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2 Bonus: Recommended Natural Skin Care Brands & Essentials It's really scary to think that your everyday personal hygiene and beauty products might contain toxic ingredients that are linked to all sorts of health issues from allergies, irregular periods and infertility to all sorts of cancers. The idea of putting these products on our babies' sensitive and developing skin makes me sick. It's important for your health and your family's health to be able to identify nasty ingredients in personal care products, so check out our Bonus: Natural Brands That Aren't Natural At All! if you haven't already done so. To begin, listed below are 100% natural ingredients that are invaluable to a healthy skin care routine. I use these daily, and they often replace many storebought products:
3 Coconut oil It's one of the most versatile skin ingredients out there. Coconut oil's benefits include hydration, strengthening underlying epidermal tissue, removing dead skin cells, antibacterial, antiviral, antifungal and antioxidant properties.
4 How to use it: Makeup remover: I apply coconut oil to a cotton pad and wipe it around my eyes to remove eye makeup. This also works for face makeup. Overnight moisturizer: I often have dry patches of skin on my cheeks and around my mouth. I apply coconut oil on these areas overnight and it leaves me with a hydrated feel in the morning. Overnight eyelash/eyebrow growth serum: I dip a Q-tip in coconut oil and carefully run it along my lash line to saturate my eyelashes. I do the same with my eyebrows and I've noticed the hairs grow longer and thicker (After 3-4 weeks) Tip: Adding a bit of coconut oil to your clay face masks ensures hydration and prevents your face from over-drying.
5 Tea Tree Oil: Tea tree oil is awesome. It's been used forever in Australia to treat skin breakouts, inflammation and redness. Many people complain that they react badly to acids in their conventional acne treatment creams and gels what's nice about tea tree oil is it's usually well-tolerated. What's so beneficial about
6 this particular oil is that it has antibacterial properties, and so it actually fights and prevents bacterial growth on skin. How to use it: Spot treatments: My skin tolerates it well, so when I breakout, I simply dip a Q-tip in tea tree oil and apply it to each pimple separately. I do this before bed, and when I wake up in the morning, I find many of my zits dried out and less inflamed. Note: Upon applying tea tree oil, you may feel slight burning and the skin around your pimple may appear more red. This is normal and shouldn't last long. If you notice that the redness and stinging sensation lasts longer than 15 minutes, rinse the area with cold water. Your skin may be too sensitive for direct use of tea tree oil and you might need to dilute it in another oil, like coconut.
7 Masks: When my skin is particularly prone to breakouts (like around my period, exam season, stressful times, etc), I always add a few drops of tea tree oil in my face mask recipes. My go-to mask recipe is simple and effective: - 1 tablespoon pure Bentonite Clay - A pinch of baking soda (makes it smoother and easier to mix) - 1 teaspoon distilled water - 2-3 drops of tea tree oil Mix those ingredients thoroughly to get a smooth paste. Apply on skin with a clean brush or fingers. Leave on for 20 minutes, or until the clay is completely dry. At the beginning, you might feel a lot of uncomfortable stretching and pulsing of your skin under the mask. This is normal; bentonite clay works by absorbing toxins from your skin like a sponge. The feeling will go away once you wash the mask off with warm water.
