I will admit it. I keep my beauty routine basic and home made because I just can't be bothered with so many specialized products. I can't keep up with which product is good for what, and frankly I don't care. A while back I figured that if my crunchy self could find alternatives to cleaners and packaged foods, then my crunchy self could find alternatives to staple beauty products. A few items haven't worked out, but hey, sometimes home made doesn't work. Here are the routines I've found work best with home made:
- facial cleansing: by far, the best discovery I've made in my beauty routine is to ditch the face wash. I now wash my combination skin with oil, and I've had great success. And when I say combination skin, I mean very oily in places, very dry in others. It seems counterintuitive to use oil to control oil, but it truly is the best way to keep your skin healthy. If you are interested, you should really read this post, but the summary is that I combine a cleansing oil (castor) with a carrier oil (olive, sunflower, etc). The results are effectively eliminating dirt and grime, while simultaneously moisturizing. One batch takes a few minutes to whip up and lasts forever. Don't think I'm weird; give it a try and you'll see what I mean.
-facial moisturizing: as I mentioned, I get almost all the moisture I need from the oil cleansing, but if I need a little more, I dab on a spot of olive or jojoba oil. No lotion needed, and a tiny drop goes a long way.
-body moisturizing: coconut oil all the way. It does a far more effective job of moisturizing, a jar lasts forever, and no chemicals. It also works great for shaving your legs - just rub some on and shave. Simple.
So far I still use store bought makeup, but I buy mineral foundation and it lasts a long time. I don't wear much else, but I plan to try my hand at making lip balm when my Burt's Bees runs out. Baby steps.
How about you? What home made beauty items do you use, and how do you feel about their effectiveness? What is one item in your beauty routine you could swap today for a home made version?
As with every Thursday, I'm linking up with the Green Resource Guide over at Sorta Crunchy. Hop on over and check out all the other great ideas.
If this is your first visit, welcome! Be sure to check out my other 31 Days to Home Made posts, by either clicking here or clicking on the button at the top of this page.
Still working on the idea of using oil as a facial cleanser. Where would a girl find coconut oil? In a grocery store?
ReplyDeleteAsian grocery stores will always have coconut oil. Check out the one by the PSV stadium.
ReplyDeleteI am obviously late jumping on the band wagon here ;P but I just found your blog and am reading through your 31 days. I have used Olive Oil as a facial cleanser for, 4? years now. I have found the castor oil to be VERY drying for my skin, so I nixed that out, and just stick to straight Olive oil....and then make sure and do a 'splash' of super cold water after the cleansing process to tighten my pores right up ;P
ReplyDeleteI was able to find my Coconut Oil in the health supplement section of my regular grocery store. It is VERY important that you get PURE Extra Virgin, Cold Pressed Coconut Oil and not just 'cooking' coconut oil.
I am loving the suggestions and the 'realness' of your blog, the 31 days specifically. Happy to have added you to my feed reader :D
Hi Tuesday Knolle - thanks for reading and commenting! I agree with the castor oil being drying and only use a very small bit. I sometimes add a tiny bit of salt to my oil as a scrub, but found I don't need it often. I also agree about the pure, extra virgin, cold pressed oil and probably should have mentioned it in the post. I'm off to check out your blogs now. Merry Christmas!
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