Instructions: This remedy does double duty as both a cleanser and mask, says Stephanie Tourles. Tomato and cucumber are mild astringents.

This is a quick, invigorating treatment that can be done in the morning. A gentle scrubbing with salt sloughs away dead skin; the oatmeal wash that follows softens the skin. Mindy Green likes this scrub because it stimulates circulation of the lymphatic system, a critical player in immunity that has no internal pump to keep it moving, like the heat does for the circulatory system.

Place the salt in one bowl and set near the shower. Pour the oatmeal in the center of the muslin square, then pull the edges of the fabric together and close tightly with a rubber band. Pour the hot water and essential oil or oils in the second bowl, then submerge the bundle of oatmeal. Place this bowl near the shower too.

Wet yourself down in the shower, then turn off water. Using your hands, a loofah or a washcloth, rub the salt all over your body. Do not scrub hard. Use gentle, circular motions and scrub from the extremities toward your torso, following the natural pattern of blood and lymph circulation toward the heat.

Rinse off the slat, then wash with the pouch of oatmeal and rinse. When you get out of the shower, pat-dont rub-yourself dry, and follow with moisturizer.

Note: Be sure to use quick-cooking oats, which produce more liquid than long-cooking ones. Also, the thinner the muslin, the easier it is for the liquid to seep out onto your skin.

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