Papita Facial

By sonia June 8, 2013 +Beauty Bakes, +Foodie, +Travel, +Yogi

It is officially monsoon season! I’m loving this new experience.

A strong breeze blows in the morning and night, shaking the trees and sounding the wind chimes. In a split second, the sun hides, the clouds roll in, and the sky turns black.

Monsoons mean shouting loud zor se thunder. Bright bijli lightning. Pelting barish rain. Monsoons mean pitch black streets from power outages. Tarps covering shops. Cool rain providing refreshment from the heat. Monsoons mean big black ants and fat juicy beetles. Mangoes and lychee. Monsoons mean muddy sneakers and soaked hair. Puddles and mud splatters from cars driving by. Monsoons mean the smell of wet pavement. And mud. Monsoons mean the earth is thirsty. Green.

And monsoon yoga…so incredible. We have moved our classes inside but we open the windows to let nature come in. Yesterday evening, I was doing a backbend and felt this cool rush of air and splattering windspray wash over me as I stared outside the window at the pouring rain. Ah lovely.

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Today on my catch-up Saturday while I was out running errands, I saw the sky going moody and quickly dashed home. I just barely made it in time to snatch my laundry from the clothes line on our balcony before the clouds started shouting. Whew.

So what to do now?

Hmm. I guess a warm bath sounds nice. A cup of chai. A papaya-honey facial.

Well, if you insist. I am a sucker for rainy day pampering. 😉

Recipe: Papita (Papaya) Honey Facial

Let me tell you about this incredible facial…

PAPITA aka PAPAYA It is the ultimate beauty food. Papaya contains the enzyme papain, which works to slough off dead skin cells and clear up skin impurities. Great gentle exfoliant. Chock full of Vitamin A, papaya helps to brighten the skin and cure discoloration. AND this beauty food is full of anti-oxidants, which protect our skin from the free radicals that break down our collagen. All around promoting cell growth for fresh beautiful skin!

HONEY acts as a “humectant” for the skin, meaning it attracts and retains moisture to your cells, without causing any oil build-up. Makes your skin soft and supple. It is also full of those good-for-you anti-oxidants.

In summary, a miracle mask.

Ingredients

3-4 cubes fresh ripe papaya
1 tsp honey

To make the mask:

In a bowl, coffee mug, blender, container of choice, mash the papaya with a fork until it is nice and mushy.
Stir in the honey and mix well.

For your facial:

Clean your face. Remove any make-up and cleanse with mild soap or your favorite cleanser.
Steam. This step is optional. BUT, I cannot emphasize enough the benefits of steaming your face.
The steam opens up your pores and loosens all of the gunk that has gathered. My granny has this nifty face steamer – all I have to do is plug it in!
However, in California, I take a large saucepan, fill it about half-way with water, set it on the fire until it comes to a boil. I place the saucepan on the kitchen table, and while sitting at the table, I cover my head and the saucepan with a large towel.
- *I like to wear a thick headband to prevent my hair from getting in the way.
- **If using the sauce-pan method, be sure to keep your face a good distance away from the water and warn people not to touch you. You do not want to burn yourself.

After five minutes of steam, rinse your face gently with cool water and pat dry.
Apply papaya-honey mask evenly all over your face. Don’t forget about your neck.
- *Wear a t-shirt that you don’t mind getting messy, or wrap a towel around yourself, as this mask might drip.

After 10 minutes or when face feels tingly and/or taught, rinse with warm water. Pat dry with a towel.
Close your pores with some toner, rosewater, or an ice-cube.
Finish off with moisturizer.

Voila! Fresh glowing face.