Naturally Radiant Skin Care: How to treat yourself to a complete herbal facial!

Once a month treat yourself to a luxurious herbal facial!

Step 1: Cleansing Grains - For the recipe see this post.

Gently cleanse, exfoliate, and nourish your skin with cleansing grains.  Mix 1/2 tsp of grains with water to form a paste and gently massage into your skin, then rinse with warm water.

Step 2: Herbal Facial Steam - For the recipe see this post.

Boil several cups of water in a large pot.  Add 1/4 cup of herbs, cover and simmer for a minute or two, then remove from heat.  Place at a level you can comfortably sit and lean over the pot.  Cover your head and the pot with a towel, breathe in the delicious aroma, and let your pores open and drink in the nourishing plant oils for 5 - 8 minutes. Follow with a cold water rinse.

Step 3: Mask

Try a clay (white, green, rhassoul, bentonite), or raid your kitchen for honey, avocado, banana, yogurt, turmeric and oatmeal, etc.  Be creative!  Mix something up, leave it on until dry, then rinse with warm water.

Step 4: Herbal Toner - For the recipe see this post.

Herbal toner/astringent is used after cleansing to remove all traces of dirt and oil, tighten pores, balance pH, and prepare skin for moisturizing.

Step 5: Moisturizing Oil - For the recipe see this post.

It may seem counter-intuitive to put oil on your skin, but moisturizing with gentle, nourishing oils will most likely make your skin very happy.  Use oils that are lightweight, non-greasy, quick absorbing and luxuriously nourishing and healing.  Dispense 4-5 drops into hand, rub hands together and gently massage oil into skin.

Here's an awkward bathroom selfie so you can see what my skin looks like after an herbal facial.   

 

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 products available for purchase in my store.


This post shared at Frugally Sustainable's Frugal Days, Sustainable Ways #83

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 - Make Your Own Moisturizing Oil

Everybody knows that "moisture is the essence of wetness, and wetness is the essence of beauty."  Name that movie.  Hint: mer-MAN! 

Now that you know how to naturally cleanse, tone, and deep clean your pores with an herbal steam, it's time to learn about the final step in a natural skin care system - moisturization.

When I first entered the world of homemade moisturizers, I tried lotions (or emulsions) and had pretty good success.  An emulsion is mixing two or more liquids together that don't like to be mixed together - like oil and water, for example.  Most emulsions are made with an emulsifier to make the process easier - commonly soy lecithin or even borax.  Emulsifiers aren't absolutely necessary, however, and I never used them. The process of emulsification is basically slowly pouring water into a combination of oils and melted beeswax while mixing with a blender or stick blender.  If you've ever tried to make homemade mayonnaise, it's like that.

The first homemade moisturizer I tried was a simple olive oil, beeswax, and water emulsion with some lavender essential oil so it didn't smell so olive-y.  It was simple and it worked well enough, but it tended to separate and left my skin feeling pretty greasy.

The second homemade moisturizer I tried was Frugally Sustainable's Non-Greasy Moisturizing Lotion.  It also worked quite well and didn't separate as much, but still left my skin feeling slightly greasy.  After I applied my translucent face powder, though, it balanced out and I felt like I had the perfect dewy glow.

Now after reading this blog post, I'm using moisturizing oil, and it's my favorite option so far!  It has several advantages over the emulsions.  First, you don't have to emulsify anything or worry about it separating later.  Second, you don't have to worry about refrigerating it or the water making the whole concoction go bad.  Third, I've actually found my skin to be less greasy after using only oil.  In fact, I think my skin feels like velvet after I use it, and once again, after I use my translucent face powder I have the perfect combination of velvety softness and dewy glow.

Moisturizing Oil is also great because it has several other uses.  It makes a great all natural eye makeup remover, a smoothing hair serum, and can even be added to homemade shampoo for extra moisturizing power. 

So, using oil as a moisturizer can be as simple as using one oil alone like grapeseed or jojoba (pronounced ho-HO-ba).  Both of these are lightweight, non-greasy, fast absorbing oils that mimic the sebum your skin naturally produces.  They are also both relatively inexpensive.  There are many other oils, however, that have extra age-fighting, dryness-combating, oil-cutting, or acne-busting properties, so I combined several oils to get the best of all worlds.

