For some months now, I have been following a mostly-homemade and natural skin care routine. I like it very much.
1) Suds up hands and face with homemade green tea castile bar soap or liquid castile soap (avoiding the eye area, because the castile soap burns).
2) While still sudsy, sprinkle a bit of baking soda in hands and scrub it gently on face along with the soap. (See below for our baking soda dispenser.)
3) Rinse the soap and baking soda off. Pat dry gently.
*Note: The above steps won’t clean off eye makeup.
4) Using a cotton ball, apply Tea Tree Oil & Witch Hazel Toner (or plain witch hazel) over face (taking care around eyes for sensitivity), neck and upper back. Let air dry.
5) Smooth aloe vera over face, and neck and back, as desired. A healthy aloe vera plant can supply the gel, or one can purchase organic aloe vera gel.
About the baking soda. We use baking soda for many things skin-related. While I’ve used baking soda for household cleaning for a number of years, my husband brought it into the realm of our skin care. He read about it online somewhere and embraced it whole-heartedly. He uses baking soda for his toothpaste and mouthwash, too.
We tried a number of dispensers, but the one pictured here seems to work best. This is a sugar dispenser from which we removed the plug. We tried the other sort of kitchen shakers, like the ones for chili pepper seeds or parmesan cheese. They get clogged; the holes are too small. This works pretty well. What we’d really like is a stainless steel powdered soap dispenser, but they’re expensive.
We keep this dispenser on the bathroom counter. When we bathe, we transfer it into the shower. We can use the baking soda in the shower as an exfoliant for all our skin. I usually suds up an area and then add a sprinkle of baking soda and scrub with that, too. It works great for keeping dry feet soft and smooth.
© Copyright 2008 by Wardeh Harmon.
I had never thought of using baking soda on the face as a light scruber. Good idea.
Do you use a certain brand of Witch Hazel?
I use a very little dab of coconut oil on my face. It really helps with my skin problem. I also like aloe vera.
Michelle, I buy the witch hazel that is in the pharmacy area by the alochol and hydrogen peroxide. It is generic. I have seen much more expensive brand name witch hazel in the facial cleansers sections but I’ve stayed away from them because of price.
And what is your skin problem — dryness? You don’t have to say if you don’t want to. You could email me.
Love, Wardeh
Wardeh,
What is your skin type? I have acne-prone and am trying to find natural cleansers. I have heard that you can use apple cider vinegar mixed with equal parts water for a toner.
Kelli
Hi, Kelli! I am acne-prone also, but in my T-zone and especially right before that time of month. I like the sound of your toner — have you tried it and what do you think? Love, Warde
I love these ideas. What does the baking soda do? And where do you get the aloe vera from?
Sangeeta, the baking soda can cleanse on its own, but since I am using castile soap for cleansing, I use the baking soda primarily as a scrub for sloughing off dead skin cells. We have an aloe vera plant right now, but in the past I would buy Jason brand aloe vera gel. Love, Wardeh