Cleaning your face, applying a stimulating and toning astringent, and protecting your complexion with a good-quality emollient and moisturizer are all important components of proper skin care. You can make a trio of natural facial products--cleanser, toner and moisturizer--using inexpensive, everyday ingredients from your kitchen and medicine chest. Apply a small amount to your wrist before using on your face to make sure you're not allergic to any of the ingredients, and consult your doctor before using essential oils.
Step 1
Combine 1/4 cup of honey and 1/2 cup of glycerin in a small bowl until well blended. Stir in 1 tbsp. of baby shampoo. This recipe, suggested by the National Honey Board, can gently and effectively clean and soften your skin. Honey is a natural humectant that can attract and retain moisture and soften your skin, and has been used for centuries not only cosmetically, but as a natural antimicrobial. The World's Healthiest Foods notes that honey has antibacterial, antifungal and antiviral properties.
Step 2
Apply the mixture to a soft, damp, clean washcloth and rub gently onto your face, massaging in upward and outward circles and paying particular attention to areas under browbone--where smeared eyeliner can collect--areas surrounding nostrils--which can become oily--and chin and cheeks--which can harbor makeup and blusher residue and perspiration. However, be careful not to get the mixture into your eyes; if this happens, rinse well with cool water.
Step 3
Rinse the mixture off with lukewarm or cool water, and pat your face dry.
Step 4
Combine 2/3 cup of witch hazel with 1/3 cup of apple cider vinegar in a clean plastic bottle to begin making a natural facial toner recommended by Spa Index. Add four drops of lavender essential oil to the mixture. Both apple cider vinegar and witch hazel have astringent and toning properties, whereas lavender--with its clean, soothing scent--is used by herbalists and naturopaths for its relaxing and mood-lifting properties. In an article titled Biological activities of lavender essential oil, published in the June 2002 issue of Phytotherapy Research, authors H.M.A. Cavanagh and J.M. Wilkinson--both of the School of Biomedical Sciences at Charles Stuart University in Australia--noted that although more study was needed, there is some scientific and clinical data that supports the traditional uses of lavender.
Step 5
Shake the bottle well, and saturate a clean cotton ball with the toner and wipe over face.
Step 6
Combine 1 tsp. organic safflower oil, 1/3 tsp. vegetable shortening, 1 tsp. lemon juice, 1 tsp. lime juice, and 1/3 tsp. coconut oil in a small saucepan, and heat over low heat until warm. Coconut oil has emollient properties, while Beauty and Grooming Tips says that safflower oil shares many similarities with the lipid components of skin, and is non-comedogenic, meaning it won't clog pores or causes pimples.
Step 7
Let the mixture cool, pour it into a clean plastic container, shake well and apply to face to hydrate and moisturize. According to Beauty Cosmetic Guide, this moisturizer can be stored at room temperature, but the remainder should be discarded after three days and a new batch made up.
Things You'll Need
- 1/4 cup honey
- 1/2 cup glycerin
- 1 tbsp. baby shampoo
- Soft, damp clean washcloth
- 2/3 c. witch hazel
- 1/3 c. apple cider vinegar
- 4 drops lavender essential oil
- Clean plastic bottle
- Clean cotton ball
- 1 tsp. organic safflower oil
- 1/3 tsp. vegetable shortening
- 1 tsp. lime juice
- 1 tsp. lemon juice
- 1/3 tsp. coconut oil
- Clean plastic bottle
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