Never Wash Your Face Again!!!

This is pretty much my facial cleansing and moisturizing trio. I never clean with soap of any kind.  When we use soap on our skin, it raises the pH and disrupts the skin's natural environment. An acidic environment is necessary to ward off harmful bacteria (which thrive under alkaline conditions). Our skin then has to work overtime to re-establish an acidic pH. It does this by pumping out extra oil/sebum...which is exactly what we DON'T WANT!

Coconut oil is a wonderful antibacterial that dissolves make-up and grime away and gently cleanses the skin. How can oil cleanse? It's really simple chemistry. Oil dissolves oil. By using the right oils, you can cleanse your pores of dirt and bacteria naturally.

Castor oil and frankincense are an incredible age-defying combo.

Castor oil, when applied to the skin, penetrates deep and stimulates the production of collagen and elastin, which in turn helps soften and hydrate the skin. It delays the appearance of wrinkles and fine lines, making the skin smoother, softer and younger.

Because frankincense is an astringent, it strengthens, tones, and lifts the skin, reducing the appearance of wrinkles and combating the loss of firmness in aging skin (that would be mine!). Also, frankincense is a cytophylactic, which means it has the ability to stimulate cellular regeneration, thereby promoting regeneration of healthy cells and keeping existing cells and tissues healthy.
 
Here's my simple routine:

Cleanse---massage a liberal amount of coconut oil onto the face and neck. Use tissue or a soft cloth to wipe off the oil--always in an "up" and "out' direction.

Moisturize--- Into a four ounce bottle of castor oil I mix 8-10 drops of frankincense oil. The entire face has been softened from the coconut cleanse, so usually I only apply this "overnight cream" to the eye and mouth area, although once a week or so I'll smear it all over and let it sit for an hour or so before bed for a deep-moisture treatment.

Exfoliate---Twice a week I exfoliate using one of two homemade products. If I'm in a hurry (usually:)) I just combine castor oil with organic sugar. Otherwise I froth an egg white with raw honey and add to brown rice (ground to a coarse sand-like texture in my coffee mill---don't clean out the coffee grounds first--they're great for the skin as well!!)

Exfoliation is SOOOOO important for older skin!! When we're babies, our skin turns over about every 14 days. By our teens that rate has slowed to once every 21 to 28 days. And by the time we turn 50, we're lucky to have a turn-over rate of 1 1/2 to 3 months!!!

Experiment with frequency and intensity to see what your skin needs for best results. Like I said, twice a week works for me. And I scrub pretty hard, especially around the lips, chin, jawline, and forehead. Of course I'm a little more gentle around the eyes and careful to move "up and out." 

Once a week I extend the exfoliation to all over, head-to-toe. Just be careful with how much goes down the drain---all that oil is pretty rough on the plumbing!!


Another Plus: This routine is a whole lot cheaper than regular visits to the drug store or department store for chemical-laden, processed beauty products!!  

If you can't eat it, don't put it on your skin!! 

Ditch the soap and discover a healthier-kind of clean!!