skincare of a songbird.

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Mandy from She Breathes Deeply ( <---one of my favorite blogs ) is writing a bunch of posts this week on
"Cleaning and Greening." I was inspired by this theme to share some of my favorite natural skincare products that I recently started using.

There are four main components of my all natural skincare routine:

The Oil Cleansing Method (OCM)

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I know. Weird, right? Oil? To clean my skin? Huh? I was skeptical about this when I first read about it too.
However, I have been very pleased with the results. I have combination skin with moderate acne.  My recipe is 1/4 olive oil, 3/4 castor oil with a few drops of tea tree oil. (It also seems strange to put castor oil, a laxative, on your skin.  But is has similar effects: purges your pores of impurities).

Once you have the oils mixed together, you pour a small amount into your palms, massage on skin for at least a minute, then take a warm wash cloth and lay it on your face until it becomes room temperature. It's basically the same steaming process you pay big bucks for when getting a facial. Do this twice and then gently wash any remaining oil off with the washcloth.

I've been switching up between using this twice a day and once a day. If I use the OCM once a day (in the morning), I just use my normal cleanser at night.  There is no "right or wrong" amount to use the OCM.  Just have to find what works best for your skin!

This site is an awesome resource with more detailed info about the OCM and how to make a mixture that's perfect for you. Also, if you google "the oil cleansing method," you will find lots of really great resources about the combination that would be right for your skin type.

Tea Tree Oil 

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A friend of mine replied to one of my "help! my skin is freaking out" tweets and introduced me to tea tree oil. I am forever indebted to her for this juicy piece of advice. ;)

I currently use tea tree oil diluted in water as a toner twice a day, as well as a spot treatment when I do have a breakout. When using on a blemish (sounds so much better than pimple or zit doesn't it?) I simply take a q-tip dipped in the tea tree oil and rub on the spot before I go to bed.  This oil has quite a strong smell that has taken some getting used to, but it is AWESOME. Here's a great resource for other uses.

Coconut Oil

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It makes me feel good to use something I can cook with and eat, on my skin. I was excited when I first heard about coconut oil because I LOVE the smell.  Mmmm...everytime I put this on I feel like I'm laying on a beach somewhere. :) I use this as my daily facial moisturizer at night and in the morning.  I also recently read that you can use this as an eye cream, so I dab a little bit more under my eyes as well to help in that area. Seriously get your hands on some of this stuff! You will love it. This is the site that shares a gazillion ways to use coconut oil.

Baking Soda/Orange Juice Mask

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I included this in my top 5 pinterest finds for the week, but I had to let you know how it worked! I tried it and my skin thanked me. Just mix 1 tbsp baking soda + 1 tbsp pure orange juice (squeezed from half an orange).  Put on for 20 minutes and then gently massage with damp fingertips and use a warm washcloth to remove.  (It works as a mask and exfoliant!) Thanks to this online sister for recommending this awesome, inexpensive mask!

Check out Mandy's awesome posts this week about other "clean and green" lifestyle choices.

Do any of you have any natural skin care tips? Would love to hear about them!

♥ erica