Table of Contents[Hide][Show]
This article is contributed by Militza Maury of Little Green Dot
There’s a dirty secret that conventional skin care manufacturers don’t want you to learn. You can get the same effectiveness of many popular skincare products with ingredients taken straight from your kitchen pantry.
It’s true – all of the benefits and none of the nasties, just pure natural ingredients.
So if you want to break bad skincare habits and learn the secrets to effortless, effective natural skincare, start with these 3 natural swaps for your conventional skincare products.
How Many Products Do You Put on Your Skin Every Day?
As soon as the day begins, we go into the bathroom and apply a collection of skincare products on our faces: first a cleanser, then a toner, serum, moisturizer… and that’s just to get our face ready for dozens of makeup products.
It’s tiring and excessive. The stats on women’s skincare habits are staggering:
- The average American woman will apply 16 skincare and cosmetic products on their face each day.
- The average daily “cost” of a woman’s face is $8 per day. To put that in perspective, that’s the same as 1 month of Netflix or 2 tall lattes at Starbucks.
This expensive routine takes a toll on our skin health: by using conventional products, women apply an average of 168 chemicals on their face every day, and some of those are either known carcinogens and endocrine disruptors, or they haven’t even been tested for safety.
It’s no wonder our skin feels dull and tired! We are saturating it with harmful and abrasive products.
Should You Worry About Carrageenan in Your Skin Care?
Our 6 Favorite Ways to Use Coconut Oil for Beauty
Top 5 Things to Avoid in Your Skin Care Routine
Swap Conventional Skincare with Pure, Natural Ingredients
When my first daughter was born, I was horrified to discover that a trusted brand of baby products was full of these strange chemicals.
Immediately, I decided to ditch all of my conventional products and buy only natural options with safe ingredients. But when I went out to the stores, it hit me: that kind of lifestyle is crazy expensive.
It was frustrating. I didn’t want to have to compromise between affordable-yet-toxic products or safe-but-expensive ones. I was on a tight budget, and the natural versions weren’t always an option for me.
So, I decided to create a third option: to make my own safe skincare.
I downsized my skincare collection and supplemented it with handmade skincare recipes, and now I enjoy the softest and clearest skin I’ve ever had.
And you can do it too.
Less, but Better
The secret to gorgeous skin isn’t to use every product under the sun.
When it comes to skincare, my motto is “less, but better.”
You can enjoy glowing and fresh skin with a few simple and nourishing ingredients you may already have at home. If you are struggling with irritated, dull, or unruly skin, going natural is the answer. Below I’ll share 3 everyday conventional skincare products you can swap with natural ingredients.
Use these instead of your usual products for just one week – you’ll notice a difference in your skin and your mood.
1—Swap Your Face Cleanser with Pure Honey
Conventional cleansers have ingredients that are too harsh on your skin. They strip your skin’s natural oils and dry it out. This can lead to acne and irritation.
The solution? Pure honey.
Honey is a fantastic cleanser. It’s antimicrobial, healing, and moisturizing. It effectively cleanses your face, nourishes your skin with enzymes, and leaves it soft and supple.
How to use honey: Apply a dab of honey on your face in the same way as soap, massaging in a circular motion. Rinse with water.
2—Swap your Toner with Apple Cider Vinegar
Most toners are alcohol-based, which is too aggressive on your skin. Alcohol causes dryness, irritation, and creates imbalances in your skin’s pH. It’s definitely not suited for already dry or sensitive skin.
The solution? Apple cider vinegar.
Apple cider vinegar, the one with the ‘mother’ in it, balances your skin, restores your natural pH, and helps to brighten and refresh your skin – just what you need in a toner.
How to use ACV: Combine 1½ teaspoons of ACV with ½ cup of water, and store it in a spritz bottle or a regular glass bottle. Keep it in the fridge. To apply, use a cotton pad and spread it on your face like a regular toner.
3—Swap Your Moisturizer with Plant Oils
Store-bought moisturizers have a long list of ingredients that include preservatives and chemicals that are potentially harmful. Some of these ingredients can irritate sensitive skin, clog your pores, and leave your face excessively oily.
The solution? Plant oils.
Plant oils like jojoba, sunflower, avocado, almond, coconut, or grapeseed are excellent moisturizers that protect and nourish your skin with vitamins and antioxidants as well.
Essential oils are a great addition to the oils above because then you can customize your oil blend to suit your skin’s needs.
- For dry skin: Use avocado, olive, or macadamia nut oil.
- For oily skin: Use grapeseed, jojoba, or sweet almond oil.
How to use any oil: Apply a few drops of oil over your face with clean fingers. That’s it!
Give Your Skin a Fresh Start
Replacing just these 3 products for a week will help your skin detox from the harmful chemicals in conventional products, balance your skin, and bring out your skin’s natural glow.
Not only that, using natural, kitchen pantry ingredients is going to change how you look at skincare. You might end up addicted to natural beauty, just like me!
Author Bio
Militza Maury is the green living expert behind Little Green Dot. Frustrated by the chemicals found hiding in conventional skincare, Militza began to make her own simple, safe & effective natural products. Now she has started the Fresh Start Challenge to help everyone create their own safe and gentle natural skincare for glowing skin.
The Fresh Start Challenge is a free 5-day email course that will help you break bad skincare habits and create a simple 3-step daily skincare routine from scratch, with 100% all-natural ingredients. Sign up for free here.
I have been meaning to switch out my facial cleanser with honey for a while. Is there a natural exfoliating cleanser you recommend? Just add some raw sugar to the honey twice a week? I read somewhere that Manuka honey is the best for facial cleansing. Any posts on treating a dry scalp is much appreciated. I’ve been doing ACV, coconut milk and aloe Vera juice, very mild natural baby shampoo that got a great score from EWG.
Hey Amber!
If you want to stick with using honey as your cleanser, try mixing a bit of our Ayurvedic Facial Scrub into it a few times a week! It is a lovely, mineral-rich clay & herb mixture that works great for all skin types. You can view that on our site here: https://shop.annmariegianni.com/products/ayurvedic-facial-scrub-50ml
Thank you for your article recommendation! I will be sure to pass that along to our editorial coordinator 🙂
xo- Michon
ASC Customer Happiness Team
For brown spots.. vitamin E oil mixed with lemon juice every day. It will help the look of them fade away. I use a lot of Natural skincare.. pumpkin glycemic acid mask once a month exfoliates well. Almond oil with frankincense and other essential oils are great for moisturizer.
An outstanding share! I have just forwarded this onto a colleague who had been doing a little homework
on this. And he actually ordered me breakfast due to the fact that I stumbled upon it for him…
lol. So let me reword this…. Thanks for the meal!! But yeah, thanks for spending
the time to talk about this issue here on your blog.
Of course! We’re always here to help. Hope the breakfast was yummy 🙂