Edit, January 2010: I have switched to using my bar of Dr. Bronners soap to wash my face as well. It cleans great and is much less drying than the baking soda. I also no longer use an astringent at all as using a natural soap has removed the need.
Let’s get this out right from the start: I have quite possibly the most nasty oily skin! As a teenager I used the strongest prescription medications to try to treat my acne; nothing else on the market worked. I had dreams that when I became an adult that oil and acne would go away. But alas, I am a twenty something year old teacher with acne as bad as a teenagers if untreated. It’s hard to feel like a knowledgeable professional at an IEP or Progress Meeting with parents when you have acne that makes you look like their 13 year old!
But, using more frugal and natural products has helped this substantially! I am getting the same or better results now than when I was using expensive and very harsh cleansers. Here are some of the products that I use:
Facial Wash/Scrub:
Yes, that’s a ball jar with baking soda in it. I scoop just the tiniest bit of this out onto my fingers, dampen, and rub around my face. It’s very gently removes dead skin, dirt, and oil from your face. And, you can use warm or cool water depending on what type of a facial rub you are wanting.
Baking soda is $.50 at Walmart and slightly less at Aldi. At that price, with as little as is used, this costs fractions of a penny per wash.
I also rinse my face with water and a little bit of pure soap (Ivory or Dr Bronners) at the end of the day and in the shower to remove any dirt/make-up on the surface.
Astringent:
(Ew, I need to clean the sticky from where I removed the old label off the outside of the bottle.)
I filled an old astringent bottle 1/2 full with rubbing alcohol and filled the bottle the rest of the way with water. I added about 5 drops of essential oil (I used peppermint oil as it is supposed to be good for oily skin. I may try tea tree sometimes as it is also supposed to be good for oily skin. You could use something more mild and moisturizing to make this work better for skin that is not oily.)
Rubbing alcohol is $2.99 for 64 ounces at Costco; this recipe (which lasts for several months) uses only a few ounces. I purchased my essential oil at Hobby Lobby where the price is around $6. Hobby Lobby frequently has 40% off coupons and I used one of those when making the purchase of my essential oil. The one small bottle would last for years if used only for this purpose!
Lotion:
I must confess that I do not use facial lotion anymore. There doesn’t really seem to be a need. My skin is not being completely stripped of it’s own moisture so I have not needed to add back any moisture. I’ve read that if you get dry skin, the slightest dab of coconut oil or extra virgin olive oil over your face will help.
Make-Up:
I have greatly reduced how much make-up I wear which seems to have also helped my skin look and feel healthy. Does wearing make-up build up clogged pores which turn into blemishes that we then feel the need to use make-up to cover? I don’t know, it kind of seems that way to me.
I wear mascara to help my pale eyes “pop.” Every once and a while I will have a blemish that I feel the need to cover with the slightest bit of cover up (and I do mean slightest bit!). I brush on a little bit (again, little bit!) of powder most days to help even out my skin tone a bit. And a light brush of blush in the winter when I am white as a ghost!
It never takes me more than about three minutes to put this make-up on. Most of that time is spent putting on mascara as I am a clutz and must work slowly so as not to poke an eye out.
I have not tried this webpage yet, but am very interested to find out the quality of their make – up. You can get mineral make-up for $5 a piece and non-mineral make-up (a less natural option) for $1. Shipping is a set price of $6.95 or free on orders over $75. (This would be a great time to go in on the purchase with a friend or two so as not to pay shipping.
These simple changes are already saving quite a bit of money as you can well imagine! What a wonderful side effect!
This post is a part of Frugal Friday!
Vanessa,
Do you use the baking soda every morning and the pure soap at the end of the day? I used to have bad acne when I was younger – luckily this has gone away for me. However, I always tend to have redder tinged skin – doctor said it is not rosacea just sensitive skin. I would love to be able to find something that leaves my skin feeling clean but not stripped and more red than it normally is.
I use soap in the evenings and I use the baking soda every few days in the morning. It provides soothing exfoliation but is not necessary every day!
Do you find that you still need prescription meds, or has this been enough?
No more meds!
I went through a period where my face was acting up. I also have extremely sensitive skin, especially on my face. A friend gave me some suggestions that were slightly time consuming, but really worked when I bothered to follow them.
1. Cut out dietary fat for 2 weeks
2. Skip make-up
3. Every morning and evening, hold your face over steaming water with a towel over your head. Then use a fresh wash cloth (each time!) dipped in ice water to wipe your face off. Pat dry
4. Use an alcohol free toner (like neutragena) for day time
I couldn’t believe how well this worked. Thanks for your tips, the baking soda sounds like a great idea!
I used ELF before and it tore up my face. I have heard from some people it works and from others it did the same. My face is really oily as well so I am careful what I use.
I use some of these same things. I also use Witch Hazel as a toner. Natural and its the main ingredient in high-priced toner.