Raya Ruder - Babushkas Beauty Secrets: Old World Tips for a Glamorous New You

The techniques and methods contained in this book are the result of the authors experience in working with certain materials. Care should be taken to use the proper materials and tools as advised by the authors. It is difficult to ensure that all the information given is entirely accurate and the possibility of error can never be entirely eliminated. This book and the material contained herein have not been examined for safety engineering, consumer and workplace safety, or similar laws or regulations. The publisher will assume no liability for any injury or damage to persons or property that may result from the use or application of any of the contents of this book.

Copyright 2010 by Raisa Ruder and Susan Campos

All rights reserved. Except as permitted under the U.S. Copyright Act of 1976, no part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, or stored in a database or retrieval system, without the prior written permission of the publisher.

Wellness Central

Hachette Book Group

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New York, NY 10017

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Wellness Central is an imprint of Grand Central Publishing.

The Wellness Central name and logo are trademarks of Hachette Book Group, Inc.

First eBook Edition: June 2010

ISBN: 978-0-446-56397-0

This book never would have been written if it werent for my fantastic clients, who are open to trying new masks and creams. Thank goodness for Molly Lyons, who believed in this project. Diana Baroni has been incredible in the entire process. We are very appreciative.

A special thanks to Mona Edwards and Lauren Tejeda, who are so creative. And to our parents, families, and friends who are always open to trying new lotions and potions. Thanks to Ben, Eugene, and Alex. And this book wouldnt be possible if it werent for my babushka. She would have loved it!

BODY HEAT

Cellulite: Mustard Body Wrap ~

Self-Tanner: Coffee Tanner ~

Body Glitter ~

Sunburn: Burnout ~

Sunburn Soother ~

HAIR REMOVAL

Ingrown Hairs: Soak It in Sugar ~

Sweet Scrubs ~

The Ingrown Headache ~

Shaving: Shaving Cream ~

EYELASHES

Eye Makeup Remover: Take It All Off ~

Grow Your Lashes: Rayas Revitalash ~

MAKE YOUR OWN SCENT

Bath Salts: Aromatherapy Bath Salts ~

Perfumed Oil: Orange Glow ~

Scented Lotion: Scent of a Woman ~

EYES

Crows-feet: Oy, the Soy! ~

Heard It Through the Grapevine ~

Fine Lines: Almond Joy ~

SKIN IS IN

Age Spots: Spot On ~

Brown Spots: Summer Sour Cream ~

Spot Remover ~

Dry Skin/Eczema: Honey, Honey ~

Oily Skin: Oil Out ~

Pimples: Pimple Potion ~

Milk and Mustard ~

HANDS AND FEET

Calluses: Clear Away Calluses ~

Dark Nails: The Yellowing Effect ~

Manicure: The 10-Minute Manicure ~

Pedicure: The Perfect Pedicure ~

HAIR

Add Body: Volumize ~

Dry Hair: Cider Conditioner ~

Hair Growth: Hair Sprout ~

C-Squared ~

NAME: Raisa Ruder

HAILS FROM: Ukraine and Moscow

OCCUPATION: Esthetician (with leanings toward the Green Party)

CURRENTLY RESIDES IN: Los Angeles, California

AGE: Once you become a Hollywood citizen, theres no need to reveal your true age.

A bove are my vital statistics. For the past fifteen years, Los Angeles has been my home, where I work as an esthetician. In the Ukraine, my grandmother (or as we say back home, my babushka) taught me everything about being a natural esthetician. By taking items such as fruit, milk, herbs, teas, and other ingredients, wed whip up fabulous facials. Rather than use creams and lotions laced with preservatives, we preferred applying natural productsit saved our skin and it saved us money!

Who knew several decades later the recipes my grandmother concocted would become all the rage in Hollywood. In a city always on the cutting edge of beauty, it seems ironic to be applying my babushkas age-old recipes on some of the most famous faces in Tinseltown. While I love doing oxygen facials, power peels, and lasers, my true passion is brewing up beauty and saving money doing it. The recipes in this book are (mostly) all-natural remedies I use to maintain Hollywoods youthful glowfrom exfoliating scrubs to vitamin C serums to hair treatments. Ive mixed up my favorite concoctionssome of my grandmothers original Ukrainian recipesas well as others Ive doctored up since moving to the United States. Heres my motto: Why spend hundreds at a department store makeup counter when you can create it yourself for a fraction of the price? After whipping up and trying these recipes, I promise youll feel like youve spent hundreds! Just as the weekly magazines show us how to get celebrity clothing for less, Babushkas Beauty Secrets creates glowing skin for under $5.

My grandmother didnt believe in being wasteful. She saved everything. My clients love hearing stories about how my grandmother was virtually a pack rat. Her house was so neat and clean but she couldnt help saving every item or finding another purpose for it.

You see, strictly out of necessity we were making the equivalent of modern-day products without the fancy names, pretty packaging, and preservatives. Decades later, I still believe my babushkas beauty remedies can go head to head with any department store brands. Rather than pay $250 for expensive labels, my grandmothers recipes were fresh, fantastic, and inexpensive! The box below reveals what we were brewing in our tiny village years ago and how it prices out against department store products today.

The beauty business brings in $40 billion a year. Most of it is wrapped up in pretty packaging. This book proves that a bigger price tag isnt necessarily betterhomemade products can produce the same results without bursting your bank account. Many dermatologists even agree that expensive brands arent always better. In fact, many of the products they tout are heavily diluted by the time they reach department store shelves.