3 Easy Steps To Natural Skincare

Easy-made skincare at home.

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How many of you have spent hundreds of dollars on skin care products that were so-so? The beautiful reality is that a few simple ingredients from your kitchen, or the store, could give you the gorgeous, youthful skin that all the other products promise. And, for much less money. 

Ingredients needed for your skincare routine:

Face Wash/Scrub

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Toner/Astringent

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Moisturizer

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*Please note that I wear makeup, like most women, and typically use a makeup remover/eye makeup remover before starting this skin care regime. You want to avoid the eye area when washing with this formula, so removing eye makeup beforehand is advised.

Your 3 Steps

First, for the face wash, I typically use a mason jar to store my mixture in. Take 4-5 tablespoons of honey, add the juice of half a small lemon and add 2 teaspoons of Epsom salts. Mix the ingredients well together.  Wet face with warm water and take a small amount of the face wash and rub it gently onto your skin in circular motions, avoiding the eyes.  Rinse with warm water and pat dry.

Secondly, you can either use aloe vera leaf or apple cider vinegar as your toner.  You slice open the aloe leaf and rub the inner gel all over your face.  Or put some ACV on a cotton ball and gently apply to your skin in circular motions.  If you have sensitive skin just stick with the aloe, or dilute the ACV with water. 

For the third and final step, we have nature's youthful skin serum, Coconut Oil.  And no, this does not mean you have to walk around or go to bed with a super oily face. With coconut oil, it doesn't take much! I use coconut oil as a daytime moisturizer!  I apply a very small amount so that I'm not greasy. But at night, you can apply a little bit more, allowing it to absorb into your skin before bed.  Prior to washing your face, you can use coconut oil to remove any eye makeup you are wearing. Coconut oil also conditions your eye lashes, making them feel healthy and thicker. 

You can use the Manuka honey as a moisturizer too! Gently rub a small amount in circular motions onto your face. Allow the honey to be absorbed into the skin. This is a fabulous over night moisturizer and is one I prefer to use a couple times a week. It makes my skin feel so, so soft and knowing all the nutrients that it is infusing into my skin makes it even that much better!

With the face wash, you can make as little or as much as you would like. Store in a jar in your bathroom, with a spoon to scoop a little bit out at a time to use. 

All The Wonderful Perks Of Using These Fine Ingredients

Epsom Salts- These crystallized salts exfoliate the skin, leaving it softer and smoother. They help moisturize the skin, while the minerals increase your skins magnesium levels.

Manuka Honey-  This honey is antimicrobial, antibacterial and anti-inflammatory.  It contains amino acids that slough away dead skin cells, balancing the skin's pH.   It also oxygenates pores to draw out bacteria, improving acne prone skin. Dry skin is healed quickly with this power moisturizer.  Add in all the vitamins and minerals (over 80) and you have a youthful-face salve that's potent and healing. 

Lemons- Rich in vitamin C and citric acid, lemons can lighten and brighten your skin if used continuously.  They are also antibacterial and can aid in healing acne prone skin. 

Aloe Vera-A systematic review for burn healing, performed in South-East Asia, found that Aloe Vera speeds up skin cell reproduction by as much as eight times and penetrates the epidermis (the outer layer of skin) four times faster than water!  The skin healing properties of Aloe Vera are beyond most other plants. When you rub fresh gel from the inner leaf into your skin, you are rubbing enzymes, amino acids, vitamins A,C,E, B1, B2, B3 (niacin), B6 and B12 into your skin. You are also laying on the minerals, which include calcium, magnesium, zinc, chromium, selenium, iron, potassium and manganese.  All of which are essential for skin health and elasticity. 

Apple Cider Vinegar-ACV contains high amounts of alpha hydroxy acids, which remove dead skin cells from the surface of your skin.  It helps balance the skins pH and can help oily or acne prone areas of the skin.  

Coconut Oil-Coconut oil contains proteins, vitamins and essential fatty acids. The proteins help repair skin cells, while the saturated fat helps retain the moisture content of your skin, helping it appear and feel smooth. The essential fatty acids, capric-caprylic-lauric acids, have strong antimicrobial properties. The high vitamin E content helps prevent premature aging and helps reduce the appearance of wrinkles. 

All of these natural skin care remedies can really help clear up and even out skin tone, along with aiding in the repair of your skin cells.  If you have sensitive skin, or any known allergies to any of the ingredients above, please avoid using them.  Otherwise, enjoy the benefits of these wonder healers!

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Resources:  https://www.mskcc.org/cancer-care/integrative-medicine/herbs/manuka-honey
                     https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17499928
                      https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15725565
                      https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16373990
                     http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0308814606009356

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