DIY Natural Skin Care made easy! Ditch the toxic chemical skin care and beauty products and make your own instead.
There are so many chemicals in bath, beauty and home products. People use these products EVERY DAY. Do you know that most of these toxic chemicals can be linked to allergies, eczema, skin issues like acne, asthma, hormone disruptors and even cancer. That's crazy!
These mainstream body products should not be on your skin. Do you know that it only takes 26 seconds for chemicals in your personal care products to enter your bloodstream. These chemicals are being absorbed into your body through topical application.
About 10 years ago, I made a huge change and swapped out all of my mainstream body and home products {including my garden products too!} for natural and homemade DIY products. Having my first child was all it took to push me towards choosing safer options for me and my family.
Natural Skin Care Made Easy
Natural Skin Care Products I Use:
I am all about safe, natural skin care that is easy. When it comes to skin care, I want ingredients that are gentle, nourishing, won't clog your pores, won't strip your skin's natural oils, and will get the job done.
NOTE: Every person's skin type is different. This is what I use and what works best for my skin and my family. For example, many people love using coconut oil on their skin - which is great! But for me, coconut oil clogs my pores and I react to it, so I avoid it. I would encourage you to play around with these ingredients and figure out what works best for you.
Raw Honey
I love natural skin care that is safe enough to eat! You can't do much better than honey! Raw Honey and Manuka Honey are my daily go-to's. Raw honey is known for its healing properties and is gentle and nourishing for the skin. It won't dry and strip your skin of all of the good oils like most mainstream soaps do.
Raw honey is an awesome way to gently cleanse the skin. I use it daily for face washing as well as for weekly face masks. The great thing about honey is a little goes a long way. I prefer Manuka honey for washing my face and raw honey for weekly face masks, but both are great.
Bentonite Clay
I LOVE Bentonite Clay! I always keep it on hand for so many things. It's a must have in my natural first aid kit. Bentonite Clay is known for its healing and detoxing properties. It's also known for helping draw stuff out when made into a poultice/paste for a face mask.
Raw Organic Apple Cider Vinegar
What can't apple cider vinegar do? It's amazing stuff! I'm not going to go into all of the amazing benefits of ACV here. In terms of skin care, it's an amazing toner and known for helping balance the skin. Instead of using water to make a clay paste, I always use apple cider vinegar.
Organic Jojoba Oil
I love this oil because it's super gentle and known for being a great for all skin types. Bonus ... it's non-comedogenic {meaning it doesn't clog pores, other oils like coconut oil, olive oil, etc. can clog pores}.
Konjac Sponge
This natural sponge with activated charcoal is super helpful for skin issues on the face. It's known to deeply clean your pores and gently exfoliate your skin removing excess oil or dead skin and is known to help keep your face in a ph-neutral state. There are tons on the market, and I've tried several, but this one is the one my I use and prefer.
Therapeutic-Grade Organic Essential Oils
Essential oils are a must in my skin care routine. There are three in particular that I love for the skin - Frankincense, Lavender and Manuka.
Frankincense essential oil is AMAZING!!! It's known for helping support the skin, is great for aging skin and also helps promote relaxation and calm.
Lavender essential oil is very gentle and is loved by so many people. It's known for its calming and relaxing abilities, making it lovely for your nighttime face care routine.
Manuka essential oil is so fabulous! It is known for helping support the skin and is perfect for your natural body care routine.
I only use these therapeutic-grade organic essential oils and would never use other essential oils on my body. I choose these essential oils because they are unrivaled in their quality and they are not adulterated with synthetic substances like most store-bought oils {which are perfume grade}.
How to Use these Natural Skin Care Ingredients
Easy Natural Face Wash
EASY NATURAL FACE WASH
Materials
- ½ to 1 teaspoon raw honey or Manuka honey
Instructions
- Lightly wet your face with warm water.
- Add honey to the palm of your hand. Rub your hands together and massage honey into the skin in a circular motion, making sure to cover your whole face.
- Wash off with warm water and pat your skin dry with a washcloth.
Notes
I love and use this raw honey too.
Easy Natural Honey Face Mask
EASY NATURAL HONEY FACE MASK
Materials
- ½ to 1 teaspoon raw honey or Manuka honey
Instructions
- Add honey to the palm of your hand. Rub your hands together and massage honey into the skin in a circular motion, making sure to cover your whole face.
- Let honey sit on face for 5-10 minutes.
- Wash off with warm water and pat your skin dry with a washcloth.
Notes
I use this face mask several times a week, ranging from 1-3 times per week.
- I also love using this Manuka honey.
Easy Natural Clay Face Mask
EASY NATURAL CLAY FACE MASK
Materials
- 1 tablespoon bentonite clay
- 1 tablespoon raw organic apple cider vinegar
Instructions
- Use a glass bowl (do not use a metal bowl) to make a paste using equal parts bentonite clay and apple cider vinegar. Use a wooden spoon (do not use a metal spoon) to stir the mixture until it forms a paste. If you find the paste is not thick enough for you, add a little more clay.
