Way back one Christmas while I was still in junior high my aunt gave all of us homemade oatmeal facial scrub in pretty jars. Along with this came a book called Back to Basics by Alexandra York. Ms York gave detailed instructions for making all manner of skincare products from cleansing creams to toners to wrinkle concentrates and shampoos. Some of the exotic ingredients were off-putting and while I put to use some of the more basic recipes over the years, others remained mysterious.

Alice Cantrell recently posted about chemicals in our personal care products. Dr Mercola has written about these chemicals being detected in remote parts of the body. Sounds farfetched until you consider all the medications now being dispensed through the skin such as nicotine and contraceptive patches. I admit, the cheap in me had me thinking even further because it is not uncommon to pay $10, $20 and even $30 for an ounce or two of nutrient rich chemical free concoctions. And yet, here we are in the high desert where my skin threatens to become as parched as the clay underfoot. I needed something, preferably something neither deadly nor likely to cause me to take out a second mortgage.

The explosion of internet sales and soapmaking has opened new doors which previously had been closed. One can find anhydrous lanolin, beeswax, or glycerin (glycerin binds moisture from the air and holds it on the surface of the skin) with a few clicks of the mouse. I pulled the books out once more and began to experiment. Surprisingly Walmart proved to be a good resource. In the pharmacy I found witch hazel, glycerin and castor oil, ingredients in many recipes, for next to nothing. In the baking aisle they carry olive oil and coconut oil (plain- for $2/lb). Borax can be found in the laundry aisle. Encapsulated vitamins can be popped and added to the mixtures. Armed with those items many of the recipes could be easily assembled.

A few tips from the author:

Avoid soap. It is drying. Instead use cleansing creams – even something as simple as Crisco. Otherwise plain glycerin soap bar works well. An oat and yogurt mixture makes a gentle cleanser.

An abrasive substance such as ground oats, ground almonds, or even salt makes an excellent exfoliator.

Fruit acid peels? Try papaya. Fresh sliced papaya acts on the surface of the skin to remove dead skin cells.

Don’t use powdered cosmetics on aging skin. Any dry cosmetic like face powder, eye shadow etc will collect in tiny creases and make them more noticeable. Use a cream base.

Keep a ‘crinkle stick’ to refresh midday. Dab it near the eyes and mouth for an instant facelift. Younger or more oily complexions benefit from a misting of mineral water midday. Way better than more cosmetics.

The daily routine? Cleanse, tone, moisturize AM and PM. Scrub with abrasives weekly. Apply a facial or steam monthly.

It is also good to remember that good skin starts with dinner. You are what you eat. Getting adequate essential fatty acids is recommended to help your body regulate its own production. Imbalances can apparently present themselves as either under or overactive glands. Antioxidants applied to the surface are not as helpful as those digested. Consuming (mercury free!) fish, leafy greens and berries is more desirable. Diets heavy on transfats and low or nofat diets are detrimental to your complexion. Protein speeds cell repair.

Some recipes:

Simple Cleanser
grind oats finely
add plain yogurt to make a paste and soften the oats
keep in fridge.
You know how soothing oats are for Chicken Pox. Same concept. The addition of honey is suggested as well.

Cocoa Butter Cleansing Cream
1oz cocoa butter
1oz safflower oil
1oz almond oil
1oz rose water
1T beeswax
1/8tsp borax

melt wax, melt oils separately and drizzle into the wax beating constantly. Warm and mix borax and rose water and add to mixture. Beat til creamy and cool. makes 3oz. Refrigerate.

Toners:
witch hazel is the major ingredient in all of them and can be used alone or dilute with water. Oily formulas add alcohol. Drier complexions may like the addition of glycerin. This one is for normal skin-

Glycerin Rose Water Toner
4oz rose water
1oz glycerin
1oz witch hazel

Coconut Vitamin Protection Cream
1oz coconut extract
4T coconut oil
1/2 tsp Vit A and D oil (pierce capsules and add til you get the right amt)
2tsp cocoa butter
2tsp soy oil (I would use olive)
2 and 1/2tsp anhydrous lanolin
1/4 tsp borax (found mixed reviews about borax online)
1/2tsp liquid lecithin

<e;t lanolin over low heat. Warm other oils and beat into the lanolin. Dissolve borax and beat all together for 3min. Makes over 4oz.

If you can’t locate some of the ingredients I have found that mixing relatively inexpensive vegetable oils like coconut, olive, and safflower and adding the vitamins makes a very good moisturizer. Work a fine layer into the skin then rinse with very cold water to set. Pat dry with towel.

Liquid lecithin or beeswax are added to keep the mixtures suspended so as to prevent separation and give it some body. This is what we pay for at the store. It is like the natural peanut butter however. It is a really small thing to shake it up before use. Ditto the need for refrigeration of the more perishable recipes such as those with dairy products, honey etc. That makes it less convenient certainly, but then again it avoids the need for heavy duty preservatives.

One more – For an all over treat try making your own salt glow scrubs.

Okey doke. Enough fun for one day. : ) Better get a move on.