Salad Days...- Femina

So you've got a razzle-dazzle party to attend three days from now, and you're looking dead. The clock, unstoppable, is ticking away. What's a girl to do? Tell you what. Slice up the greenest, freshest fruits and vegetables you can find, and start munching. A few hours later, treat yourself to a tall glass of freshly squeezed juice.

Follow this cleansing routine for the next 36 hours, and the final time you look into that mirror, you'll blush. Feast on raw, energising, life-giving foods and your body will gratefully lap up those vitamins and minerals to nourish itself. Happily, Nature offers us a plentiful beauty-enhancing menu: Aloe vera, apple, buckwheat, carrot, coconut, cucumber, figs, hemp seeds, nuts, olives, papaya, tomato and watercress are just a few on the luscious list. Can there be a more delicious way to glow?

Peel Off Those Years
A child's skin stays soft and radiant because it is young, and can shed dead cells simply by rubbing against towels and washcloths. As we age, skin hardens and the dead cells refuse to fall as easily. The result: Essential oxygen, moisture and nutrients are unable to reach living skin. When you look into the mirror and find that your complexion looks dull, it's because you're looking at dead skin. The solution? Get rid of those dead cells! Exfoliate! Pick natural ingredients off your kitchen shelf to exfoliate. Nuts and coarse grains, such as oatmeal, apricot and bits of almond, are the most popular ingredients for facial scrubs. Whatever you try, do make sure you don't rub too hard.

How often you exfoliate should depend on your skin type. If you have oily skin, dead cells tend to cling to your face, so you must exfoliate thrice a week after cleansing and before toning. If you have dry skin, exfoliate twice a week. Even those blessed with 'normal' skin need exfoliation - once a week is good enough for you. Soon your baby-soft skin will surface again!