Something that happens without fail when the seasons start to change, is my skin gets a bit flaky and wants to slough off in the shower. Kind of gross, right? A homemade sugar scrub is the perfect solution. It only takes a couple of minutes to mix one up and not only will its gentle exfoliation leave your skin silky smooth, but they smell divine.

This coconut lime combination is a bit tropical and seems perfect for savouring the last of summer’s tastes and smells. If you’ve already mentally switched seasons, check out the brown sugar scrub I shared on Angie’s blog.

Coconut Lime Sugar Scrub
1 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup coconut oil*
1 tablespoon shredded coconut
grated zest + juice of one lime
1 tsp vitamin e oil (optional)

Mix together thoroughly and store in an airtight container.

*for maximum benefits to your skin, make sure you get unrefined, virgin coconut oil.

To use: massage into skin, resist urge to lick it off (although, technically, you could), and rinse well. Massage any leftover oil into your skin – you may find you don’t even need a moisturizer.

How are you making the most of the last days of summer? And let me know if you give this recipe a try!

Happy scrubbing,

The post Natural Skin Care // Coconut Lime Sugar Scrub appeared first on The Laughing Medusa.

This is also very useful for us chicas with technicolour tresses. Semi-permanent dyes fade quickly so minimizing the number of times you wash your hair is crucial. Usually I can get by with 2-3 washes a week, but not right now. I don’t know about you, but where I live it’s so hot right now. Brain meltingly hot and the humidity is out of control. Needless to say, I’m a sweaty mess.

So, I’ve turned to my new friend dry shampoo. But when the bottle of Batiste that I picked up in England ran out, I decided to see if there was a homemade solution without the toxic chemicals & perfumes you find in the commercial variety.

It turns out there is and it really couldn’t be any easier. I’m even willing to bet that you already have these two ingredients hiding in your pantry. So, here it is…

Homemade Dry Shampoo
1/4 cup cornstarch
2T baking soda

Mix ‘em together really well and add a few drops of essential oil if you’d like. Seriously, that’s it.

Use in between washes by sprinkling along your roots and brushing well. It’ll attract and stick to a lot of the dirt and oil so that you can brush it out.

Since my hair is so monstrously thick, I like to apply in two segments to make sure it gets all the way through (see photo above).

Style your hair as desired and you’re good to go. You’ve beaten that sweaty hair for another day; you go girl!

Do you use dry shampoo already? What do you think of trying this homemade version?

Stay cool!

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When it comes to the why of natural skincare, the long and short of it is: your skin is your body’s largest organ and it’s porous. In other words, anything you put on your body ends up inside of it.

With that in mind, studies showing that the average woman uses 14 skincare/cosmetics products containing over 100 chemicals (many of which are carcinogenic) before breakfast is downright scary, because it’s all being absorbed into your body.

But without a degree in chemistry to decipher the labels on beauty products and no government regulations requiring companies to even declare everything they pack into those enticing little tubes (let alone make sure it’s safe for us to use!), what’s a girl to do?

Okay, deep breath.

Take it slow. Keep it simple. Don’t worry, you don’t need to toss out your carefully curated collections of make-your-eyes-pop shadows and perfect-for-you lipsticks. Try implementing one step from my natural skincare routine every week for a month. When you run out of a product, try replacing it with a more natural alternative or see if it’s something  you can make at home. Taking baby steps toward a more natural skincare routine can help prevent you from feeling too overwhelmed or thinking it’s too expensive to make the switch. Even if you never give up your favourite Mac lipstick (I still haven’t!), you’re still drastically reducing the toxic load on your body.

Make it fun. Put on loud music and sip on a glass of your favourite bevvy while you bop around the kitchen while you whip up a batch of poison-free deodorant. Slather a chocolate face mask and eat bonbons while you watch a sappy movie. Gather a group of gal pals and have a spa day before going out for a nice dinner together. Adding a sense of occasion and luxury is an enticing way to give these “hippy-dippy” ideas a try. ;)

Arm yourself with information. It can be overwhelming to weed through all of the competing claims about what’s “natural” and safe for our skin. Luckily, the Environmental Working Group’s SkinDeep database allows you to search for a product to learn about the health impacts of its ingredients and they have a 1-10 scale to determine the safety of a product. If you’re still in doubt, Nadine Artemis’s article on Deciphering Cosmetic Codes is a must-read before hitting up the cosmetic counter.

