Ditch your moisturizers and replace them with oils

I ditched my face lotions and body lotions and replaced them with oils. Sounds crazy right? Keep reading. Moisturizing lotions, for the face and body, are useless. They are filled with toxic chemicals like parabens, fragrance, petrochemicals, alcohol, and oil emulsified in water. The only ingredient that provides any moisture to the skin is the oil. So why not take out all those additives and start using straight oil?

We have been brainwashed by the beauty industry that oil is bad. They made us believe that oil clogs pores causing acne and blackheads. This is true when using the wrong oils, like mineral oil or animal oil. This is not the case with plant oils. Plant oils will not clog pores, are easily absorbed into the skin, and strengthen skin cell membranes. 

I know some of you are still questioning oil. Let's go back to chemistry 101. One of the most basic principals of chemistry is that 'like dissolves like.' The best way to dissolve a non-polar solvent like oil, is by using another non-solvent similar in composition: other oils. By using the right oils, you can cleanse your pores of dirt and bacteria naturally, gently and effectively, while replacing the dirty oils with beneficial ones extracted from natural botanicals, vegetables and fruit.

My advice is to ditch the store-bought moisturizers and use plant oils on your face and body. In the morning, I put jojoba oil on my face after I shower. I use jojoba oil because it's the lightest oil and absorbs the fastest. At night, I switch between apricot oil, grapeseed oil, and coconut oil on my face. For my body, I make my own body butter (using oils, recipe below) or you can just use any plant oil as your body moisturizer. My favorite plant oils are sweet almond oil, grapeseed oil, apricot oil, coconut oil, and jojoba oil. These oils are non-toxic, chemical free, and get the job done more effectively than any moisturizer you can buy in the store. 

Homemade Body Butter
1/2 cup Shea butter
1/4 cup coconut oil
1/4 cup almond oil
15 drops essential oil ( I use Young Living orange or grapefruit)

Melt the shea and coconut oil in the microwave. Once liquid, add the almond oil and essential oil. Mix together. Pour into the stand mixer bowl and let cool until the oils start to solidify. This is important because you won't be able to whip it up if it's still liquid. Once it's solidified, turn on the stand mixer at a high speed for about 8 minutes. It will whip up nicely and look like whipped cream. Transfer it into mason jars.