For a few years I was really into “clean” and “natural” beauty and skincare products. Of course back then I didn’t realise that 9 times out of 10 the word natural on a product has nothing to do with nature. Far from it. As I was living in Australia at the time, I still tried to choose products that were made locally and supermarkets had quite the selection of products that were pretending to be clean.
My first requirement was for them to be vegan and cruelty-free, that was a given. Buying products tested on animals is irresponsible and selfish whether one is supportive of veganism or not. If you need a puppy or bunny to suffer in order to know that poking a mascara stick into your cornea is bad then you might deserve it. *shrugs*
What I slowly started to discover was that vegan and cruelty-free does not mean clean or natural. It’s only when I started doing research and bought my first jojoba oil that I realised, man, there’s something to oils!
Another good thing about oils is that you can find a lot of them in glass bottles which means the packaging is reusable. I live for glass bottles as I use them to make products for friends and family too.
Alrighty, so what do I use?
CLEANSING
This is pretty simple — all you need is castor oil as base and a third of another oil of your choice and preference (see examples below). Pour the mix onto your palm and rub between your fingers, then carry onto skin to remove make up and mascara. You may have to lightly wash your hands with water during the process if you have a lot of make up on but most of the oil should stay on your hands still. Repeat until your skin is clean and use a hot damp cotton round or towel to gently wipe away excessive oil and any remaining residue.
HYDRATE & MOISTURISE
During summer or in generally warmer climates, I just use rose water to hydrate my face. That’s it. You can either buy ready-made solution or just buy rose water from an Asian grocer and dilute it yourself, it’s much cheaper that way.
When the weather gets colder or my skin is drier, I use a blend of oils. Now this is more of a trial and error method as no one mix can work for every skin type. So first, make sure what type you have and start by trying one oil at a time. I have dry skin that’s masquerading as oily skin which can be a toughie. I’ve tried many different mixtures but have realised that sweet almond, grape seed and castor oil for example are too heavy for me.
Some carrier oils are:
- jojoba
- apricot kernel
- olive oil
- sweet almond
- rosehip
- grape seed
- argan
- avocado
Now, you can mix these within themselves and even add a few drops of essential oil if you like.
SCRUB
I make my own scrub to use in the shower. I actually got the idea from Madeleine Olivia for this — so I just blend some oatmeal and add a bit of oil. In the shower I mix it with oil, so a milky texture is formed and scrub-a-dub-dub. I might use a loofah facial sponge beforehand if my skin is extra flaky just to do a deep cleanse.
EXTRAS
I use a really simple combo for spot treatment whenever I feel a bugger showing face. Just mix about 10 drops of tea tree oil with 20ml of filtered water and shake. Apply where needed.
Occasionally I also use a toner, more after make up removal. Mix 1/3 of apple cider vinegar with 2/3 of filtered water and pour into a spray bottle or apply with reusable cotton round.
