Natural Skin Care

I used to have the worst complexion. In my mid-20’s I had such bad acne that I was prescribed Accutane to control it. Leaving the house unexposed without base foundation makeup was something I could never comfortably consider even knowing that the makeup was clogging my pores and making my situation worse.

I wish I had a photograph to show you how bad it was, but I think I’ve destroyed all historical record of my “pizza face.” It was really bad.

Slowly as my diet improved, my complexion improved and I stopped wearing makeup. It was less expensive, neater (nothing worse than smearing makeup on your lover’s shirt) and it felt good to let my skin breathe.

But I was still prone to breakouts after exercising, especially if I didn’t cleanse my skin immediately before the sweat dried.

I have small pores that clog easily and oily skin with a light olive tone thanks to my Italian heritage.

Now that my diet is mostly squeaky clean, my breakouts are minimal. It wasn’t until I started into a very natural skin care regime did the texture and appearance of my complexion make a leap in improvement in addition to no longer breaking out in painful and unsightly pimples.

This is my current routine:

1. Wash face – and whole body for that matter – with a loofah sponge and Kiss My Face olive oil soap in the shower.

Earth Therapeutics Loofah Bath Pad

Earth Therapeutics Loofah Bath Pad

Kiss My Face Olive Oil Soap

Kiss My Face Olive Oil Soap

 

2. While in the shower I exfoliate my skin with baking soda. I grab a handful from a container I keep near the shower and add a little water to it to make a paste. I rub it lightly all around my face and let it sit for a bit. It’s even alright to rub some around your teeth and mouth with your finger…it’s alkalizing & whitening! Don’t forget to exfoliate your lips too!

Arm & Hammer Baking Soda

Arm & Hammer Baking Soda

3. After I dry off, I immediately swipe my face with Witch Hazel astringent. I’ve been using the Thayers brand for a while, but just discovered the organic Humphreys brand that I’ll be trying soon. I use washable flannel pads that I had made for me by a woman who was selling nursing pads on Etsy.

Thayers Original Witch Hazel with Aloe Vera

Thayers Original Witch Hazel with Aloe Vera

Humphreys Organic Witch Hazel

Humphreys Organic Witch Hazel

Washable Flannel Facial Pads

Washable Flannel Facial Pads

4. Once the witch hazel is dry, I slather my skin with coconut oil. I was very reluctant to start this practice as my skin tends to be oily and I was concerned that the coconut oil would exacerbate it, but the opposite is true. My skin LOVES coconut oil and it helps guard my pores from getting clogged with dirt.

In the morning, I put coconut oil on my cheeks, nose, chin and lips. At night I put coconut oil on these areas plus my eyelids, around my eyes and on my forehead. I skip the upper areas during the day so that my hair doesn’t get greasy.

I use both Spectrum virgin coconut oil and Tropical Traditional gold label (TT is the one I use in my massage practice) and equally like them. I prefer purchasing coconut oil in glass jars over plastic. Also, I transfer the coconut oil from the purchased jar to smaller jars.

One smaller jar I keep in my bathroom for facial care and one I keep in my bed side drawer for those…ah, hem…more intimate moments. It’s an excellent lubricant! (My husband Chad and I HIGHLY recommend The Forty Bead method!)

Spectrum Organic Virgin Coconut Oil

Spectrum Organic Virgin Coconut Oil

Topical Traditions Gold Label Virgin Coconut Oil

Topical Traditions Gold Label Virgin Coconut Oil

5. If I do break out with the occasional pimple, I simply dab it with therapeutic lavender essential oil after cleansing and toning my face, before I apply the coconut oil. The lavender helps to heal & soothe the outbreak.

Young Living Lavender Bottle

Young Living Lavender Bottle

And that’s it! My skin is clean, soft & moisturized by natural products that nourish my skin. I wear lipstick (usually Aveda or Burt’s Bees) and occasionally mascara, but no other makeup. I personally would rather invest my money and time into squeaky clean food that feeds my appearance from the inside out.

My eyes are bright blue, my skin clear and my teeth white. There’s no amount of makeup that can mimic what wholesome healthcare – diet, exercise, rest…and yes, sex – can provide.

