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Guest Post by Leslie of Crunchy Betty
It never fails to amaze me just how easy it is to make your own facial scrubs and cleansers – and just how much money you save (naturally) doing so!
These are two recipes for very gentle skincare, and can be used on any skin type at all. You can use them morning and night, if you wish, but for me, they’re great as part of my morning routine. It’s just the right amount of exfoliating and moisturizing “morning skin” craves.
You can find all of the ingredients in the scrub at http://mountainroseherbs.com, or check your local natural foods store or herb shop. You can use any cosmetic clay you like, but for scrubs, I prefer kaolin or bentonite, which are two of the easiest-to-find clays out there.
Gentle Lavender Scrub
* 2 Tbsp. dried lavender buds
* 2 Tbsp. dried chamomile buds
* 1/2 c. whole oats
* 1 Tbsp. cosmetic clay (kaolin, bentonite, french green, or rhassoul)
* Water, rosewater (for dry skin) or witch hazel (for oilier skin) to wet the scrub as you use it.
Place the first three ingredients in your food processor and process on high into a fine powder. This should take between 3 to 5 minutes. Once the oats and dried flowers are powdery, place in your container and stir in the clay.
The scrub is, believe it or not, now complete! As it is dry, it will keep for many months (at least 6) in a cool place – like your bathroom cabinet.
To use: Splash some lukewarm water on your face to start. Put approximately 2 teaspoons of the scrub in a small dish or in your hand and add just enough liquid (water, rosewater, or witch hazel) to the powder to create a slightly watery paste. I keep a small dish in the bathroom all the time for mine, and rinse it out after every use, but your hand works just as well. Scrub the mixture gently over your face for a minute or two. You can either rinse your face clean at this point, or allow the scrub to dry for a few minutes for extra cleansing. Either way, rinse well and finish with the light moisturizer below.
Light Lavender Moisturizer
* 1/2 c. distilled water
* 2 tsp. vegetable glycerin
* 4 drops lavender essential oil
Combine all ingredients in a small container. I like to put my moisturizers in dropper bottles, but this is light enough that you could even pour it in a spray bottle and spritz your face in the morning (or throughout the day, as you need moisture). Apply a thin layer to a clean face.
Leslie, a reformed model and enthusiast of natural beauty, lives in the quirky town of Manitou Springs, CO. She blogs constantly about homemade beauty recipes, household tips, and home remedies at Crunchy Betty (http://crunchybetty.com). She also encourages you, incessantly, to put food on your face. What better way to look like a kid again?
What would you suggest as a replacement for oats? We have a gluten “sensitivity” and although technically oats are gluten free it is known that there is cross contamination with wheat and for this I choose to keep it out of our home. Any suggestions whould be appreciated! Thanks and love the post! I am always looking for more natural beauty recipes. I currently use no commercial products on my body but would like to pamper myself occasionally!
Hi, Julie! You could try gluten-free cornmeal (though I don’t know how hard that is to find). Or you could substitute finely ground sunflower seeds. Those might be a little more exfoliating, though, so you might not want to use this every single day if you add the sunflower seeds (too much exfoliating can be a bad thing).
Those are the best ways I can think of at the moment to keep this absolutely gluten free, but if I find any other replacements, I’ll let you know.
I will say there are bunches of recipes over at my site that are gluten-free (and definitely pampering). See if there’s anything there that strikes ya!
.-= Leslie @ crunchybetty´s last blog ..27 Quick and Crunchy Home Remedies for Pimples =-.
Just thought I would let you and other readers know that lavender oil and witch hazel are well known skin irritants. I know they appear in lots of natural and organic products, but that doesn’t mean they don’t irritate. The best facial scrub aside from a wet washcloth is baking soda. The granules are small enough to not damage the growing skin but abrasive enough to remove dead flakey skin. I wouldn’t use the baking soda more than a couple of times a week though as it can be a bit drying.
Tried this last night – love it!!!