Taking care of yourself definitely starts from the inside out, what you decide to put in your body is definitely more important than what you put on it. With that said, I like what I put on my body to be good for the inside of my body as well as my outside appearance. The best thing I've learned about health in general & most definitely skincare is that the less you do, the less you need to do. I've done a lot of things to my skin over the years trying different facials, peels, scrubs & what not. But in the last 5 years since I've been more conscious of what I put in my body & therefore on my body, my skin has been it's calmest & most beautiful since I've chosen to do less. I now look to gentle ingredients & things that seem to flow better with our natural body chemistries. Here are some of the long-standing, versatile skincare staples in our home with clean & simple ingredient lists that you don't need to be afraid of.
Coconut oil (organic & cold-pressed): listing the benefits & uses of coconut oil would be a blog post in itself as they are endless. In our house we use it our body moisturizer, to remove makeup, oil-pulling, cooking oil, in tea & as a treat for our dog! We love this most as a daily all-over moisturizer, it makes skin smooth, moist & fades scars, which Daniel fortunately has a lot of, so that we can most honestly attest to! It's a great healthy alternative for cooking oil, but I have to admit I love the flavor of a good organic olive oil, so I don't use coconut oil as much as I should for cooking. The coconut oil sure is really yummy melted into a nice cup of tea though! & Max loves licking this stuff up. He's always waiting for us in the bathroom as soon as he hears the shower turn off because he knows we'll be using the coconut oil & so we give him a few chunks to lick up. He likes it more than peanut butter! I use it to remove my makeup & have been oil pulling with it for 2 weeks, so I can't fully attest to those benefits quite yet.
Thayer's Rose Petal WItch Hazel with Aloe Vera: A really awesome alcohol-free facial toner. I use this after a long day & it leaves my face balanced, refreshed & oh so clean. Witch Hazel is so good for your skin, it combats acne & is super healing. & this toner has the added benefits of rose & aloe which is even more magical on skin.
Rose Water: I mist my face with rose water every morning & night as a balancing, toning water before I moisturize with oil. I just love the light rose scent, feel like it adds extra moisture to my skin while allowing the light rose distillation to keep my skin more youthful & bright. There are many benefits to rose for your skin, I don't know if this water is placebo or for real, but it feels so good & so refreshing. I also keep my eyes open while I mist it on because rose water can also be used to moisturize eyes & this one is very gentle. This rose water is even more amazing in hot climates, coming off airplanes, long days at work, anytime you need a little pick me up, this mist can not be beat.
Argan OIl: This is my go to facial moisturizer for every morning & most evenings when I don't use coconut oil. I love Acure, but lately I have been using Pura d'Or which I also love, both are cold-pressed organic. The nourishing oils of Argan keep my skin calm & thoroughly moisturized all day & I have definitely noticed my scars going away. I used to think I had t-zone skin, very oily forehead & very dry cheeks, but using good oils on oily skin really actually helps combat oily skin! & my cheeks also stay very balanced. Many people also use Argan for their hair which I heard was awesome too. When I moisturize with Argan oil, I see why people call it liquid gold, because I honestly feel like I'm rubbing something so precious & golden into my skin.
Dr. Bronner's Castile Soap: I love this soap mostly as a body wash with my natural sponge, but I love that it doubles as a pretty cleansing yet gentle face wash too. I would say I use this as a face wash 4 days a week when I'm not using a more gentle, cream-based face wash like Ultrabland.
Ultrabland: A really neat cream based, oil cleanser that leaves skin very moist cleans off makeup too. Only thing is you have to be patient with this one & use a washcloth to wipe it off as it is not an easy wash-off.
Sea Sponge: I looove using a sea sponge on my body. It is natural & non abrasive while still giving you enough texture to feel like you are clean. Nothing feels more luxurious than washing with a sea sponge. Mine lasts for about 6 months & I only really change it if I accidentally tear it or because I feel like anything past 6 months is pushing it. Just make sure to squeeze the water out after use & have something dry to put it on.
Lavender Water: I love spraying lavender water on my skin when I need to de-stress or before bed to calm me down. I spray it on my linens to refresh them & give them the calming lavender vibes for bedtime.
Body Mind Spirit Oil: I love using this Jojoba, eucalyptus, lemon spray on any part of my body that ails, for meditation & yoga or massages. Anytime I feel a cold I rub it on my throat, on my stomach for a stomach ache, on my temples for mediation & all over for a massage. The scent is purely invigorating & jojoba feels so good on the skin.