Naturally Radiant Skin Care - How To Make an Herbal Toner

I mentioned in my last post about cleansing grains that I recently celebrated my thirty fifth birthday, but I feel like my skin has never looked better.  I attribute this to switching to homemade products made with natural, high quality ingredients.  I never had really bad skin, but I never would have said I had really good skin either.  I was constantly battling a blemish or six.  Now I rarely get blemishes anymore, my skin is smoother, my complexion is clearer and brighter, and I'm wearing less makeup than ever before.  Most days I skip foundation and concealer entirely and just use a bit of my homemade translucent face powder.

Part of my new skin care regimen is an herbal toner or astringent.  An astringent substance is something that shrinks or constricts body tissues.  In facial care, toners or astringents are used after cleansing to remove all traces of dirt and oil, tighten pores, balance pH, and prepare skin for moisturizing.

Many herbs have astringent properties.

• lemon balm
• chamomile
• roses
• calendula
• comfrey leaf
• lemon peel
• rosemary  
• sage
• peppermint
• yarrow
• lavender

I used a formula found in Rosemary Gladstar's Herbal Recipes For Vibrant Health, so I won't share it here.  If you're interested, feel free to look it up.  I've found this book to be a good resource.  If you'd like to experiment with your own formula, any of the herbs listed above will be effective.

When you've come up with an herb mixture you'd like to try,  then you will make a tincture.

1. Fill a wide mouth mason jar about 1/2 to 3/4 full with herb mixture.  If using dried herbs, keep in mind that the herbs will swell when liquid is added, so be sure to leave enough room.

2. Cover the herbs by about 2 inches with apple cider vinegar (organic, raw ACV is ideal) or witch hazel.

3.  Place the lid on the jar and shake.

4.  Put the jar in a warm location, a sunny window is a good spot, and steep for 2 - 4 weeks, shaking at least once daily.

5.  Strain the mixture through a fine mesh sieve lined with cheesecloth.  Squeeze the cheesecloth to get out all the herby goodness you can.

6.  You want your final ratio to be about 1/2 to 1 part vinegar to 1 part witch hazel, so if you tinctured in witch hazel, add vinegar.  If you tinctured in vinegar, add witch hazel.  If you don't have witch hazel, add distilled water. 

7.  Add skin loving essential oils like lavender, rose geranium, palmarosa, or carrot seed, if desired.  If you have oily skin, rosemary and peppermint are good options.

8.  Hydrosols like rose or lavender can also be added or substituted.

9.  Label and date the bottle.

 
Toner should stay good for up to a year.  Keeping it from heat and light will prolong its life.

If you're wondering where to get these ingredients, Mountain Rose Herbs sells high quality herbs and other products, and they are a fair trade company.  (Full disclosure, I do receive a small commission if you click the links on my blog and complete a purchase.)

If you're not a DIY-er, or you're not up for a another project right now, I do have herbal toner available for purchase in my store.

This post shared at Frugally Sustainable's Frugal Days, Sustainable Ways #78, Sunny Simple Monday, Monday Funday, and

For educational purposes only. This information has not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration.  This information is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.

Naturally Radiant Skin Care - A Recipe For Cleansing Grains

I recently celebrated my *cough* thirty fifth *mumble* birthday.  The ironic thing is, I honestly feel like my skin has never looked better.  It's not so much about what age I look (people have guessed my age as younger for years) but my skin is clearer, smoother, brighter, and more radiant than it has ever been before.  I believe it's because I have switched to natural products that I make myself from high quality, organic ingredients.

When I think back to all the times I spent in the department store aisle mentally agonizing over which of the myriad brands or products contained the silver bullet that would put a stop to my breakouts and dry skin, I can only shake my head.  The answer is none of them!  I used to think that companies had teams of scientists whose purpose in life was to figure out how to make my skin miraculously better.  Now I realize that, more accurately, they have teams of marketers whose jobs are to more effectively part me from my money in exchange for what are mostly cheap, harsh, synthetic fillers and preservatives whose names I can't even pronounce. 

How was it ever okay to unquestioningly rub that on my face?  I get frustrated with my former self, but these days I try not to put anything on my body that I can't pronounce or wouldn't put in my mouth.  Now I alternate between two natural skin cleansers that I love.

The first is soap.  Real soap.  Not Dove bars or any other kind of soap free bar.  I've used my own homemade soap, Grandma's Lye Soap, and Dr. Bronner's Castile soap in bar form, and I've been happy with all of them.  In fact, since switching to real soap, my skin is better head to toe.  The thing to be careful about when shopping for soap, though, is to watch out for synthetic fragrances.  Many soaps are made with fragrance oils that are not so good for us.

Soap is particularly good for deeper cleansing and makeup removal, but now I mostly use cleansing grains.  The advantage of cleansing grains is that they not only cleanse, but they nourish and exfoliate as well.  It's like a healthy meal for your face!  This recipe is based on a recipe in Rosemary Gladstar's Herbal Recipes For Vibrant Health.

The formula:

16 parts white clay

8 parts finely ground oats

2 parts finely ground almonds

1 part finely ground lavender

1 part finely ground roses

1 part rice powder (I use organic brown rice baby cereal)

The breakdown:

White clay or kaolin clay is the mildest of all clays and is suitable for sensitive skin. It helps stimulate circulation to the skin while gently exfoliating and cleansing it. It does not draw oils from the skin, so it can also be used on dry skin types without negative results.

Oats and almonds nourish and exfoliate.  Oats are also emollient, helping to soothe and moisturize the skin.

Lavender and roses have mild astringent properties that tighten and tone skin, and the plant oils contain antioxidants and are commonly believed to have regenerative properties.  Lavender is antimicrobial, helping to clean the skin.

Rice enzymes smooth skin and accelerate cell renewal.

To use, simply mix about 1/2 tsp with water and gently massage into your skin, then rinse with warm water.  Grains may also be used as a mask by mixing with milk, honey, yogurt, or a liquid of your choice and leaving on for several minutes.  I keep mine in a spice bottle with a shaker top in the shower, and I find that it's super convenient that way.

The beauty of making your own products is that you know everything that goes in them, you control the quality of the ingredients, and you can customize them to suit your individual needs.  There's not necessarily anything magic about this particular formula.  Use ingredients you have on hand, substitute or experiment with additions like cornmeal, poppy or chia seeds, seaweeds or other herbs.

If you're wondering where to get these ingredients, Mountain Rose Herbs sells high quality herbs and other products, and they are a fair trade company.  (Full disclosure, I do receive a small commission if you click the links on my blog and complete a purchase.)

If you're not a DIY-er, or you're not up for a another project right now, I do have these cleansing grains available for purchase in my store.

What about you?  What do you use to naturally cleanse your skin?

For educational purposes only. This information has not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration.  This information is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.



 This post shared at: frugallysustainable.com's Frugal Days, Sustainable Ways #77, and