I distinctly remember when I was a kid just going into middle school, one of the most important "now you are becoming an adult" talks was about skin care. My mother has the most beautiful complexion, which is its own testament to her advice. Until recently, also on her advice, I used Clinique, which has the feeling of luxury skincare products with a (little) less devastating pricetag, and they have a bunch of options for sensitive skin types(such as my Arg!-Sun!-Freak-out-time!-prone epidermis).

Then, for who knows what reason, my skin decided to hate water. Fortunately, it was only one specific kind of water: Maine water, but after weeks of breaking out in hives every time I washed my face, I fell back on my travel/camping soap: Dr Bronner's 'Magic' Lavender Pure Castile liquid soap, just to try switching things up. A combination of using that soap and only cold, filtered water to wash my face turned out to be the solution to my strange problem, but since then I've continued to use my Dr Bronners and abandoned my fancy Clinique.

Fast forward three years and I'm back from Africa and trying to figure out my beauty care routine again now that I have access to things like running water and weather that doesn't make me sweaty constantly. Browsing crafting blogs and DIY forums introduced me to the world of DIY cosmetics and I decided to try making my own products with the vague goals of: 1) trying to wean myself off of mass-produced products (ain't no CVS after the apocalypse!); 2) learning WHAT I put on my face and WHY; and 3) entertaining myself with cute little jars and bottles of stuff I brewed up personally.

So, here is my current skin-care regime as I've figured it:
Step 1: Wash face and neck with tepid(cold shrinks pores, which you don't want until after they're all nice and clean, heat can aggravate my stupid @$%&*@ skin) water, handmade cotton washcloth, and Dr Bronner's Lavendar Castile liquid soap. The washcloth I crocheted following this tutorial here. I made two: one for washing(and exfoliating just a bit) and one for drying. A ton of acne-causing bacteria can live on your body and hand towels, even when you wash them weekly, so this step eliminates some of that.
Step 2: Swab face and neck using a cotton ball soaked in witch hazel. The witch hazel acts as an astringent: tightening pores, removing excess oils, and reducing inflammation. I use the cheapo CVS brand, which also contains a little alcohol. This can be drying to some skin types, but I feel like it gives my skin the good "astringenting" it needs. I realize that this part isn't exactly DIY, but next time I find myself in possession of some witch hazel bark I know just how to make some, thanks to this tutorial here.
Step 3: Moisturize thoroughly using my homemade facial moisturizer. I originally used this recipe here , but found it to be too oily for summer use. I stuck the batch in the back of the freezer to keep for the harsher, drying winter weather and went back to my drawing board(a.k.a. a stickynote pad). The result ended up being roughly like this:
DIY Moisturizer for Summer
Ingredients:
- 1c aloe vera gel
- 4 Tbs of sweet almond oil
- 1/2 Tbs melted beeswax
- 15 drops of Lavender EO (essential oil) - Lavender is antibacterial and anti-inflammatory
- 5 drops Carrot Seed EO - Carrot seed acts as an antioxidant and can have an SPF of 40+
- 3 drops Tea Tree EO - Tea tree is one of those über oils used in cosmetics and herbal medicine because of it's antibacterial and healing properties
Steps:
1. Melt the beeswax in the microwave(maybe 30 seconds) and whisk in the almond oil. Alow to cool to room temperature and 'mush' up again with a fork. This mushing helps prevent lumps in your final product and softens up the oil mixture so that it's easier to blend.
2. In a blender, whip the oil/wax mixture and the aloe vera gel together. it should produce a lovely pale lotion with a creamy texture.
3. Add the EOs. Mix well. Store in small, airtight container.
Step 4: Exfoliate once a week using about 1tsp of baking soda. Do this step between washing your face and moisturizing it. In your hand, mix the baking soda with enough water to make a thin paste. Massage into skin for a little while, leave on for about a minute, then rinse thoroughly. The baking soda crystals are fine enough that it exfoliates away the top layer of dead skin without irritating the living layer beneath it, leaving your skin(even mine!) fresh and glowing afterwards.

Next project: homemade deodorant!