Saving Graces

Barbara: For a long time I've wanted to share this little "miracle" treatment I've been using to great success. In all my years of trial and error, one of my favourite no-fail natural cure-alls has been castor oil. It was recommended to me by an amazing healer many years ago and I use it religiously. Not to be confused with cod liver oil, castor oil comes from a flower and is mild and lovely. I use it externally as a remedy for skin issues like rashes, bruises, those hard little calcium deposits that love to pop up around the eyes, and for spider veins on my legs. I am prone to all of these and applying the castor oil has eliminated the calcium bumps as they come up, helps to diffuse the darkening of any bruises, and has actually kept more spider veins at bay, even minimizing the look of the ones that are already there. It is cheap and easy to find at a natural store. It is completely safe and can even go into your eyes if you apply it too closely, with no issues at all! The only problem is that it is goopy and thick. I rub it into my legs every morning until the goopiness has mostly gone and only wear it when I'm wearing jeans or thick pants where it won't bleed through. After doing this for the better part of five years I can assure you that it won't damage your clothes. I also use it as a cheap night cream every few nights and most nights I also massage it in around my eyes on top of my eye cream. Every one I know who uses it absolutely swears by it. But most people don't know about it, so I'm sharing it here! If you've tried it, let us know your experience. If you have any questions, I'd be happy to answer them to the best of my ability (although obviously no expert) (and, no, this is not an advertising endorsement!).

Age Inappropriate? Dubious Tricks Of The Trade

Barbara: When I wanted to share the great things I’ve done for myself over the years, I knew at some point I’d have to write about the ridiculous ones. I’ll admit, I don‘t mind embarrassing myself for the sake of a good eye-roll and/or laugh. I’m cute that way.

So, when it comes to the inexorable aging process, desperate times call for desperate measures, right? Okay well, in my superficial brain—or the superficial part of my brain (would this be the “susceptile” brain?)––they have often seemed like “desperate” times.

This is my miss list.

I have long been obsessed with skin care and over the years have tried many at-home facials: everything from the toweled steam over the pot of water to the homemade masks. I read somewhere that mayonnaise was highly beneficial for your skin. That seemed easy enough. Too bad they didn’t think that idjits like me would assume Miracle Whip was the same thing. You know, the processed, chemicalled, sweetened version of what should really just be olive oil, egg, lemon, Dijon, and bit of salt. My skin looked like I’d massaged it with a cheese grater. Needless to say, it turned me off the stuff forever.

Vitamins? The jury’s out on how effective these are—are they much-needed replacements for our depleted produce, or are they big-business manufactured money-makers with no real value? I don’t know, but I have had every type of vitamin go through my body at one point or another and I can’t tell if life is any different now that I don’t take them at all anymore. I eat well instead (you know the boring stuff: lots of veggies, and very little sugar, caffeine, or processed foods).

Some beauty tricks are so embarrassing that I'm mortified even if no one is watching. Like being in a department store dressing room trying on a Spanx (or some variety thereof). I was attempting this trick because I had an event I wanted to be super-cool for and I’d found a super-cool outfit that would make me so. If only it didn’t show every lump and bump that wasn’t supposed to be there. Well, I was determined and undeterred. I’d heard the raves, I’d read the beauty mags: Spanx were it for smooth, sexy curves. I put that thing on and knew the moment it clamped its spandex jaws around my torso that I was in danger of deadly asphyxiation. As the breath was slowly sucked out of me, I tried desperately to remove it. Panic set in as that ungodly contraption refused to release its stranglehold. I couldn’t get it off; I couldn’t leave it on. I couldn’t call the dressing room attendant (don’t ask me why) (No, I’ll tell you why: pride *sigh*). Me and the Spanx, locked in combat for several long sweaty painful minutes-that-seemed-like hours before I finally managed to extricate myself. I quite literally do not know how women wear these and survive. (I wore the super-cool outfit, lumps be damned.)

This is a weird trick I refuse to give up, but that I live in fear of it biting me in the ass. I don’t like to wash my hair every day. But my hair is too oily to leave as it is on the days I don’t wash it. So I sprinkle cornstarch baby powder into my hands and massage it into my scalp. I think it works great. But I know––I KNOW––that one mortifying day, that baby powder is going to reveal itself for all the world to see, either dusting my hair where the brush missed it or my clothing where I accidentally sprinkled it. For the sake of beauty, I actually risk looking like a complete idiot. This is an intervention waiting to happen.

And my last one for today is courtesy of Deb: facial exercises. She does them religiously. And her skin looks absolutely amazing: tight as a baby’s bottom, no word of a lie. And describing the exercises, she makes a very valid point: facial muscles are muscles too and benefit from exercise as much as any other. I tried them for a while and I swear they actually worked. But on the one hand I felt ridiculous and on the other I am too damn lazy.

Deb: I do confess to being the Jane Fonda of the Facersize world. Well, not really “world”, I suppose, as I do not think it has hit craze level yet. But I am diligent with them once a day, twice if I can. Am I being duped by this facial placebo? Well, it makes sense that if we can tighten and strengthen the muscles in the rest of our bodies, why not the face? And for what it’s worth, it makes me feel better, so what the heck?

