Do it yourself skincare products! While good, clean skincare products can be purchased from companies dedicated to those things, it is nice to know you have the capability to spend a Sunday evening preparing these mixtures, if for no other reason than it is a lot of fun.
Essential Oils can be an amazing and transformative way to bring health to your skin.
Pure, unadulterated essential oils have the ability to clear out the junk in our pores and cells, revealing the glorious glow beneath.
Good quality skincare can be an expensive thing to acquire. More than that, it is unnecessary many times as you can make many wonderful products at home with a salon quality result. You can even food! Combined with some basic kitchen things and essential oils, the possibilities are nearly endless. I always like to think of the Egyptians.. known for their beauty, but never suffered with a trip to Walgreens to purchase something full of toxic chemicals and empty promises (read about toxic chemicals in cosmetic products here.)
Below are some recipes for different skin types that you can easily make at home with a few ingredients. Please remember that your skin “eats” whatever you put on it. As the largest organ, it will absorb what you put on it and the effects it can have on your body is immense.
The health of your skin is largely determined by the health of your overall body. While using these awesome recipes/remedies, please also address the internal environment if you are noticing unpleasant changes in your skin. This means proper diet, good amount of vitamin D, proper gut health, and adequate water.
These recipes are for boys, girl, women, and men! DIY skincare is certainly not reserved for females.
DIY Recipes for problem skin:
It doesn’t matter if you are a teenage girl or boy, or a man or woman well past puberty- no one likes these blemishes near or on their face. Here are some recipes that offer a solution to balance out the pH and oils in your face to reveal clear skin.
Please note! These are not miracle cures! This will take consistent work, and a routine. Don’t be discouraged if you don’t wake up tomorrow with perfect skin after your routine this evening. Give it time.
The important thing to remember when you are dealing with acne prone skin, is to be GENTLE! There is the tendency to what to grab harsh exfoliates and drying agents. This is NOT what you want to do. If you are experience a breakout, or two, or three, or 10, then it is a sign your body is inflamed. You need to CALM the skin, not give it another reason to freak out. Your skin is also often a sign of what is going on internally. Solving underlying bodily inflammation including gut inflammation is a great way to heal your skin from the inside-out. Still, a good topical skin care routine is something everyone needs.
Homemade foaming facial cleanser for all skin types:
Really.. you could use this for any skin type. Here are the supplies you will need:
- Empty/refillable foam pump bottle, about 6 oz.
- Dr. Bronner’s Castile soap (unscented) 1/4 cup
- Grapeseed oil 1/2 tsp
- Ylang Ylang Essential Oil 4 drops
- Lavender Essential Oil 8 drops
- Frankincense Essential Oil 8 drops
- Tea Tree oil (for acne prone skin) 4 drops
- For a real boost, add 2 drops of Patchouli essential oil (for dry skin.)
In your foam pump bottle mix together these ingredients and the fill the rest with filtered water (leave about 1/2 at the top to leave room for pump.) Use twice a day with warm water. Pat dry (don’t rub!)
Homemade facial toner for all skin types:
This is also for any skin type. Toners are important to get away any of the last bit of dirt that the wash didn’t, while it prepares your skin for moisturizer (yes, even if you have oily skin you need to moisturize.) Here are the supplies you will need:
- 2-3 oz glass spray bottle
- 1 tablespoon of TN Dickinson’s or Thayer’s Witch Hazel
- 8 drop of Lavender essential oil
- 1 drop of Tea Tree oil (acne prone skin add two drops)
- 2 drops of Frankincense essential oil
- 2 drops of Helichrysum oil ( add only if there is scarring.. note, this oil doesn’t smell pleasant.)
Homemade face masks for acne prone skin:
Regular face masks (no, not the COVID kind…..) are great to help your skin shed dead skin cells and bring about new restored skin layers. These next few recipes I found in Allure magazine, though I have adapted them to suit my preferences. If you would like to see the full article, visit it here .
Below are a couple face mask recipes for acne prone skin. Mix the ingredients in a non-plastic bowl and apply evenly to face. Leave on for 10-15 minutes and then wash with the above facial wash recipe. Making this a regular practice (1-2 x week) will yield the best results.
- 1 mashed organic banana (yes, organic matters.. do not smear pesticides on your skin)
- 1/2 teaspoon of baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon organic turmeric powder
This one is a little different, because it requires the use of a veggie that is usually quite a bit larger than a banana.. if you are having butternut squash for dinner, this is a good time to do this mask.
- 1 cup of pureed organic butternut squash (use a food processor or ninja-style blender)
- 1 tablespoon of honey (this is great for scars!)
