic acid in their mandibles which is why it hurts so much. The ammonia helps to neutralize this acid.
Thanks and if you have any herbal questions or home remedies that you would like to share, please send an e-mail to
witchhazel@morbidoutlook.com.
