DIY Skin Care

By Lili Gevorkian on March 4, 2013

Chances are you’ve looked in the mirror at least once today. Maybe wondered how Mount Vesuvius popped up on your face and thought about buying yet another product to counteract whatever is going on with your skin.

Consider that we’re constantly plagued with media displaying picture perfect skin and nonstop beauty ads convincing you this next product will get you to look better: tighter, firmer, clearer, wrinkle-free….”flawless.”

Think about the purpose of your skin. It’s there to protect you, to seal water in, to release toxins and cool you off as you sweat. It’s the largest organ by surface area and one of the most overlooked in terms of care.

Sure skin can be beautiful or handsome, as subjective as those terms are, but how useful is that if it’s not healthy? Why cover it up to hide your “imperfections” instead of truly healing from the source?

As important as it is to know what goes in your body, so is knowing what goes on your body. Ever read the ingredients on an acne-cleanser? Or toner? The artificial fragrances are enough to irritate that great protector of yours. Kick out the fake stuff and start mixing up your own concoctions! It’s easy to exfoliate, clear up breakouts, cleanse your skin and even pamper yourself without burning a hole in your wallet.

Here are some quick DIY skin care ideas for both ladies and men.

Note: Depending on how dry/oily your skin is, these recipes may have to be adjusted.
Once you experiment around a little bit, you’ll find what works for you.

Baking Soda Scrub

1-2 tbsp of baking soda
enough warm water to form a paste

The mixture should be thick. You may have to add more baking soda if it’s too runny.
Take the paste and swirl it onto your skin and lips. Avoid contact with eyes.  The circular motions and the abrasive power of the baking soda will help exfoliate your skin. You can leave it on for a few minutes although it will sting a little. Wash it off with warm water. Pat dry.

Only use this scrub once or twice a week at most. It may dry out your skin if you don’t moisturize with a quality oil after. I recommend using extra virgin organic coconut oil. Make sure your hands are clean to prevent spreading bacteria into your cleansed pores and then massage a tiny amount on. A little goes a long way. If there’s any extra, simply add it to the ends of your hair to soften it up.

Moisturizing Oatmeal Mask

1-2 tbsp quick cooking oats
enough warm water to form a paste

Mash up the oats with your fingers and use the leftover liquid as a tonic. Splash it over your face. The leftover mash will be too wet to apply so add a little more dry oats until the mixture is thick enough to stay on your face. Apply using circular motions and leave on for five minutes.
Wash off with warm water. Pat Dry.

Moisturizing Avocado Honey Mask

1/3-1/2 avocado
1 tbsp raw honey

Mash up avocado and incorporate honey well. Apply mixture to face. Let it sit for five minutes.
Wash off with warm water. Pat dry.

Spirulina Honey Mask

1 tbsp spirulina powder (make sure it’s from a good source)
1 tbsp raw honey



Combine into a paste. Apply to face by spreading a thin layer all over. It will be super sticky and difficult at first but keep going. Use all of the mixture from the container. Don’t waste the spirulina.
Wear the mask for at least 20-25 minutes to up to an hour. Wash off with warm water. Pat dry.

Notorious for its strong antibacterial/antimicrobial properties, raw honey is useful for getting rid of infectious bacteria in your pores. Honey brightens and evens out skin tone as well as shrinking  pores. Make sure to purchase unprocessed and unheated kinds from your local farmer’s market or a health food store. Conventional grocery stores rarely carry true raw honey.

Spirulina is a unicellular blue-green algae grown in controlled waters, optimally, to limit cross contamination. It is around 70% protein and contains many of the amino acids our cells need. This high source of protein also contains an incredible amount of antioxidants which are vital for life. It is a nutritional powerhouse both for ingesting and for your skin. (Stay tuned for a future article on this superfood.)

Green Tea

Here’s a great way to reuse unflavored and unsweetened green tea bags to soften skin and even aid sunburns. Once the tea bag has cooled squeeze into your hand and dab all over your face. Then hold the bag and starting from underneath your eyes (great for reducing eyebags), rub the tea bag all over. Don’t forget your lips!

Aloe Vera

Cut about an inch of the thick leaf and split open carefully with a knife. Apply directly to cleansed skin and press the gooey part to release more liquid. Leave on overnight or wash off with warm water.

Buy a small plant and take care of it and it’ll yield more leaves in the future. If you’d rather buy the aloe leaves, keep it stored in the fridge to prolong its life. This super plant helps sooth burns, is antibacterial, tightens skin, and promotes overall health. It’s important for both internal and external use (article coming soon).

Other tips:

  • Hydrate! Water is important for purifying cells. Keep drinking water to flush out toxins.
  • Beauty starts from within. Don’t skip out on your fruits and vegetables. Include healthy fats in your diet.
    Mythbuster: Chocolate won’t make you break out…if you come to the dark side, that is. Stick to dark chocolate (cacao preferred over cocoa) with minimal added sugars.
  • Limit dairy and processed food consumption.
  • Catch your Zzzzzzs. Sleep is critical for cell repair. It’s when most of your energy is spent building and repairing tissues within instead of powering your daily tasks.
  • Avoid touching your face and especially with dirty hands. There’s a tremendous amount of bacteria that your hands come in contact with and transferring them to your face isn’t going to help prevent breakouts.

The above recipes are just what I’ve tabulated over the past year or so on my own. There’s a plethora of information out there. All you have to do is find it, adjust it to your needs (it’s never one size fits all), and spread the joy!

I decided to make use of all the photo prepping and here I am with the spirulina honey mask. Quite a vivid green!

I spent a good five minutes laughing after I took the photo so feel free to laugh along at how silly it looks!
Silly but potent!

Remember, it’s up to you to know what’s going in and on, as well as out of your vessel.
Do your own research.
Be your own healer.

Take care of yourselves folks!

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