Have you incorporated any natural skincare in your routine? Do you have any tips for making the switch?

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This simple skincare routine requires no measuring, or mixing, or tempering, just straight-up ingredients applied straight to your skin. You kind find all of them at the grocery store and most of them are likely lurking in your kitchen cupboards already. Perform this routine (minus the exfoliation) twice a day for naturally clean, glowing skin.

Cleanse Your Face
I only recently started washing my face with honey on the recommendation of a friend (hi, Jessi!) and had a “how did I not think of this?!” moment. I knew that honey is naturally antimicrobial and antibacterial (helps fight acne), as well as incredibly moisturizing, but the more I looked into it the more benefits I found. Honey has just enough drying power to combat any pimples you already have, its gentle but effective enough for any skin type, and it is packed with enzymes that helps repair acne scars and has some anti-aging benefits. It may seem counterintuitive to rub something sticky on your face to clean it, but trust me, it works.

Wash your face of makeup (I use olive oil soap) before warming up approximately 1/2tsp of honey in your hands. Massage over your entire for for a minute or two and then rinse off with warm water.

If you’re vegan, I’d recommend giving the oil cleansing method a try (more on this another time).

Tone
Apple cider vinegar makes a great astringent because it will remove any remaining dirt, minimize pours, and fight acne-causing bacteria. Pour a liberal amount on a cotton pad and rub over your face and neck. Orange blossom water and rose water are great alternatives, but more expensive and also more difficult to come by.

Moisturize
Maybe one day you’ll want to foray into the world of making fancy whipped face moisturizer, but it’s really not necessary. I always come back to using pure plant oils. Whether it’s jojoba, coconut, olive, sweet almond, avocado, or castor, you’ll just need a few drops (this article is helpful when choosing the right oil for your skin). Massage thoroughly into your face and neck. Without the emulsifiers used in commercial moisturizers, it will take a few minutes to soak in, but I promise, this is not going to make your face oily and you can apply makeup directly over top.

Exfoliate
In keeping with the theme of simplicity, I only exfoliate once or twice a week, any more is irritating for my skin but hey, everyone’s different. Perform this step after cleansing and before toning/moisturizing as needed to keep the pesky flakes at bay. Squeeze the juice of half a lemon onto a cotton pad and sprinkle 1tsp. of sugar over it. Massage the pad over your entire face and neck in circular motions for 1-2 minutes. Rinse with warm water.

Once a month or so you might want a more vigorous exfoliation. Mix 2-3tsp. with 1tbsp. baking soda (you want to create a thick paste). Using your fingers or a clean makeup brush, apply a thin layer of the paste over your face (there should be enough to share with a friend). Allow to dry for 15-20 minutes (it may itch a little, that’s normal). Wet your fingers and massage the baking soda into your skin. Rinse thoroughly with warm water.

And that’s it! No impossible to pronounce ingredients, no fancy techniques or equipment, no excuses. Let me know if you give this routine a try and what your results are like.

What’s your skincare routine? Do you have any natural beauty tricks up your sleeve? I’d love to hear!

xx S.

Images 1, 2, and 3.

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Perhaps my poison-free deodorant and chocolate face mask were a bit too out there for you – I hear what you’re saying, a little too hippy dippy if you’re used to stopping by Shopper’s Drug Mart or a department store to take care of your skincare needs. So I’ve got something sweet today to tempt you away from that toxic load and entice you to give this whole natural skincare thing a try.

This body butter is rich and creamy and oh-so sweet. It smells like the fudge my mom used to make at Christmastime when I was growing up – perfect for someone like me who alternates between wanting to smell like a birthday cake and a rose garden. Mix up a batch yourself and I’ll guarantee you’ll be wanting to give it a taste. But with the moisturizing power of coconut and sweet almond oils, and the moisture-locking power of beeswax and vanilla, it’s also going to keep your skin smooth and soft. Here’s the recipe…

Brown Sugar Body Butter

1/2 cup coconut oil
1/4 cup sweet almond oil*
1/4 cup water
2 tbsp brown sugar
2 tbsp beeswax (grated)
1 tbsp vanilla**

1. Melt beeswax, coconut oil, and sweet almond oil in a double boiler. Remove from heat.
2. In a separate saucepan, mix together brown sugar and water over medium heat. Stir until combined.
3. Add water-sugar mixture to oil mixture, one tablespoon at a time. Whisk until thoroughly combined before adding the next tablespoon.
4. Whisk in vanilla extract.
5. Allow to cool for 30 minutes. Whisk for 30 seconds.
6. Cool for an additional 30 minutes until spooning into a jar. Use as a daily moisturizer.

