Skin and Hair Care Tips
Dry Skin
We all know what dry skin is and how it feels. One suggestion made in the Cayce readings stands out above all the others: apply peanut oil as a lotion to the area. Should there be continued irritation or a prickling sensation from the oil, add ½ to 1 teaspoonful of dissolved lanolin to the oil.
A special exercise was given for those people with dry hands and skin. The readings indicated that it would aid the body in assimilation by stimulating the gastric flow. Although this exercise was described in preceding notes, it warrants being repeated here.
Stretch the arms above the head and reach as high as you can or, even better, grab hold of a bar or other structure that you can safely swing from (the readings suggested a tree limb!). Hold on, relaxing your body, not your grip! Stretch or swing like this until you feel the tension leave your body. Repeat this regularly, once or twice a day. It will aid the body in digestion and assimilation.
Feet-Dry And Peeling
If your feet are dry and peeling but a fungal infection (such as athlete's foot) is not suspected, it is likely that poor circulation is one probable culprit. Massage deeply and regularly with equal parts of olive oil and peanut oil. Consider asking your chiropractor or osteopath-lo make a helpful adjustment which will aid circulation in the lower extremities.
Graying Hair
Among the suspected causes of graying hair are stress, poor diet, and poor circulation in the scalp. To maintain healthy hair and to prevent graying, Cayce recommended eating the skins of Irish potatoes prepared in one of two ways. First, you can steam the skins in Patapar paper (available in health food stores) or you can prepare a juice from the skins by stewing them in a little water and drinking the juice.
In both preparations it is stressed not to eat the meat of the potato, but just the skins.
Moles
The readings did not always encourage the removal of moles, those dark spots which we sometimes think are unsightly. However, they did offer a simple suggestion for their removal if this was so desired: To massage the area-on the mole and around it-with castor oil, twice a day. Continue the treatment until the spot goes away.
Nails
Proper care of nails requires vigilance in diet, eliminations, and circulation. In the diet arena, adequate quantities of calcium were stressed. As mentioned earlier, foods rich in calcium include sunflower seeds, cheese, milk, and green vegetables. A good practice is to have a green salad for lunch, sprinkled with sunflower seeds and gelatin.
Cayce also indicated that the thyroid affects the health of nails. Refer to "Thyroid Therapy" in preceding notes and be sure to include these practices in your health regimen.
Finally, the readings recommended two different massage compounds for nails and cuticles. The first is simply a drop or two of Atomidine rubbed gently on and around the nail. Although this will tend to color the nail at first, it will also strengthen and prevent its breaking. The second compound was a paste of pure apple cider vinegar and table salt applied in the same way. Choose the one which seems to work for you.
Poison Ivy
Anyone who has had poison ivy knows how maddening the persistent itch can be. The readings recommended Atomidine as a remedy taken in the following manner: one to two drops in half a glass of water in the morning for four to five days. Then discontinue.
In addition, prepare a weakened solution of Atomidine-one teaspoonful to half a glass of waterand sponge off the infected area. This is soothing and will help dry up the rash.
As is the admonition for almost all skin disorders, take a good eliminant. This will help flush the system of poisons which, because of disturbances from the rash, will accumulate in the superficial circulation. Eno salts is a recommended remedy. Take one teaspoonful in a glass of water daily for eight to ten days during the itchy siege.
Scars
For cutaneous scars or healed wounds the Cayce readings suggest several different scar massage formulas which have as a common ingredient camphorated oil.
The first step in making this lotion is to add camphor to olive oil in the following manner: Heat four ounces of olive oil, then add one ounce of natural camphor crystals (add it cautiously so as not to spatter and burn yourself).
Scar Massage Formula
Mix the following ingredients to create the classic scar massage formula:
Camphor added to olive oil 2 oz
Lanolin, dissolved ½ tsp
Peanut oil 1 oz
Using your fingertips, gently massage this formula into your scar once or twice daily for five minutes.
Olive Oil And Tincture Of Myrrh Formula
You might like to experiment with alternating the Scar Massage Formula with the compound of olive oil and tincture of myrrh.
