Monday, January 27, 2014

Current Faves: Natural Beauty Products

I don’t use everything all natural all the time, but I know there are toxins in everything from shampoo to perfume to make up.  And for that reason, I do try to use real, natural products as often as possible. I clean our counters & wash our fruits & veggies with vinegar/water mixture, for example. These are some of my current ‘around the house’ natural products that can double as beauty products.

  • Coconut oil: I use this as moisturizer under my eyes, on my elbows, hands, knees, feet, etc. I also use it occasionally as a moisturizing treatment for my hair. (I like to wrap it up in a thin towel & blow dry with coconut oil massaged into hair so it ‘melts’ into scalp.) Make sure you wash & rinse thoroughly though or you might end up looking like this even AFTER a shower. (I slept in it through the night though & my hair looked & felt AWESOME the next day though….so aside for looking like a grease monkey when we had friends over, I’d call it a win.)

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  • Grape seed oil: My mother- in- law told me about this one. She read it is an awesome facial cleanser/make up remover, so I’ve started using it a few times each week. It definitely removes the makeup and doesn’t have any harsh ingredients that some facial cleansers have. (I use the kind in the middle….found it in the health food section at Kroger…but I’m sure any kind would work.)

  • Vitamin E: I follow up the Grape seed cleanse with vitamin E under my eyes. Never too young to start taking care of the wrinkles, right? I did a LOT of damage to my skin when I was younger. Praying I don’t get skin cancer in the future & trying to reverse damage by taking in LOTS of antioxidants, wearing sunscreen daily, & avoiding the sun when possible.

  • Apple cider vinegar: Jon & I drink 1-2 tbsp in diluted water daily because it has so many benefits, BUT it can also be used as an awesome facial astringent. I use it as a hair clarifier too if I start to notice some build-up from hair products.

  • Lemon: I drink lemon in my water, but lemon juice is also great for lightening dark spots on your face. I used to have some skin issues with adult acne, scarring, & Melasma. It has drastically improved and I don’t really seem to have issues with that too much. (I think the Clarisonic, pregnancy, & staying out of the sun has helped too.)

  • Juicing: This is hands down my #1 “beauty” trick. Every single time I start juicing, I get comments for the next few days about my glowing complexion. Never fails! I don’t do it all the time because it’s such a pain to clean up, but I shoot for at least a few times a week. One of my favorites is 1 cucumber, a few stalks of celery, 1 orange, 1 lemon, 1 lime, & about an inch of ginger root.

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  • Epsom salt & lavender essential oil: Stress ALWAYS shows on my face. I am all about de-stressing in a long bath. LOVE some Epsom salt baths with a little bit of lavender essential oil splashed in & praise and worship music on Pandora. (My favorite Epsom salt is made by The Eco Bath- Chelsi got for me as a gift. Next fave is lavendar Soothe & Sleep by Dr. Teal’s.)

      

  • Baking soda: I have one friend that cleans her wedding ring with baking soda, but I use a little bit on a toothbrush every now and again to whiten my teeth.

  • Sugar in the Raw/Olive Oil: This is an AWESOME exfoliator! Just be careful…it gets slick in the shower.

  • Sleep: We love Sleep Works, but when I can’t have that because I’m pregnant or nursing (AKA the last 18 months), I drink a small glass of tart cherry juice. Jon sticks with the Sleep Works. Can’t WAIT to have that again! Only reason I can’t now is because it has lots of natural herbs that haven't’ been tested for obvious reasons. I try to sleep on my back because I’ve noticed one side of my face is aging faster from that skin always being pulled as I sleep on that side.

 

 

 

 

 

 


Any other natural product or tips you love??

5 comments:

TexanCouture said...

I swear by coconut oil! Try mixing your apple vinegar with a little sugar free pineapple juice that's what I usually do.

Amanda P. said...

How do you use the sugar/oil? What ratio?

Amanda P. said...

How do you use the sugar/oil? What is the ratio?

Ashley said...

Just picked up some Jason body lotion, Jason Natural eye lift, and Toms toothpaste. :) Yay!

Unknown said...

I use a mixture of honey and bro.won sugar for natural skin exfoliant. Also honey has natural antibacterial properties to use when you have a zit!