My Natural Beauty Regime

Welcome to the January 2012 Carnival of Natural Parenting: Experiments in Natural Family Living

This post was written for inclusion in the monthly Carnival of Natural Parenting hosted by Hobo Mama and Code Name: Mama. This month our participants have reported on weeklong trials to make their lives a little greener. Please read to the end to find a list of links to the other carnival participants.

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What a great carnival topic, to start the new year off with a green / natural resolution. I'm going to share my natural beauty regime, part of it I have been doing for a while whilst a few things I tried especially for this experiment and they worked so well I'm keeping them!

I should probably tell you a bit about my skin before I tell you what works for me. I have pretty low maintenance skin, slightly on the oily side with a few patches of pigmentation made more obvious during pregnancy. I therefore use a scrub often.

What a natural beauty regime consists of. 

Here is what has worked for me:

Firstly, I make my own toothpaste. I have been making my own toothpaste for nearly 6 months now and absolutely love it. I found a fantastic recipe, and have adapted it to make it my own. I will share it below. Unfortunately after my pregnancy I did suffer from a few cavities (before I started using this toothpaste), and then one of my teeth cracked needing to be rebuilt and a pin inserted... and I'm one of those people who hate the dentists :( It is now very sensitive but this toothpaste does not seem to irritate it. I should add that I use an electric toothbrush which seems to help keep my teeth super clean.

Home-Made Toothpaste Recipe

4 tablespoons Coconut Oil (gently heat under running hot water to liquefy)

1 tablespoon Bicarbonate of Soda (baking soda)

5 drops Grapefruit Essential Oil

You could use any essential oil, I have tried peppermint before but really like the fruitiness and freshness of grapefruit. Whip ingredients together and store in a cool place in a small jar. I use a small scoop to apply it to my toothbrush. 

In terms of skin care I have been using minimal products for some time already. At the beginning of last year I switched from commercial day creams and night creams to using only pure Jojoba oil as a moisturiser. This worked wonderfully in the winter as it nourished my skin. In the summer I apply it only to dry areas such as my cheeks and not the oilier areas such as my nose and forehead. I often use pure Aloe Vera gel if my skin feels irritated or is sunburnt.

For this experiment I tossed my cleanser and opted for pure water, a face cloth and lavender and tea tree essential oils. I was pleasantly surprised with the results.  I found the face cloth worked perfectly for my slightly oily skin. I suffered no break out and my skin felt clean. What's more is that my skin is now clearer, softer and has a better tone.


Cleanser
Face cloth
Lavender and tea tree essential oils, or find another combination that works for you. This seems to work well for slightly oily skin. 
I simply run a basin of warm water, add a few drops of the oils and immerse the face cloth in it and then give my face a gentle but thorough clean. Some people prefer a harsher cleanser and so could use a soft bristled brush such as a shaving foam brush.


Moisturiser:
Pure Jojoba oil
Apply a few drops with your fingertips to a wet face and gently pat dry with a soft towel. 

I also had fabulous results with using bicarbonate of soda as a microderm abrasion scrub. It wasn't as harsh as the commercial varieties but left my skin with a lovely glow. I use it once or twice a week to reduce my pigmentation.

Home-Made Microderm Abrasion Scrub


1 tablespoon Bicarbonate of Soda
Wet face cloth


Simply dust the bicarb over the wet face cloth and gently massage your face in circular motions. Rinse once your skin feels tender. 


I no longer use soap of any kind to wash my body either. I generally bath, which is not very 'green' of me, but Jesse and I do use the same water. Before I get into the bath a brush my skin with a soft bristled brush. This is a great exfoliater whilst getting my circulation and lymph drainage going. Then, I add a few drops of tea tree oil to my bath water, which is naturally anti-bacterial and wash with a face cloth. Works wonderfully, and I'm not smelly at all ;) I also, often add coarse salt to the bath which is another antibacterial and I find helps to soften skin. Epsoms salts in the bath is a real treat to ease aches and pains as well as help expel toxins.

I do, however, often wash my hands with soap after changing nappies, playing with the dogs etc. Its an old habit, and one I am unlikely to change. I do vow to start making my own anti-bacterial liquid hand soap, and promise to share the recipe once I have found the perfect one.

