Cleansing The Face With Essential Oils
There is nothing better than a soft, pure bristle complexion brush for gently cleansing the face. This should be used with a good, gentle cleansing agent - soap, lotion or cream - which should be rinsed off with pure water. But unfortunately pure bristle brushes take some searching out, absolutely pure and effective cleansers are not as common as they might be, and the water we rinse our faces with has probably been recycled five times, including five journeys through someone else's kidneys!
There isn't a lot we can do about tap-water except make sure we use distilled or boiled and filtered water to wash in, but we can do something about the cleansing agents we use. Since the contents of any bottle of shop-bought cleanser probably only costs a few pence and what you are paying for is the packaging, advertising and image, it makes sense to concoct your own.
Make Your Own Cleansers, Pastes & Creams - Match Your Skin Type
The nice thing about making your own cleansers is that you can adjust them to suit your own skin type exactly, and change them as your skin changes with the seasons. In this, we are no different to many types of animal. As cleansing is concerned with the throwing off of toxins, it makes a great deal of difference whether we are cleansing to get rid of the extra sweat and pollutants that attract to our faces on the muggy summer streets or concerned with the toxins that accumulate in the months of a sedentary life spent indoors munching fattening winter foods while huddled up to the central-heating. But cleanse your face according to its seasonal requirements and you will have a skin that always looks good and ages more slowly. (See also Facial Scrubs, Face Masks and Facial Saunas)
Vegetable & Nut Oil Cleansers
All vegetable and nut oils can be used for cleansing as well as for nourishing the skin, and in ancient times and in Arabian countries today, oils provide the usual way of cleansing. The ancient Romans massaged oils into their skin and then scraped them off, along with all the dirt. Use any heavy oil for dry skin, such as avocado or wheatgerm, and a light oil such as almond or sunflower for oily skins. The essential oils of clary-sage, lemon, lime, sage or thyme are cleansing and suitable for all skin types. Other good options would be rosemary essential oil, chamomile, lavender or geranium.
Almond Oil Cleanser Paste
100ml almond oil
120g ground almonds
50ml cider vinegar
50ml spring water
6 drops essential oil of your choice
Place all the ingredients in a blender and mix for a good two minutes until a smooth paste is obtained. Store in a jar.
Multi-purpose Cleansing Skin Oil
50ml grapeseed oil
20ml sunflower oil
20ml sesame oil
10m1 wheatgerm oil
Blend these oils together and then add 5 drops of the essential oil of your choice, and blend again. This can be used as a make-up remover and cleanser.
Rich Cleansing Skin Cream (good for dehydrated skins)
15g beeswax
30g lanolin hydrous
50ml almond oil
25ml avocado oil
25ml grapeseed oil
90ml pure spring water
Clary-sage 2 drops
Lemon 2 drops
Using the bain-marie method, melt the beeswax, lanolin and vegetable oils and stir well. Then add the essential oils and take the pot off the heat and slowly add in the water. Mix in a blender (or whisk) until the mixture is cold.
Cocoa Butter Cleanser
100g cocoa butter
50ml grapeseed oil
warm 50ml spring water
Using the bain-marie method, melt the cocoa butter then add in the mineral water and grapeseed oil. Mix in a blender (or whisk) until cold. When the mixture is cold, add Rose Maroc 1 drop and Sandalwood 1 drop. Store in a jar.
Almond Face Rinse
This is suitable for all skin types:
100g ground almonds
100g cornflower
10g grated pure vegetable soap
Mix these ingredients in a blender and then add the following and blend again:
Geranium 2 drops
Lemon 2 drops
Hyssop 1 drop
Store dry and use a small amount mixed with water in your hand to wash your face. Rinse well.
Soap Cleanser
50ml soap stew
50ml liquid lecithin
1 tablespoon cider vinegar
10 drops essential oil of your choice
Blend the ingredients together, preferably in a blender. Use an essential oil that suits your skin type. Bottle the mixture and store. Each time you want to use it to cleanse your face, pour a small amount into the palm of your hand, massage into your face and rinse off very well.
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