In my quest to detox my body from all the commercial products and step away from what's been deemed "normal" in this day and age, I've decided to try a new method of face washing. Currently I had switched my conventional face moisturizer for coconut oil, and have been loving it's true moisturizing benefits. But I've still been having acne issues. So I was researching online and came across various methods for washing my face in line with my new(ish) way of thinking.
To preface, I have combination skin, which never seems to like me, no matter how many products I've tried. I have had mild success with the natural face washes, but the cost is definitely a big motivator in finding an alternative.
Once again, based on what I already had in the house, with multiple sources praising this method online, I grabbed my trusty mega box of baking soda, and my ever increasingly awesome coconut oil mixture (I've made a mixture of about 1/3 cup coconut oil with 5 drops lavender essential oil). I splashed warm water on my face, then made a paste of approximately equal parts coconut oil mix & baking soda. Being careful not to scrub my skin too roughly, I used the mixture all over my face and neck. I let it sit there for about a 30 seconds to a minute, then rinsed off most of the mixture by splashing water over my face repeatedly, then used a washcloth to finish rinsing. (I tried using the washcloth first and my skin didn't like that, thus the waiting). Then I took a little bit of my coconut mixture and spread it all over my face and neck.
I've been doing this for about 5 days now, and have noticed a huge improvement in my skin. For whatever reason, my body hates me, and I've been plagued with zits like crazy these past few months. So, while I'm still seeing a few pimples here and there, it's not as bad as it's been, and I anticipate my face only getting better from here on out.
I have also read that extra pure virgin olive oil is a great source for facial care, and plan on trying that after a month of sticking to this routine. Given that both are in approximately the same price range with similarly touted benefits I won't mind changing up the experiment. For now, I'm extremely happy with using this baking soda/coconut oil paste. It definitely sounds counterproductive-slathering oil on a partially oily face, but it actually works!