*Substitute plant oil of choice. Many people have good results using olive oil, but I find it too heavy for my skin.
**Be sure to use pure vanilla extract and not the artificial kind. Otherwise you won’t get the full vanilla aroma or the beneficial properties for your skin. This brand is my favourite.

I hope you’ll give this heavenly smelling body butter a try. Let me know what you think if you do.  And if you’ve got any natural skincare secrets of your own up your sleeve, I’d love to hear!

xx S.

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Sometimes trying to document and share your life online has some pretty hilarious results. Like last night, I was really excited because I had whipped up a batch of my new face mask recipe and rounded up a couple of my girlfriends to give it a try. As we’re smearing the chocolatey goodness over our faces, Meagan turns to us and says, “You know, it looks like we’re in black face.” Whoops! So, my apologies for any resemblance to terribly racist practices from the past. Of course my only intention was to offer you a simple way to combat the dry, flaky skin winter is subjecting many of us to. So, if you can get over how absolutely ridiculous you’ll look, I urge you to give it a try…

Chocolate Honey Face Mask
1/4 cup unpasteurized honey
1/3 cup 100% cocoa powder
2 tbsp. avocado
2 tbsp. banana
1 tbsp. honey
2 tsp. sugar

1. Combine first five ingredients in a food processor until smooth.
2. Stir in sugar.
3. Smear a thick layer over your face, rubbing gently as you do to start the exfoliation process.
4. Leave it on for twenty minutes before rinsing your face thoroughly and applying your regular face moisturizer.

This recipe makes enough for 3-4 people, so invite a few girlfriends over and make a silly night of it.

Avocado and banana are great moisturizers, the anti-microbal properties of honey fight acne, the anti-oxidants in the cocoa help prevent visible signs of aging, and the scrubbing power of the sugar will keep those pesky flakes at bay.

The results were great – silky smooth skin and we may or may not have eaten the remaining batter off our fingers. But I will admit it was a bit tough to scrub off and I was picking bits of banana out of my nose ring, so you may want to throw some soap into the mix when it comes time to take your mask off.

Do you have any natural skincare secrets? I’d love to hear!

xx S.

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I started making the switch to natural body care after reading Meghan Telpner’s ebook when it came out. She explains that, as our largest organ, what we put on our skin ends up in our bodies. Essentially, if you’re not comfortable eating it, you shouldn’t be using it. And, as we’ve all heard before, the lotions, creams, and cosmetics that so many of us smear all over ourselves everyday are full of some really creepy stuff.

Mainstream deodorants are all kinds of scary. They often include ingredients like formaldehyde, which is a suspected carcinogen; pthalates, which we now know can cause damage to the liver, kidney, lungs, and reproductive system; propelyne glycol, a petroleum derivative that causes kidney and liver damage, inhibits cell growth, damages cell membrane, and leads to rashes; talc, which is linked with infertility and a suspected carcinogen when inhaled; and aluminum, which is associated with nervous system damage and respiratory problems.

However, when I decided to ditch my Dove stick, I was stuck with a major problem: most all-natural deodorants don’t work! It’s no fun worrying that you smell like BO when you’re out on the town. So, when I experimented with making my own and it actually worked, I was pleasantly surprised. This isn’t an antiperspirant. It won’t stop you from sweating. But it will stop you from stinking. And best of all? It’s made from 100% natural ingredients that you could actually eat. Do something nice for your body, and give this recipe a try!

Poison-Free Deodorant

4 tablespoons cocoa butter
3 tablespoons coconut oil
1/4 cup aluminum-free baking soda
1/4 cup organic corn starch
1 tsp Vitamin E oil (I just punctured & emptied 3 capsules)
5-10 drops essential oil

1. Put your cocoa butter and coconut oil in a bowl.
2. Place that bowl on top of a smaller bowl full of hot/boiling water.
3. Meanwhile, mix together your dry ingredients.
4. Once your cocoa butter and coconut oil are melted, mix in dry ingredients in batches until fully combined. Add your Vitamin E and essential oils.
5. Pour into a small jar and allow to set.

Voila! Scoop out a pea sized amount at a time and rub ‘er in!

Let me know if you give this recipe a try, and I’d love to hear any natural skincare tips you have up your sleeves!

xoxo
S.

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