I have also been experimenting with a few natural deodorant recipes and haven't quite found the right one just yet. I will be trying this pro-biotic deodorant next, which sounds promising.

Jesse decides my hair straightener really needs to be included in my beauty regime. 

Do you use any natural beauty care recipes? What works for you?


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Visit Hobo Mama and Code Name: Mama to find out how you can participate in the next Carnival of Natural Parenting!
Please take time to read the submissions by the other carnival participants:

• Make your own moisturizer! — Megan at boho mama whips up a winter skin-friendly moisturizer.
• Cold Water Only — Brittany at The Pistachio Project talks about how you do not need hot water to wash laundry.
• Family Cloth... Really?? — After lots of forethought and consideration, Momma Jorje finally decides to take the plunge with family cloth.
• Reduce, Reuse, Recycle : 5-5-5 Things A Day — Luschka from Diary of a First Child writes about decluttering her home in an attempt to create a gentler living space. She takes on a new project where she sets a goal of reducing, reusing and recycling every day.
• Pros and cons of family cloth — Lauren at Hobo Mama would love to continue replacing paper products with family cloth … if she could only get over how damp she feels.
• Craftily Parenting — Kellie at Our Mindful Life finds that crafting makes her a better parent.
• Changes — Laura at Pug in the Kitchen couldn't choose just one area to experiment with, so she wrote a long post about all the fun changes initiated in her life!
• Life without Internet: Not all it's Cracked up to Be — Adrienne at Mommying My Way tries to go a week without the Internet, only to realize a healthy dose of Internet usage really helps keep this stay-at-home mom connected.
• My Progression to Raw Milk — Kerry at City Kids Homeschooling shares her natural parenting progression all the way to trying raw milk.
• mama's new little friend. — Sarah at Bitty Bird tries a menstrual cup to "green her period," and is pleasantly surprised when she falls in love with the product!
• Before you throw it out, try homemade laundry soap! — Jennifer at Practical OH Mommy shows visual proof that homemade laundry soap is cheaper, easier, and works better than the store-bought chemicals!
• Oil, Oil, No Toil, No Trouble — K from Very Simple Secret talks about her foray into the oil-cleansing method.
• I Need a Hobby — Amanda at Let's Take the Metro couldn't decide which experiment to run, so she did them all.
• 7 days of macrobiotics for a balanced family — The Stones make a [successful] attempt to release the "holiday junking" with 7 days of macrobiotic meals to balance their bodies and souls. Elisabeth at Manic Mrs. Stone includes an explanation of macrobiotics.
• Chemical Free Beauty Challenge — Jenn at Monkey Butt Junction turned to natural alternatives for her daily beauty and cleaning routine, with great results.
• Greening my Armpits!? My Green Resolution — Shannon at The Artful Mama talks about how she decided to give up her traditional antiperspirant and make the switch over to crystal deodorants and definitely isn't looking back!
• Going Raw (for a while) — Jenny at Chronicles of a Nursing Mom shares her family's experience with raw food.
• Do we get to eat gluten today? — Sheila at A Gift Universe has been trying to figure out if her son does better with or without gluten in his diet … but it's really hard to tell for sure.
• Hippies Can Smell and Look Fabulous Too! — Arpita of Up, Down And Natural details her experience of going shampoo-free and overhauling her cosmetics to find the balance between feeling beautifully fabulous and honoring her inner hippie.
• Our cupboards are full...but there's nothing to eat — Lucy at Dreaming Aloud takes on the challenge of chomping through the contents of her storecupboard rather than going shopping — but there's something that she just can't bring herself to do …
• Elimination Experiment 3.0 — MudpieMama recounts the messy adventures of her baby daughter trying to be diaper free.
• Family Cloth Trial — Amyables at Toddler in Tow talks about making and using family cloth wipes in the bathroom for the first time.
• Taking a Hiatus — Amy at Peace 4 Parents shares how her experience of much less internet interaction affected her family and how it will change her approach in the future.
• Trying Out the Menstrual Cup — Lindsey at an unschooling adventure ditches the tampons and gives menstrual cups a try.