I used grapeseed and jojoba as a base and added in smaller amounts of several other oils.  Finally I added several drops of skin-loving essential oils.

Note: Never use oil on un-cleansed skin.  It can trap the dirt and oil in your pores, causing future unpleasantness.

Another note: A very little goes a long way.  If your skin feels greasy, you've used too much.  I keep mine in a dropper bottle, and about 4-5 drops is all you need.  This also means you get a lot of bang for your buck.


 Carrier oils good for dry or aging skin:

• Grapeseed
• Jojoba
• Argan
• Apricot Kernel (which smells scrumptious, by the way)
• Avocado
• Macadamia Nut
• Sweet Almond
• Hemp Seed
• Sea Buckthorn (can temporarily stain skin, so use in small amounts)
• Rosehip Seed (which goes rancid easily and should be kept refrigerated)
• Emu
• Vitamin E

 
Essential oils good for dry or aging skin:

• Frankincense
• Rose geranium
• Rose
• Cedarwood
• Palmarosa
• Roman Chamomile

 

 

Carrier oils good for oily or acne prone skin:

• Grapeseed
• Jojoba
• Argan
• Hazelnut
• Sunflower
• Tamanu
• Sweet Almond
• Hemp Seed
• Borage Seed
• Evening Primrose
• Neem
• Turmeric oil
• Vitamin E oil

 

Essential oils good for oily or acne prone skin:

• Lavender 
• Peppermint
• Lemongrass
• Rosemary
• Sweet basil
• Bergamot
• Tea Tree
• Lemon
• Juniper Berry
• Roman Chamomile
• Rose
• Palmarosa

 

Mountain Rose Herbs is a great resource to learn more about the individual properties of these oils.  It's also a great place to purchase ingredients. They sell high quality organic 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 moisturizing oils available for purchase in my store.

 

 

 

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 - Deep Pore Cleansing Herbal Steam

At the end of a stressful week, pamper yourself with an herbal facial steam!  Facial steams are the best possible method for deep pore cleansing.  Moist heat hydrates skin, boosts circulation, brings oxygen to the facial area, and improves skin clarity.  Steam loosens debris and softens skin to help pores unclog and appear less prominent, and the herbs recommended below are rich in nutrients and aromatic oils that nourish and tone the skin.

  

Method:
 
After cleansing, boil 2-3 quarts of water in a large pot.  Add a handful or two of herb mixture, cover and simmer for a couple minutes, then remove from heat.  Place at a level you can comfortably sit and lean over the pot.  Cover your head and the pot with a towel, breathe in the delicious aroma, and let your pores open and drink in the nourishing plant oils for 5 - 8 minutes. Follow with a cold water rinse, then herbal toner, and finally moisturize.

Herbs for oily or acne prone skin

• chamomile
• comfrey
• calendula
• lemongrass
• lavender
• rosemary
• sage
• witch hazel leaves
• rose petals
• strawberry leaves
• raspberry leaves
• blackberry leaves
• eucalyptus leaves if you specifically want to address acne
• licorice herbs, which include anise seed, fennel or licorice root, help rid the skin of impurities   

Note:  If skin is severely broken out or inflamed avoid steaming, as steam may aggravate these symptoms.

Herbs for dry or aging skin

• fennel seeds
• rosemary leaves
• rose petals
• lavender
• peppermint leaves
• chamomile
• calendula
• comfrey root
• comfrey leaves
• comfrey flowers
• borage flowers
• dandelion root
• licorice root
• marshmallow root

Note: To prevent over-drying, don't steam your face for more than five minutes, and use the treatment no more than once a week.

If you're wondering where to get these ingredients, Mountain Rose Herbs sells high quality organic 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 steams available for purchase in my store.

 

This post shared at Frugally Sustainable's Frugal Days, Sustainable Ways #79, Tilly's Nest Down Home Blog Hop #44, and Sunny Simple Life's From the Farm Blog Hop #40

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.