It can be a daunting task trying to make the transition from relying on store-bought products to a more clean and green life.
Some areas might be easier to switch up, such as the food you buy, the cleaning products you use, or the stores you shop in, but the one thing I had the hardest time with was giving up my tried and true skincare products.
I just couldn’t wrap my head around it. I had used them religiously for so long that by giving them up, I thought my skin would look, well, old, and at the age of thirty one-derful that’s the last thing I wanted.
So how did I make the transition? By incorporating these 3 simple natural skincare recipes into my daily routine.
Cleansing
For as long as I can remember I have always used store-bought facial cleansers from my local pharmacy.
I loved the options, the prices, and mostly, the convenience of them. And then I learned what those chemicals were doing to my skin and immediately started googling green alternatives.
The next day I made the switch and started cleaning my face with, wait for it, oil.
Yes green queens, oil. Actually, 2 oils. I know, I know, it sounds crazy but it in fact really does work!
1. All you need to do is grab yourself some olive, coconut, or almond oil and mix it with pure castor oil. Now you may have to play with your ratios to find what combination works best for you, but for me I have quite normal skin so I use equal parts olive oil and castor oil.
2. Once you have your ratios down, pour a quarter size amount onto your fingertips and apply it into your already dry face.
3. Then just massage it in for about 3 minutes, grab a hot washcloth, place it over your face and leave it there until it cools down. (This step is necessary as the steam helps to draw out the impurities and dead skin cells from your pores.)
4. Then once your cloth is cooled down, wipe the oil off your face, and marvel at just how clean, and soft, your face feels.
Moisturizer
Now that you’ve cleansed your face with oil, it’s time to moisturize your skin…with oil!
Coconut oil is possibly one of the handiest oils for you green queens to have lying around because not only does it cleanse your skin, but it also moisturizes, and aids in any anti-aging efforts.
In addition to that it’s chocked full of collagen supporting lauric acid, which is absorbed by your skin easily and effortlessly.
And in case it couldn’t get any better, it’s about to. For those women who have oily or acneic skin, this oil can help clear up your complexion thanks to its antibacterial properties that help to cleanse away the bacteria that gets caught in our pores, ultimately triggering breakouts.
Just simply pour about a dime-size amount onto your clean fingertips, massage into your skin and voila! Clean, soft, supple skin in one simple step.
Anti-Aging
This was my hardest product to give up. I couldn’t just walk away from my beloved cream that I thought was keeping my 30-something wrinkles off my face.
And then I learned that most anti-aging actually occurs internally. Can we say, mind blown?
You see, most companies market anti-aging creams to help keep you younger from the outside, but we can’t actually absorb necessary anti-aging ingredients, such as collagen, through our skin.
Instead, to keep my youthful look, I moisturize my skin with my coconut oil and then supplement that by taking fermented cod liver oil and vitamin C to encourage even more collagen production.
photo forverlivingdream.com
So far, it’s working and I haven’t had one moment where I have regretted giving up my chemical-laden products for this new way of natural skincare. And in addition to that, I’m saving money! I mean, does it get any better?
Do you have any natural skincare recipes we fellow green queens should know about? Share them below!
Author Bio:
Vanessa is the chief blogging babe for BesSkincare.com where she blogs and vlogs about all things skincare, including reviews on products such as Essence of Argan
Essence of Argan , as well as handy DIY tips and tricks. The best part about her job? She gets to help her readers look and feel their very best!