self care: natural skin care
To continue the self care series, I'll be sharing my skin care practices.
A majority of the products I use on my skin are almost all 100% natural. Initially I began transitioning to natural products because my skin is quite sensitive. As I learn more about wellness and the importance of both internal and external care, I try my best to stay away from chemicals. Listed below are what I use on my skin, their use, and their value:
Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Brand: Filippo Berio OR Great Value ($6-$9/25.5 oz)
Value: prevents aging (antioxidant), moisturizes, soothes skin
Ingredients:100% extra virgin olive oil
Use: Makeup remover/moisturizer. I apply olive oil all over my face to help remove makeup (daily). Using olive oil won't cause your skin to become more oily or clog your pores. It actually attracts other oil-based products, which is why I use it to remove my makeup. I also use it as a skin moisturizer at times.
Almond Oil
Brand: NOW Sweet Almond Oil ($11-$13/16 oz)
Value: natural oil moisturizer, promotes healthy skin
Ingredients:100% pure almond oil
Use: Facial moisturizer. After washing my face, I place 3-5 drops of oil onto my hands and massage it into my skin in a counter-clockwise direction.
Baby Wipes
Brand: Parent's Choice Sensitive with Soothing Aloe ($2-3/80 wipes)
Value: gentle on skin, fragrance free, hypoallergenic, pH balanced
Ingredients: soothing aloe extract, water, individual chemical contents are all less than 1%
Use: Make-up remover. These wipes contain less chemicals than your average makeup-removal wipe. I apply olive oil on my face, then wipe the make up off using these wipes. I'm able to achieve the same results as I would using an actual makeup-removal wipe. (daily)
Shea Butter
Brand: African Shea Butter 100% ($8-$9/16 oz)
Value: moisturizes and heals skin
Ingredients:100% raw unrefined shea butter
Use: Body lotion. I use this all over my skin (excluding my face), especially in the winter. In the summer, I only use it on my hands and feet and use a lighter moisturizer on the rest of my skin. (daily)
Rose Water
Brand: Sadaf or Cortas ($3-$6/10 oz)
Value: helps hydrate and refresh skin, reduce inflammation, reduces acne
Ingredients: rose petals, distilled water
Use: As a spritz/toner. I pour rose water in a tiny carry on size spray bottle and spray it all over my face every morning and night or even during the day as needed. It wakes me up, brings my skin to life, and smells nice. (daily)
Saffron Cream mixed with Sandalwood Oil
Brand: Regent Spice & Herbal Garden ($10 each/purchased in Sri Lanka)
Value: Saffron-- prevents wrinkles, darkening and discoloring around eyes || Sandalwood--prevents dry skin, black marks, stretch marks, pimple scars.
Ingredients: saffron, venivelgeta,velmadata, kokum, bee wax, suwanda kottan, sandalwood oil
Use: Spot treatment/mask. I mix a finger scoop of saffron cream with 2-3 drops of sandalwood oil and apply it on spots or all over my face as a light face mask. (use as needed)
Black Soap
Brand: Dudu Osun or Shea Moisture's African Black Soap Bar ($3-$6/bar)
Value: helps with blemishes and acne, absorbs excess oil
Ingredients: Dudu Osun- shea butter, honey, aloe vera, osun (Camwood), palm kernel oil, cocoa pod ash, palm bunch ash, ilme juice, lemon juice, water and fragrance || Shea Moisture- African Shea Butter, Oats, Aloe, Plantain Extract, Vitamin E, Fragrance (Essential Blend Oil Blend), Glycerin (Vegetable), Palm Ash, Rosemary Extract, Iron Oxides. Use: Body soap. I use this all over my skin to help with discoloration, hyper pigmentation, oily skin, and acne. (daily)
Face Wash
Brand: Neutrogena Naturals Purifying Facial Cleanser ($6-$8/6 oz)
Value: cleanses pores, removes impurities, and improves complextion
Ingredients: purified water, coconut derived, corn/coconut/palm kernel vegetable, white willow bark, citric acid and a few other mildly acidic and basic chemicals Use: Daily face wash. I use this product in the morning and evening.
Face Lotion
Brand: Neutrogena Naturals Multivitamin Nourishing Moisturizer ($10/3 oz)
Value: softens skin, reduces dullness/roughness, doesn't clog pores, promotes healthy skin.
Ingredients: vitamin B,C,E and anti-oxidant omega bio-nutirents (97% natural)
Use: Face cream. I use this when my skin is looking dull/grey and needs moisture but I don't want to use an oil. Helps with my hyper pigmentation and pores. (2x/week)
Face Mask
Brand: Freeman's Avocado & Oatmeal Facial Claymask ($4-$5/6 oz)
Value: purifies skin, purges oils from pores
Ingredients: avocado oil, oatmeal, kaolin clay, and a couple of chemicals Use: Face mask. I use this product as needed primarily when I breakout or have clogged pores. (~1x/biweekly)
**Note: I have combination skin (mix of oily and dry). I don't suffer from acne, but I do have hyper pigmentation and breakout every now and then (~1x/month). When I feel that my skin needs something a bit stronger, I use St. Ives Blemish Control Apricot Scrub, which contains salicylic acid and some other chemicals.
