Friday, October 8, 2010

All-Natural Skincare Routine

Morning all! This morning's breakfast was simple but a goodie...


Mom's Gluten Free Bread with PB and honey.

If you are thinking that that PB looks a little sketchie that's because it is! I didn't stir my all-natural PB very well when I opened...thus large hard chunks of PB formed at the bottom. Oooops now it's just a weird version of chunky PB!


I had Stonyfield Non-Fat Vanilla Yogurt on the side with Chia Seeds and a couple raisins mixed in.


A cup of White Sunshine Tea on the side.



Now on to another routine I partake in daily...SKINCARE.

My skin is (mostly) glowing and clear these days. A few days a month it looks a little worse for the wear but that can be expected due to hormones, stress, greasy food etc.

My skin has not been very clear at all in the past. I started getting blemishes and acne in about 4th grade. I tried everything short of oral medications to solve it. My Mom (thankfully) wouldn't let me go on some of the really intense meds like Accutane. But she did let me try every skincare regimen out there.

I tried all the big brand acne cremes like Differin and Retina-A. I had intense prescription acne washes specifically for the morning and night that were tailor made for my skin problems. (My dad spent hours on the phone with the insurance company figuring out how to pay for those ones...thanks Dad!) I tried all the over the counter cremes and skincare systems like Proactive, Neutragena, Clearasil, Clean and Clear...I was so desperate I even tried the off-brands.

You know what finally fixed my skin?

NOT using any harsh cremes
.

Those cremes made my skin hurt and feel like it was going to fall off. While using all those intense cremes my skin would have extremely oily patches and very flaky dry patches. Why? Because my skin was so dry it was trying to fix itself by over-producing oil.

The flakes of dry skin + excess oilyness = even more acne.

So what is my skin care routine now? It's all right here:


Morning:
1. Wash face with Mom's Homemade Castile Soap.
2. Apply Tea Tree Oil
3. Apply SPF 15 moisturizer.

Night:

1. Wash face with Mom's Homemade Castile Soap
2. Apply Tea Tree Oil
3. Apply Grapeseed Oil.

That's all I do!


I apply SPF 15 moisturizer in the morning to protect my skin from the sun. This is the #1 best thing you can do for your skin. I am currently searching for a moisturizer with no toxins, made all natural...any suggestions?

My Mom's Homemade Soap is just basic Castile Soap, which means it is an Olive Oil based soap. Great for anybody with sensitive skin or skin allergies! Here is a website that explains how to make the soap. If that seems like too much work just head on over to your local grocery store, co-op, skincare store, etc. and pick some up! A lot of people will add nice scents to their Castile Soap like lavender, milk & honey, my Mom's is pretty simple and unscented- great for everyday face washing.


Grapeseed oil is THE best all natural moisturizer. Seriously this stuff makes my skin absolutely glow. It is known for its acne-fighting abilities because it is such a light oil, yet it penetrates deeply into skin in order to moisturize effectively. Some studies show that grapessed oil may fight free-radicals and help fight off wrinkles and aging!


The real star of the show is the Tea Tree Oil. It is a natural anti-septic, so it kills all the bacteria on my face without over-drying.

It has a very intense smell that might take some getting used too...but my roomies and BF have gotten used to it and always announce that they know I just washed my face because they can smell the tee tree oil :)

Besides my SPF 15 moisturizer all my skincare products have very little processing and are all natural. Which means they are quite low impact on my health and the environment! Let me know if you use a great (and low-cost please!) skin moisturizer with SPF since I am currently searching for a less toxic one.

What is your daily skincare routine?

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