New Way to do Skincare!

By the title of my post, you might think that I had an eventful trip to the cosmetic counter at the mall this weekend... Not so!! I actually just looked around at some 'natural living' blogs, looking for a superior, natural way to care for my skin, that would also eliminate the biweekly trips to the drugstore for new face wash, lotion, shampoo, conditioner, deodorant, etc. Well, I did, and (shriek) it involves oil! I know, I practically shrieked at this at first glance too, but I was willing to try it out. So here goes, and just as a note, these are not my recipes, not that they are any secret, but I do not take credit for them. Here goes.

• For my face, I have began 'oil cleansing.' Sounds counter intuitive, right? That's what I thought, but I was willing to try. I blended half and half castor oil and grapeseed oil and I put a few drops of patchouli in as well. Cause I like the smell, and it's purifying, and gentle. Anyway, I take this oil, which I put into an old 'body splash' bottle and I squirt it out and then massage it into my face morning and night. I massage for about 2 minutes or so, then I wet a washcloth as hot as I can, put it on my face to steam my 'pores' then massage again. Then repeat hot washcloth, then wipe the oil off with a clean, hot washcloth. Make sure not to get it too hot-- you don't want to burn your face, it is just that my water heater is on low. If after I wipe off the oil my face still feels like it needs moisturizer, I use a pea sized amount of either coconut or grapeseed oil. Also, I want to add that I have problem skin, and for the 3rd full day of doing this, my face has never looked better! 
• Now, these are 2 I haven't tried yet because I have yet to run out of my current product. However, here are some more 'recipes' for shampoo, conditioner, and deodorant. Well, I haven't used them myself, but I did use them on Caylen, and the shampoo and conditioner worked great! I of course didn't try the deodorant. 
• For shampoo, mix a tablespoon of baking soda to 1 cup of water. For Caylen, I put hers into a squirt bottle-- she loved it! Massage into the scalp and let sit, then rinse. 
• For conditioner, mix 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar to 1 cup water. I also put this into a squirt bottle. Massage, then rinse.  And yes, they really did work on Caylen's hair, which of course lacked so much oil, but did have food in it :) However, it is also supposed to get rid of excess oil, hair products, etc. Your hair will, supposedly, have a period of where it gets 'adjusted' but this should last no more than a couple of weeks. Your scalp just has to get used to no having to produce as much oil, since it is not continuously being stripped. 
• For deodorant, and not antiperspirant, mix 1/4 cup baking soda and 1/4 cup arrowroot powder or cornstarch. Add coconut oil, 1 tablespoon at a time, to the mixture until it is well mixed (about 4-6 tablespoons). Then, if you like, you can add a few drops of essential oil. Although, it will already smell like fresh coconut :) Then, pack it into a used deodorant container and stick it in the fridge, if it is summertime. Use and enjoy! 

*I found these recipes on www.simplemom.net, but there are similar and other variations of these recipes all over the web. If you want to find them, you can usually just google and find them if these recipes don't suit you.