Once upon a time, in Persia, there was a sultan named Shahriyar, who, in order to take revenge on the betrayal of his wife, used to marry a girl every day and then to kill her. There was no escape for the unlucky girl. But here came a very beautiful and intelligent girl named Sharazad, the daughter of the grand vizier. The sultan married Sharazad and she, in order to save herself, adopted a skillful trick. Every night he told the sultan a compelling story and interrupted it before the finale with the excuse that dawn was coming. The sultan, to know the end of the story, kept the girl alive one day, and then the day that came next, and so on, for one thousand and one nights! Eventually, the sultan fell in love with Sharazade, who thus saved his life. Today we enter the magical, fascinating and seductive world of ancient Persia, which we will revive with precious oils, aromas and scents of roses, orange, cardamom and almonds. In this way, everyone, every day of life, may feel a sultan or a queen, unique and pampered by recreating rituals lost over the centuries.
Aroma of almonds and scent of roses and orange
Persia can be described with its perfumes, scent of roses, of almonds, of orange blossom and of cardamom. Rose water, in particular, was considered an essential cosmetic for rejuvenating and perfuming the skin. In the one thousand and one nights, we can see various references to rose water, that was carried in a pocket, closed in a bottle, and used as needed. Rose water brightens, makes the skin elastic and rejuvenated, relaxes the features of the face, is antibacterial, fights inflammation, irritation and redness (Lee et al, Food Sci Nutr, 2018 - Boskabady et al, Iran J Basic Med Sci., 2011 ). For this reason, you can spray some rose water on the skin of face or body in the morning and evening after the cleansing. Let yourself be enveloped by its special fragrance. And to complete the cuddle, add to a tablespoon of sweet almond oil 2-3 drops of neroli essential oil, with an antioxidant, anti age and anti-inflammatory action, useful in case of acne, dry and mature skin, broken capillaries and wrinkles (Orchard et al, Evid Based Complement Alternat Med, 2017). Use the lotion to massage the damp body, after spraying rose water or after bathing. For the face, it is better to change oil and use a less thick antioxidant plant based oil, such as jojoba, argan or apricot kernel oil.
Cardamom scrub
Cardamom is antioxidant and antimicrobial, therefore lending itself to all skin types, mature, young and acne-prone skin (Liu et al, Int J Mol Sci, 2017). Mix half a teaspoon of cardamom powder and two teaspoons of brown cane sugar. Add a teaspoon of coconut oil and pour a little rose water as much as you need to get a creamy mixture and apply on the face with a light massage for about a minute, then rinse. Spray the rose water and apply your face cream or anti-aging serum.