- Place clay/ACV mixture in your hands and apply to face, making sure to cover your whole face.
- Let clay paste sit on face for 7-10 minutes.
- Wash off with warm water and pat your skin dry with a washcloth.
Notes
- I use this face mask once a week. I prefer to do this mask at night with my bedtime face care routine.
- You may notice your face is pink or reddish after washing off the mask, mine always is. This is due to the detoxing process and the clay drawing stuff out of your skin. The pink or red will go away after a short period of time.
- It is very important not to use a metal bowl or metal spoon to mix the clay. Bentonite clay draws out heavy metals and you don't want the metals from the spoon in your face mask.
Easy Natural Face Moisturizer
EASY NATURAL FACE MOISTURIZER
Materials
- organic jojoba oil (<< I use this jojoba oil)
- 1-2 drops of therapeutic-grade Frankincense, Lavender or Manuka essential oil
Instructions
- Place 1-2 drops of therapeutic-grade Frankincense, Lavender or Manuka essential oil in the palm of your hand with about a pea size amount of organic jojoba oil (a little jojoba oil goes a long way).
- Massage essential oil and jojoba oil into the skin on your face and neck in a circular motion, making sure to cover your whole face. I like to rub the mixture into the skin for several minutes.
- Leave this moisturizing mixture on your face.
Notes
I only use these therapeutic-grade Frankincense, Lavender or Manuka essential oils.
- I also buy this organic jojoba oil loocally.
Are you on Pinterest? I pin lots of yummy real food recipes + more there. I have a board just for Natural Body Care {DIY}! Come follow along.
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Disclaimer: ALL information you read on Recipes to Nourish is purely for informational and educational purposes only. I love to share and share with love, but I am not a health care practitioner. Information is not intended to treat, cure or prevent any disease. Statements within this site have not been approved by the FDA, meaning information and statements regarding health claims on this blog have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. All blog posts are solely my personal experiences and opinions and should not be interpreted as an attempt to offer a medical opinion. If you have questions about food, diet, nutrition, natural remedies or holistic health, please do your own research and consult with your health care practitioner. For more information please see all of my disclaimers and disclosures.
Raia
Great list, Emily! I gave up on store-bought skin care products after having kids, I just couldn't get over all the weird ingredients! Lately I've been using homemade yogurt on my face, I feel like it really helps my skin heal and hydrate. 🙂
Emily Sunwell-Vidaurri
I love that! What a great idea 🙂
Anya
I love this post! Thanks Emily for sharing your natural skin care routine. Love how truly easy it is.
Emily Sunwell-Vidaurri
Thanks Anya! 🙂
jules
I'm always looking for new moisturizers, but I've never made my own. I can't wait to try this!
~jules
Emily Sunwell-Vidaurri
I hope you get to try some 🙂
Megan Stevens
These are lovely recipes! Thank you for sharing them.
Emily Sunwell-Vidaurri
Thank you Megan xo
Renee Kohley
Thank you for the great, safe ideas Emily! It is so helpful to have it all in one spot!
Emily Sunwell-Vidaurri
Thanks so much Renee xo
Erica D.
I'm ALL about that clay, bout that clay, no toxins 🙂
Emily Sunwell-Vidaurri
🙂 the clay is pretty awesome
linda
Perfect! Pinned and shared.
Emily Sunwell-Vidaurri
Thank you so much Linda 🙂
anna@greentalk
I bet adding chamomile petals to the honey would be an added benefit. Love your simply recipes.
Emily Sunwell-Vidaurri
That would be lovely too Anna 🙂
Mary
Looking forward to giving these no-chemical skin care a try! Thanks.
Emily Sunwell-Vidaurri
Thanks Mary! 🙂 Hope you enjoy them.
Carol@studiobotanica
Thanks for sharing your 'routine'
These traditional recipes ~ SO simple ~ are exactly what I teach my clients to do.
Sometimes, the simplicity 'gets in the way' as people are used to spending $$ and are affected by the constant ads for skincare products. If I can get them to JUST TRY these ~ they come back to me smiling and happy!
Love CONVERTS!!
I infuse my raw honey too ~ xo
Emily Sunwell-Vidaurri
Love the idea of infusing the honey Carol! Such a great idea! xo
Anna
I am so happy to have come across your blog! I am always looking for new ways, more holistic and natural skin care products, recipes, etc. Love this post! These DIY's are fabulous! XO
Anna || A Lily Love Affair
Emily Sunwell-Vidaurri
Thanks so much Anna! 🙂 Happy to have you here and glad you found this helpful.
Jessica
I need to do more research on beauty products. This summer I want to go full on DIY or only products with no chemicals. Thank you for this!
