I swear, I'm NOT a hippy

So in addition to all the hair stuff, I have also been trying out some other "natural" beauty routines.

I have given up soap on my face. I don't have bad skin, but it's not great. It's not very pretty without makeup. So since I am trying stuff to be able to wear my hair more naturally, then why not try the face too, right? Everything I am going to mention below I found on someone else's website. I am new at all of this and have no original ideas. I am totally stealing from other people.

It sounds kind of crazy, but I now wash my face every night with ... oil. There are different types of oil you can use based upon your skin type, but I am currently using a 50/50 combo of Castor oil and jojoba oil with just a few drops of lavender essential oil. I have also been adding raw honey to the mix. Each night, I wet my face, scoop out a glob of raw honey (a small glob) and mix it with my facial oil cleanser. (I used one of the travel bottles from Wal-Mart and premixed a good amount of the oils so I don't have to do it every day) I massage the oil/honey into my face for about 2 minutes or so. Then I use a wet washcloth that is just about as hot as I can stand it to clean off my face. It's crazy, but all the makeup comes right off. Including my water proof mascara. It takes a couple of rinses, but soon my face is clean - in fact, I think it probably gets more make-up off than the cleanser I was using before. After cleansing, if I feel like I need a moisturizer, I just use a little coconut oil.

In the mornings, I just rinse my face with water in the shower. When I get out, if I have any leftover makeup around my eyes, I use plain olive oil and a cotton round to remove it. Works better than any eyemakup removed I have ever used. Then I use my homemade toner - Thyme infused witch hazel (thyme is supposed to be good to treat acne). I bought the witch hazel and poured it into a sterile jar with some thyme and let it sit for a couple of days. Then, using a coffee filter and a funnel, I filter out the thyme and leave the witch hazel in another one of those Wal-Mart bottles I mentioned earlier. If you use a white cotton round, you can see the dirt it pulls out (You can use the toner at night as well, but I don't want to use it too much in case it dries out my skin. Since I like the clean feeling it gives my skin, I use it in the mornings so my face feels clean after the shower).

Waiting (uncomfortably) for the mask
to dry

I have also found a new facial mask/acne treatment. I purchased some organic healing clay and I mix that with a little of the toner. Usually I just use it as a spot treatment, but Saturday night I decided to do an entire facial mask. It was not the most comfortable thing in the world as it dried, but it wasn't bad. I'm sure I'll use it again. I took a pic so you can laugh at me.

So, probably the weirdest thing I have done is use activated charcoal to whiten my teeth. No, I am not chewing on bricks of coal. I purchased some activated charcoal capsules from a health store and I pop one open and mix it with a touch of water (just so I don't inhale the powder). I swish that around for a few seconds, then hold it in the front of my mouth for 3-4 minutes. Now, if you know how much I hate spit, you have to know that this is miserable for me. I did it for the first time last night, and I am going to try and do it every night for the next two weeks. I took a before pic, so if I notice a huge difference, I will post it with an after pic.

So, that's what I've been doing to myself. My mom thinks I am a weirdo, disgusting hippy. I told her she will just be jealous when I have fabulous skin and hair and she doesn't.