Ask The Expert

Ask the Expert

We asked, you answered!

Hundreds of our web readers responded to our request for at-home beauty tips and time-tested stress relievers. Thanks for sharing your favorite tips. Many readers sent similar advice. So we featured those that represented all the advice combined.

And yes, we received many, many tips to enjoy chocolate!

Now relax, enjoy some beauty tips and feel the stress melt away! So we'll begin with everyone's favorite... Enjoy some chocolate!

One way I relieve stress: I crochet scarves for the homeless. I imagine a child wearing the scarf when picking out the yarn. I use a variegated yarn and just do a basic crochet. I can make one per skein.

Right now a skein costs me $2.79. It occupies my hands while I watch TV and gives me a great feeling when I turn them into the shelter! I dropped my first batch off and was told they were beautiful!

It filled me up!

This is a very simple and easy homemade facial.

1. Put one teaspoon of sugar in the palm of your hand.

2. Pour approximately one to two teaspoon honey over the sugar (in your hand).

3. Rub hands together to mix well.

4. Rub mixture all over your face and under your chin for 30 to 60 seconds.

5. Rinse face with warm water until all residue of mixture is gone.

6. Pat dry with towel (or paper towel).

7. Apply you favorite moisturizer.

Your face will feel smooth and you will look great. This is very effective in removing dead skin cells. And best of all, it cost pennies.

From a licensed professional in the health & spa industry: I enjoy natural home remedies. I spend the weekend creating healthy meals & home spa treatments, safe enough for the entire family.

I use our home foot spa, soak our feet in eucalyptus Epsom salt & peppermint oil. I use natural oatmeal as a scrub on the hands, elbows, knees & feet. Top off treatments by dipping our hands in Eucalyptus paraffin hot wax & wrap our elbows with strips dipped in hot wax. At bedtime, I place petroleum jelly at the bottom of my feet with talc powder inside my cotton booties & I sleep in them. They keep my feet moist, yet, cool & soothing. Wonderful feeling!

I learned this technique about a year ago and it works for me.

I use the visualization because the mind can take you in or out of a current stressful situation. It is sort of like yoga. I close my eyes and start to take deep breaths and I focus on my breathing. As I breathe I say (silently) “in” as I breathe in and “out” as I breathe out. As intrusive thoughts began to enter my mind I try to regain focus on my breathing and saying “in” and “out.” The thoughts may still come but your goal is to be in the present and not think about anything else but your breathing. This can be difficulty if you have a lot of thoughts but you get better with consistency and frequency

Egg whites or avocado make a great face mask. Rise with warm water followed by cold water.

I like to use a warm neck wrap. You can buy them in the store, but if you don't want to spend any money you can make one. Just take a long sock and fill it with uncooked rice. Put a knot in the open end to close it up and microwave it for 45 seconds to 1 minute or so, depending on how hot you want it. Place it around your neck or back or on your stomach if you are having menstrual cramps, and it feels great. You can use it over and over again. And if you use jasmine rice to fill it, you get that nice fragrance when it’s warmed up.

Read a romance novel.

My best relaxation comes from exercise! Even if you don't have a lot of time take a walk or a bike ride.

During this fall season, I love raking leaves! It gives me quiet time and allows me to think without interruption! So although you can do this with the ones you love, you can think by yourself.

When I'm stressed I have a few little tricks I do. Here are some of them:

I read to get my mind distracted

Count to ten

Yoga. More of the breathing technique's then anything.

Close my eyes and picture something/someone or place that I find peaceful

Go to the beach and just sit hear the waves crashing, feel the sand with my feet and hands, smell and taste the salty air, meditate (my friend thought me this one - sit up or lay down, close your eyes and picture a ball of light of your favorite color make it bounce then picture another ball of light make it a different color and bounce also. Do this until all you see is calming color all around you.)

Talk to a friend.

Walk outside and feel the wind or sun in my face.

Take a shower... feel the water just fall on me.

Color - my co-worker told me about this.

I hope you find some of these ideas helpful.

There is nothing more relaxing and fun than an evening together with close friends. Everyone brings food and we combine it with a few bottles of good wine, makeup discoveries, great movies and lots of laughter. (And chocolate!)

We can openly discuss any topic regarding our lives, feelings of self doubt, personal challenges and as a result, we all leave with new ideas and positive affirmation. Often we find that what appears to be an overwhelming problem is small compared to what others are experiencing.

I love to country line dance. You don’t have to have a partner to do it. But they do have couples dances also. I also love to sit and read and sip on a good cup of tea.

