I have been using a natural skin care “system” (homemade) for many many years. I still get comments on my skin (I’m 46). I’ve been meaning to post this on a separate thread, so here goes. Sorry, it ended up being long. But worth the read if it works for your skin.
This is a very nice alternative to the OCM (oil cleansing method), with many of the good results - blackheads disappear, skin is smooth and soft - but with less time, and without the oiliness or washcloth.
Oat flour is the basic ingredient, and I’ll get into the variations below. But I’m going to talk about oat flour first because it is appropriate for all skin types, especially sensitive or dry skin, or skin that is really broken out. It acts as a very gentle exfoliant.
You wet your face with hot water. Then put some of the oat flour in one palm and use the fingertips of the other hand to dip into the flour and rub it on your face. Pay particular attention to problem areas. Rinse with hot water, and repeat. Then rinse well. After some experience using this (and after adjusting my recipe to my skin type), I am able to skip the repeat part except for when my skin needs it.
I have used straight oat flour on my eyelid area with good results - soft smooth skin, just like the rest of my face. But I would never use anything stronger on the eye area. Well, I won’t ever again. Dang, that hurt. Grit in the eye, ouch.
I keep my powder in a recycled shaker spice bottle (with a screw-on lid over the shaker holes, to keep water out). I keep a larger quantity mixed up and ready to go in a glass jar in the kitchen, and refill the smaller spice jar as needed.
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OK, now how to vary the basic recipe to meet your skin’s needs…
For dry skin (or anytime you want an extra boost of emollients), add a few drops of oil to the powder in your palm, mix it in a bit, then apply to your face. Rinse well. I remember that safflower oil in particular was recommended - relatively light and the right pH (more on this later).
Oat bran adds a bit more “oomph” to the basic powder. Exfoliates very nicely. Good for skin that needs a bit “more” than the basic oat flour, skin with a dull appearance, or normal/dry skin that experiences a little too much oil right before your period.
Salt is good for blackheads. It also has anti-biotic properties, useful for skin that breaks out. It’s also a “rougher” scrub, but it dissolves, so the amount of time that you can scrub with it is automatically limited. Good for oily skin.
Salt is, IMO, a better scrub ingredient than sugar for a couple of reasons. It’s a simpler chemical structure (sodium chloride, versus carbon chains), and the grains are of a more uniform size/shape. And that whole “salt has anti-biotic properties” thing. Sea salt contains minerals, which some department store brands of skin care charge big bucks for. And I’m just certain that if I make my mix with sugar, at some point there will be a sweet, sticky mess in my bathroom, ha ha. I don’t want to attract ants.
Corn meal is another good scrub ingredient. However, it doesn’t dissolve like salt. That’s good for stubborn blackheads or for an occasional deep cleansing. But you also have to make sure you don’t over-rub.
Oat flour makes a good base so the gritty stuff isn’t overpowering - kind of softens the mix.
My skin is oily, tends to have blackheads around the nose, and used to break out some (rarely does any more). After playing around with the ingredients (for years!), I settled on the following recipe:
2 parts organic oat flour
1 part sea salt
1 part organic corn meal
Please play around and find the right ratio for your own skin. If you think your skin would benefit from the grittier stuff (oily skin, blackheads, dull appearance, etc), try working up to it. Start with mostly oat flour, and increase the amount of grit (oat bran, salt, or corn meal) a little at a time.
I’ve also been known to include dried ground herbs or a little EO in the mix (which tended to clump), either as an attempt to use herbs that are good for the skin, or to make it smell more interesting. But I always come back to my basic stuff.
------------------------------------
That’s the first half of the system. Here’s the other half: dilute vinegar rinse. Yep, just like hair. Only I put it on a cotton ball and stroke over my skin.
Your skin’s pH is slightly acidic - seems like it is 6 to 6.5. (I can’t find my reference book.) It’s healthiest if it’s at or near that pH. Ever heard of the “acid mantle”? That’s the mixture of sebum (oil) and perspiration and probably other stuff that the skin produces. The acid mantle helps your skin be its best by keeping it at its natural pH, and forming a thin protective barrier.
When you rinse your skin in with a dilute vinegar rinse, you are helping re-establish that protective acid mantle, after having just washed it off.
For my oily skin, I used a 1:7 ratio (one part vinegar to seven parts water) for many years - the same dilution as the final rinse I used on my hair. I’ve switched my hair rinse to 1:9, because my hair is more normal now than when I was younger. I would think (where IS that book?!) that less-oily skin, like less-oily hair, would responds best to a more dilute solution (1:12 is what the book recommends for dry hair). And the stronger, more acidic ratios help discourage over-production of oil. I’m sorry - I don’t have the skin ratios memorized like I do for hair.
