All Natural Skin Care Routine

Why is it important to have a skincare routine that is all-natural? Our skin is one of our largest organs and it is also highly absorbent. One scientific review stated it this way: “Now, ever more studies are being published that show the skin to also operate as a huge and highly active biofactory for the synthesis, processing and/or metabolism of an astounding range of e.g. structural proteins, glycans, lipids, and signaling molecules. Increasingly, it becomes appreciated that the skin, furthermore, is an integral component of the immune, nervous, and endocrine systems.” (1) So it’s crucial that we choose quality and nourishing ingredients for our skincare routine. But what might a good skincare routine look like?

1. Makeup remover

Jojoba oil is a great option for oil cleansing. You can either oil cleanse your whole face or just use oil to remove your eye makeup.
If you haven’t tried oil cleansing and doubt that it actually works, let me explain why it may help your skin. Your skin naturally produces oil, if your skin is producing too much oil then oil cleansing will signal your body that it doesn’t need to be producing so much oil. If your skin is more dry then oil cleansing will help you to leave your natural oils and support the hydration of your skin.

2. Face Cleanser

If you would like to go with a more traditional cleanser then we make three different bars of soap that would be nourishing to your skin while cleansing. Those soaps are our: Raw milk soap

Tallow soap

and if you are looking for some exfoliation then our Raw milk, Calendula, and oats bar soap is what you need:

These three bars of soap are gentle, contain nourishing fats, and are low in PUFA content while still being effective. PUFA stands for: Poly Unsaturated Fatty Acids. It can be easy to over-consume via diet or over-apply high PUFA products via conventional lotions and skin care products. Over-consuming and over-applying can lead to inflammation and oxidative stress.

3. Facial Toner

Witch Hazel or Apple Cider vinegar are great options for a toner. But remember to read the ingredients to ensure you are getting a quality product if you buy a commercially made product. An apple cider vinegar with the mother still in it will be the most nourishing vinegar for your face. But don’t just place pure vinegar on your face. Dilute it 1:1 with distilled water then apply via a spray bottle or cotton ball that has been soaked in the toner.
You can also make your own toner with the best of both worlds: vinegar and witch hazel

DIY Facial Toner:

Witch Hazel recipe:
Supplies:
1 cup chopped witch hazel root
alcohol, such as vodka, at least 40% alcohol content
pint jar with lid

Process

Place all of your chopped roots into the jar. Cover with the alcohol, making sure all of the plant material is covered. Place a lid on the jar. Some of the plant matter may float at first but will sink within a day or so. If needed, add more alcohol later to keep the plant matter covered.

Store in an easily accessible location that is dark and warm for about four to six weeks. Shake every day if possible. After four to six weeks, strain with a cheesecloth and discard the roots. Bottle and label your extract. Store your witch hazel extract in a dark and cool place.

If you use vodka, the alcohol content will be about 40%. Which is great for extracting the medicinal qualities of witch hazel. But commercial witch hazel runs about 20%. You will most likely want to dilute it with distilled water to a 20% alcohol concentration. Example: If you have 1 cup of witch hazel, you can add up to 1 cup of distilled water. This ratio will make it around 20% alcohol. If you do not dilute your witch hazel extract then it will be too drying for your skin.

Now to assemble the final product:

½ cup witch hazel extract (from the recipe above or buy commercial)
¼ cup apple cider vinegar (make your own or buy it)
enough distilled water to make a total of 1 cup of toner (around ¼ cup)
8 oz. glass bottle with cap or spray top

Supportive essential oils can also be added to this recipe if you so desire. But be sure that you don’t exceed more than 10 drops of essential oils or use citrus essential oils due to citrus oxidizing in the sunlight.

How to use: Shake well before each use. Wet a cotton ball/pad with the witch hazel toner and apply it to the face and neck. Or spray on your face and let dry.

4. Moisturize

Tallow or jojoba oil is the best moisturizer. Due to nutritional content and compatibility with the skin’s natural sebum. Tallow is a thicker product and is best used for a night creme. If you would like to know more about the benefits of tallow check out this article. Jojoba oil is a thinner product that you can even apply to your face before applying makeup.
But why use the fats I have just mentioned? Due to the fact that commercial moisturizers are mostly water and when a fat-based product contains water, it also requires a preservative to prevent mold. And that is not what we want to be applying to our faces.
If you would like to add an additional benefit to your moisturizer, add some vitamin E oil for its ability to protect the skin’s barrier thus locking moisture in!

5. Spot treatments

To treat troublesome spots like dried skin, balancing oily skin, removing makeup, and treating things like eczema, rashes, bee stings, scrapes, scars, and more our Tallow Balm is perfect for those spots.

Nourishing Face Mask

A simple but effective face mask is honey and raw milk face mask.
The recipe:
2 tablespoon Raw Whole Milk
2 tablespoon Honey

Equipment:
Fork or whisk
Bowl or sealed jar

Instructions
Combine equal parts {in any ratio, depending on how many you are making} raw milk and honey.
Using a fork, whisk or a sealed jar, mix well, and use immediately.

Whole raw milk is best for dry skin because research shows healthy fat soothes the skin. The honey helps prevent and heal acne, soothes, and moisturizes your skin.

Once a substance has been absorbed by the skin it may stay in the skin for a little bit but will most likely enter the blood vessels and lymphatic system so careful thought and consideration needs to be taken when applying anything to the skin. Due to its ability to impact your health in negative or positive ways. That is why I have shared the above, nourishing skincare routine with you! And why we take such care and consideration when creating our Dandelion Naturals Skin Care products.

If you are looking for ways to protect your skin, check out our laundry detergent. Our skin is touching our clothes at all hours of the day and thus we are also exposing it to the laundry detergent we wash them with. Check out our Eucalyptus Laundry detergent if you are looking for a detergent that is not only effective but also anti-viral and anti-bacterial.