Gallimaufry Grove: The Skin Rescue Kit

I recently put together a kit of my favorite DIY skin care products for a family friend, and of course, I want to share them with you. Most of this is already here on the blog, but I wanted to give you more information on how to use these products and provide one spot with links to all of it. This kit works very well for acne prone skin, but amazingly, it also works for normal, dry or aging skin. The Skin Renewing Oil even helps to heal acne scars! All the items are very healing and nourishing, and when they are used together, they make a winning team. So without further ado, here are the items I put in her kit (Just click on the highlighted titles to be taken to the recipes):

Skin Renewing Oil This is such a healing and nourishing oil. I can't recommend it enough. Even if you think you can't use oil on your skin, read how I use this below and give it a try. You may be surprised at what it does for your skin. I get my Essential Oils from EdensGarden.com, and my Carrier Oils either from Edens Garden or from Mountain Rose Herbs (link in the sidebar).

Purifying All-Natural Toner I made this recipe with this Herb-Infused Apple Cider Vinegar. I infused mine with my Healing Facial Herb Blend, but if you're just getting started, you don't need to buy all those herbs. For acne prone skin, start with Plantain Leaves. Plantain leaves have a marvelous drawing effect and will help pull the impurities out of your skin. This process can take a few weeks, so be patient. If you want to get fancy, you can add Chamomile and/or Calendula to soothe inflammation and Lavender to heal and disinfect. For Normal or Dry Skin, start with Calendula and Lavender. For Aging Skin, start with Calendula, Lavender and Rose petals. I get my herbs from Bulk Herb Store (link in the sidebar). The other ingredients can be purchased from your local Walmart or health food store.

Angela's Healing Facial Herb Blend

I use this for my salves, toner, facial steam, facial scrub, etc.

1/2 cup Rose Petals

1/2 cup Calendula Flowers

1/4 cup Lavender Flowers

1/4 cup Yarrow Flowers (or leaves)

1/4 cup Plantain Leaves

1/4 cup Rosemary Leaves

1/4 cup Comfrey Leaves

1/4 cup Chamomile Flowers

1/4 cup Helichrysum Flowers

Clarifying Bentonite Clay & Rose Mask

This is so easy. Bentonite clay (available at Bulk Herb Store) draws out impurities and makes a wonderful cleansing mask. Just put a tablespoon or so in a bowl. Add about 1 tsp olive oil. You can add more if your skin is dry. Use Rosewater (available at health food store or Amazon.com) to moisten the clay. The clay is very absorbent, so it will take more rosewater than you might think. Don't use metal to stir this or store this. Bentonite clay draws heavy metals out of the body along with all those impurities. It is so good at this that it reacts with metal surfaces and tries to detox them, too. Use wood, glass or plastic. (If you are on a tight budget, skip the rosewater and just use filtered water.)

Orange & Verbena Sugar Scrub -- This is my basic scrub recipe. For this kit, I made some substitutions. I used 1/2 olive oil and 1/2 jojoba oil for the oils and about 5 drops each of orange essential oil and verbena essential oil. Just follow the directions in the basic scrub recipe. This is so super easy. The Jojoba and essential oils are available at Edens Garden. You can get the Olive Oil at Walmart.

Another great sugar scrub recipe is the Green Tea Sugar Scrub.

You can't go wrong with these sugar scrubs. I even know of a number of young men who use these scrubs. They are universally wonderful.

Step 1: Cleanse — Use about a quarter sized amount of the Skin Renewing Oil to remove makeup and unclog pores. Oil dissolves oil, so the Skin Renewing Oil does a wonderful job of breaking down the dirt, makeup and oil that clogs pores. If you have oily skin, one of the worst things you can do is try to "dry it out". When your skin is too dry, it tries to overcompensate by producing even more oil. Using a healing oil like this will moisturize your skin and prevent an over-reaction like that. If you have been doing all the wrong things to your skin, don't panic. You're skin will continue to over-produce oils for a little while until it rebalances itself, but then your oil production should slow to a more healthy amount.

To use this oil, simply massage the oil into your skin for a minute or so, then wet a washcloth in hot water (as hot as you can take). Lay the hot wash cloth over the face and allow to cool. Rewet the washcloth in hot water and lay it on the face until cool again. Repeat a third or forth time. This steams the pores open and allows the oils to penetrate more deeply. Finally, use the wash cloth to remove the oils. Rinse and dry your face.

Eye Makeup removal: I use the Renewing Oil to remove my eye makeup. It dissolves eye makeup, including waterproof mascara well. If my eye makeup is heavy, I use the oil to remove it and wipe it off with a dry cloth before proceeding as usual.

If you've never used facial cleansing oil to clean your face, try it. You might be surprised. However, if you just can't live without suds, use an all-natural homemade soap bar such as the Milk & Honey Facial Bar from Beeyoutiful (link in sidebar). It isn't as harsh and doesn't strip the oils from your skin as badly as other soaps.

Step 2: Deep Clean — Spread a thin layer of Clarifying Bentonite Clay & Rose Mask over the face and neck. Allow to dry on the skin (about 10-15 minutes). The bentonite clay is a drawing clay that pulls out impurities. The rosewater is nourishing and healing for the skin. (This step only needs to be done once or twice a week. If you have bad acne, you can do this every other day for a week or two to help detox your skin. But don't do it too much or you will over-dry your skin and cause it to over-produce oils.) I usually follow the mask with the sugar scrub to help remove the impurities that the mask brings to the surface.

Step 3: Exfoliate — Use the Sugar Scrub to exfoliate the skin and further open up clogged pores. Dip your fingers into the scrub tub and get some scrub. Massage gently over your face and neck for about 3 minutes. Rinse and dry the skin. (Do this step only once or twice a week. You may use the scrub every other day for a week or so, but don’t over-exfoliate. To do so will cause your skin to try to over-compensate. A little goes a long way.)

Step 4: Tone — With a cotton ball, wipe Purifying All-Natural Toner over the face and neck. If the cotton ball seems to remove makeup or dirt, repeat until it seems clean (the toner is brown, so it may be difficult to tell.) The herbs in this toner will draw out impurities that are deep within the skin. For the first week or two, your skin may actually seem to get worse. This is those deep impurities coming to the surface. After that initial phase, your skin will settle down and be much more beautifully clear. This toner also works to heal existing breakouts.

Step 5: Moisturize — After the toner has dried, take a few drops of the Skin Renewing Oil and massage into your face and neck. This oil is very healing and will leave your skin nourished and moisturized.

*You can dab a little undiluted Tea Tree Essential Oil on blemishes to help them heal more quickly. Studies show that Tea Tree EO is at least as effective as Benzoyl Peroxide, but doesn't cause side effects.

AM Routine:

In the mornings, I just wipe my face with a cool wet wash cloth to help me wake up and remove any oils, etc. that emerged during the night. Then I use a few drops of the oil to moisturize. I let that soak in, then apply my makeup as usual (I use all-natural mineral makeup without fillers from Beeyoutiful Skin. The link is in the sidebar).

If I am having a breakout, I will follow the washcloth with toner, then moisturize as usual. Also, I will dab a little undiluted Tea Tree Essential Oil on pimples to help them heal more quickly.

**Special note: A perfect skin care routine alone is not enough to produce clear skin. A good diet, lots of pure drinking water, plenty of sleep and stress management are also necessary. See Acne Rescue 101: All Natural Remedies to Kick Acne to the Curb for more information about the changes I made to truly clear my skin for good.

Have a great day!

Angela

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