I work in the extremely stressful environment of HIV/AIDS. On my desk I keep aroma therapy with the scent lavender. When things get really hectic and the energy of the room is reflecting the stress of the issue, I take a moment to activate the smell of lavender and breathe for 10-30 seconds reflecting on why the work is needed and how I can be beneficial. Sometimes that is as simple as saying no to a request to be able to say yes to myself on how much I can take or give back. Sometimes the hardest thing is taking time for ourselves in the mist of our day to day routine.

I find it interesting that many of my co-workers come to just stand in my area and smell the lavender, breathe and smile. They then return to their areas refreshed and able to carry on with the work they were just taking a break from. This is how I sometimes make it through the day.

Thanks for asking, gave me a moment to think, smell and smile.

I would like to offer two inexpensive ways I relax & manage stress.

1. Get a hot cup of tea or hot chocolate, a muffin and curl up with a good book or watch the Life Time Channel on TV.

2. Invite one or two friends over for lunch and chat, reminisce and laugh the afternoon away.

Scrub: Honey & sugar. Mmix, scrub & see all blackheads & dead skin disappear.

Mask: Oatmeal, honey & lemon (mix to make paste – apply for 15 – 20 minutes – radiant skin after.

Hair: Egg yolk & olive oil (mix – apply to scalp & hair (leave on for as long as possible) I put it on while I clean every Saturday. Watch the hair grow with shine & strength.

I work full time as well as live on a farm. When the daily stress gets too heavy, I do one of the following:

1. Take ten very deep breaths letting each one out very slowly and try to empty my mind at the same time by just concentrating on this simple exercise.

2. There's nothing that helps more than a good laugh. I have the Calvin and Hobbes anthology. Reading just a few pages at a time (making myself stop what I'm doing) makes me smile and even laugh out loud. Laughing must change the chemical balance in my body because I feel ever so much better after a good laugh.

3. I live on a 35 acre farm. My husband has always said he knows how my work day went by how I clean the horse stalls (i.e. the faster I shovel, the worse the pressure was at work.)

4. I sometimes sit in the hay loft in a spot of sunshine and play with some of our kittens and/or have two or three cats cuddle up on my lap. The quiet time is a great healer. I read a quote about kittens -
Kittens don't worry about the future, they live in the moment. Taking a few minutes out of a stressful day to just enjoy what's around you or to find something in your world that makes you smile or feel good adds a warm special feeling in one's soul.

I guess if I had any advice or suggestion to give women is to try and find something simple that takes your concentration away from yourself. The simple pleasure of watching kittens play or walking in one of our pastures in the spring or watching the snow fall on the branches of the pines in winter makes me appreciate how much I have for which to be thankful. The everyday pressure seems a million miles away when you can clear your mind and stop the worries about bills, kids, friends, work, deadlines for even just five or ten minutes a day.

As women we must begin to understand that playing the role of a "superwoman" is simply not healthy. We place unnecessary stress on ourselves by trying to please our family, the community, our church, etc. We have to learn to say "no" without feeling guilty.

Take a good book into your bath or whirlpool tub and escape. This is a technique that always relaxes me and also puts me in a very humorous frame of mind.

1. On Saturdays I always make it a habit to watch old sit-coms that include;

a. I Love Lucy

b. Andy Griffith

c. The Munsters

d. Leave it to Beaver

The reason I have chosen these particular ones is because it reminds me of family values, the good old days, and most of all there is always a good moral twist to the outcomes of the various situations, no matter what the issues. They also have a focus on the thinking of children in a lot of ways and how adults may influence their thinking, even in the acting world.

Thanks for the opportunity!

To eliminate stress and to feel and look great, I enhance my workouts (yoga, strengthening, and cardio movements) by saying positive core value affirmations like "I can", "I am good enough" and "I release stress". We all know the many benefits of exercising. Using this technique of repeating centering, energizing and releasing affirmations, I can also fill my emotional needs and focus on who I am becoming. The results: I feel more positive and energized. It's like meditating while I move. Below is a snippet of how the process works using strengthening movements.

1. Start by breathing deeply. Inhale and exhale for a count of four.

2. Once the breathing rhythm is established, move your body by performing strengthening exercises like bicep curls or squats.

3. Then focus your mind on positive affirmation mantras like "I am strong" or "I am capable". As the core value affirmations are repeated out loud or to yourself, your being feels the affirmations take hold.

I have found that the key to experiencing a strong mind, body and being is to listen to my own voice, move my body with intention and feel my inner spirit. This program has helped me raise my children alone, quit smoking, lose and maintain my weight, relieve stress, graduate from college, remarry and start my own business. More importantly, it has allowed me to love and accept myself.

A book is an enchanted gate that leads to magic lands. This is all I remember and comes to mind when too stressed out with life’s petty matters.

So my tip is: Pick up a good book.

