The sauna climate promotes healthy skin and therefore naturally increases the effectiveness of many cosmetic procedures. And 2-3 times! The only thing is that such cosmetics have strict requirements - they must be as natural as possible. Few people would think of taking products that contain preservatives into the bathhouse. This will not improve your health! Another thing is to use honey in a bath as a health-improving cosmetic product. This product is initially natural, in addition, it has a very complex composition that has a beneficial effect on the skin and the entire body.
What it is?
A cosmetic scrub is a product in the form of an emulsion or gentle cream containing small abrasive particles. For facial care, scrubs containing small particles are used. To cleanse the body, harsher means are used.
Various exfoliating components are used to prepare scrubs:
- sea salt;
- granulated sugar;
- orange zest;
- apricot kernels;
- cereals;
- coffee grounds;
- or artificial granules.
The compositions are used not only to cleanse the skin, but also to achieve the effect of weight loss, whitening and rejuvenation.
Advantages and disadvantages
The result can be seen immediately after using the scrub. The skin takes on a fresh and healthy appearance. Cosmetics have the following positive effects:
- enrich the skin with essential nutrients;
- deeply cleanse the skin and prepare it for the use of moisturizers;
- stimulate the production of collagen, due to which the skin becomes more toned;
- activate metabolism and blood microcirculation in small vessels;
- accelerate the removal of excess fluid;
- are a means of preventing cellulite and improve the appearance of the skin;
- normalize fat metabolism in skin cells, reduce its fat content.
Unfortunately, bath scrubs are not without some disadvantages:
- small abrasive particles can injure the skin and cause inflammation or irritation;
- when used on injured or inflamed areas, may cause scarring;
- make the skin defenseless against ultraviolet rays and contribute to the appearance of age spots and sunburn;
- Frequent use causes roughening of the skin.
To ensure that scrubs do not cause harm to the body, you should carefully choose the products and use them in accordance with the recommendations.
Composition of honey and its effect on the human body
Honey and the bath are associated with a healthy lifestyle, and if we have talked in detail about the beneficial properties of the bath, it will be interesting to find out what the health-improving properties of the sweet product are based on. First, let's look at its composition. So, high-quality honey consists of carbohydrates dissolved in a small amount of water:
- Fructose - 38%;
- Glucose - 31%;
- Sucrose - 1%;
- Maltose, melitose and other sugars - 9%;
- Ash - 0.17%;
- Wax, pollen, etc. - 3.38%;
- Water - no more than 20%. As we have already noted, as honey matures, the amount of moisture in it steadily decreases, reaching a value of no more than 13% in the finally ripened product.
At the same time, a more in-depth analysis of honey, in particular its elemental base, shows that 100 grams of high-quality honey that meets the requirements of GOST R - 54644 - 2011 contains:
- Riboflavin - 0.038 mg;
- Niacin - 0.121 mg;
- Pantothenic acid - 0.068 mg;
- Pyridoxine - 0.024 mg;
- Folacin - 2 mcg;
- Ascorbic acid - 0.5 mg.
In this list, the first five elements belong to the vitamin B group, and ascorbic acid is known as vitamin C.
No less interesting is the microelement composition of honey, in terms of the content of metals and phosphorus in it, so in particular, the same 100 grams of the product contain:
- Calcium - 6 mg;
- Iron - 0.42 mg;
- Magnesium - 2 mg;
- Phosphorus - 4 mg;
- Potassium - 52 mg;
- Zinc - 0.22 mg;
- Sodium - 4 mg.
The energy value of 100 grams of honey is 304 kcal or 1272 kJ of metabolic energy, while honey contains absolutely no fat, protein content does not exceed 0.3 g, carbohydrates - 82.4 g, and the remaining 17.1 g is water.
The main polluting and dangerous factors that reduce the quality of honey are:
- Pesticides, revitalizants, insecticides used to treat agricultural land.
- Radionuclides that concentrate in areas of radioactive contamination of the area.
- Veterinary drugs, including antibiotics, which are used to control bee diseases.
- Toxic substances found naturally in the pollen or nectar of some plants. Such a product can cause symptoms of acute poisoning and is commonly called “drunk” honey.
What are the beneficial properties of honey?
Based on the beneficial properties of honey, a whole system has been developed, which is called honey therapy.
First of all, it should be noted that despite its carbohydrate nature, honey is a dietary product and has been actively used by humanity for thousands of years. What are its main beneficial properties worth noting:
- Honey, due to its high glucose content, is a nutritious product rich in free energy. It actively saturates the body with fast carbohydrates, that is, a bath with honey guarantees prompt replenishment of energy costs during all procedures.
- The sweet product is endowed with antimicrobial and antibacterial properties. These qualities have been actively used since the times of Ancient Egypt, and in the logging cooperatives of the Russian North, a mixture of honey with birch tar and badger fat in equal parts served as a universal wound-healing agent that was guaranteed to work both in winter frosts and in autumn slush.
- Again, glucose stabilizes the activity of the liver and neutralizes its dysfunction. We have already written about how important a strong liver is during traditional Russian bath gatherings.
- Honey is effective for burns and coughs; it is not for nothing that a birch bark ladle of linden honey was an indispensable attribute of the Ural charcoal burners, which provided Demidov enterprises with charcoal in the Middle Urals. The good practical experience of our ancestors is still used today during rehabilitation therapy to overcome the consequences of carbon monoxide poisoning.
- In the above composition of high-quality flower honey, we see an almost complete list of B vitamins and ascorbic acid, which looks tempting to meet the needs of the human body, especially during the period of vitamin deficiency in late winter and early spring.
