Natural Products you should use now!

So you have tried every acne fighting, hydration helping, clear complexion achieving type of product out there, but to your disappointment, its done absolutely nothing. What’s wrong, you may wonder. Well, wonder no more. Have you ever looked at that ingredients list?

No, not on your Chips Ahoy’s cookies. Many companies lure us in with their clever product names and descriptions. But we never flip the bottle and check out exactly what is in say, a cleanser, that will help our oily skin. If you wouldn’t eat something that you can’t pronounce in food, then why would you put hard to say chemicals on your face! But exactly what chemicals are in skin care? Out of curiosity, I googled what Fragrance is, and I was in shock. Fragrance is a sneaky way of hiding a mixture of chemicals. EGW.org is a website that anyone can use to educate themselves about what chemicals are in their health products. They found that “Recent research from EWG and the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics found an average of 14 chemicals in 17 name brand fragrance products, none of them listed on the label. Fragrances can contain hormone disruptors and are among the top 5 allergens in the world. Our advice? Buy fragrance free wherever possible.” I will leave a link to their website so you can be in know how and won’t have to ever wonder what Parabens or other ingredients in your skin care are. I highly recommend you to check it out, the information is truly educating.

Believe it or not, the skin on our face is one of the most delicate and sensitive areas! So what exactly can you do? Use natural products of course! This is exactly what I turned to when I was taken in surprise of all the nasty chemicals that we unknowingly use on our skin. So I went out on a search for natural products. Was I successful? Absolutely! There are many companies who don’t use Sulfate, Parabens, or added Fragrances. Except there was one major problem….it was expensive!! So I did what I could and that was to incorporate and replace some of my skin care with some DIY natural products.

Here are some natural DIY products that are inexpensive and skin safe!

Apple Cider Vinegar Toner- This worked great for me as I have a oily skin type. To make it you will need one part 100% pure Apple Cider Vinegar with the mother and two parts water. Use it once or twice a day depending on preference. If you have dry or sensitive skin, you may want to do a patch test first to see how your skin responds. Warning! The smell is not pleasant! It does go away after it dries but I know some just can’t stand the smell. In 1-2 weeks is when I started seeing results. It is 100% alcohol free so it will not dry out your skin. My skin felt balanced and breakouts started diminishing.
Tea Tree oil- I bet that most of you have heard of tea tree oil as it is common in skin care products. Tea tree oil is very helpful in healing because of it’s antiseptic properties. I like to mix equal parts of pure Tea Tree oil and water in a spray bottle and whenever I have a pimple that’s especially red, I spray it on and pat it in with my finger.
Grapeseed oil- I recently came across a video explaining the benefits of using oils on your skin. You are supposed to Oil Cleanse, which means to actually rub oil into your skin and then use a warm cloth to wipe it off. I have oily skin, so I was hesitant to try it, but I also didn’t want to keep using chemicals as a moisturizer! So I bit the bullet and so far I’m glad I did! I’ll keep you posted on how it is going! If you are wondering which oils you should use based on your skin type, I’ll have a separate post on that soon.
Rose water- I love using rose water! First of all it smells so good! Second, it’s great to use as a refresher or before/after you wear makeup! Using rose water daily can help your skin look younger and fresh!
Indian healing clay (Bentonite Clay)- I bought this after hearing so many good reviews. I’m glad I did! It really helps to clear your pores and after you remove it your skin feels baby smooth! It is a clay mask that you mix in with apple cider vinegar or water and let dry. Wash off to see a smooth complexion.
Aloe Vera Gel- Great to use after being out in the sun for a long time because it cools down any redness. Some also find it soothing on pimples. I find tiny bumps on my face if I use aloe vera too much so it depends. I like to use it as a brow gel with an old mascara wand!

I hope that this helped you out and maybe you too will switch to using more natural products! Thanks for reading and stay Chic, Neat and Sweet!

~Aditi

Disclaimer: These are my personal experiences and what worked for me. I am not promising that these will solve your skin issues as everyone is different.

Resources:

http://www.ewg.org/skindeep/top-tips-for-safer-products/#.WX-b_zZK3IU http://www.ewg.org/skindeep/#.WX-kKjZK3IU