Looking for affordable, great, natural-skin care line

[happy2bamama]

Hello Mamas!

I am looking to make the switch to natural skin care products. I currently use Origins and like them, but when I checked them out on www.cosmeticsdatabase.com, I wasn't happy with them being moderately bad for me. I would love to find something that's affordable and really natural AND really good for dry skin, sensitive-ish skin - cleanser, toner and moisturizer.

Any thoughts? TIA!

[Mollyma]

skincare

www.sensuousbeauty.com
amazing, extremely natural and simple- You may even be able to host a party and get a nice discount!

[e&tsmom]

Try honey as a facial wash and pure, unrefined, organic shea butter as a moisturizer. I mix in a little shea butter, coconut oil, and badgers sunblock 30 in my hand and apply in the morning. My skin is smooth, fresh, and protected. TOTALLY cheap and TOTALLY organic (well, except for a few ingredients inthe sunblock). I used to use kabana skin care until I realized what veg emulsifying wax really is...

If you really want an actual line you could try www.onehundredpercentpure.com I use their make up.

[marimara]

The Derma E line has excellent reviews from cosmeticsdatabase and I love everything I've tried so far.

Also, I make a super easy to make toner in a spray bottle: 60% organic aloe juice and 40% witch hazel. I sometimes add EO's to make it smell pretty but it's not necessary. I works great to keep my skin hydrated and toned.

[happy2bamama]

Originally Posted by e&tsmom

Try honey as a facial wash and pure, unrefined, organic shea butter as a moisturizer. I mix in a little shea butter, coconut oil, and badgers sunblock 30 in my hand and apply in the morning. My skin is smooth, fresh, and protected. TOTALLY cheap and TOTALLY organic (well, except for a few ingredients inthe sunblock). I used to use kabana skin care until I realized what veg emulsifying wax really is...

If you really want an actual line you could try www.onehundredpercentpure.com I use their make up.

Thanks for this - I looked at their website and their stuff is the only stuff I've found that's TRULY pure, so I would love to try it. I'm just a little unsure as to which specific products are for dry/sensitive skin, so I'm waiting to hear back from them.

Originally Posted by marimara

The Derma E line has excellent reviews from cosmeticsdatabase and I love everything I've tried so far.

Also, I make a super easy to make toner in a spray bottle: 60% organic aloe juice and 40% witch hazel. I sometimes add EO's to make it smell pretty but it's not necessary. I works great to keep my skin hydrated and toned.

First, thanks for the Derma E tip. I checked out their stuff and although not as pure as 100% Pure, their website gave more detailed info. On Cosmetics Database, their stuff did okay, but a lot of it was in the moderate range surprisingly. When you say that you've loved everything you've tried so far, was it AMAZING or just pretty good stuff? I'd love to find amazing

And about toner - I've never fully understood what it is. I just read that it goes on after your cleanser and you use a cotton pad (or whatever) to put it on, like you're cleaning your face and picking up with the cleanser didn't. But then I also know people who just pat in on like a layer before moisturizer. What is toner??! And thanks for your homemade recipe!

[tankgirl136]

Toner is typically an astringent and tends to be alcohol based. It is usually not great for dry skin. It is designed to remove excess oil and makeup, it can also clean pores, but a little castor oil or Honey can also clean your pores without being as drying. If you want a more natural toner similar to what you get in the store for application go with Witch Hazel.

I have to say as some one with dry and sensitive skin I love the Oil Cleansing method as it is cheap, pure and great for my skin. If you have the right mix it is AMAZING! If I use cleanser I just use a nice handmade bar of soap, followed by many of the oils and butters I normally use on my skin. Since switching to more natural ingredients I no longer have as many skin issues and they are cheaper on my pocket book!

[happy2bamama]

Originally Posted by tankgirl136

Toner is typically an astringent and tends to be alcohol based. It is usually not great for dry skin. It is designed to remove excess oil and makeup, it can also clean pores, but a little castor oil or Honey can also clean your pores without being as drying. If you want a more natural toner similar to what you get in the store for application go with Witch Hazel.

I have to say as some one with dry and sensitive skin I love the Oil Cleansing method as it is cheap, pure and great for my skin. If you have the right mix it is AMAZING! If I use cleanser I just use a nice handmade bar of soap, followed by many of the oils and butters I normally use on my skin. Since switching to more natural ingredients I no longer have as many skin issues and they are cheaper on my pocket book!

Thanks for the explanation I don't wear make-up, so I feel like toner might be a worthless step for me, but if it at all has moisturizing properties, than that would be great. So, what is the Oil Cleansing method? And how do you get an AMAZING mix?! What other things do you use (the many oils and butters?)