How to make it yourself at home?
To cleanse your skin, you can purchase cosmetics in the store or prepare them at home from natural ingredients.
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With olive oil
A homemade olive oil scrub has hypoallergenic properties and is suitable for any skin type. It contains large amounts of vitamin E and moisturizing ingredients. The composition is recommended for cleansing and rejuvenating dry and sensitive skin. It is used during the cold season, when the skin needs to replenish its moisture supply.
Ingredients:
- olive oil – 4-5 tbsp. spoon;
- cane sugar – 2 tbsp. spoons;
- ground coffee – 2-3 tbsp. spoons;
- lemon juice – 1 teaspoon.
The components must be mixed in such proportions to obtain a viscous mixture.
Apply the product to well-steamed skin with light movements and leave for 10 minutes, then rinse off in the shower.
Honey with salt
The coarse salt included in the composition helps restore the lack of potassium and magnesium in the body and normalize the water-salt balance. It has a drying effect, so this product can be used to cleanse oily and normal skin.
Honey is used as a base for cosmetic products. It promotes the removal of waste and toxins, enriches the skin with nutritional components, and has a healing effect. For a homemade scrub, you can use any scrub, even sugared one.
To prepare, mix equal parts of honey and table or sea salt.
The composition is applied to heated and steamed skin, gently rubbed in and washed off with warm water.
From coffee, with whitening effect
This is a good remedy for weight loss. It actively removes toxins from the body, promotes deep cleansing and restoration of skin cells. To prepare it you will need:
- ground coffee – 3 tablespoons;
- sour cream or heavy cream - 1 cup;
- orange oil – 2-3 drops.
To achieve a whitening effect, use equal amounts of sour cream and ground coffee.
To prepare the scrub, you need to thoroughly mix coffee and sour cream and add orange essential oil. Transfer the mixture into a small container and place in a cool place.
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Before application, cleanse the skin and apply the composition with smooth massaging movements, rub well and rinse.
Anti-cellulite
The scrub helps activate metabolism, gives skin elasticity, and makes the “orange peel” less noticeable.
To prepare it you will need:
- honey – 1 tablespoon;
- coffee grounds – 100 g;
- liquid soap – 1 teaspoon;
- essential oil of rosemary, cypress, bergamot, lavender - 15 drops.
How to cook:
- Melt honey in a water bath.
- Add coffee grounds and detergent.
- Mix all ingredients and dissolve aromatic oils in them.
What honey should I take to the bath?
The type of honey does not matter; the main condition for the therapeutic effect is real bee honey, and not a fake made from sugar or caramel. The ideal honey for bathing procedures is fresh, transparent, and easily flows down a spoon.
Melt the candied honey using a water bath or placing a jar near the stove so that the heat makes it liquid. You cannot overheat honey; at temperatures above 45 degrees, all beneficial properties are lost. If the honey has warmed up, but remains too thick to grate, you can dilute it with a decoction of medicinal herbs or just water.
How to use?
In order for a cosmetic product to have the expected effect, you need to not only carefully read its composition, but strictly follow all the rules of use.
Basic Rules
- Before entering the steam room or sauna, you should rinse your body in the shower. This will prevent the toxins released during steaming of the skin from being absorbed through enlarged pores.
- After the steam room, you also need to rinse with cool water to wash off all the dirt.
- After this, cosmetics can be applied to cleansed and steamed damp skin, paying special attention to problem areas.
- Then the scrub is washed off with water, a massage is done and masks are used for the face and hair.
Application order
The body cleansing procedure is carried out in the following sequence:
- The scrub is applied to a pre-steamed body, heating the composition. To do this, you can take it with you to the steam room.
- Rinse your body in warm water.
- Apply the product to the body. To do this, you can use mixtures of several types: for the face, body, different skin types.
- The scrub is applied in a circular motion along the massage lines, starting from the feet, and left for 10-15 minutes.
- The product can be distributed with your hands or a massage mitten. It is used no more than once every 7-10 days.
- Particular attention should be paid to problem areas.
- The product is washed off in the shower.
After this, you can apply moisturizing masks and creams.
Contraindications for use
Despite their high efficiency and a large number of beneficial properties, the use of cosmetic scrubs is not always possible. Their use is contraindicated in the following cases:
- hypersensitivity to the components included in the product;
- dermatological diseases;
- psoriasis;
- lupus;
- pemphigus;
- malignant and benign neoplasms;
- phlebeurysm;
- the presence of small scratches, rashes or wounds on the skin;
- after visiting the solarium;
- close location to the surface of blood vessels and the existing vascular network.
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Using cosmetics when visiting a bathhouse helps you get rid of excess weight and cellulite, give your skin a healthy look, and also feel more energetic and self-confident.
Benefits of honey face masks
By making masks from honey in a bathhouse, you increase their effectiveness several times. The skin is steamed, the pores open, and nutrients penetrate better. This is why spa treatments in saunas are so popular. The beneficial properties of honey face masks in combination with such steaming will not take long to appear:
- Blood circulation increases, the effectiveness of nutrition and skin hydration increases.
- Thanks to cleansing of toxins, beneficial substances penetrate deeper into the layers of the skin and are better absorbed.
- The natural elasticity of the skin increases.
- Wrinkles are smoothed out.
- The skin acquires a healthy shine, the functioning of the sweat glands is normalized, and dry skin is reduced.
- Blackheads are much easier to remove; you can even get rid of closed comedones.
But this positive effect applies exclusively to regular procedures! A one-time trip to the bathhouse with a honey mask will only bring a one-time effect and a pleasant feeling of cleanliness, but will not last.
