Natural Facial Skin Care

The next installment of my 30 day body care challenge is facial care.  Before I started this experiment I was using Proactive.  I have nothing bad to say about Proactive as I LOVE how it cleans my face.  However, a quick search on the ingredients reveals a very long list of ingredients I cannot pronounce. So what would happen if I used another method?  The ideas below are what I have been successfully using for the last 13 days.

Oil Cleansing Method

Would you ever dream of washing your face with oil?  I certainly didn't.  I thought surely my face would break out with zits all over the place as my pores soaked up the oils.  The link above is for a site that I found very interesting and informative about the method.  It suggests to wash your face with just oil.  The premise of the method is stated like this:

"Getting right down to basics, when cleansing and moisturizing your skin, it is imperative that you keep in mind that oil dissolves oil."

Sounds good. But do I believe it? Through my research, I would agree that many of the skin care products on the market today strip your skin of their natural oils. This in turn makes your skin produce even more oil to compensate. I always wondered why I had such oily skin. That being said, since I do have oily skin, I was a little nervous to try this. I have been very pleased with the results. Even my hubby uses it now. Our faces are soft, healthy looking, and best of all, NOT full of pimples.

There are several ways you can mix up some oils for your own skin type. Some popular oils to use are castor, olive, hazelnut, tea tree, sunflower, jojoba, almond, avocado and several more. Be mindful of allergies when researching what is best for your skin. Here is what works for me:

3 tsp Castor Oil
1 tsp Olive Oil
Several drops of Tea Tree Oil

How to use it:

Place all 3 oils in a small container. Shake to mix well before each use. Pour a small amount onto your fingertips and apply in circular motion to your dry face. Give yourself a nice facial massage. Next up, place a warm washcloth on your face for about a minute. Enjoy the mini facial! Gently use the washcloth to scrub the oil off your face. I love using the Tea Tree Oil. It not only has healing properties that help with breakouts but it leaves your face feeling cool and refreshed.

Baking soda wonders

Not ready to jump into the oil cleaning method?  That's OK, there are other ways to take care of your face naturally.  I love baking soda because of the hundreds of used for it!  There are two ways I like to use baking soda on my face.

1)  Mix equal parts baking soda and lemon juice (or water if you prefer) in a bottle and give it a shake.  Use this to wash your face with.  I love how soft my skin feels after using this.  It also seems to brighten it up.  Maybe it's from the lemon juice.  The grit gives just enough texture to really exfoliate your skin.

2)  Mix a small amount of baking soda and even smaller amount of water in your palm to create a paste.  You can apply this to pimples that you want to get rid of.  Wait about 10 minutes until it's completely dry and then rinse away.  You can do this 2 - 3 times per day.  It worked really well for me.  Especially in the beginning of my experiment when my face freaked out due to all the changes of switching to natural products.

Apple cider vinegar as toner

Just as you can use apple cider vinegar in your hair, you can also use it on your face as a toner.  Just place a 2:1 diluted ratio in a spray bottle and spritz your face after you wash it.  I only use this method when I use the baking soda method as the oil cleansing method is an all-in-one type of treatment.