let me first make a little disclaimer here: i am not granola. i don't even know what a paraben is, but i'm not scared of it.
now that that's out in the open, i was browsing through mua.com the other day because i have no life and i was reading the most reviewed items and couldn't help but notice they were all all-natural products. like oils. and stuff that comes from the earth. fancy, expensive creams and all that jazz got mixed reviews, but really the vast vast majority of people who reviewed witch hazel and greek yogurt mask and avocado oil raved about the miracles it did to their skin.
so off to the store i went!
witch hazel
i picked up these witch hazel pads after reading that witch hazel is the world's best toner. and i've only been using it for a week now, but i really think that it's making a difference in the overall evenness of my skin. my skin feels smoother and looks clearer. i don't know how it works, but i've come to find that the less i wash my face, the better it looks, so on most nights, i just take off my makeup really well with one of these gems and then i've started toning with witch hazel. i give it a couple minutes to dry before i use my regular favorite moisturizer of all time. witch hazel is said to disinfect without stripping your skin of the natural essential oils. anyway, this little jar of like a million pads only cost like $4 and i really like it. ps. if you have given birth to a child before...you may have used witch hazel for other soothing purposes. tmi.
raw, unfiltered honey
don't run out to the store and buy glorified corn syrup with food coloring, make sure you get the real stuff! i read that either washing your face with honey or using it was a face mask will help both acne and increase skin brightness. i mix a teeny amount of honey with a squeeze of lemon and use it as a mask for a couple hours and gently wash it off with a warm washcloth. i've also only been using this for about a week, so i guess i can't say if the improvement in my skin is from the witch hazel or the honey or the combination of both, but people swear by honey's acne-fighting qualities.
other popular all-natural skin care remedies include jojoba oil, sweet almond oil, apple cider vinegar, castor oil and tumeric.
care to share your skin care secrets?
i'd love to hear.