• Managing Food Waste in Our Home — Tired of the holiday waste, Robbie at Going Green Mama takes a weeklong focus on reducing food waste in her home, and learns some lessons that can take her through the new year.
• Going Offline, Cloth Tissues, and Simplicity — Jennifer at Hybrid Rasta Mama muses over her time away from blogging and social networking. In addition, she shares her newfound love of cloth tissues and simplicity.
• The Oil Cleansing Method — Erica at ChildOrganics explores an easy, organic and natural way to tackle skin care.
• Experiments in Natural Family Living - Natural Toys! — Lani at Boobie Time enjoys the silence of natural toys and being more present with her son.
• Discovering a New City and Organic Foods — Amy at A Secure Base describes her family's switch to and search for organic foods for one week.
• My Experiment in Homemade Bread — Crunchy Con Mommy tried — and loved — baking her own homemade bread.
• Menu Planning: Stop the Excuses — Gaby at Tmuffin stopped the excuses and started planning her weekly meals, drastically cutting her grocery budget and stress level and improving the quality of foods she fed her family.
• My First Menstrual Cup — Mandy at Living Peacefully with Children was pleasantly surprised with her first experience using a menstrual cup.
• My Natural Beauty Regime — Christine at African Babies Don’t Cry shares the results of banishing cleanser and soaps from her bathroom, as well as a couple of natural homemade recipes that have worked well on her skin.
• Unplugging and Creating a Rhythm: Our Experiment in Natural Family Living — Dionna at Code Name: Mama focused less on gadgets and spent more time with her family to create a healthy rhythm for the new year.
• Experiments in Natural Family Living: 5 First Steps Toward Preparing for a Natural Birth — Charise at I Thought I Knew Mama discusses how she tackled the pressing matter of how to begin preparing for a natural birth.
• All you need is...vinegar! — Kristen at My Semi-Crunchy Life learns that one household product can replace all the cleaners in her cabinet.
• Nope Nada Ixnay Negative Pass Decline — Zoie at TouchstoneZ finds out what shakes loose if she says, "YES!!" to anything anyone asks of her over the space of 10 days.
• Reducing our exposure to toxins found in plastics — Syenna at Gently Parenting Twins throws out the melamine and BPA plastics which have been hanging around the kitchen for too long.
• Duh! — Kat at Loving {Almost} Every Moment shares how she began the process of helping her 2-year-old son stop physically acting out.
• Experiments in Natural Parenting: Starting, Stopping, and Gaining Perspective — Melissa at Vibrant Wanderings explains how pregnancy brain interfered with her attempts to complete an experiment, but how she gained some interesting perspective as she started and stopped several.
• From Experiment to Lifestyle — Abbie at Farmer's Daughter shares her experience avoiding processed foods for a month, and deciding to make it a permanent lifestyle change.
• From Disposable Paper to Reusable Cloth – AGAIN! — Terri at Child of the Nature Isle stops flushing trees down the toilet and switches to the softest ever butt-wiping material: cloth.
• Extra! Extra! Water Heater Turned Down, Mom Doesn't Notice! — Thomasin at Propson Palingenesis finds an energy-saving experiment that's so easy she didn't even realize it was happening.
• Worm Tea — CatholicMommy isn't sure how successful her worm bin will be, but she's having fun anyway.
• Miles to Go ... — Rachael at The Variegated Life learns that when it comes to sleep debt, she's in real deep.
• My Month With Water Kefir — Paige at Baby Dust Diaries experiments with a new fermented probiotic drink homemade in her own kitchen.
• OMG Mom is Home... All Day Everyday: A Week-Long Experiment in Connecting — What a difference a week makes! Ana at Pandamoly is afforded a week off from work and takes the chance to reconnect and reattach with her 16-month-old son through an experiment in simply being there.
• Creating Healthy Family Recipes — Deb Chitwood at Living Montessori Now shares her experiment with healthy, gluten-free recipes and a chocolate muffin recipe that was created during the experiment.
• Adventures in Alternative Haircare: No 'Poo — This guest post at Natural Parents Network from Amy at Anktangle chronicles a months-long journey into the world of no 'poo.
• My Experiment in Natural Family Living: Natural Family Planning — Birth control options are seriously limited for those of us trying to live a little closer to the earth, so Mama Psalmist experiments with natural family planning.