It all started with the Island Life
Read on to learn why I decided to create a DIY facial cleanser followed by the recipe!
Several years ago, I lived in Hawaii. The Big Island, Kona side, to be exact. It was pretty much a dream come true. I was a new SAHM with a one year old and was really into scrapbooking our lives and enjoying the island life.
I was also a super green nerd. Consuming a lot of blogs and podcasts that had to do with saving our planet and lessening our carbon footprint. (I blame the island life.) I had never really known much about recycling, reusing and using less. And I became super passionate about our carbon footprint during our lovely time there.
When we returned to the mainland, I had learned enough information from my favorite source, The Ideal Bite, that I was now equipped with even more knowledge about how to lessen my carbon footprint and keep me and my family healthier by not consuming products that had certain chemicals in them. (Sad that blog had to go away. They provided a lot of valuable information for the non-greeniac to adjust their carbon footprint one bite at a time.)
Since then, I have loosened up in my quest for world saving, but I still maintain that certain chemicals should not be in my household. So when I came back to the stage 4 years ago and needed a healthy alternative to removing my stage makeup, I turned to Pinterest for the answers! (Follow me on Pinterest to see what amazing things I find there daily!) Also, side note: if you haven’t seen me out of Gazella, I rarely wear makeup. I’m an au naturel kinda woman off-stage.
What I found was a money-saver and helped my skin in more ways than those expensive potions out there.
First, I found a homemade face cleanser recipe here.
This woman reminds me that our skin absorbs a lot of what we put on it. She claims 60%! I read somewhere (I probably have it pinned on my Keep Young & Beautiful board,) that if you don’t believe how much your skin absorbs, they say rub a glove of garlic on the bottom of your foot and within 15 minutes, you’ll be able to taste it! Crazy! I haven’t tried it yet, but I have reason to believe that just might be true!!
Those two sources gave me all the info I need to create my own face wash.
DIY Facial Cleanser Recipe
(modified slightly from arealfoodlover.wordpress.com)
4 oz Dr. Bronner’s – Pure-Castile Liquid Soap (Citrus, 16 ounce) (I use citrus or lavender)
4 oz purified water
1 oz olive oil (I have adjusted to 2 tablespoons)
5 drops 100% Pure Australian Tea Tree Essential Oil
Pour into a refillable pump type bottle 8-Ounce Clear Glass Boston Round Bottles w/ Stainless Steel Lotion Pumps (4-Pack)
Although this is a great cleanser for the face, I use some pretty heavy duty eyeliner and also lash adhesive. A lot of scrubbing needed to get done to get it off, which I don’t like since the eye skin is very delicate. Don’t over rub your precious eyes!
So, I set off to find another natural solution. And it was sitting right in my kitchen cupboard—Coconut oil. If you have not discovered the immense benefits of coconut oil in your everyday life, I encourage you to take a little trip over to Pinterest and have your mind blown. After you finish reading this blog, of course!
I rub a bit of coconut oil on my eyes as soon as I remove my lashes and then gently wipe away with a tissue. That easy. Then, I cleanse my face.
When I first started using this wash, I was noticing amazing results with the improvement of my complexion. I was suffering from a lot of blackheads even though I didn’t wear makeup daily, and couldn’t figure out why. So, it was helping, but, there was still the issue of half my makeup coming off of my hand towel when I dried my face. I figured there had to be a better way to cleanse than with just my hands.
Maybe some sort of facial sponge? So the next time I was at Target, I popped into the face care section, and lo and behold, I found my next favorite tool for washing my face: a konjac sponge. It was a white, hard sponge that claimed to soften when wet. In reality, it looked like a pumice stone to me, but I figured I would try it. It was like magic. Once wet, it became a soft and gentle exfoliating tool. My skin improved even more!!
I went back to buy more once that one had deteriorated, but they were gone! Nowhere to be found. Damn Target and their constant clearance items!!
So I hopped on Amazon and started typing in plant sponges because I couldn’t remember the name. I found them again! This time with activated charcoal. Turns out Konjac is a Japanese root plant that they have been using to make these amazing sponges for years! I bought a 5-pack Minamul Konjac Exfoliating Organic Facial Sponge Set 5 pack set
I love the way my face feels after I take my make up off with these three products. And, I am saving tons of money to boot!
I would love to hear if you have any natural products that you just can’t live without!
XOXO!
Athena
Disclosure: Please note that some of the links above are affiliate links, and at no additional cost to you, I will earn a commission if you decide to make a purchase after clicking through the link. Please understand that I have experienced all of these companies, and I recommend them because they are helpful and useful, not because of the small commissions I make if you decide to buy something through my links. Please do not spend any money on these products unless you feel you need them or that they will help you achieve your goals.
Amplify You Podcast
A podcast series created to inspire you to take up more space and shine in a world that has conditioned you to be small.