Natural Cleansers

So, we covered a lot on masks for your face but what about cleansers? Well, the list could go on and on. Much depends on your skin type. I have dry skin so there's a lot I can use that people with oily skin shouldn't use.

This particular recipe is one I found in a book on homemade products and as I've found with many of the recipes I search for, I have to tweak it to work for me. I've attached a link to one of the books I use. EcoBeauty: Scrubs, Rubs, Masks, and Bath Bombs for You and Your Friends. I have many by this author. But like I said, you have to be brave enough to play around and change things up.

In my previous blog, I said that I don't like to use citrus fruits on my face and that's still the case as a general rule. Lemon, in particular, can do some really, really good things...it's a natural bleach and can aid in removing age spots and freckles...however, it also causes a sensitivity to the sun. In other words, it works in reverse of an SPF.

That said, I don't use it in anything that is going to stay on my face for long and I don't use it in lotions during the summer months when the sun is at it's strongest. In the winter, most of my skin is covered anyways and it's an excellent natural antidepressant so go ahead and use it then but like I said, not as moisturizer on your face. I do however, use it in my cleanser for the bleaching affects. I rinse my cleanser off and follow up with a natural moisturizer that has spf in it (yes, you can make your own!!) we'll get there but I'll focus on cleansers for the next week or so...

So...the one I use goes like so:

1 cup ground oatmeal (you can buy regular oatmeal and put it in a blender)
After you've blended the oatmeal, add to the blender:
1/2 c soy milk
2 tbsp liquid soap (I use castille's unscented)
1tbsp honey
1 tsp vitamin E oil
2 drops lemon essential oil

Blend well. Because of the soy milk, you will need to keep this in the refrigerator. It will keep for up to two weeks and should be more than enough for that amount of time.

I only cleanse my face once each evening. Although oatmeal is an exfoliant, it's "soft" enough, especially when ground and blended with all the other ingredients, to use everyday.

Follow up with a moisturizer

In the morning, I usually just rinse my face with warm water, followed by a splash of cold water. I pat dry and add moisturizer, make up, whatever.

This is a very gentle cleanser, I really like it!!