Mamas, I know there were more options, especially for dry skin, in my main reference book, but I just can’t find it. I know good quality (or homemade) mayonnaise has many desirable qualities as a moisturizer, including a slightly acidic pH and natural ingredients. And I have used it in the winter on a trip where my skin dried out. But I know there are more. I’ll post them just as soon as that book shows up.
By the way, the book I used as my main reference is called “Totally Natural Beauty” by Nona Aguillar, if you want to look it up.
Oh, I just remembered a few more of the “recipes”. Plain yogurt is wonderful to restore the acid mantle. It’s supposed to combat blackheads and act as a slight moisturizer. (I always had better results from my powder recipe with regard to blackheads.)
And for oily skin (or skin that is oily occasionally) wine makes a good astringent toner. It’s acidic and the alcohol content battles excess oil. Put some on a cotton ball and stroke over your face and neck.
A few drops of safflower oil is excellent as a moisturizer. I never could bring myself to put this on my oily face. But I DID use it as a body oil, especially while I was pregnant.
And fresh strawberries, mashed to a pulp, make a fine mask. The fruit acids (similar to alpha hydroxy) really brighten the complexion. Just mash, apply, leave on for a while and rinse.
------------------------------
One last idea to pass on. Steam facials. This is my “special” treatment for my face, if I have a special occasion coming up, or if I‘m having a breakout. I wash using a “softer” powder (not my usual daily scrub), rinse in hot water, then steam for several minutes. Repeat the wash-rinse-steam a few times. Follow with an acid rinse the last time to restore the acid balance and help close the pores.
The moist heat opens up the pores. That’s good! Then the scrub can really help the blackheads or other impurities roll away. The steam also encourages circulation - good for breakouts, and really just good for your skin’s health. However, this will tend to leave my skin a bit too pink, so I do it the day BEFORE the big event.
Steam facials are a time-honored way to help skin be its best. My grandmother would put rosehips in the water for her facials. Or was it rose petals, I can’t remember. I would think that rosehips (since they are high in vitamin C) would make the steam slightly acidic (good), and maybe astringent. And I know roses are known for their skin softening and moisturizing qualities.
Anyway, I hope some of you find information here that leads you to a skin care solution for you.
This is a very nice alternative to the OCM (oil cleansing method), with many of the good results - blackheads disappear, skin is smooth and soft - but with less time, and without the oiliness or washcloth.
Oat flour is the basic ingredient, and I’ll get into the variations below. But I’m going to talk about oat flour first because it is appropriate for all skin types, especially sensitive or dry skin, or skin that is really broken out. It acts as a very gentle exfoliant.
You wet your face with hot water. Then put some of the oat flour in one palm and use the fingertips of the other hand to dip into the flour and rub it on your face. Pay particular attention to problem areas. Rinse with hot water, and repeat. Then rinse well. After some experience using this (and after adjusting my recipe to my skin type), I am able to skip the repeat part except for when my skin needs it.
I have used straight oat flour on my eyelid area with good results - soft smooth skin, just like the rest of my face. But I would never use anything stronger on the eye area. Well, I won’t ever again. Dang, that hurt. Grit in the eye, ouch.
I keep my powder in a recycled shaker spice bottle (with a screw-on lid over the shaker holes, to keep water out). I keep a larger quantity mixed up and ready to go in a glass jar in the kitchen, and refill the smaller spice jar as needed.
------------------------------------
OK, now how to vary the basic recipe to meet your skin’s needs…
For dry skin (or anytime you want an extra boost of emollients), add a few drops of oil to the powder in your palm, mix it in a bit, then apply to your face. Rinse well. I remember that safflower oil in particular was recommended - relatively light and the right pH (more on this later).
Oat bran adds a bit more “oomph” to the basic powder. Exfoliates very nicely. Good for skin that needs a bit “more” than the basic oat flour, skin with a dull appearance, or normal/dry skin that experiences a little too much oil right before your period.
Salt is good for blackheads. It also has anti-biotic properties, useful for skin that breaks out. It’s also a “rougher” scrub, but it dissolves, so the amount of time that you can scrub with it is automatically limited. Good for oily skin.
Salt is, IMO, a better scrub ingredient than sugar for a couple of reasons. It’s a simpler chemical structure (sodium chloride, versus carbon chains), and the grains are of a more uniform size/shape. And that whole “salt has anti-biotic properties” thing. Sea salt contains minerals, which some department store brands of skin care charge big bucks for. And I’m just certain that if I make my mix with sugar, at some point there will be a sweet, sticky mess in my bathroom, ha ha. I don’t want to attract ants.
