As a maker of natural + vegan beauty products, I’m frequently asked about my skincare routine. After years of research, ditching toxic products, and experimenting with ingredients and recipes, I’ve finally reached a place where everything I use in my skincare routine is 100% natural and—even better—handmade by me! I love this feeling, and I love knowing exactly what’s going on (and into) my skin. Here’s my daily/weekly self care routine:
1. Cleanse. (Twice a day) — Every morning and evening, I wash my face with my Rose + Willow Facial Cleanser. It’s a gentle cleanser that’s packed with skin-nourishing ingredients like rosewater, jojoba oil, Castile soap, and acne-fighting white willow bark extract (high in salicylic acid), tea tree oil, and lavender essential oil. It contains no harsh surfactants, so it doesn’t strip away our skin’s natural oils. Instead, the jojoba oil and Castile soap combine to gently remove dirt without drying out your face. Because our skin is constantly attracting dirt, shedding dead skin cells, and excreting waste (I know, gross), it’s important to cleanse twice a day, especially if you wear makeup. If you don’t wash your makeup off in the evening, it can clog your pores and result in acne.
2. Exfoliate. (Once a week) — Get rid of dead, dry skin cells by using a gentle facial scrub. It will really make your skin glow, especially if you use one that has some moisturizing properties! All of my body scrubs are safe to use on the face, with the exception of my Green Tea Salt Scrub. The salt grains are a bit too large in it for our sensitive skin. I go through phases depending on my mood and the season, but generally my favorites to use on my face are my uplifting Orange Sugar Scrub and beautifying, mineralizing Rose Himalayan Salt Scrub.
3. Use a mask. (Once a week) — Facial masks might seem too indulgent, or something you can only do at a pricey spa, but they are really easy to do! I make three clay-based masks that you just need to add water to: Charcoal mask is great if you’re skin is on the oily or acneic side, Chocolate mask is fantastic for hydrating or balancing out your skin’s oil production, and Rose clay mask gently exfoliates and gives your skin an extra boost of vitamins. Plus, there are so many things besides water you can add to your clay masks: honey, oil, yogurt, aloe vera, etc. Get more ideas here. First time using a mask? Check out my video tutorial! And learn how to make your own facial masks with things you have lying around in your kitchen with my eBook, DIY Natural Beauty on a Budget. It’s only $15!
4. Tone. (Daily, after washing) — An often-overlooked part of the daily skincare routine, a toner is actually pretty critical. Washing our face makes it more basic or alkaline on a pH scale, and following up with a slightly more acidic toner will restore it. This is important because if the pH of our skin is out of whack, our skin can overproduce oil (or not produce enough), it can cause acne or redness, and it can leave our beautiful skin kind of lackluster. Using a toner also clears up any dirt left behind by your cleanser, tightens your pores, and hydrates. If there’s one thing you should add to your skincare routine, it’s a good toner. I use my Rose + Tea Facial Toner, made with gentle rosewater, green tea extract, aloe, and witch hazel. Learn more about why using a toner is important here.
5. Moisturize (Daily, after toning) — Soap-based cleansers strip our skin of its natural oils, even if it’s a gentle one made without surfactants like mine. It’s important to restore oil to our skin or one of two things can happen: your skin will overcompensate by producing way too much oil, resulting in oily skin, or it won’t reproduce any oil and you’ll have really dry skin. After using my toner, I follow up with my Rejuvenating Facial Serum. Made with antioxidant-packed and vitamin-rich ingredients like jojoba oil, rose hip seed oil, carrot seed oil, vitamin E oil, and essential oils of clary sage, lavender, and tea tree, this stuff is a miracle oil! Two pumps is all you need, and it’s the only moisturizer I use on my face. Whether your skin is oily or dry (or combination or normal), you can use this serum because it regulates oil production.
