The Green Beauty Guide: Your Essential Resource to Organic and Natural Skin Care, Hair Care, Makeup, and Fragrances (29 page)

5 drops carrot seed oil

5 drops rose hip seed oil

Yield
:
4 ounces

This is a soothing lotion for skin that has been attacked by the wind and sun. The prepared toner may be frozen in ice-cube trays and defrosted as needed.

1. Bring the water to a boil, then pour over the dried elderflowers; cover and set aside to cool.

2. Add the remaining ingredients, mix well, then cover and leave for six to eight hours.

3. Strain the mixture through a coffee filter. Freeze in metal ice-cube trays or
store in a frosted glass bottle.

Layer Cake
Clay Toner

1 ounce white clay

½ ounce witch hazel

1 teaspoon chamomile hydrosol

2 drops cedarwood essential oil

1 drop frankincense (optional)

1 drop oregano essential oil

Yield:
5 ounces

This is a double-phase toner that has to be shaken, not stirred, before use. It can soak up excess oil from dilated pores.

1. Combine all the ingredients in a stainless steel shaker and shake well to blend thoroughly for not less than one minute.

2. Store in a dark-colored glass bottle in the cool, dark bathroom drawer or medicine cabinet for up to two weeks. Alternatively, you can keep this blend in a refrigerator for up to one month. Shake before use.

Quick Green Toners

Apply plain witch hazel straight from the bottle onto your face with a cotton ball. Let it evaporate. You may pour the witch hazel into a spray bottle so it can be misted directly on the skin after cleansing. Make sure not to aim at the eye area.

Squeeze half a lemon and add it to one cup of water. Strain off the pulp and seeds and pour into a small plastic bottle, shake well; apply to the face with a cotton ball. Use a spray top on your bottle to spray the toner on the skin. Let evaporate. An added benefit to this toner is that the citric acid helps to fade postacne marks and brown spots over time.

Chamomile tea can be applied directly to the skin. You may also rub a tea bag in an upward motion to help clear the pores and soothe any inflammation.

Green tea is a wonderful toner rich in antioxidants that helps soothe any inflammation and shrink puffiness. Steep an organic green tea bag in a cup of hot water, let the tea cool, and then transfer it to a glass bottle with a spray top. To prolong the shelf life of your green tea toner, add a capsule of vitamin C or a few drops of the Silver Vitamin Blend.

chapter
8

green
home
facials

a
s you saw in Chapter 1, your skin is constantly on the move. Skin cells are born deep in the skin’s lower layers, migrate to the surface during a period of two to four weeks, and then serve as part of the thick and dense keratinous layer before being sloughed off.

For many reasons, cells in the horny layer don’t always shed as regularly and completely as they should. Sometimes sebum becomes stickier, so skin cells clump together after they reach the surface. Sometimes new bacteria and fungi on the skin’s surface make skin cells more prone to excessive shedding, so they form a thicker layer on top of the skin. This dry and weathered crust of old cells starts to crack and peel, and the skin looks dull and uneven. Acne may erupt at this point, because dead skin cells, teaming with bacteria and oxidized sebum, clog skin pores, triggering an inflammation that forms zits.

Will getting rid of old skin cells save your skin? Not likely. Cosmetic companies make us believe there’s a gorgeous, clean, and clear new skin just a few dead skin layers away and that exfoliating a few skin cells (they are dead anyway!) will unveil a brand-new face. Keep in mind that shedding your outer layer of dead skin cells a few nanometers thick (that’s one billionth of a meter) will not magically clear all your skin problems. Prudent exfoliating won’t stimulate your skin to produce new cells, nor will it give you a blemish-free complexion. Clear skin takes a little bit more than that.

So why do we pay so much money for expensive exfoliating lotions, at-home microdermabrasion kits, and spa facials? Because most of them really work and can make our skin look healthier and feel less congested. Exfoliating facials remove the dead layer of skin cells so that new, healthy cells can enjoy all the goodness of the new, perfectly organic moisturizer or mask. This moisturizer, and especially a mask, will absorb a lot better because dead skin cells won’t cling like a plastic wrap to our skin’s surface (and we know that Mother Nature designed our skin to be waterproof, even when we trick it into absorbing more chemicals than it needs). Microdermabrasion, an intense scrubbing with mineral particles and special rotating tools, sheds dead skin cells at a much greater rate. Spa facials use intensive scrubbing and steaming, complete with extraction procedures, when a skillful aesthetician removes pore blockages manually, which results in smoother, less irritated skin.

Unfortunately, most spas and high-end skin care clinics use chemical skin care products loaded with petrochemicals, synthetic preservatives, penetration enhancers, sodium laureth/lauryl sulfates, artificial fragrances, and dyes. Even when the spa reception area smells heavily of lavender and chamomile, chances are high that you’ll be treated with synthetic skin care “inspired” by essential oils. When essential oils are used, they may contain preservatives and artificial fragrance enhancers. This doesn’t help in your quest for green beauty, but you can recreate the spa experience at home and enjoy virtually the same procedures—minus the chemical junk.

Deep-Cleansing Routine:Masks and Scrubs

To schedule a facial, you need to call the spa; you need to wait a few days until they see you, depending on how busy the particular establishment is; and then you waste an hour, possibly two, to get a really good facial rub, a facial steam bath, a massage, and a clay-based mask. They may also pluck your eyebrows and apply a light makeup, possibly at additional cost. And they will always, always try to sell you their products and feel insulted when you pass on their offerings.

It’s not that I am against spa facials. I enjoy all those lunchtime peels and minifacials. I love the way my face looks after manual extractions, especially when they are done by a merciless aesthetician. They really know how to get to the root of that annoying blackhead!