- 1 drop of Tea Tree essential oil
Want to keep it simple? Honey is excellent at healing damaged skin, renewing skin, and reducing scars from acne. Aloe Vera is a great calmer and soother (if you have acne, you need this.) Leave this on for 10-15 minutes and gently wash off.
- 2 tablespoons organic raw honey (local is best)
- 1 tablespoon Aloe Vera
- 1 drop of Lavender essential oil or another skin favorite (optional)
Homemade soft face scrub:
While excessive or harsh exfoliation can damage or stress out skin, causing more breakouts, a very soft scrub can be very beneficial for blemished skin. It is best to wash your skin before exfoliating. Let this mixture sit for about 10-15 minutes before washing off. While you wash the mixture off, rub in a circular motion around your face.
- 3 teaspoons organic ground oats
- 1/4 teaspoon apple cider vinegar (Bragg organic)
- 1/2 tablespoon brown sugar
Homemade facial moisturizer/ serum for all skin types:
Really.. this is the holy grail of skin moisturizers…
The oils and ingredients in this blend can be used for any skin type because together these oils work to balance the skin and renew youthfulness. I wouldn’t recommend using this under makeup or during the day (unless you have very dry skin.)Mix all these ingredients together in your bottle. You need:
- 2 oz empty/refillable plastic lotion bottle
- 3/4 teaspoon Fractionated coconut oil
- 3/4 teaspoon calendula oil
- 3/4 teaspoon vitamin E oil
- 8 drops Frankincense essential oil
- 6 drops Myrrh essential oil
- 6 drops Lavender essential oil
- 5 drops Geranium essential oil
- 2 drops Jasmine essential oil
*Adapted from Dr. David Stewart’s recipe, Face Food.
DIY recipes for dry, dull, or aging skin:
As we age we naturally decrease in our ability to make collagen.. the happy protein that makes our skin bouncy and stretchy. Staying hydrated also becomes more of a challenge. Even if you’re a spry 20 year old, your skin can be dry and aging quickly because of stress and environmental toxins. While the internal environment of our bodies and the external environment of our lives must always be addressed to reach a real solution, the recipes below will assist in the process.
Make sure to see the moisturizer recipe above. It is excellent for dry skin, too! The other recipes for acne prone skin can also be used for normal-dry skin, but it is best to avoid adding in the essential oils that were specifically noted as being for acne prone skin.
Homemade foaming face wash for dry skin:
This is very similar to wash above for acne prone skin, but we will use a different set of essential oils when dry skin is the issue at hand. You will need:
- Empty/refillable foam pump bottle, about 6 oz.
- 1/4 cup Dr. Bronner’s unscented Castile soap
- 1/2 teaspoon of either avocado or rosehip seed oil.
- 8 drops Lavender essential oil
- 8 drops Sandalwood essential oil
- 1-2 drops Geranium essential oil
Daily lotion for dry skin:
This lotion requires a couple extra steps, but is worth it do have your own inexpensive daily lotion without all the junk you’ll find in many name brand products. For a more detail list of instructions, see the link here where I adapted the recipe from.Put all of this in a 2 oz lotion/cream bottle. It will become less of a liquid and closer to a solid or lotion consistency as it cools. Here is what you will need:
- 1 tablespoon melted Shea Butter
- 1 tablespoon Apricot Kernel oil
- 1/4 teaspoon Aloe Vera gel
- 1/4 teaspoon vitamin E oil
- 4 drops Lavender essential oil
- 4 drops Geranium essential oil.
Homemade face masks for dull, dry, or aging skin:
Just like when we are fighting against acne, when we are trying to restore the youthfulness of our skin it is important to encourage cell turnover and allow moisture to successfully impact. For these recipes allow the mask to sit on your skin for 15-20 minutes.
- 2 teaspoons organic coconut oil
- 2 teaspoons organic raw honey
- 2 drops Lavender essential oil
- 2 drops Geranium essential oil
This will be a beautiful one.. let sit on your face for 15-20 minutes.
- 1 tablespoons smashed organic blueberries
- 1 tablespoon fresh squeezed lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon baking soda
- enough water to make mixture spreadable.. about 1-2 tablespoons
When you have dry skin, it is often sensitive to exfoliation which often further dries skin out. One of the reasons is by being too mechanically rough when you apply the exfoliating mixtures. Be gentle! And always pat your skin dry, not rub. Use this less frequently than you would the moisturizing masks. Stick to once or twice a month. Here is what you need:
- 1/2 cup organic brown sugar
- 3 tablespoons of organic raw honey
- 2 tablespoons of organic coconut or avocado oil
- 4 drops Lemongrass essential oil
Brandi Johnson, DC. 