If you do choose to wear makeup, please make sure that your products are cruelty-free and make sure that they are safe for your healthย and not carcinogenic. Statistics show that make-up wearing women absorb 5 pounds of make-up chemicals into their body per year. Don’t put on your skin what you wouldn’t put in your mouth because it’s going to end up circulating in your blood and organs either way.

And don’t pretty up your face with cruelty. It’s bad karma. xo-C.

Make Up Animal Testing Laboratory

Make Up Animal Testing Laboratory

PETA’s Beauty Without Bunnies database (for cruelty-free make up)
EWG’s Skin Deep database (for safe make up)

{ 15 comments… read them below or add one }

Josephine June 3, 2013 at 10:33 am

Great article, Carla! Those poor cats!!!!!!!!!!!! ๐Ÿ™
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Carla Golden June 3, 2013 at 10:48 am

Thank you Jo! Yes, so sad what goes on behind the scenes.
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Cyd June 3, 2013 at 10:41 am

Thanks for another great post, Carla! I have wondered about simplifying my skin care routine & you’ve answered my questions! And, yes – those poor cats!!!!

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Carla Golden June 3, 2013 at 10:48 am

Thank you for helping to inspire this post Cyd! I love answering readers questions. xoxo.
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laurie June 4, 2013 at 8:59 am

great information, thank you Carla!

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Carla Golden June 4, 2013 at 2:51 pm

You’re welcome! Thank you Laurie!

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Laura June 4, 2013 at 1:11 pm

Love this article! As an esthetician, I am a firm believer that the health of your skin starts from the inside. What we put on the outside makes it’s way inside so the most natural the better. It’s ironic how we feel that putting oil on the skin will produce more oil when the opposite is true. What produces more oil is the fact that the skin keeps making more oil in order to moisturize and protect it. When we put moisturizer/oil on the skin then the skin can take a deep breath and not work so hard. However, Burt’s Bees is now owned by the company Clorox (yup, bleach) and they are big into testing on animals.
Hugs!!

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Carla Golden June 4, 2013 at 2:52 pm

Thank you so much for your professional input and insight, Laura. It adds to the post. And I’ll stick with Aveda over Burt’s Bees since the Clorox Company can’t be trusted. Thank you for the tip!

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Chel August 3, 2013 at 9:05 am

I use coconut oil as my main moisturizer too – it’s the best!
The cat photo kills me. ๐Ÿ™ Unfortunately Aveda is owned by Estee Lauder and they do now test on animals again. (http://www.peta.org/b/thepetafiles/archive/2012/02/16/3-companies-booted-off-cruelty-free-list.aspx) Have you ever tried Christopher Drummond’s line of cruelty free makeup? Many of his items are vegan too! ๐Ÿ™‚ Keep up the great posts, Carla. Loving it. – xox!
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Carla Golden August 3, 2013 at 9:47 am

Sorry to hear about Aveda!!! I will check out Christopher Drummond’s line…thx for the tip Chel! xo.

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Chel August 3, 2013 at 6:19 pm

Try his Lip Stain in the color “Arouse” – its a great red! ๐Ÿ™‚
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Carla Golden August 4, 2013 at 12:29 pm

I will Chel. Thank you so much!

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Karen McKown April 3, 2014 at 11:45 pm

Those cats are not being used in testing, they are being spayed and neutered so they can be adopted out. They were rescued from an animal hoarder. (Hundreds, with around 30 having to be euthanized.) Try google image search to keep from making a fool out of yourself with these out of context photos that people post.

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Carla Golden April 5, 2014 at 2:28 pm

Thank you for the correction Karen. While I may have chosen an inaccurate photo of cats, it is no secret that cosmetic & personal care product industries do awful things to animals. Anyone can Google that and find more horrendous photos than this. And why you may think I have made a fool of myself, I feel no shame in making an honest mistake.

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Jenifa Lorens September 24, 2019 at 11:06 am

Excellent information. Your site definitely explains essential concepts to its readers. Thanks for continuing to write such wonderful articles.

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