How to use green ingredients for a healthy skin? Do oils really help that much? Well all these questions have a simple answer, YES!
Man came into existence centuries ago. He lived in the wild and nature was his source for everything. Over time he evolved and invented new things and forgot his early roots.
So let’s get back to our only true source and realize the power in nature. Natural products are so beneficial to our bodies that once tried; it’s hard to think of using chemical products ever again. Products that we apply on our skin get absorbed into our blood stream, thus we should be seriously careful and cautious about what we slather onto our delicate skin.
The basics to healthy skin are 3 steps one after the other:
1. Cleanse
2. Scrub
3. Moisturize
Do just these three simple steps regularly and consistently using all natural products and you will have glisteningly healthy skin!
What natural products can one use?
1) To cleanse of the pollution!
Have layers of makeup on your face? Have oily, sweaty and dirty skin, from being out in the dust all day? Well then chuck out on those expensive and chemical filled commercial cleansers and use your own natural ways!!
Using oils is the best way to removing makeup, dirt particles, etc. It removes out all that has accumulated on your face through the day without harshly damaging your skin and keeping it happy and moisturized. Use any oil that you can easily access. Even olive oil off your kitchen counter can work up wonders. If you want to use other essential oils such as Vanilla, Shea, Coconut, Cocoa bean, Jojoba, Sweet almond, Orange, Tangerine, etc, feel free!
Just take a few drops of the oil into your palm and use circular motions all over your face to remove out dirt. It is safe to rub over your eyes to remove off harsh waterproof eye makeup.
Gently rinse off with warm water and pat dry for clean and soft skin.
Oils pack in a great deal of energy and goodness as they are squeezed out and distilled from parts of plants that grow naturally. Best oils come from plants that are situated deep in forests and have grown naturally without human help. They possess the power of all the five elements; earth, sun, water, air and sky. Research reveals that these oils have strong healing properties in them. Using them on your body both internally and externally is highly beneficial.
2) To scrub of the dead!
For a fresh and clear feeling skin, it is essential that all dead skin is brushed off. Scrubbing is the best way to increase blood circulation and remove dead skin cells. Special care has to be taken while using scrubs. Since they exfoliate, skin pores open up. If the granules are too big and harsh they may damage the upper layer of your skin and cause scares, if they are too small they may either not perform well or get stuck in tiny openings of your face. If scrubs aren’t chosen correctly they may cause skin infections and diseases as open pore can trap in particles of the scrub and settle in, causing irritations and bacterial infections.
Using natural products can drastically reduce the chances of over working your skin and causing irritable reactions.
Listed below is a DIY Scrub that you can make for yourself in the comfort of your house, using all natural products! It gives you the advantage of knowing what exactly goes into the making of these scrubs as natural products are always at your rescue. Since you are making this on your own you can carefully check if you are allergic to any ingredients that you shall be adding. Hence you can remove out those ingredients and add in what you like! If you are trying something new, for example a specific essential oil, then try out a very small amount of it on a small patch of skin and wait for 24 hours. If there is no reaction, it is safe for you to use it.
a) The sugar super scrubber(triple S) :
This is a magic scrub which is so easy to make and so wonderful to smell, that you will be amazed once its ready. All you have to do is mix! So grab a clean fresh mixing bowl and wooden ladle and get mixing!
To your bowl, add:
¼ cup of cinnamon powder
¼ cup of cocoa powder/ vanilla powder
Mix both of them together, so that they are evenly distributed.
1 cup full of coconut oil/ olive oil/ jojoba oil/ grape seed oil/ sunflower oil
Make sure to add the oil while slowly stirring it into the dry mixture, to avoid any lumps.
In case, the oil you are using is in its solid form, you can heat the mixture to melt it or you can preheat the oil for a few minutes till you attain a liquid consistency.
2 cups of sugar
Be sure to add your sugar only after you have prepared the earlier mixture, because heating sugar will melt it all away and then your mixture will not serve as a scrub. Mix everything together till it all looks the same.
Drops of food color
If you want to add a fancy touch to your scrub, you can add in some red, blue, green, orange, purple, etc. Any food colouring of your choice can be added to make the scrub look attractive. By controlling the amount of drops you add, you can attain your desired color.
1 or 2 drops of essential oil
According to your choice you can mix in some essential oil. It will add to the fragrance and goodness of your scrub. Give it one good stir once you add your essential oil. Always add in the essential oil in the end as it may vaporize during the mixing process. You can use vanilla oil as it goes well with cinnamon and coconut. But then again, you are free to customize it to your desires. Lemon oil, sweet orange oil, lavender oil, jasmine oil, etc. are other great options.
You can pack up your scrub in jars and use them at your convenience. They make great gifts and can be customized to personal liking. They work well for your body and best of all they are made by your own hands. The satisfaction they give, when you use them in your bath is worth the try.
Decorate and label them to make cute gifts on mother’s day, birthdays, baby-showers, Christmas,etc.
Precautions:
– It is very important to use sterile containers for storage and making to avoid fungus and bacteria from contaminating your handmade concoction.
– Use spoons to remove out portions from the mixture to avoid contamination by bacteria from your hand.
– Do not store it for too long as the product is made from natural products without added preservatives.
– Store it in cool and dry places to make it last long.
3) Fill up with moisture!
The most important way to keep your skin moisturized is to hydrate it. Water is your best friend here. Hydrate yourself from the inside out! Drink up loads of this magical liquid and keep your skin happy.
An amazing way to hydrate and moisturize your body is to use raw oils. Applying coconut oil to your body just after a bath is a great way to moisturize by locking in hydration that your body has captured during your bath.
Other oils like Shea oil, Cocoa oil, Brazilian nut oil, Strawberry oil, Orange oil, Tangerine oil, Mango oil and many more can be used as smooth natural moisturizers. Along with moisturizing, they provide a smooth soft texture to skin and a shiny glowing effect which makes you look radiant and healthy.
Another way to moisturize is using lotion bars. They are a wonderful and enjoyable way to keep your body moisturized. They are moisturizing bars that are meant to melt when they touch your skin, due to body heat. They set into your skin and make it soft and supple. A simple and easy DIY natural lotion bar recipe is listed below.
Mix in equal parts of:
- Oil- preferably Grape seed oil, as it increases the shelf life of your lotion bar.
- Bee’s wax- this is optional but highly recommended.
- Butter- Cocoa or Shea butter, depending on individual preferences and availability.
They may require heating, for which using the water bath method would be perfect, wherein you would place a container containing these ingredients into a pot of boiling water, so that heat is induced slowly and evenly.
Once this is done, place it in a dry place and quickly add a few drops of colorant and essential oils to add some color and fragrance. Mix it. Immediately pour it into molds of your choice and store them for 24 hours in a cool or dry place. Within this time they will solidify and then they can be used freely over skin and hair to moisturize!
Since it is all natural you don’t have to worry about any side effects and it is going to save you so much money, you’ll never shift back to commercial products. Nature is where we come from and nature is where we will eventually go back to, so the best way to live whatever is in between is with nature. By shifting to natural products you will realize that they are so beneficial that you will begin to question yourself, “why did man ever create chemically synthesized products, in the first place?”
So try these tips and live green, to live long!
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