Facial Toner

I have officially found ways to eliminate every chemical-based skin care and hygiene product that I use!  No, that doesn't mean that I went to the farmer's market and bought the organic stuff.  Everything I've made or found is completely natural and able to be made on the cheap (e.g. for both JR and me to use the baking soda shampoo and apple cider vinegar conditioner that I described here, it costs us less than $1.50 PER YEAR for the supplies).  Yay for going chemical-free, and double yay for being inexpensive!

First step: CLEAN and EXFOLIATE!

For cleansing and exfoliating (these are essentially the same thing--when you use an organic, fine-grit exfoliator, you are actually cleansing at the same time)...this will be your new favorite product:

You want your baking soda to be in an airtight container.  Buying it in this plastic container solves that problem, but if you don't want to spend the extra money, find a good, airtight container.  You'll be keeping this either in the bathroom or in the shower (depending on where you normally wash your face), so it's generally a humid environment.  Baking soda can get really clumpy when even the smallest bit of moisture is introduced.  To use this, get your face and hands wet.  Pour 1-2 teaspoons of baking soda into your hand, rub your hands together a bit, and use it on your face just as you would any other exfoliating product.  Bonus: baking soda is mild enough that you can use it on your face every day.  Rinse it off and then, voila!  You're finished.

Next step: TONING!

This is my giant 23.5 ounce jar of toner.  The least expensive toner I've found so far (other than just witch hazel) is Neutrogena toner...which is $6 for an 8 ounce container.  This jar cost me just under $1.50 to make (not including the jar).  You do the math.  You only need a few ingredients for this:

3/4 cup witch hazel
1 cup water
1/2 cup lemon juice
container (I used an old spaghetti sauce jar)
*if you have oily skin, you can also use 1-2 tablespoons of alcohol

Mix all of this together and put it in whatever container you have deemed worthy to use.

To use this, I just dip a cotton ball in it (dip...don't soak!) and wipe it over my face...just like you would do with any store-bought toner.  It neutralizes skin pH, cleans, and the lemon juice brightens (for those of you playing the home game, it helps correct skin discoloration).

Final step: MOISTURIZE!

I use one product for moisturizing (and sunscreen), and that is unrefined virgin coconut oil.  Yes, coconut oil can be used as sunscreen (in fact, there are many areas of the world where this is their only form of sunscreen).  To read more about it in an easily understandable source, look here.  It's a quick read.

This is my moisturizer and sunscreen!  (I also use a different jar of it for oil pulling, but that is another post entirely)  You need VERY LITTLE of this to cover your skin.  It's a trial and error thing; however, I use about a fingertip size tiny chunk of it.  A little goes a long way.

Trust me, once you start this, you won't want to go back to anything else. It has AMAZING effects!

If you have any questions about this (or for any other blog questions or suggestions), feel free to email me and I'll respond as soon as I can!  You can do that here.

Happy cleansing, toning, and moisturizing!