The day my mother introduced me to make-up, she invited a professional beauty consultant into our home to give me a facial. It was a special event. We had tea and cookies. We laughed and had fun. My mother purchased a set of skincare and quality make-up for me. She continued to provide me with skincare products until I was on my own and purchased skincare myself.
My mother was probably more brilliant than she realized. Beginning my skin-care routine at a young age was valuable guidance.
As my babies were born, I began searching for inexpensive and natural methods of skincare. I tried various drugstore brands and online companies. But good skincare, whether it is natural or not, is not cheap. So, I found myself at a loss.
One evening, my mentoring friend came over for a visit. I will never forget the moment she pulled out her big binder full of various recipes. I went from sitting on the sofa across from her, to sitting next to her with that notebook in my lap. She had not only made and used the recipes in her book, but passed on to me her rich of knowledge of each of the ingredients she used in the recipes.
I still use her recipes for cold cream, healing salve, and bee balm, and have also springboarded from those basic recipies and built a skincare routine that I love.
I am absolutely amazed how my skin looks and feels now that I make my own skincare. I honestly have never have had such amazing results from bottled products. I also like knowing each of the ingredients that I am putting on my skin are wholesome. And of course, making skincare at home comes with a very reasonable price tag.
I have passed the home-made lotions onto family and friends and they rave about them. I make my own mother a quart of cold-cream every year. It is what she uses on her skin now too.
The only skincare product I purchase is a SPF CC cream. I do not use foundation, but love a tinted SPF protection. I currently am happy with a product called Supergoop. I use it daily for SPF coverage and tinted moisture. I know people do make their own sun-screens and foundaitions. But have decided I am not going to tamper with that. It is a little too much chemistry for me to feel at peace doing from my home. So I will leave the sunscreen making to lab profesionals.
I have immensely enjoyed the skincare products I make from my kitchen and love knowing that the ingredients in each bottle are so safe I could spread it on toast and eat!
I am going to post this week specifically how to make and use each skincare product. The following list is a quick snapshot of the products, ingredients, and uses.
Ingredients: Grapeseed oil, coconut oil, rosewater, Aloe Vera, lanolin, beeswax, primrose oil
Uses: Oil Face wash – gently rub on face, get as washcloth as hot as you can stand, place hot washcloth over face for about 30 seconds, then wash face-this one step will remove make-up, cleanse, and moisturize. Face and body lotion-best after a hot bath or shower to help moisture absorb into skin.
Ingredients: Rosewater, apple-cider vinegar, Vitamin C Crystals
Use: antioxidant facial toner, lightens sun-spots and tightens pores
Ingredients: Coconut oil, grapeseed or almond oil, raw creamed honey, granulated white sugar, vanilla essential oil
Uses: Face scrub-gently rub on face and wash off with a hot washcloth, Face mask-gently rub on skin and wash off after 10 minutes (this can be done in the bath or shower), Body scrub in the shower
Bee Balm
Ingredients: Grapeseed Oil, Coconut Oil, Beeswax, Cocoa butter, Shea butter, vanilla essential oil
Uses: Lip balm, chapped skin balm, diaper rash cream, under eye balm before bed, or foot balm (after bath or shower, or before bed, rub over feet, put on socks and let the balm soften dry feet)