Emily Sunwell-Vidaurri
Good for you Jessica! That's awesome.
Angie
I love these ideas! I'm going to have to definitely try to make them.
Emily Sunwell-Vidaurri
Thanks Angie! 🙂 I hope you get to.
Cassandra
I LOVE making my own natural skincare products. Thanks for the fabulous post!
Emily Sunwell-Vidaurri
Thanks Cassandra! Isn't it fun making your own? 🙂
Julie
I have yet to try Bentonite Clay but have heard amazing things about it!
Emily Sunwell-Vidaurri
It's awesome stuff Julie 🙂 I hope you get to try some.
Evelyn
These are awesome ingredients! I like using bentonite clay, acv, and jojoba. I've never used honey on my skin only on my hair and I found it very moisturizing for hair. Gotta give that a try for my skin soon. Thanks for sharing these body care recipes! Simple and healthy right up my alley.
Emily Sunwell-Vidaurri
Thanks Evelyn! I've heard great things about honey for hair care too. I need to try that.
Chantal
Natural beauty products are the way to go! These are awesome recipes, I'm going to try the face mask.
Emily Sunwell-Vidaurri
Thanks Chantal 🙂 I hope you enjoy the face mask.
GiGiEats
I like to go really simple with my beauty regime. A cleanser and a moisturizer - done. I recently discovered just how AMAZING vaseline is too by the way - I will forever use that amazing jelly!
Emily Sunwell-Vidaurri
I like simple too 🙂
Ana
This sounds so easy... I never thought of honey as a mask. I'll definitely be trying this soon! Thank you for sharing
Emily Sunwell-Vidaurri
Honey is awesome for a mask 🙂 I hope you get to try some.
Madeline
I definitely need to do this with my spring cleaning! ; ) I am the WORST at skin care, and can hardly remember to even put lotion on consistently, lol.
Emily Sunwell-Vidaurri
I hear you, there are days that I'm not so good at it too. I hope you get into a skin care routine that works for you. 🙂
Willow
These are some great recipes! I have been using all natural ingredients for many years since our skin is the largest organ in the body. I love coconut oil too. I use it as a moisturizer after a shower.
Emily Sunwell-Vidaurri
Thanks Willow 🙂 I hear you, it's so important to be mindful of our skin too.
EA-The Spicy RD
I love these easy, natural skin care ideas~Looking forward to trying the Natural Clay Face Mask!
Emily Sunwell-Vidaurri
Enjoy it 🙂
Monika
I have never thought of making my own moisturizer but this looks/sounds amazing. I definitely love trying natural products individually and really like the results. Thank you for sharing this!
Monika | http://www.palateforstyle.com
Emily Sunwell-Vidaurri
Thanks Monika 🙂
Carly @ FitLiving Eats
Great ideas! I have been wanting to transition to a more natural skin care and makeup routine. It's crazy to think that our skin is our largest organ, yet we often don't pay attention to what we put on it!
Emily Sunwell-Vidaurri
So true! I hope you're able to find something that works for you.
Julie
Emily,
I so appreciate the time and effort you put into posting recipes for our whole bodies. I wonder if you have a recipe you would be willing to share for a natural lip balm? I thought I had a really good commercial natural one but I looked at it the other day and it has things in it that I can't pronounce let alone recognize. I'd be very grateful! I ordered the clay and am looking forward to making my first mask when it comes!!!!!
Julie
Sorry I realized I was missing an "e" in my email address for my question about lip balm. Just fixing that.
Emily Sunwell-Vidaurri
So excited for you Julie! That's wonderful. I hope you love the clay as much as I do 🙂 I don't have a recipe posted for DIY lip balm, but my friend Anya does 🙂 Here's her lip balm recipe.
Also, if you're looking for one that you can buy that has really clean ingredients, I like the Badger brand ones, {affiliate link} especially these.
Psychic Nest
Hi Emily,
Thank you for the tips and the amazing DIY skin care recipes! I love homemade ones better than buying products from the store. My favorite mask is with yogurt and honey. It cleans and moisturizes the skin. 🙂
Zaria
Emily Sunwell-Vidaurri
My friend just shared about using yogurt on the face too. Sounds like a great idea! 🙂 Thanks for stopping by Zaria.
Sarah
LOVE this! I've been wanting to make more of my own skin care lately because 1) decent skin care is usually expensive and 2) I hate not knowing what I'm putting on my face. My current cleanser is honey mixed with baking soda and I love how it makes my skin feel. Thanks for sharing Emily!
Emily Sunwell-Vidaurri
That's awesome Sarah! I hope you get to make more. Thanks for letting me know about the baking soda too 🙂
Meghan
I use honey and jojoba oil on my face, too! I love how great they are for your skin while being so simple. You can't beat one ingredient "recipes" when it comes to saving time :).
Emily Sunwell-Vidaurri
Right?! So true! Thanks Meghan. 🙂