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. 

Sunscreen

Most over the counter sunscreens are filled with chemicals making them harmful instead of helpful. There are two kinds of sunscreens, one that contains chemical filters and one that contains mineral filters. The most common sunscreens on the market are the ones that contain chemical filters. These products contain active ingredients such as: oxybenzone, avobenzone, octisalate, octocrylene, homosalate and octinoxate. These ingredients are highly toxic and you should stay away from them.  Sunscreens that contain mineral filters contain active ingredients such as: zinc oxide and titanium dioxide. These are the only sunscreens you should use.

Environmental Working Group (EWG) publishes their guide to safe sunscreens every year. Of the 2000 sunscreens and 257 brands reviewed, 75% of them contained toxic chemicals. The 2016 edition has been released 2016 Sunscreen Guide

Here are the sunscreens I recommend. According to EWG's rating scale, all of them rate 3 or below out of 10.

Beautycounter - Protect All Over Sunscreen SPF 30

Alba - Very Emollient Fragrance Free SPF 30

Thinksport - Everyday Face SPF 30

Bare Republic - Mineral Body Spray SPF 30

MDSolarSciences - Mineral Creme SPF 30


These two haven't been rated by EWG yet as they are both new products. I highly recommend both of them too. 

Wegmans - Mineral Certified Natural Sunscreen SPF 30

Perfectly Posh - My Hero SPF 30

Dry Shampoo

I have long naturally curly hair that I straighten with a flat iron every day. Since this is quite a process, I only wash my hair every other day. I use dry shampoo on the days I don't wash. I tried every dry shampoo on the market, Alterna, Blow Pro, Bastiste, Bumble and Bumble, Oscar Blandi, the list could go on and on. I wasn't thrilled with any of them. When I switched to chemical free shampoo, I knew I needed to find a chemical free dry shampoo. That was nearly impossible so I had to make my own. I made a few before I found one i'm obsessed with. This homemade dry shampoo soaks up excess oil, gives my hair lift and body, and smells great!

Homemade Dry Shampoo
1 cup warm water
1/4 cup organic non-gmo corn starch
1/4 cup alcohol (you can use vodka or rubbing alcohol)
5 drops of Young Living Grapefruit Essential Oil

Mix all the ingredients together until the corn starch is fully dissolved. Transfer into a spray bottle. Part your hair in small sections going from one side of your head to the other. Spray the mixture on the scalp of each section. Let it sit for a minute or two, comb through your hair, then blow dry it out.

Be sure to shake the bottle before each use. The corn starch will settle at the bottom of the bottle so it's important you shake it up enough to dissolve it before you spray it on your scalp.

I truly think my hair looks better on the days I don't wash it thanks to this dry shampoo!

Vitamin C Serum

Vitamin C provides potent antioxidant protection. It helps reduce the appearance of brown spots and sun damage, boosts collagen production, and reduces inflammation and irritation. Considered the 'skincare superstar', it can help you achieve younger, healthier, and more radiant skin. You can certainly buy vitamin C serums but they will run you a pretty penny. Most cost close to $100 a bottle and contain chemical additives. I prefer to make my own for a fraction of the cost and so I know exactly what's in it. Below is the homemade vitamin C recipe I use.

Vitamin C Serum

2 tsp vegetable glycerin - Vegetable Glycerin
1 tsp vitamin C powder - Vitamin C Powder
Dark colored glass bottle with dropper - Dropper Bottle

Mix the glycerin and vitamin C powder with a whisk until completely dissolved. You can put it in the microwave for 20 seconds to help dissolve the vitamin C powder faster. Just make sure you use a glass bowl. Once completely dissolved I add a few drops of orange or citrus essential oil. Use a funnel to pour it into the dropper bottle. Put 2-3 drops on freshly washed face at night. You might feel some tingling after applying this due to the high content of ascorbic acid. Also, if you are anything like me (and Oprah) we only use all white bedding. So my sheets, pillows, and my duvet cover are white. If I put the serum on right before I go to bed, I notice it leaves orange stains on them. So now put it on at least an hour before bed so my skin fully absorbs all of before I hit the pillow.

Witch Hazel

Witch hazel is an all natural topical astringent. It's a liquid distilled from the dried leaves, bark, and twigs of the hamamelis virginiana plant. Witch hazel has been around for many years dating back to the Native Americans who used it to treat skin irritations and tumors. These days, witch hazel has many uses:

1. Natural astringent - witch hazel contains high levels of tannins making it great astringent. It removes oil from the skin and shrinks down pores.

2. Post hair removal - witch hazel is great to use after shaving. It prevents razor burn and stops the bleeding from nicks and cuts.

3. Treat sunburn - witch hazel's anti-inflammatory properties aid in healing a sunburn. It will also help in the prevention of peeling after a bad burn.

4. Fade bruises and blemishes - witch hazel can help fade discoloration and speed up the healing of bruises and blemishes.

5. Brighten eyes - witch hazel tightens the skin and reduces inflammation making an excellent remedy for puffiness around the eyes.

6. Treat acne - witch hazel removes excess oil from the skin which prevents blemishes and blackheads.

7. Reverse aging and sun damage - witch hazel contains polyphenols and tannins which help protect against skin cancer, melanoma, and other damage caused by UV light.

Is your deodorant toxic?

Click on the Deodorant tab above to see some chemical free options!

