Taking care of your skin doesn’t have to be either time-consuming or expensive. And if you use your own “products,” you have the added bonus of having complete control over what you put on your skin.
Remember that our skin has many, many pores which are “openings” to our internal bodies. That means that whatever you put on your skin, you may as well have eaten it
.
Of course the “basics” of taking care or our skin include avoiding excessive sun, eating right and getting exercise.
(I wrote a post not too long ago on getting enough sun to get that all-important vitamin D, but you don’t want to go the opposite extreme with the sun and end up looking like the woman below).
You never know – she might only be 23 years old and just over-exposed her skin to the sun!
When I mentioned “products” at the beginning of this article, I was referring to making your own skin care products. I am going to share some simple recipes with you that I use. (Not that you want to aim to look like me, but I am going to offer up my suggestions anyway). Most of the ingredients will already be in your home. The others are easy to get your hands on and pretty inexpensive.
The recipes below include skin toner, “vaseline,” eye make-up remover, bath salts, herbal facial steams, sugar scrubs and face masks.
Skin Toner
You can use the witch hazel by itself or add ingredients to it. That’s it. That’s the “recipe.”
Witch hazel, which is very inexpensive, is a great facial toner. As an astringent, it’s used in facial toners to tighten skin, so it can be helpful for those who suffer from acne. If you have normal or dry skin though, you should buy the witch hazel that doesn’t have any alcohol in it.
I have purchased and mixed some rose water with the witch hazel for my “getting older” skin. There are all kinds of other things you can mix in with it, depending upon your face type.
Petroleum-Free “Vaseline”
Mix 1/8 cup grated beeswax and 1/2 cup olive oil. Melt together in double-boiler and pout into jars to cool.
Let’s back up a bit. Why make your own “vaseline” when it’s so inexpensive?
Petroleum jelly, the main ingredient in Vaseline, is a product of oil refining, so is not earth-friendly by any means. The parts of the oil that are removed from the oil during the refining process of petroleum jelly are carcinogenic in some cases. I have read that the petroleum jelly with the “Vaseline” name brand supposedly has the “bad” products removed, but petroleum jelly itself can be found in different grades of purity, so you don’t always know how non-toxic your petroleum jelly-based beauty products really are.
Most people probably wouldn’t want to use petroleum jelly on their hands or face, but I used to use it on my lips and on my sock-covered feet at night. I don’t anymore though, because now I feel that since the jelly is water-repellent and not water-soluble, how can it get into your skin to moisturize it? It makes more sense that instead of moisturizing your skin, it actually seals your pores, so you are actually drying out your pores by keeping out air and moisture, even though the jelly temporarily feels as though it is softening your skin.
If the ingredients in your foundations, cleansers, and moisturizers have mineral oil or petroleum in them, you may want to throw those products and use products with natural ingredients such as beeswax, coconut oil, olive oil, shea butter and cocoa butter versus petroleum jelly. Propylene glycol, isopropyl alcohol, ceresin, toluene, benzene, petrolatum, and paraffin are all derivatives of petroleum too.
Eye Makeup Remover
Mix 4 tablespoons of organic virgin oil and 3 tablespoons of organic almond oil and voila!
Bath Salts
There are so many combinations of bath salts and several different bath salts that work great for a nice, relaxing soak. Try different combinations and see what you like. Meanwhile, here is a simple recipe:
Mix 3 cups Epsom Salt, 2 cups sea salt and an essential oil of your choice, if so desired. Add 1/2 to one cup baking soda.
Facial Steams
Although I never saw my Mother use a facial steam or any other products on her face besides face lotions, she is the one who told me how facial steams can clean our your pores. (My Mom was one of those people who was “naturally” beautiful).
Boil a pot of water and add herbs if you have them. (Different herbs are for different face types). Steam your face for about 8 minutes under a towel. When done, rinse your face with cold water and pat dry.
(Lemon balm is a gentle and soothing herb that most anyone can use. This herb is easily grown outside or in the house during the Winter).
Sugar Scrub
Mix equal parts brown sugar and white sugar (about 1/4 cup each for a 6 oz. jar). Fill the container to the top with olive oil plus extra 1/2 inch. You can add vanilla or different essensial oils (ie lavender oil if you need a relaxing bath or peppermint oil for a more stimulating bath).
Facial Masks
There are about a zillion different kinds of facial masks that you can make at home from simple, every day products. Your ingredients will depend upon your goals, (i.e. whether you want to tighten your pores, moisturize your pores or get rid of acne).
A few things to remember: Always wash your face before you apply a facial mask. Make sure that you put the mask on your neck too. Don’t leave the mask on for more than about 15 minutes or so. Wipe the masks off with warm water before rinsing your face with cold water. Apply toner if you have it (remember the witch hazel!)
For some soothing, moisturizing facial masks, try any of the following recipes:
1. Mash up strawberries with plain greek yogurt. You can just use plain yogurt for a nice moisturizing toner too, without adding anything else.
2. Mash up a medium-sized ripe banana into a smooth paste and apply it to your face and neck.
3. Mix 1/4 cup plain yogurt, 2 tablespoons honey, and 1 medium banana.
4. Spread whole-egg mayonnaise on your face.
The following is a recipe for a mask that exfoliates and moisturizes your face: Mix the juice from 1 lemon with 1/4 cup olive oil or sweet almond oil.
For a more astringent mask that will cleanse and tighten your pores: mix 1/4 cup cider vinegar with 1/4 cup water. Apply the solution to your face and let it dry.
If you decide to be a bit more adventurous, I have an amazing home-made, very luxurious face and body cream. If you want it, let me know and I will send you the recipe. It requires a bit more time and several ingredients that you most likely will not have in your home, but one batch makes quite a bit and lasts for a long time. Your skin will literally thank you when you put this cream on! I make it for my mother-in-law and my sister says it is the only thing that can actually “heal” her hands!
Bit by bit, I am trying new recipes. I will share them with you as I try them out. Meanwhile, I hope you try out some of the “products” that are mentioned above.
Thanks for reading!
Jayne
earthshealingblog 
