The natural skincare regimen that gave me perfect skin

[Taedareth]

Normally I post on some of the other skincare threads, but they are getting rather long, so I thought perhaps it would be more user-friendly to stick this in a separate thread. So here goes:

I have had issues with pimples since forever. Also, I had continual issues with a bumpy texture on certain areas of my face due to multitudes of tiny whiteheads and blackheads. Argh!

I tried washing with raw honey and occasionally exfoliating with baking soda. It may have helped a bit; it certainly felt nice and seemed to make my skin glow. I was also moisturizing with various natural oils, such as coconut, shea butter, and almond oil (on different days; not all at the same time.) But all of that didn't solve my acne problems.

This is the amazing concoction that has made all my zits go away, and gotten rid of 95% of those teeny-tiny black and whitehead bumpies. Oh, and my acne scars have faded!! For several weeks now, my skin has been clear and beautiful for probably the first time in my adult life.

Once or twice a day, cleanse skin with this mixture:

3 oz honey (In this recipe I used conventional, not raw; honey cleanses and is a humectant)
4 oz finely ground almonds (a very gentle exfoliant)
2 oz apple cider vinegar (toner, creates the proper acidity for your skin)
2 oz water
6 drops lavender essential oil (good for anti-aging and anti-acne)

Put in a bottle and shake up. Store on bathroom counter.

This was working even before I started using a fancy oil blend for moisturizing. Any oil that feels nice on your face will work. But if you need to fade some acne scars and help condition your skin, you can use my blend or something similar that contains rosehip seed oil (known for fading scars). I just had to experiment to see which oils worked best for me.

1 tsp avocado oil
1 tsp jojoba oil
1 tsp pumpkin seed oil
1/2 tsp rosehip seed oil
2 drops carrot seed essential oil (anti-aging)
5 drops lavender EO (anti-aging and anti-acne)
4 drops lemon EO (anti-aging and anti-acne)
4 drops geranium EO (anti-aging)

For around my eyes, I use macadamia, which is a very light oil:
2 tsp macadamia nut oil
few drops rosehip seed oil
few drops avocado oil (high in vitamin E)
2 drops lavender EO
1 drop lemon EO

These recipes were inspired by recipes in the book, The Complete Book of Essential Oils and Aromatherapy by Valerie Worwood.


Update Sept 15 - Wanted to add that I'm still using all of the above and my skin is still clear. Also my acne scars have continued to fade; I think they're completely gone at this point. But I noticed that my skin seemed a tiny bit dry, and then I read that while oils are wonderful for conditioning the skin and locking moisture in, they do not actually provide moisture. Hydration occurs when you put moisture (water) in the skin. One way to do this is to apply a toner and follow with oil while the skin is still slightly damp.

So for the last week or two I've been washing with the scrub, rinsing, then putting food-grade 100% pure aloe vera on a cotton ball and using it like a toner. (The kind intended as a dietary supplement. I think the brand is Lily of the Desert.) While my skin is still a bit damp, I follow with the oil blend. Now my skin is well hydrated

[Chic_Mama]

Thanks for the ideas- will definitely try!

[bionicsquirrel]

Ooh, that sounds great. Thanks for the post.

[BookGoddess]

Sweet! Thanks for the post and the recipes.

Just a quick question - these don't spoil if you leave them in the bathroom counter for a week or so? I live in a very humid climate. I'm wondering if I should put them in the fridge.

[Taedareth]

Originally Posted by BookGoddess

Sweet! Thanks for the post and the recipes.

Just a quick question - these don't spoil if you leave them in the bathroom counter for a week or so? I live in a very humid climate. I'm wondering if I should put them in the fridge.

That's a good question. It's been warm here lately, too. The facial scrub stayed fresh for about 3 weeks and then fermented! I make up the oils in tiny batches (about 1 Tbsp at a time) which get used up in about a couple weeks. Also, the avocado oil is high in vitamin E, which is a preservative.

[Siennaflower]

This sounds amazing! Do you grind the almonds by hand or is it available in stores pre-ground?

[ItyBty]

I'm wondering where you can buy all of this stuff?

[Taedareth]

I ground the almonds in an electric coffee grinder.

You can buy these ingredients at local soap/lotion shops, or local health food stores, or www.mountainroseherbs.com or www.camdengrey.com

[Sadystar]

Sounds good definitely going to experiment with some of the cleanser, do you just apply it with cotton wool?