Vitamins? I so hear you, Barb. I do take my multi sap and my cal/mag but as far as the multi's are concerned, I don’t know. I fight lots of colds and always think, “Hmmmnn”. Cold FX as I have said before, works like a miracle for me, if I get the cold at the first sign. But other than that, I don’t know. I guess I’d rather not stop them at the beginning of winter though.

Cornstarch––check! Just started doing it this year when a friend––who’s hair NEVER looks dirty––told me this secret. But yes the dandruff avalanche is always an unwanted side effect if you are not diligent, post inspection.

The Spanx make millions of women happy, so far be it from me to cast aspersions, but I have worn Spanx two or three times and they drove me mental all damn night. I was in and out of the washroom pulling and yanking and begging them to do my bidding. It took me right back to the strapless bra years when I would spend the evening in the loo, bent over at the waist and yanking the bra up from my stomach back to the general area of my breasts. But the worst, the thing no one should ever see, is when you are pulling up the Spanx and your body is popping out these bubbling flesh sculptures as the Spanx slide over it. John Hurt’s alien encounter wasn’t as horrific as this hideous humbler.

No sir. Never want to see that again. 

PS Two wonderful blogs for middle-age beauty tricks that actually make sense are Middle Ageless by Rosina and The Best Of Everything After 50 by Barbara Hannah Grufferman. These women actually know what they're talking about. 

Age Appropriate––Our Tricks Of The Trade

Barbara: On Monday, we bemoaned our aging bodies, while still maintaining our deep-rooted respect for same and our absolute certainty that life does indeed get better.

So today I thought it would be appropriate to give props to those things each of us do and/or have done that we actually think paid off in the long run. Think of it as words of wisdom to our youngers and well-deserved pats on the back for each other.

I’ll go first. Cream. It’s a pain, it’s slippery, it’s time-consuming, it can be expensive (but doesn’t need to be). It works, no question. I’ve been creaming myself up for going on 30 of my 47 years. Body, hands, feet, face. What can I say? What I already said: it works. Wrinkles run in my family, on both sides. Gloriously youthful faces, but wrinkles. I believe I have staved them off as well as can be expected given gravity and climate.

I used to have these little hard calcified bumps on my upper arms and legs. Cream after my shower softened them and finally made them disappear. My skin is smooth, I tell you, smoooooth. I had cracked dry skin on the soles of my feet. Creaming day and night got rid of that. And here I actually have to name names because I have tried a zillion other hand and foot creams and the one I keep coming back to is Glysomed. Nary a cracked fissure in sight.

I also use natural “castor oil” for everything from keeping my spider veins at bay to easing a bruise in record time to softening my (normal everyday) moles. Desiten (yes, the diaper rash cream) is great for pimples or rashes (it’s all the zinc). And a smidgen of 15% tea tree oil on a q-tip then dabbed on a zit will dry that thing up in a few hours.

And then there’s exercise. Absolutely works. I am not addicted. I am not a machine. I don’t have Deb’s discipline. But still even once a week makes a huge difference.

Walking. Daily if I can. A dog is a great companion, but not required. With these, my body has been in more consistent shape than I would’ve guessed possible (not what it used to be, of course, but given the givens).

Yoga, also once a week. Oh, yogahhhhh. This is where I learned to breathe and relax. Without yoga, my mood is much trickier to manage and the bright side is not quite as bright. With it, I have time to myself.

Which brings me to: time to myself. This is my absolute. Without some precious quiet time in my day or week, I am worthless. With it, I get way more done with way less anxiety, stress, or guilt (which is ironic because guilt used to prevent me from taking time for myself!). Just do it.

What are your tricks?

Deb: My tricks are all done with mirrors! In fact, Barbara has never really seen what the actual Deb looks like...

No seriously. I am ALL ABOUT THE CREAMS TOO! For face alone I have:

Special cream wash

Toner

All over lifter and smoother

Eye serum

Eye cream

Liquid Gold all over face

Neck lifter

Night and Day cream

Night emulsion

Warm water!

Body also gets the treatment, emphasizing hands and elbows just before bed.

I get regular mani-pedi’s, which solve that cracked skin problem.

I just found out about a cream that reduces and fades liver spots, but I will have to get back to you on the name.

Barb, I love your tips and will use them! Castor oil, huh? Not just for breakfast anymore!!!

And I meditate, but not as much as I should. Been doing T.M. since 1973! And yes, I love love love to exercise. I work out 6 days a week. Cardio, weights resistance, Zumba and I am starting lyrical jazz in January. I walk the dogs, ride my bike, and I skate almost every day in the winter. My husband and I met a couple of young doctors at a wedding a month ago. We asked, “What is the secret to longevity in your opinion?” They said, “Exercise, first, second, and last”. So that made me feel sooooooooooooooo much better about red wine with dinner every night!