Do-It-Yourself Citrus Toner

I was so excited to find a Buddha's Hand fruit in our local, but very cool supermarket. Of course I was the only one buying it, and people gave me lots of looks and questions.

This fruit is considered to be yummily medicinal, and it's basically all rind, like the Korean citron, yu-ja, that makes a great tea. I can't decide whether I should make tea with it, more maybe throw it into a citrus toner:


Citrus Mint Toner

Inspired by 365 Simple Pleasures, collected by Susannah Seton (Conari Press, 2001).

A splash of this easy-to-make formula will perk up a tired or oily complexion and bring some sparkle to your skin. It uses ingredients that are both refreshing and abundant at this time of year; together they make this toner smell mouth-wateringly delicious.

INGREDIENTS

1 cup water
1/4 cup lemon peel, finely grated
1/4 cup grapefruit peel, finely grated
1 cup fresh mint leaves

1. Bring water to a rapid boil and add other ingredients. Boil 1 to 2 minutes, until peels are soft and slightly translucent.

2. Remove from heat and allow to cool, then strain and discard solids.

3. Store formula in the refrigerator and use a splash whenever needed to perk up your skin.

Mixture keeps for 2 to 3 weeks.

For more lovely citrus smell in your life, try the orange-ginger shea butter from Perfect Organics.