I learned this in a yoga class I took a few years ago:

Shoulder stress release:
You raise your shoulders up tight to your ears. Hold pose tight a few seconds then you moved your shoulders back and then down, down, down, as far as they will go. Arms are limp at your sides. This can be done standing or sitting.

Best part, as you are doing this, you say "up, back and down." Really more like up, back and dooooowwwwwnnnnnnnnnn. As you say the word down, you lower your voice and stretch out the word doooooowwwwwwwnnnnnnnn.

Doing this sound also helps to slow down your breathing.

Try it and see if it doesn't help to relax you!

Take a 15 to 20 minute break and relax by taking deep breaths. This will also help lower your blood pressure.

I de-stress by reading a good book while listening to "Easy Listening" instrumentals. I also watch the mail for coupons for the local massage therapy schools. That makes it affordable. I have learned to watch only enough news to stay informed.

A great beauty treatment that is easy and inexpensive is a baking soda face scrub. Make a paste out of baking soda and olive oil. Rub gently to get rid of all the dead skin that accumulates on our skin everyday

You can leave this on for 5 minutes of so. Olive oil is great for the skin. Rinse with warm water and see how much better you face looks and feels after getting rid of the "old" and moisturized with the olive oil!

My favorite stress relief is to run a hot bubble bath, place candles everywhere, get a favorite glass of wine, play soft soothing music, close the door to the bathroom to shut out the world, turn out the lights and indulge myself!

Besides being very spiritual, I count on organizational skills to keep me as stress-free as possible. I see so many people around me who run out of time, forget things, etc. With three active children and a husband and activities of my own, why would I try to remember everything in my head?

I use a desk calendar mounted on the pantry wall. Whenever any activities, deadlines, etc. come up, I mark them on the calendar. If a birthday is penciled in, I also pencil in two weeks in advance when I need to send out invitations. You can make the calendar as detailed as you need to make it. Whatever works best for you. When those activity fliers, invitations, etc. come in, I not only log them in on the calendar, but put the notices in an "EVENTS" drawer so that I can refer back to them later. Organize your life around you to make things simpler. You will be surprised how much stress you can alleviate.

Stress relievers:

1. Reading

2. Tub baths

3. Being with my husband

4. Volunteering

5. Organizing or doing a special project in my house

6. Sleeping

Whenever I'm down I watch "Uncle Buck." He makes me laugh and helps me to escape the realities of my day.

Music always lifts my spirit. Be it live Classic or Blues … or good old Christian Music on my favorite CD.

A walk out in the fresh air can do wonders... clears the mind and helps the body overall.

Reading a funny book is great. Janet Evanovich makes me laugh out loud and she is free at the library!

There's nothing better than a good old fashioned soak in the tub. The warmth and comfort of the water is underrated.

Picking up the phone and just chatting with a friend, if even for 5 minutes allows you to feel more connected.

If you have a pet the unconditional love is wonderful.

And then there is always curling up on the couch with double afghan. Maybe allow yourself a little nap.

I am a 37.5 yr old single mom of three, 3.5 grandchildren, work full time and go to college full time.

I put olive oil under my eyes an hour before bed. I leave it on, and when I wake my skin looks younger, and my eyes aren’t so puffy.

1. Take a brisk walk in the woods with my dog.

2. Find a gemstone with stress relieving, or calming properties, buy some earrings or some jewelry with that stone and when you are feeling stressed put them on. They will make you feel pretty and just that simple act of trying to calm down with help of a greater power can do worlds of good.

1. Begin the exercise by sitting comfortably in a chair or couch that supports your entire body. Choose a peaceful setting and turn off the phone for 5-10 minutes.

2. Take 3 deep breaths, inhaling through the nose and exhaling through your mouth, then let your breath go back to its normal rhythm.

3. Notice the physical sensations associated with your breath (i.e. the freshness of taking air in and the warm relief of releasing your breath)

4. Note how gradually your body and mind begin to relax as you simply take the time to rest a while.

5. In your mind's eye place yourself in a setting where you find beauty, peace, and safety (e.g. a place in nature like the beach or the forest)

6. Notice what you see (light, colors); what you hear (sounds, or nothing); aromas you perceive; textures you feel.

7. Begin to suggest to yourself that in this place you can truly relax.

8. Remain enjoying this experience for a few more minutes as your mind, body, and spirit work together to provide you what you need and want.

Time for another bite of Chocolate!

I think more and more women (and men) are turning to crafts for relaxation. Knitting and crocheting are not only relaxing, but you end up with a very useful product. Some communities in the bay area have formed groups interested in a particular hobby; for instance Tarpon Springs has a group called the Knitwits. They meet once a week for both socializing and help on a project. Scrap booking has become very popular in recent years as had beadwork. There's also rug hooking, quilting, etc. These crafts help reduce stress because you're concentrating on the work you're doing, not your problems.