Dirty Face, Dirty Hair pt1

This is only part one of this series. So, bear with me! 

      I haven't used soap on my face in longer than I can remember. But, miraculously, my skin is better now than it ever was in the past, when I used every commercial cleanser, toner, moisturizer, and scrub on the market, including top of the line ones like Este Lauder. I'll tell you my secret, but only after telling you my sob story. 

     Growing up, I had such bad skin that teachers would have to make my peers write apology letters for the level of torment I would receive. I hated myself, I hated my skin, I felt ugly and disgusting, and no one could tell me otherwise. My parents tried everything on the market to fix my rosacea, painful pimples, and oil slick skin. Even into my 20s I had skin issues. Until one of my best friends, the inspiration for my going so natural, suggested I try a new adventure with her. She had not so hot skin, too.

      The ingredients for beauty: apple cider vinegar, baking soda, lemon juice, honey, cream/milk, and aloe. And a heavy dose of courage. 

•        Baking soda, when mixed with water to make a paste, applied to the face and allowed to dry, naturally draws out impurities in a gentle manner, that causes little to no irritation to the skin. Rubbing the face while rinsing acts as an exfoliant. 
•       Lemon juice and apple cider vinegar help to balance pH, by making a mix of 1 part vinegar or lemon and 8 parts water, and applying it with a cotton ball or spraying it onto the skin, it helps to make skin overall look and feel great. 
•      Applying a touch of pure lemon juice to the pimple in question sanitizes and minimizes the redness immediately. 
•      The milk and honey combo, I don't do personally. But it acts at a deep moisturizing mask for dry skin, simply mix the two together and keep tweeking the ratio until it's not sticky, and rinse off after allowing it to dry. 
•      Aloe...I love aloe. I apply aloe after each shower, when my pores are open. Aloe is a natural anti bacterial and encourages skin renewal, meaning the old layers of skin slough away easier and the fresh skin below can shine! 

    Now that I've went over the basics, what do I do specifically? 

I use the baking soda mask about once a week, usually more around that awkward few days of the month. I use Cetaphil's soap free facial cleanser in the shower everyday lately since my diet has been crap, I have a travel spray bottle with the vinegar premix that I spray my face with after my shower, and I swipe Lilly of the Desert's 99% Pure Aloe on my face after every shower. I quite literally get maybe one small pimple a month, which goes away quickly and leaves no mark. There are days I (*le gasp!*) go without face make up because my skin is so clear now. It's not perfect, but that's not in the cards for me.

    The moral of the story: play with what is suggested and find the combo for you. But a ton of those commercial cleansers are made to strip your skin of natural oils, which puts your skin into oil production overdrive. In the course of one day, you go from stripped, clean skin, to oil slickby evening. By allowing your skin to self regulate, your skin will find its happy place. But it's not easy or fast, your skin may experience some extra acne, drying, or oil production while trying to break old habits and achieve natural balance. And this may not be for everyone, but it never hurts to try something new. 

     That's all for this week! Getting going, and get green.