My skincare routine

A lot of people have asked me what my daily skincare routine is. You have heard me say many times in this blog, less is more. I truly think we use too many products on our skin. Trust me, I get it. I used to be the biggest product junkie of them all. The more products the better. Now I only use a few products on my skin and it looks the best it ever has!

Morning
I wash my face with my green tea face wash (every day)
Green Tea Face Wash
I exfoliate with my pink Himalayan salt scrub (every other day)
Pink Himalayan Salt Scrub
I moisturize with jojoba oil (remember a little goes a long way esp. when you use oil in the morning)
Jojoba Oil

Night
I wash my face with activated charcoal bar from beauty counter
Activated Charcoal Bar
I spray my face with rose water
Rose Water
I moisturize with the following oils and switch them every night, apricot oil, grapeseed oil, and coconut oil.
Apricot Oil, Grapeseed Oil and Coconut Oil

Once a week I try to do a face mask. I switch between the turmeric face mask and the bentonite clay face mask Turmeric and bentonite clay masks

Rose Water

Rose water is exactly what it sounds like, the distilled water of roses. Dating back to early Egypt, rose water has ancient homeopathic roots. Cleopatra even used it! Rose water is versatile and can be used on any skin type making it a beauty secret.

Rose water is anti-inflammatory, anti-bacterial, contains antioxidants and hydrates. It helps sooth, balance, rejuvenate, soften, tone, and revitalize the skin. The anti-inflammatory properties can help rid your skin of acne, dermatitis, eczema, and reduce redness. The anti-bacterial properties aid in healing scars, cuts, and wounds. The antioxidants help strengthen skin cells and regenerate skin tissue. Vitamins A and C and the antioxidants in rose water help repair sun damage. Rose water hydrates and moisturizers the skin. It helps maintain the skins pH balance and controls excess oil.

The best time to use rose water is at night. It helps clear all the impurities your face has collected throughout the day. It also helps you de-stress which can aid in better sleep.

Make sure you look at the ingredients and only buy pure rose water. Some have excessive additives such as alcohol and synthetic fragrance. While rose water has hardly any side effects, it can irritate the skin if it's not pure.

I spray rose water on my face at night after I cleanse and before I moisturize. I just spray a few times then immediately put on my moisturizer so it locks the rose water into my skin. I also keep a bottle in my desk drawer at the office. Whenever I need a little pick me up, I spritz some on my face. Below is the one is use. I transfer it into a glass spray bottle. The best part is its under $5!

Way to go Beauycounter!!!

The Coconut Oil Miracle

I'm a huge fan of coconut oil. I have done a lot of research on it and highly recommend reading The Coconut Oil Miracle Despite all the controversy with coconut oil, I highly recommend it. I use it in almost all of my homemade skincare products, I make my own body butter with it, and I oil pull.

Coconut oil has been used for over thousands of years in Polynesia with proven nutritional and cosmetic benefits. The Polynesians are exposed to the sun all day and thanks to coconut oil, they have the most beautiful skin. Coconut oil contains monounsaturated fatty acids which antioxidant properties help fight skin aging. It improves the look of fine lines, wrinkles, and cellulite. It can even eliminate acne, fungus, and yeast. 

Just make sure you buy the right coconut oil, unrefined, cold-pressed, organic coconut oil. Unrefined coconut oil has been minimally processed and contains a higher nutrient content (refined oil has been deodorized and bleached). Cold-pressed involves pressing the coconut milk out of the coconut meat at low temperatures which preserves the greatest amounts of nutrients (expeller-pressed uses pressure and high temperatures to extract the milk causing a lot of nutrient loss in the process). 

Coconut oil is used as the base in all the scrubs I make. You can revert back to my 'why i'm in love with pink Himalayan seat salt' post to find the recipe for my pink Himalayan sea salt face scrub. I also make a really good body scrub that smells like a creamsicle, Orange Creamsicle Sugar Scrub. If you prefer a salt scrub instead of a sugar scrub try this, Coconut Lime Salt Scrub. 

I make my own body butter with coconut oil. I have tried several body butter recipes and this one is by far my favorite, Homemade Body Butter. It has only 4 ingredients and super easy to make. Note, I used almond oil (not olive oil) and I added Young Living lemon essential oil. I also threw it in my stand mixer and whipped it on high for about 10 minutes. My skin feels amazing ever since I started using it. I keep it in a mason jar in my shower. I put it on right after I dry off. You will feel slightly greasy after you apply it, but your skin quickly absorbs it. Just remember when using oils, a little bit goes a long way.

Oil pulling is an oral detoxification procedure where you swish coconut oil in your mouth for up to 20 minutes then spit it out. It can help fight gingivitis, plaque, and microorganisms that cause bad breath. It can also help prevent tooth decay and cavities. My teeth are also noticeably whiter! Oil pulling works by cleaning the oral cavity. The bacteria and toxins in your mouth adhere to the coconut oil and are removed when you spit the mixture out. The process is very easy and should be done first thing in the morning before eating or drinking anything. Take anywhere from a tsp to a tbsp of coconut oil and swish it around in your mouth for 15-20 minutes. Spit the mixture out in the trash as you don't want the oil to ruin your pipes. Brush as normal. I have to admit, when I first started doing this it was brutal. Now it's a no-brainer, I actually put the oil in my mouth right before I get in the shower. I swish it around while i'm in the shower and spit it out when I get out.