By Jennifer • 10 Comments
Have you ever looked at the back of a bottle of moisturizer or cleanser and couldn't even guess how to pronounce some of the ingredients? Poly-what-what? Sodium Lauryl-who-now? Those unpronounceable chemicals can be harsh on your skin, so let's go low-tech with some natural ways to care for our delicate faces, shall we?
Most of us just need warm water on a clean washcloth to cleanse our pretty faces in the morning, so this is a marvelously inexpensive and gentle and (let's face it) easy approach to skin care. Boom.
... it's still entirely amazing. If your skin is too dry to wash with warm water, use coconut oil to wash. If you want an all-natural eye makeup remover, coconut oil is an excellent choice. It's also a great moisturizer. Win, win, triple win!
And I can actually pronounce it! Woo! It's not as easy to find or as inexpensive as coconut oil, but if you want to splurge a little, Sephora sells the Josie Maran brand, and it's downright lush... and worth every penny.
An oatmeal scrub can help with dry, itchy and irritated skin, especially if you combine it with a few other natural ingredients. My fave "recipe" is simple: combine 1 cup of brown sugar, 1/4 cup ground oats, 1/4 cup grapeseed oil, about two tablespoons of lemon zest, and 1 tablespoon of lemon juice in a small jar, and use it in the morning for a little pick-me-up.
The oils in avocados make this squishy green fruit - or is it a vegetable? - a natural skin care wonder. Smash up an overly-ripe avocado, then spread it on your skin, resist the urge to scrape it off with tortilla chips, then rinse it off and you've got the smoothest, softest skin ever.
Your fave morning brew is another amazing natural skin care miracle, regardless of whether you're a zen green tea gal or you prefer an amped-up cuppa joe. Damp tea bags on your eyes can reduce swelling and under-eye bags, and a coffee-ground scrub can invigorate your skin and help clear up acne.
I've never been able to DIY an effective sunscreen (major Pinterest fail!) but there are so many good, organic sunscreens on the market, I don't have to make my own. And truly, there's not much else better you can do for your skin than to protect it from the sun.
I'm still trying to figure out how to pronounce "phthalates" without slobbering on myself - and besides, they're supposed to be pretty toxic, so I sure don't want to wear them! Instead, I'll stick to "avocado" and "tea;" how about you?