[marimara]

Originally Posted by happy2bamama

First, thanks for the Derma E tip. I checked out their stuff and although not as pure as 100% Pure, their website gave more detailed info. On Cosmetics Database, their stuff did okay, but a lot of it was in the moderate range surprisingly. When you say that you've loved everything you've tried so far, was it AMAZING or just pretty good stuff? I'd love to find amazing

And about toner - I've never fully understood what it is. I just read that it goes on after your cleanser and you use a cotton pad (or whatever) to put it on, like you're cleaning your face and picking up with the cleanser didn't. But then I also know people who just pat in on like a layer before moisturizer. What is toner??! And thanks for your homemade recipe!

I have combo/sensitive skin so I've only used the stuff for that from Derma E. I've used the Vitamin A Wrinkle Treatment Gel (got a 2 from cosmeticsdatabase) all the time. It's great for everything from summertime moisture to insect bites, hives, etc. I've used the Scar Gel for some acne scars and it worked great (it got a 3, mostly for 'fragrant oils' which Derma E uses natural oils). I plan on trying the derma e Pycnogenol® Moisturizing Gel (which rates at 3 mostly for Vit E, A ).

I haven't found a truly pure line of products that will rate a super low from cosmeticsdatabse. Some Aubrey Organics products do well on cosmetdat but some do not. I've used the Aubrey Sensitive line and it is amazing (the moisture lotion and scrub is). I didn't like the cleanser, didn't feel like it actually cleaned my face. The toner is good but I can make my own for cheaper. The scrub was great except the bottle turns moldy after only a couple of weeks in my shower, so I have to throw it out, thinking I am rubbing mold all over my face I'm guessing because it's so natural.

So after, much searching Derma E is my fave with Aubrey a close runner up. I've also used Zia, which is supposed to be pretty natural but when I've examined them at cosmetdat they weren't all that good.

[sunnysandiegan]

I use rosewater as a toner for my normal (not oily nor dry) SENSITIVE skin. My skin borders on being oily and rosewater is meant for dry skin. I used it based on a recommendation from someone who really knows my skin and I have been amazed with the results! My skin is simply not oily any longer AT ALL. The rosewater seems to have balanced out my skin's needs. I just mist it over my face and throat and upper chest in the evening and a quick mist just on my face in the morning (after cleansing; before moisturizer). It is simply purified water and rose oil (you must check the ingredients because different brands add extra "stuff"). I paid full price for my first bottle and loved the results so much I searched out a great deal. I found them at a local discount store for a fraction of the cost of the health food store (4 big bottles for the cost of one small bottle). I'm still using the first big bottle, but I pour it into the original small bottle for convenience (same brand). I found rosewater concentrate on clearance locally and plan to make my own toner when I run out of the premade rosewater.

I am in the midst of moving from commercial products to homemade. I still use purchased cleanser and moisturizer (random brands of varying degrees of "natural"). I have another day or two's worth of eye cream left and then will be using rosehip seed oil for the delicate eye area and a few acne scars from my younger days. I won't need to replace cleansers or daytime (SPF) moisturizers for awhile yet, but I plan to use oils for nighttime moisturizing when I run out (of purchased). I have unrefined coconut oil, sweet almond oil, olive oil, and two blends from India. I'll use whichever works best on my skin and look forward to making up blends and such to figure it out. I like this kind of stuff, though.

[YinYang]

I'm a huge fan of 100percentpure.com - great stuff. I used their tinted moisturizer, mascara, face cream, oh and their body lotions are great. Got my daughter their bubble bath and lotions as well. Peach bath bomb - wonderful! Love love it.... Free shipping over $50 and they always seem to send samples.

I also use witch hazel (60-70%) / water (30-40%) toner. I love it just for freshening up. Sometimes if I'm in a rush but I wish I could wash my face, I just wipe it with the witch hazel. I'm a runner and wipe my face and neck with this after runs just to get the sweat off quickly

And (no I'm not the greenest out there AT ALL), I have some sherpa cotton rounds (2-ply) that I use as cotton pads - reusable LOVE them!

[nerdymom]

Another one for the OCM here! I used to have wretched acne-prone skin. But now it's clear and I love it!! It took a bit of trial and error to find the right mix for my skin, but now I'm about 20% Castor oil and 80% EVOO and I love it! I can even skip a day or two and just rinse with water in between.

For body and haircare I use a local company, http://www.virginiasoapsandscents.com/ I love their shampoo bar and their bar soaps.

[Elizabeth2008]

I would try some home made things if you're looking for economical. I jsut started doing the oil cleansing method and love it! I use a mixture of castor oil, sunflower oil and almond oil. There's a whole thread on it in this forum. But you basically just massage in the oil, then place warm washcloth over your face a few times to penetrate and then wipe it all off. Cleans your face beautifully! I use witchhazel as a toner occasionally (but I have dry skin so really don't use a tonor much). For an exfoliator I made a scrub out of ground oatmeal and raw honey and some olive oil. Keep it in the fridge!