Beauty.
No matter how old or young we are, a woman wants to be beautiful. I’ve heard it said that “beauty is in the eye of the beholder.”
From the tribes of Africa…
…to the henna designs of a wedding in India…
…to the Hiwi of Venezuela…
…women have embraced sustainable beauty. Using those things indigenous to their surroundings, they have created and defined beauty for themselves.
Unfortunately, in our modern societies consumer marketing and commercial companies understand our quest for beauty and have taken advantage of this truth. Shelves are flooded with countless products to meet any need; begging you to consume, promising the solution you are hoping for.
I can’t even think about the money I’ve spent on beauty products! It’ll make me nauseous! And guess what, I still battle the same skin problems! So, I’m done with it all. I’m making my own and coming to peace with who God made me to be (smile).
I want to share with you a very frugal recipe for DIY Facial Soap.
DIY Facial Soap Recipe
Base
-2 ounces of grated bar soap (or liquid castile soap)
-2 cups of hot water
-5 drops Tea Tree Oil
Directions: Add soap to water and stir to melt. Then add tea tree oil and suitable skin type add-ins.
Suitable Skin Type Add-Ins
Oily: substitute 4 ounces of water for witch hazel, sage, rosemary
Acne: two aspirins crushed into powder, increase tea tree oil to 15 drops
Dry: honey, glycerin, aloe vera, nettle, or St. John’s Wort
Sensitive: calendula, comfrey, chamomile
Antibacterial: birch, cinnamon, eucalyptus
Tips:
–Lavender is beneficial for all skin types.
-You may choose to include these above listed herbs by infusing them into the hot water prior to adding the soap in the base recipe.
-You may also add them in the form of a few drops of essential oils.
What are your favorite skin care routines?
The following books were used as references for making this recipe:
–Rosemary Gladstar’s Herbal Recipes for Vibrant Health
Just in Case – A Three Day Emergency Meal Plan
Interesting post. I have one question. Why not simply use castille soap?
I found a simple, all natural, inexpensive soap made from olive oil, coconut oil, and opium oil and I use that. I still haven't found replacements for shampoo and conditioner that I'm happy with.
can you share the recipe please?
@Ruth Great question! I find by adding the castile soap to the water you extend the life of the soap. Otherwise, I was going through to much castile soap:) Also this recipe allows for add-ins specific for one's skin type. I'm with you on the shampoo and conditioner replacements. I'm really working on it:)
Love all of your ideas! Just started following you. I would love it if you visited my blog and followed me back.
I switched to oil cleansing a few months back and my skin has never looked better. You can use whatever oils you like but I blend olive, avocado, and jojoba with just a bit of castor oil and a couple of drops of lavender for a relaxing scent. This is used for cleansing at night, and plain water in the morning.
What is your “recipe” for the oil cleansing? Do you have combination skin?
I actually have rather oily skin:) I just started using 2 parts castor oil, 1 part jojoba, 1 part grapeseed and I LOVE it!
I love the oil cleansing method! I use anything I have lying around (coconut oil, olive oil, castor oil, etc). I used to use only coconut oil and loved it. Now I want to save my coconut oil a bit for soap making (and just try something new!), so I’m using 1:1 olive oil and castor oil once a week. I used to have very oily skin (in my teens), but now I have normal skin (I’m 23). I almost never get pimples anymore and my skin is soft and has a wonderful color (rosy cheeks!). I don’t need to wear makeup anymore. if I do get a pimple, I apply tea tree oil right before bed, and it works amazingly!
Great post…maybe a dumb question but what is DIY mean?
DIY means Do It Yourself. Not a dumb question. Everyone had to learn it somewhere!
Thanks for linking your great post to FAT TUESDAY. This was very interesting! Hope to see you next week!
Be sure to visit RealFoodForager.com on Sunday for Sunday Snippets – your post from Fat Tuesday may be featured there!
http://realfoodforager.com/2011/10/fat-tuesday-october-25-2011/
If you have grain-free recipes please visit my Grain-Free Linky Carnival in support of my 28 day grain-free challenge! It will be open until November 2.
http://realfoodforager.com/2011/10/grain-free-real-food-linky-carnival/
What do you recommend for storage on this?
I keep it in a little squirt bottle and use only a small amount for each washing.
Your site is awesome, amazing, frugal (just what I was looking for). What is the self life once the solution is made up and what to store solution in (plastic or glass)
You can store it in either plastic or glass…whatever you have on hand:) Shelf life is up to a year.
I would like to second and third the questions about storage and shelf life…how do you store this? I want to have something I can keep in a glass jar on my counter top in my bathroom so my morning and nighttime routine doesn’t get too time consuming. Thanks for the great recipes!
I would totally recommend storage in a glass jar on your bathroom counter:) And the shelf life is up to a year!
Thank you so much for this post! I’ve used Proactive for a few years to battle my acne and this facial cleanser works just as well but is SO much cheaper!
On your beauty page you also list herbal toner and exfoliating facial scrub but I’m not able to click on them. Will they be coming soon?
Thanks again 🙂
I tried it. I love it. I will never buy face soap again.
Yes, will you be posting the herbal toner recipe soon? Really looking forward to that;-)
Love this website Andrea
i’m wondering if anybody can tell me how much glycerine to add in to the above recipe for homemade facial soap?
Do you have a toner and moisturizer recipe?
I am allergic to soap–even pure castile–so I simply use organic Witch Hazel on my face and once a week treat myself to a gentle scrub or mask.
I’ve been using some homemade soap that I got from my husband’s Aunt Jill and then moisturize with a very small amount of coconut oil. I love it! I’m gonna try this now! Are most of the add-ins essential oils or herb infused oils?
My husband and I love this- its something that we can both use (him oily/acne prone; I’m dry). We put it in an old foaming handsoap container- so much easier for daily use!
I changed to the oil cleaning method about 3 months ago and absolutely love it!! It’s so versatile depending on the weather that it’s great for me. I had “t-zone oily” skin and with regular breakouts and now “normal” skin with small infrequent breakouts. Depending on your skin type to start depends on ratio. I started at 3 parts castor oil to one part almond oil. Now I’m half and half ratio. I love how quick and easy this method is. I use a coconut oil/ shea butter balm as my moisturizer and I’m good to go. If I wash at night then I just add some balm in the morning if needed. Otherwise just wash in the shower and good for the day 🙂 Who knew that all this oil could be so good!
Made the oil/soap acne combination for my teen who was experiencing a breakout and it worked unbelievably well! After only a couple of uses her complection was beautiful! After spending hundreds on different acne treatments, who would have thought the cure was in my linen closet! Thank You!!!!