Holistic Healing: Natural Skincare

Looking for a holistic routine to improve your skin's appearance.... look no further! Natural skincare is not as hard to make as you may think. Simple ingredients exfoliate and hydrate leaving your skin looking as though you spent hundreds of dollars on a skincare program.

By now you should have noticed a pattern with this month's focus, what you feed your body has a direct effect on its outward appearance. Topical application does play a role in maintaining your skin integrity, so we are not ignoring that fact, but so does what you nutritiously provide as building blocks for health.

If you checked out our YouTube channel, we made two simple DIY natural skincare products. Making your own natural products allows you to customize particular skin concerns such as eczema, acne, dullness, oiliness, and dryness, using basic ingredients you probably already have around our house. The beauty of DIY products is you're not investing large amounts of money in something that may or may not work for you, and also you know what's going into your creations. Below are the details for the Sea Salt Aloe Face Scrub and Sea Moss Gel Face Mask we made today, as well as others. Remember to always do a patch test on a small area of your skin before applying to your entire face/body.

Sea Salt Aloe Face Scrub

• 2 Tablespoons of Aloe Vera (plant or gel)

• 1 Tablespoon of sea salt (fine for face, coarse for body)

Remove the skin of the aloe vera leaves and blend with a small amount of filtered water until smooth. If blending with the skin, be sure to strain until smooth. Add sea salt and store in the refrigerator for no more than 7 days. Optionally, add raw honey for hydration and/or essential oils for additional benefits.

Use: Wet face and apply in a circular motion. Rinse with warm water and lightly pat face dry. Exfoliate face no more than twice a week, body up to 4 times a week.

Benefits: The sea salt works as an exfoliant preventing clogged pores and improving skin tone. Aloe vera soothes, purifies, balances, and hydrates skin while providing anti-aging properties that increase collagen and hyaluronic acid production.

Sea Moss Gel Face Mask

• 1 - 2 Teaspoon plain sea moss gel

Optionally, add ½ teaspoon of raw honey and a pinch or two of turmeric powder.

Use: Apply generous amount of sea moss gel to clean face. Leave mask on for about 15 – 30 minutes until gel is dry and tight on skin. Rinse with warm water and pat dry face. You may use plain gel daily, if adding optional ingredients use 1 – 2 times a week. Store in a small glass jar for up to 7 days.

Benefits: Sea moss is rich in vitamins A, B, C, E, and K, calcium, copper, iron, magnesium, phosphorus, zinc, iodine, amino acids, and antioxidants. These trace minerals play an important role in healing and maintaining skin health inwardly and outwardly. Honey soothes and hydrates skin while turmeric is an amazing anti-inflammatory and anti-aging powerhouse.

Honorable Mentions:

Oatmeal Honey Cleanser: Mix ground oats, honey, and a little water together for an exfoliating cleanser. Oats and honey contain anti-inflammatory properties that soothe and purify the skin.

Sugar Scrub: Mix equal parts of sugar with coconut oil and ~ 4 drops of lavender essential oil to remove dead skin cells for softer skin.

Green Tea Mask: Mix green tea powder, honey, and a little water for a mask to brighten and even out skin tone.