When first making the switch to a more natural, green lifestyle it can be a little daunting to give up the products we love the most. For me, it was my skincare products. I just couldn’t wrap my head around giving up my anti-aging serums, my favourite moisturizer, or my tried and true cleanser.
Thankfully, with a little strategic web surfing and a whole lot of experimenting, I have discovered 3 natural skincare recipes that I just can’t live without now. And the best part? They are oh-so-simple and incredibly cheap to make.
Facial Cleanser
For years I was a devout store-bought facial cleanse-a-holic. I loved the idea of what it could do for my skin, but eventually realized the chemicals in the cleanser were actually doing more harm than good.
When I finally decided to embrace my inner green queen I searched high and low for a solid alternative that would not only cleanse my skin but not leave it feeling stripped of moisture.
And then I stumbled upon the oil cleansing method. Yes, I’m telling you to clean your face with oil. Actually, two different oils.
It sounds crazy, I know. At first I couldn’t grasp it either. And then I tried it and never looked back.
To give your skin a good thorough cleaning grab some coconut, olive, or almond oil and mix it with pure castor oil.
For my particular skin I use equal parts olive oil and castor oil, but you may have to play with your ratios to find what’s best for your skin. But whatever you do, don’t use castor oil on its own.
Once you have your oil mixed up, pour a little bit onto your clean fingertips and rub it onto your (dry) face, and massage for around 3 minutes.
Then place a hot, clean, washcloth over your face and let it sit until it cools down. This is a necessary step as the hot cloth will help to draw out impurities and dead skin cells from your pores.
Once your cloth is cooled down simply wipe the oil off your face and marvel at how incredibly clean your face feels, even though you just rubbed it with oil!
Facial Moisturizer
Most natural-livin’ ladies I speak to agree with me that pure coconut oil is all you really need when looking to moisturize your face.
Not only is it packed with collagen supporting lauric acid but it is also absorbed by your skin effortlessly.
What makes this little oil even more amazing is that those with oily or acneic skin can use coconut oil thanks to it’s anti-bacterial properties.
Just simply pour a tiny bit onto your fingertips, massage into your skin, and you’re done! Easy, right?
Anti-Aging
Now this is where I struggled the most when trying to clean and green my life. I just couldn’t give up my solid anti-aging cream and let my wrinkles make their way back onto my face. Oh hellll no!
Luckily my hesitations were quickly put to rest when I realized anti-aging actually occurs internally.
By that I mean, most of the anti-aging products I was using were said to help boost collagen levels, but collagen must be produced internally as it is far too large to absorb through your skin.
So to keep my skin looking as young as I can I use my coconut oil moisturizer and supplement that by taking Fermented cod liver oil and vitamin C to encourage natural collagen production.
So far, it’s working like a charm and the cod liver oil makes me feel amazing!
It may be a little daunting at first to give up the products you love the most, but if you can wrap your head around the fact that going green with your skincare routine is actually BETTER for your skin, then you should be able to make the switch.
Besides, you now have 3 natural, and effective, alternatives to some of the most popular, and chemical-laden, skincare products to help you make that switch.
After all, we all want glowing, healthy skin and this is just one simple way of making that happen.
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