Homemade Facial System inspired by Mel :)

Lets start first with the facial system. I was out to breakfast with my friends Mel and Devon one morning over winter break. Devon gave us this amazing smelling olive oil and lavender bottle that she uses to steam and help her skin. Right after she gave us the bottles, Mel mentioned that she had been doing her own natural skin system. I asked Mel if I could share her system on here. Her skin looked amazing, it not only was clear but had a great glow and she told us how much she saves on money not having to purchase extremely overpriced products that dry out your skin. I got very excited when she told me all of this. To be quite honest, I have never had great luck with my skin and it felt like I had tried way to many products in the past only to yield unsuccessful results so I decided to give it a try:

1. The Cleanser:

Mel uses a Tea Tree Oil facial cleanser from Trader Joe's. I ended up making my own from a recipe I found on Pinterest. I used 2 parts Castor Oil (can be found at any health food store) to 8 parts olive oil, then added 2-3 drops of Tea Tree oil. I then added just a couple table spoons of water to dilute it a little and then shook it up.

The Castor Oil is a cleanser that improves skin. It contains nutrients like Vitamin E and other minerals to improve the health of skin. It was also about $6 for a bottle which wasn't too bad a price to pay. One warning with the Castor Oil is that it could lead to potential breakouts in certain skin types..I am not 100% sure how different people react to it..I honestly took a chance in using it and so far everything has been good.

I know Olive Oil sounds really scary and you would think it would make your face break out. Mel was telling us the thought of putting oil on her face was scary at first too then we learned the reasoning. By using store bought products, your face is dried out. The reason it gets oily is because it fears its natural oils being stripped away. By adding a natural oil to your face, your face will not keep producing more oil but it will eventually find a balance. The olive oil adds a little moisture to your cleanser so you don't end up with a patchy, dry face.

The tea tree oil is an antiseptic that fights acne and blemishes. My friend Devon introduced me to this wonder back in high school and it has many purposes. The great thing about it is you only need a few drops to get a great result.

I shake up the cleanser and leave it on for about a minute before washing it off with a washcloth.

2. The toner

Mel told me she uses a toner made of witch hazel. She uses 2/3 cup witch hazel with 1/2 cup lemon juice, 1 cup water, and 2 tbs alcohol (for people with acne). I just bought a witch hazel toner from Whole Foods because I was kind of being lazy but they both seem to work great. Mine was about $10 and next time I will probably make Mel's recipe to save more money.

3. The moisturizer

Grapeseed Oil. I never had heard of it before Mel but I love it! I even have my fiance using it now. Be prepared for your skin to feel a little oily from it, you only need a tiny amount but you can easily blot off the excess. I have found that my skin feels softer from it and it will last you forever because you hardly need any at all!

Hope this system helps and if you have other skin methods that work for you please share them, I know different people require different types of ways to upkeep their complexion. I will be posting the Shampoo Recipe hopefully in the next few days.