Imagine if you could get a facial every week, without waiting, commuting, and the steep price? Sounds good, right? Achieving spa results at home is quite possible, and there are a few benefits, too—no waiting time and almost no money spent. Granted, there is some elbow grease involved, but this is easily offset by the fact that you are using completely natural products with zero preservatives, zero dyes, and only natural fragrances.

Regular exfoliation is your first step toward sparkling skin. Facial scrubs should become an important part of your facial care routine. Many gentle scrubs can be used as a second-step cleanser in a double-cleansing routine. If your skin behaves, you don’t need to use the scrub every day, unless you really want to.

There are two types of exfoliating products available today: abrasive and nonabrasive. Alpha and beta hydroxy acids exfoliate by dissolving the very top layer of dead skin cells with glycolic acid from sugarcane, lactic acid from sour milk, tartaric acid from grapes, malic acid from apples, and pyruvic acid from citrus fruits. Malic and tartaric acids are more commonly used in exfoliating body products, as they are more potent.

Abrasive exfoliating products remove dead skin cells by physical friction, using synthetic or natural particles, such as jojoba beads, crushed fruit kernel, seeds, salt, or sugar. Nonabrasive exfoliating products use alpha and beta hydroxy acids to dissolve the top layer of dead skin cells. Many exfoliating products combine both principles, offering a double action against dead skin cells, but such products can be irritating if you have fair, delicate, or easily irritated skin.

A word of caution: if you have inflamed acne lesions, an irritation, or a sunburn on your face or body, you should never use abrasive scrubs, no matter how natural or gentle they feel. Grain and beads in the scrub will further damage the fragile skin in the area of inflammation, so the irritation gets worse and all your efforts to speed up the healing process will go down the drain along with the scrub. You may use a scrub as part of your daily double-cleansing routine as a second step after removing makeup with your first wash. You can also use abrasive scrubs in your weekly
home spa regimen before applying a nourishing, whitening, or deep-cleansing mask.

Rule of green thumb: when buying a new scrub, squeeze a little from the tester tube and rub it into your hand, applying as much pressure as you usually do when pressing cell phone buttons (very light but focused). Do you feel the gritty particles? Then the scrub is too harsh for your face. Try finding a nonabrasive alternative. If none is available, make a new shopping list: you are going to cook a new scrub at home.

No need to despair, as there are many wonderful and natural exfoliating creams and lotions available today. Most of them are very gentle, and they can be used daily as cleansers on their own. Mild abrasive particles are usually buffered with rich oil and beeswax blends so the risk of scrubbing too hard is minimal.

The best time to apply the scrub is when you have just stepped out of the shower or are taking a warm bath.

Apply the scrub with small onward and outward movements. Roll and press on your skin, rather than rub the scrub into it. Avoid the delicate eye area. You can leave the scrub to double its efforts and work as a mask before you rinse it off with tepid water.

Make green scrubs and nonabrasive exfoliating lotions a part of your daily skin care routine. After just one use, you will feel that your skin is literally coming back to life. Ideally, an exfoliation with a chemical or physical scrub should be followed by a clay- or charcoal-based mask that will deep-clean pores you have already opened with a scrub. Here are a few sumptuous techniques to enjoy a spa-grade exfoliation and deep cleansing at home.

Green Product Guide: Exfoliants

How do you know that you have the right exfoliating product that suits your skin’s needs? This is not a case of “no pain, no gain.” If the scrub feels uncomfortable or hurts when you’re using it, stop immediately. Some redness is normal for chemical exfoliating lotions, which may leave your skin feeling hot or inflamed. If your skin’s condition looks suspicious, trust your guts and act accordingly: rinse off the product, apply a soothing toner, steep a cup of green tea to spray all over your face, or better yet, soak a clean cotton towel, apply to your face, and relax. Wait several days to give your skin time to recover. If the irritation persists, call your doctor. The following are my recommended exfoliants, rated from one to three leaves, with three being my favorite.

Scrubs

Jurlique Daily Exfoliating Cream
is a nongranular, rich, daily scrub that uses almond meal, oats, and honey to gently get rid of dead skin cells. Please read the ingredients list carefully to make sure that the current version of this product contains only natural ingredients.

Green People Organic Body Spa Sensuous Sugar Scrub
is made of organic raw cane sugar and a plethora of antioxidant and healing oils, including calendula, jojoba, rose hip, pomegranate, cranberry, avocado oils, and olive leaf extract. Designed for the body, this incredibly soft scrub is gentle enough for your face and hands. The scrub is packed in a recyclable plastic jar.

Dr. Hauschka Cleansing Cream
is a product with a cult following, and it has rightfully earned three leaves. This almond meal– based cream is rich in essential oils, organic plant extracts, and juices. It’s very nourishing, too, because according to Dr. Hauschka experts, you do not need a moisturizer at night, so the cream doubles as a lightweight hydrating lotion, and its oils are not removed by the toner applied afterward. The only drawback is the small size of the tube.

For proper cleansing you need approximately one inch of the cream, and you have to massage it into your face for up to five minutes if you have acne. (The cream is so soft, you won’t damage your healing zits.) I found that one tube usually lasts for about two weeks, significantly increasing the cost of my monthly skin care routine. But I am willing to put up with this extra expense because my skin looks luminous and flake-free, no matter the season.

Nonabrasive Exfoliants

Ecco Bella Leave-On Invisible Exfoliant & Blemish Remedy
is formulated with a potent blend of lemon and lactic and salicylic acids. Its high content of antioxidants (alpha-lipoic acid, vitamin E, carotenoids, lutein, and lycopene), and organic extracts of oat, calendula, and licorice make this fluid lotion a good lightweight moisturizer that can be worn day and night under a moisturizer or a sunscreen.