8 Note: It's also normal to be left with red skin, especially around the borders of where the mask was. This redness goes away after 10 minutes. Apple Cider Vinegar Another very versatile and inexpensive natural skin ingredient, apple cider
9 vinegar kills bacteria that contribute in acne development. It also cleanses the skin and clears blemishes caused by gut issues. Once again, skin issues often arise because of problems going on within... and a healthy gut is a major key in healthy skin. How to use it: Toner: I use apple cider vinegar as a skin toner, especially after a face mask where my pores are open and cleansed. I add 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar to 1 teaspoon distilled water because I have oily skin. If you have sensitive skin, it's recommended to add 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar to 4 teaspoons distilled water. For dry skin, 1 teaspoon cider vinegar to 2 teaspoons water. It might not smell the best, but apple cider vinegar will leave your skin feeling smooth and clear. Internally: I started taking apple cider vinegar internally for indigestion after reading about it online. In contrary to what many people believe, apple cider vinegar becomes alkaline inside your body, neutralizing your
10 acidity level. In my case at the time, it was beneficial to lower the acidity in my stomach. It worked! I noticed differences in my skin too; I hadn't suffered from a big breakout since I started drinking apple cider vinegar. I did some research to see if it was a coincidence, and not at all! There is a correlation between drinking ACV and clearer skin. Pretty interesting stuff. The recipe is simple: 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar in a cup of water, 30 minutes to an hour before you eat. You can add some honey for taste but I warn you, it's still quite bitter. Better plug your nose and chug! And lastly...
11 Raw honey & Sea Salt Raw honey is one of the best natural sources of nutrients, enzymes, vitamins and skin-boosting acids. Raw honey is unprocessed and unpasteurized unlike most grocery store-bought honey. This means raw honey keeps all of its nutrients, intact and unprocessed. These nutrients allow raw honey to reduce skin breakouts and blemishes, provide moisturizing effects, provide antiseptic
12 properties, encourage skin healing and reduce scarring. Next, Himalayan sea salt possesses anti-in flammatory qualities that soothes irritated skin and calms feisty breakouts. Sea salt also encourages skin rejuvenation by sloughing off dead skin cells, balances oil production and retains skin moisture levels. How to use it: Face scrub: I love making honey & sea salt face scrubs. My skin tolerates is really well, and I use fine Himalayan sea salt to prevent skin irritation. I usually add 2 tablespoons sea salt to 4 tablespoons raw honey, and I rub on my face for about 30 seconds. I focus on my t-zone the most as it's where my pores are the biggest and more noticeable. Let the scrub stand for 10-15 minutes and rinse off. I love how it makes my skin feel. Now I'll name 8 of my favourite truly natural skin care brands that refrain from using dirty ingredients:
13 Aleavia Skin Care: I love their face and body cleanses, as well as their facial mists; they contain only 7 ingredients and really makes my skin feel fresh, light, and clean. The Green Beaver: I use their Green Tea Facial Moisturizer and a few other face and body products; mostly natural ingredients, not too expensive and helps my skin stay clear. Desert Essence Organics: I love their shampoos/conditioners; this brand is on the cheaper side, and contains more natural ingredients than 90% of products on the market. O2CH: I picked up a O2CH face scrub at my local Winners called Pink Pearl... 100% organic! Never heard of this brand before but now I'm in love and my skin approves.
14 Dr. Bronner: Love Dr.Bronner soaps, forever! I only use these 100% natural body soaps, hand soaps, facial cleanses and castile soap. Finally Pure: This is another 100% organic skin care brand that I highly recommend, especially if you are pregnant or have young ones. I personally love their citrus face wash for oily skin. Andalou Naturals: One of my favourite face cleansers is the Citrus Kombucha Cleansing Gel by Andalou. All-natural ingredients and leaves my face feeling so fresh. Love their mist toners, too. Herbal Choice Mari: Very versatile brand, 100% organic and not too rough on the wallet. Love all of their products, especially their facial cleansers and moisturizers... I highly recommend! I'm in no way af filiated with these aforementioned companies and don't receive any commissions or anything like that. I'm simply a fan of theirs and have been using their natural products for years.
15 I recommend you also check out these brands if you're interested in reducing your every day chemical exposure. The little amounts of poison we let accumulate on our skin and in our bodies turn into a chemical cocktail over time. If you have any questions or concerns, don't hesitate to send me an e-mail at francesca@thenaturallyhip.com or ask your question in The Naturally Hipsters Facebook Group. I hope you found this bonus interesting and learned something new and I wish you the best on your journey to natural health. Francesca