Go natural with your face washing routine. Instead of chemical-laden commercial soaps and cleansers, try one of the following:
Baking Soda
Sprinkle a little baking soda into the palm of your hand, add a few drops of water, and gently rub over the face. This is a wonderful way to exfoliate the skin, and to really get a deep clean. However, it is recommended that you only use baking soda once a week. Daily use can cause dryness or irritation. This is a good choice for oily skin types.
Castile Soap
Dr. Bronner’s castile soaps are effective and eco-friendly. They are made from fair trade, organic oils, and are so highly concentrated that one bottle will last a very long time. Use the bar, or the liquid for a gentle and earth-friendly wash. All skin types would benefit from this product.
Honey
This is another item that all skin types can use. It may sound like a sticky disaster, but honey is one of the best facial cleansers you can use. Simply squeeze a little onto your hand, work into moistened skin, then rinse. It comes off cleanly, and gets the job done. You can use honey as a mask, as well – just leave it on the face for 10 minutes, then rinse. Add a bit of brown sugar for a great an exfoliating paste.
Oatmeal
Soak about a tablespoon of oatmeal in warm water, then massage onto the face, and rinse. This is also great for exfoliation, and is excellent for oily skin. (You can find this in the bulk bins in most grocery stores and avoid the needless packaging.)
Oil
Oil?! Yes, oil! This is the method I use. Some people just spread a light coating of oil (like jojoba) over their skin and then rub off with a warm washcloth. I use jojoba with a touch of castor oil to really cleanse the pores, and I let it steam into my face with the hot washcloth before wiping it off.
The best way to wash your face? Just splash with water. If you wear makeup, gently rub it off with a wet washcloth. Nothing is more natural, eco-friendly, or inexpensive than that!
THIS is timely- weird how good timing actually! I’m running out of cleanser. I might actually try the honey option!
@EcoYogini: Cool! I love honey for my face – works great! Naturally antibacterial!
Wow!! I’ll try the honey!!! Didn’t know these natural skin cleansers!!! Thank you so much!!
@Anny: I have used them all with success. Hope you find one you like!
I use some liquid Dr. Bronner’s and water in a spray bottle for my face cleanser. Lasts forever! I also use that with a bar of Soap Works soap for shaving too.
My friend told me about the “best” face cream that her dermatologist recommended. It’s called Glaxal Base Moisturizer. The ingredient list is really short. I believe pharmacists use that or a similar cream to mix in prescriptions, so it needs to be suitable for most people so they don’t get an allergic reaction. I found it today at my local drug store, I got a face cream and hand lotion to try it out. I normally use the 5 Seed balms on my face in winter which are awesome, thought I’d try something oil-less for the hot humid summer.
http://www.glaxalbase.com/
@T: I LOVE the idea about the liquid castile in the spray bottle! That’s awesome!
I looked up the Glaxal, too, and it is nice that it doesn’t have a long list of ingredients (Water, Petrolatum, Cetearyl Alcohol, Paraffinum Liquidum, Cereareth-20, Sodium Phosphate, p-chloro-m-cresol), but what bugs me is how the medical community is always recommending products full of petrochemicals. You know what I mean? It just makes me wonder why they don’t recommend things that you can buy from your local grocery store, first. Things that are so safe that you could eat them. I don’t mean to diss pharmaceuticals or even this product at all – it just reminds me of all my encounters with my many past dermatologists, who were also putting me on Retin-A, Neutrogena, petroleum jelly, Cetaphil, etc. They were all the “best of the best” products, I was always told (and all made from chemicals, of course). For me, none of it worked over the course of the 15+ years I tried them, and in the end, I gave them all up, started using oils and beeswax on my skin, and voila! Suddenly, my skin was great.
I think I still sound like I’m dissing dermatologists and pharmaceuticals!
Oops! Forgive me! I got on my soapbox! Thanks for sharing (and extra thanks for the Five Seed plug, LOL!)
@T: Please forgive me again if I was ranting too much! LOL. I find myself very amused by what a “skin purist” I have become. I won’t use anything that has something in it that isn’t natural…and yet I will eat a bag of Sour Cream and Cheddar Baked Ruffles every six weeks or so. (And believe me, there’s NOTHING natural about that “food”!!)
Hi!! I realized I hadn’t visited you in a while. I’m so behind with everyone’s blogs.
Out of these face washing regimes, I use baking soda and plain water. I love baking soda for a deep clean, but I still use it once every other day, which I know is too much. Maybe I will try one of those other methods. The rest of the time I use plain water with a wash cloth. It’s saved me so much on moisturizer.
@Lisa C: Hi! I do love the baking soda. I can’t use it often cuz my skin gets too dry, but it is SO great for a deep cleanse!
I bought some honey and used it today. Not sure what I think of it yet.
@Lisa C: Let me know if you end up liking it. I used to use it a lot, but started using it as a monthly mask treatment, instead, and as spot treatment for pimples. I find it leaves my skin feeling really clean and hydrated at the same time.