Once you decide to clean up your lifestyle in every way, shape, and form, it can feel overwhelming! There are so many different foods, soaps, drinks, moisturizers, etc., to choose from.
Since many of you have asked which brands and companies I trust, websites I use, and skincare products I recommend, I decided to create dynamic, ever-evolving posts of my favorite things. I will update all of the lists frequently, so check back for new links and suggestions!
Do you know how many marketing gimmicks we’re subjected to every day? Neither do I. But, I think we can all agree that we are bombarded with more digital/print ads, empty-promise slogans, and attention-grabbing labels than ever! Because of this, the temptation can be to buy, buy, buy! the latest and greatest, especially when it comes to personal care and maintenance. Cosmetic companies are among the worst! However, some skin experts (like Dr. Trevor Cates; I highly recommend her podcast and book Clean Skin from Within!) are encouraging us to go back to the basics. Just as whole, unprocessed foods are great for our health, uncomplicated and all-natural ingredients are excellent for skincare, haircare, and more!
Homemade Skincare Solutions I Love:
Warm, Rejuvenating Honey Face Mask
How to make and use:
- Simply warm a teaspoon of honey in the microwave (5 seconds seems to be the sweet spot; you don’t want it to get too hot!) and apply the warm honey evenly over your entire (clean!) face. (Again, be sure it’s not too hot!)
- Leave it on for 10-20 minutes, then rinse it off.
- Apply moisturizers or makeup afterwards.
- Do this 1-2 times each week.
Why I love it:
- First of all, it’s cheap. I feel the same results from this mask as I’ve felt from expensive, leading name brand alternatives. (Note: be sure to use a high-quality honey. I like Beekeeper’s Naturals honey because it’s actually organic–they take great lengths to ensure there are no pesticides within a 5-mile radius of their hives!–and the company prioritizes the wellbeing of its bees.)
- Secondly, it’s accessible. If you’re like me, you always have honey on hand, so this mask is always readily available!
- Third, honey is both antibacterial and antimicrobial, so it’s the perfect way to deep clean your pores while, at the same time, giving your skin a healthy glow.
- Finally, this mask is as natural as you can get, so there’s no chance you’re applying toxic chemicals to your skin.
Sugar or Salt + Oil Scrub
How to make and use:
- Find an empty glass jar, ideally one you’ve recycled from some grocery store purchase!
- Fill it with 1/2 cup of sugar (white or brown) or salt and 1/2 cup of oil (olive or avocado work great…because who still has unhealthy vegetable oils lying around?!)
- Store it in your shower; scrub your skin (face, body, and especially feet) with the mixture 1-2 times each week.
- (This probably goes without saying, but rinse it off before you get out of the shower!)
Why I love it:
- It’s cheap! Don’t be fooled by superfluous marketing tactics. This skin scrub works as well–if not better!–than store bought varieties.
- It’s accessible! You know that expired sugar you have laying around? It now has a purpose!
- It’s all-natural. Toxins, be gone.
- Finally, it will leave your skin glowing and refreshed.
Homemade Haircare Solutions I Love:
Arrowroot Powder (+ Cocoa?) Dry Shampoo
How to make and use:
- Find an empty glass jar.
- The next step depends on your hair color:
- Blonde or gray hair: add 1/2 cup of arrowroot powder…and you’re done!
- Light brown: add 1/2 cup of arrowroot powder and 2 tablespoons of cocoa.
- Dark brown: play around with the mixture for light brown hair. You may need to add more cocoa.
- Find an old makeup brush. (Probably clean it using soap and water and let it dry…)
- When your hair starts to show a tinge of grease, use the makeup brush to dust the powder on your roots. (You don’t want to wait until your hair is too greasy.) This will give you some extra wear and tear out of that ‘do, some extra time for non-shower activities, and healthier, happier locks. (Shampooing hair every day can damage hair and cause excess sebum production; sebum is what causes the greasiness in the first place!)
- Brush out your hair to be sure the dry shampoo is evenly dispersed and unnoticeable.
Why I love it:
- Again, it’s cheap! (Are you sensing a common theme in this post…?)
- Again, it’s accessible.
- Again, it’s all-natural. Some of the commercial aerosol and powder alternatives contain the usual toxic suspects.
- It truly works. Don’t trust me on this–try it out yourself! I was skeptical, but this dry shampoo works much better than most of the store-bought versions I’ve used in the past.
- BONUS: If you have brown hair and use cocoa in your mixture, a sweaty gym session will leave your hair smelling a hint like chocolate…and who doesn’t want to smell like chocolate after the gym?
Again, the book Clean Skin from Within is a great resource for many, many more homemade products; the above are just the tried and true ones I can’t live without! Once I make and use more, I’ll update this post. Stay tuned…
In each blog post, I aim to bring you food for thought (pun intended. Note: my day job is teaching English), but don’t take my word for it! Click on and read all of the links above to become your own expert on this topic; knowledge is power. The more you know and understand the “why” behind each biohack, the easier it will be to stick to it and realize you can’t live without it!
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Biohacking with Brooke 