Did you know that the lemon EO also helps to slough off some of the dead skins cells which will help get rid of grey tired looking complexion and if I had to sum up geranium EO in one word it would be "balancing". It helps to balance female hormones, emotions and importantly in this context the oil secretions of your skin.

[steph66]

This post came just in time, I feel like I'm in high school again! :
I can't wait to try this out! thank you.

[Taedareth]

So glad some of you ladies are having fun with these skincare ideas.

Yay that Sadystar replied - she always has something good to contribute and no, I didn't know that about Lemon or Geranium! So maybe I should use Lemon in the cleanser instead of Lavender?

[MrsMike]

Thank you for this. I have been struggling with acne for 19 years. I've started using honey but I haven't been keeping up. I'm excited to try your recipe.
Anyone know where to get those oils cheap? I can't afford to buy one bottle of EO, let alone a lot, but I want to use so many for different things.

[bri276]

do you have before & after pictures?

that sounds good, I am SO sick of having unpredictable skin. I think I will try this.

[snitker79]

I went to my local HFS and they didn't even carry rosehip seed oil because it was too expensive, but they did have a scar remedy that had it in it and it was $25 for a teeny tiny bottle. I passed on it for now. I did get the Avacado oil. Should I use this to replace my current CO mosturizer, use them together or would that be too oily?

Also, what's the purpose of the almonds? Can't you use other ingredients to exfoliate, like baking soda or brown sugar? Also, did you use raw, whole almonds or the blanched, unskinned ones?

[juliaaaah]

Originally Posted by snitker79

Also, what's the purpose of the almonds? Can't you use other ingredients to exfoliate, like baking soda or brown sugar? Also, did you use raw, whole almonds or the blanched, unskinned ones?

I have similar questions, because I'm trying to simplify and spend less. What of your recipes can be cut out? Or, at least, what are the critical "active" ingredients? :-P.

I can't see myself buying so many EOs and nut/whatever oils. Any tips of paring it down?

[FluffiB]

A dermatologist told my friend that you shouldn't really use anything except for baking soda to exfoliate. Brown sugar, almond flour, etc, can have sharp edges, and the granules are too big that they can cause tiny fissures in your skin that your naked eyes can't see.

Maybe the OP can make a concoction for everyone and sell them to us desparate MDC'ers!

[Taedareth]

lol you guys crack me up

The main thing that got rid of the problems was the facial scrub. I did use baking soda for a while and it's okay, but the finely ground almonds really did it for me. The scrub with almonds somehow felt much softer and gentler than the baking soda. Use whatever works best for you. I only needed maybe a handful of almonds (raw, with skins on) for this recipe. I put them in an electric coffee grinder and ground them into powder.

Cheap is good! Leave out the EO's if you need to. But you can get affordable EOs at www.brambleberry.com (they are pure, steam-distilled) or uncleharrys.com You can also get just one EO, like Lavender or Lemon. They're pretty all-purpose!

The cheapest place I've found for Rosehip Seed Oil is mountainroseherbs.com and it's organic, too. It was $10.50 (plus shipping) for 4 oz. http://www.mountainroseherbs.com/lea...hiporganic.php

You can use ANY facial oil that feels nice on your skin. Coconut oil is great, if you like it (I tried it for a while and just preferred the avocado; not very scientific, just a personal preference).

Definitely feel free to use these recipes as springboards for your own customized recipes! If you try it with sugar - let us know how it works! I keep thinking that sugar would dissolve in the liquid mixture and turn into syrup. Would you have to add the sugar in separately before each use?

[CorasMama]

To buy from Mountain Rose Herbs, please use this link. It supports MDC!

[Sadystar]

Originally Posted by Taedareth

So glad some of you ladies are having fun with these skincare ideas.

Yay that Sadystar replied - she always has something good to contribute and no, I didn't know that about Lemon or Geranium! So maybe I should use Lemon in the cleanser instead of Lavender?

I wouldn´t use lemon everyday - I think it could get too much for the skin to handle. I´m sure I followed a really basic recipe that was like a tablespoon of ground almonds or rice or whatever, a little carrier oil (almond for example) and one drop of lemon EO, massage over the face and rinse. In fact I may treat myself this evening!

[snitker79]

Originally Posted by Sadystar

I´m sure I followed a really basic recipe that was like a tablespoon of ground almonds or rice or whatever, a little carrier oil (

So ground rice would be fine to use in place of the almonds? Do you put it in the actual bottle of facial scrub or rub it on seperately?

I'm excited to mix some stuff up. I think I'm going to add a little bit of green tea to my mix.