Heat 1 tbsp. of olive oil and carefully add 1 tbsp. of myrrh. Make only enough for one application. Adjust the above measurements (always equal amounts) according to your needs, which will be dictated by the size of your Scar.
Enlist Mind Power The following Cayce reading is a particularly beautiful and insightful one. It represents important element from the Cayce philosophy-that healing is most effective if it first occurs on the spiritual level.
"Let the scars be removed from. . . the own mental and spiritual self. Turn to those things of making application of the fruits of the spirit of truth; love, patience, gentleness, kindness, long-suffering, brotherly love, putting away those little tendencies for being 'catty' at times or being selfish or expressing jealousy and such.
"Let that mind be in thee as was in Him, who is the way and the truth and the light, and He will make the light of love so shine through thy countenance that few, if any, will ever see the scars made by self-indulgence in other experiences."
(Edgar Cayce reading 5092-1)
Sunburn
Sunburn results when overexposure to the sun's harsh rays causes a number of changes, including an extreme dilation of the skin's blood vessels. Hence, the redness and burning sensation occur. The readings specifically advised staying out of the sun between 11 a.m. and 2 p.m.
Cayce offered several remedies for sunburn.
Don't Press Your Luck First and foremost, do not stay out in the sun. If you burn, whether you're on vacation or not, do not expose your skin to further damage. This is common sense-but unfortunately not common practice until the burn is so severe that the sun becomes unbearable.
Pure Apple Cider Vinegar After taking a lukewarm bath, rub your body down with plain, pure apple cider vinegar. This natural remedy will help soothe the pain of the burn.
Glyco- ThymolineApply pure Glyco- Thymoline to the burned areas for relief of pain.
Vaseline If rough spots appear as a result of a burn, wash the area with a mild soap and then apply Vaseline to the affected area. Repeat until the condition is improved.
Spirits of Camphor In the event that there is a more acute rash or outbreak, apply spirits of camphor directly to the area with a sterile cotton ball. Wait an hour or two, then take a tepid bath, followed by a rubdown with pure peanut oil.
Warts
Medical science contends that warts are caused by a virus and can be transmitted either to other people or to other parts of the host's body. They occur most frequently on the hands, arms, and legs. Children are particularly susceptible to these unsightly bumps.
While Cayce was not in disagreement with medical science's theory, he did pinpoint other sources for warts.
On the one hand, he indicated that they were the result of eliminations being thrown off from the body through improper channels, the small tumor or wart being the result.
On the other hand, they are more common in young people between the ages of ten and twenty because of the glandular changes happening during puberty. During the time period of these changes, the cellular forces of the body are in transition, and warts can result.
Cayce offered several remedies for warts, ranging from hypnotic suggestion to a paste made of castor oil and baking soda. Of the many Cayce remedies people have tested over the years, these recommendations for warts have been among the most often reported as being successful.
Castor Oil Apply castor oil to the wart twice a day, massaging it in thoroughly, gently, and persistently.
Castor Oil and Baking Soda Prepare a paste of castor oil and baking soda. Apply this to the wart overnight, securing it with a loose bandage or Band-Aid. Do this until the wart disappears.
20% Solution of Hydrochloric Acid Using a small glass rod or broom straw, place a drop of the solution on the bump. Do this daily. As the wart begins to discolor, do not pick at it, for this may result in infection. Rather, let the wart "wear off" with time.
Power of Suggestion The best way to incorporate Cayce's recommendation to use suggestion to treat an unsightly wart is to visualize its disappearance while persistently applying any of the above remedies. Belief that the remedy you choose will work is vital to its success.
Wrinkles And Sagging
To avoid wrinkles, Cayce suggested massage and the use of the Peanut Oil Lotion around the eyes, the chin, and the throat. Application of mud packs was also mentioned as a deterrent because of the tightening effect it has on the skin. For under-eye wrinkles Cayce suggested applying pure castor oil and leaving it on overnight. Also, proper rest and a relaxed, smiling face will work wonders!