Josie Maran’s Cleansing Oil

So I’ve strayed from my DIY oil cleansing recently and decided to try a store bought cleansing oil from Josie Maran’s line for my nightly routine. It’s been almost 3 weeks and you know what, I am happy with it. Mind you I could just as easily make a version of this cleansing oil  with a little research if I wanted to. The ingredients are pretty straight forward and I have most of them at home. It was just one of those things when you want to shop and buy something different.

I don’t mind putting these ingredients on my skin

I definitely recommend this if you are lazy to make your own oil mixture for OCM or are looking for an alternative to the traditional DIY OCM. It takes off my makeup completely and my face feels clean and not stripped. My skin leans more towards the dry side so this is good news for me.

I also find my hormonal breakouts don’t seem as bad and don’t linger forever. Who knows maybe it is a combination of other things but either way I do love this cleansing oil. So if I’m not making my own I will definitely splurge on this. I got this at Sephora and paid CDN$40(plus tax) for it. That is a splurge for me as DIY face cleansing is WAY cheaper.

 

As you can see I have not used much of this and I have had it for just over 2 weeks. The directions do tell you to use 3 to 4 pumps but I find that is way too much for me so I use 2 maybe 3 pumps. I use this daily at night as it gets all the gunk off my face. Overall opinion..love it for my occasional splurge, works well and gentle on the skin and knowing that it doesn’t have crazy things in it is a huge plus. Laterz

Sara xo

 

 

 

Facial Soap V.1

I know I’ve been MIA for a long time. First my computer broke down and I didn’t get around to fixing it because as with most people I have other devices. I do hate to post from anything but a computer. Second I was away for a chunk of time. I went to Malaysia for a childhood friends wedding which was of course amazing even with the crazy heat and humidity. Thirdly I was just so busy and lazy. Anyways moving on. I made soap again.. finally! And this is a new recipe I’m trying!

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Facial Soap Version 1

Makes ~24oz.

• 7oz. Olive Oil
• 4oz. Coconut Oil 76 deg
• 2oz. Shea Butter
• 1oz. Camelina Seed Oil
• 1oz. Castor Oil
• 1oz. Calendula Oil
• 1TBSP Australian Pink Clay
• 1TBSP Activated Charcoal
• 1oz. Blend of Lavender, Tea tree and Litsea Cubeba essential oil

I used an old Pringles can as a mold. It was not very nice to take out because some soap seeped out of the liner and I ruined a bit of my soap (aesthetically) even after putting it in the freezer. This is a screen shot of my calculations (I could not find Calendula and used Avocado as a sub)

I will not post directions on how to make this cold process soap as there are many resources out there you can choose from. As I am not a professional at this my recipes are trial and error. I have since tried one bar though I could wait longer for it to cure. The result is that it is creamy, not super bubbly and surprisingly the scent is still pretty strong. So far I have no complains using this for my face but I do not have major problematic skin.

 

Daily Skin Serum (Moisturizer)

I’d say it has been approximately 8 months since I’ve stopped using commercial moisturizers and replaced it with a homemade facial serum. I love it and will never go back to spending bucket loads of money on skin/face products. (I also make my own soaps, more to come later)

I’m lucky enough to have normal skin with the occasional hormonal breakouts. I do get a bit dry during the winter months or a slightly oily t-zone during hot days, but on the whole pretty normal. This serum I’ve come to like has been basically trials of different oil and essential oil combinations. (I do switch up my oils on occasion)

I usually use what I have on hand though my base oils generally stay the same. I use a 2 oz dark glass bottle with a dropper cap. My serum recipe is as follows (I do eyeball the amount generally)

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Normal/Dry Skin Serum                                                            (1-2 drops per use)

• 1/3 Rosehip oil
• 1/3 Calendula oil
• 1/3 Jojoba/ Sweet Almond/ Ricebran oil
• 10-15 drops Essential oil  of choice (I use Tea tree, Lavender, Carrot seed/ Tea tree, Rose geranium, Frankincense)
• Vitamin E (1 capsule)

Rosehip oil: full of vitamins, antioxidants, essential fatty acids, known to  hydrate dry itchy skin and helps with dark sots and scarring

Calendula oil: great for dry skin, protects from blemishes, heals cuts, antibacterial properties

Jojoba oil:closely resembles human sebum therefore great moisture retainer, helps reduce oiliness, antibacterial aids with acne, relieves itching and dryness for psoriasis and eczema

Rice bran oil:rich in vitamins, antioxidants, rich in fatty acids and vitamin E, improves elasticity, hydrating, improves skin surface, anti inflammatory

Sweet Almond oil: reduces dark circles, relieve eczema/ psoriasis, reduces signs of aging, clean out pores, high in fatty acids

This is just a general idea of what works for me, do your research on what oils suit your skin type and sensitivities as certain oils react differently for each individual. Jenni Raincloud has a great resource of skin care recipes as does the world wide web. Happy hunting

Sara xo 🙂