Corn meal is another good scrub ingredient. However, it doesn’t dissolve like salt. That’s good for stubborn blackheads or for an occasional deep cleansing. But you also have to make sure you don’t over-rub.
Oat flour makes a good base so the gritty stuff isn’t overpowering - kind of softens the mix.
My skin is oily, tends to have blackheads around the nose, and used to break out some (rarely does any more). After playing around with the ingredients (for years!), I settled on the following recipe:
2 parts organic oat flour
1 part sea salt
1 part organic corn meal
Please play around and find the right ratio for your own skin. If you think your skin would benefit from the grittier stuff (oily skin, blackheads, dull appearance, etc), try working up to it. Start with mostly oat flour, and increase the amount of grit (oat bran, salt, or corn meal) a little at a time.
I’ve also been known to include dried ground herbs or a little EO in the mix (which tended to clump), either as an attempt to use herbs that are good for the skin, or to make it smell more interesting. But I always come back to my basic stuff.
------------------------------------
That’s the first half of the system. Here’s the other half: dilute vinegar rinse. Yep, just like hair. Only I put it on a cotton ball and stroke over my skin.
Your skin’s pH is slightly acidic - seems like it is 6 to 6.5. (I can’t find my reference book.) It’s healthiest if it’s at or near that pH. Ever heard of the “acid mantle”? That’s the mixture of sebum (oil) and perspiration and probably other stuff that the skin produces. The acid mantle helps your skin be its best by keeping it at its natural pH, and forming a thin protective barrier.
When you rinse your skin in with a dilute vinegar rinse, you are helping re-establish that protective acid mantle, after having just washed it off.
For my oily skin, I used a 1:7 ratio (one part vinegar to seven parts water) for many years - the same dilution as the final rinse I used on my hair. I’ve switched my hair rinse to 1:9, because my hair is more normal now than when I was younger. I would think (where IS that book?!) that less-oily skin, like less-oily hair, would responds best to a more dilute solution (1:12 is what the book recommends for dry hair). And the stronger, more acidic ratios help discourage over-production of oil. I’m sorry - I don’t have the skin ratios memorized like I do for hair.
Mamas, I know there were more options, especially for dry skin, in my main reference book, but I just can’t find it. I know good quality (or homemade) mayonnaise has many desirable qualities as a moisturizer, including a slightly acidic pH and natural ingredients. And I have used it in the winter on a trip where my skin dried out. But I know there are more. I’ll post them just as soon as that book shows up.
By the way, the book I used as my main reference is called “Totally Natural Beauty” by Nona Aguillar, if you want to look it up.
Oh, I just remembered a few more of the “recipes”. Plain yogurt is wonderful to restore the acid mantle. It’s supposed to combat blackheads and act as a slight moisturizer. (I always had better results from my powder recipe with regard to blackheads.)
And for oily skin (or skin that is oily occasionally) wine makes a good astringent toner. It’s acidic and the alcohol content battles excess oil. Put some on a cotton ball and stroke over your face and neck.
A few drops of safflower oil is excellent as a moisturizer. I never could bring myself to put this on my oily face. But I DID use it as a body oil, especially while I was pregnant.
And fresh strawberries, mashed to a pulp, make a fine mask. The fruit acids (similar to alpha hydroxy) really brighten the complexion. Just mash, apply, leave on for a while and rinse.
------------------------------
One last idea to pass on. Steam facials. This is my “special” treatment for my face, if I have a special occasion coming up, or if I‘m having a breakout. I wash using a “softer” powder (not my usual daily scrub), rinse in hot water, then steam for several minutes. Repeat the wash-rinse-steam a few times. Follow with an acid rinse the last time to restore the acid balance and help close the pores.
The moist heat opens up the pores. That’s good! Then the scrub can really help the blackheads or other impurities roll away. The steam also encourages circulation - good for breakouts, and really just good for your skin’s health. However, this will tend to leave my skin a bit too pink, so I do it the day BEFORE the big event.
Steam facials are a time-honored way to help skin be its best. My grandmother would put rosehips in the water for her facials. Or was it rose petals, I can’t remember. I would think that rosehips (since they are high in vitamin C) would make the steam slightly acidic (good), and maybe astringent. And I know roses are known for their skin softening and moisturizing qualities.
Anyway, I hope some of you find information here that leads you to a skin care solution for you.
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and it just really stinks! I actually caved and went on antibiotics for a month - but in my defense I was getting cysts and the doc said it looked like a raging bacterial infection so we're trying the abx for a month only just to get it under control.
