DIY Au Naturel Skin Care & Hygiene

You can take care of your hygiene and skin care routines naturally using doTERRA essential oils and a few pantry staples. It is really easy to DIY chemical free recipes to help detox your whole family’s skin care and hygiene regime. 

Body

We wash ourselves (and our children) in the shower or a bath everyday and for a lot of people it is twice a day. So this is an area of hygiene we need to start exploring, for ways to reduce and even eliminate unnecessary exposure to toxins. Here are some ways that we have decided to remove parabens, sulfates, toxic preservatives and artificial fragrances from our everyday hygiene rituals.

Body Brushing

Body brushing is all about exfoliating to help our body to flush toxins from it and by eliminating toxins from our body this helps to strengthen our immune system. Kinda makes sense really that when we reduce toxic load on/in our body our immune system can function better to do its job of fighting viruses and bacteria rather than toxins we are put on or in ourselves.

How? Simply take a natural fibre brush and starting from your feet use long upwards strokes and brush all over your body prior to your shower. This takes less than a minute and you are getting a quick detox with exfoliated glowing skin, the trick actually to just remember to do it.

Moisturising Body Wash

This body wash is easy to make up and will work to clean the grubbiest knees after a football match (believe me, with four boys I know) and will leave your skin feeling rehydrated and smooth without all the nasty chemicals found in conventional soaps.

Ingredients:
½ cup liquid castile soap
½ cup raw honey
¼ cup oil (we use doTERRA fractionated coconut oils as it stays liquid, olive or almond oil are other options)
30-35 drops essential oil of preference (Lemongrass and Melaleuca are favourites for their antibacterial qualities in our home (and appeals to the many males in my home). You could also try Lavender and Ylang Ylang as they are a soothing evening combo or Wild Orange and Cedarwood for an earthier scent (another one that will appeal to men also.)

Optional: Vitamin E oil ~ about a teaspoon for added shelf life, we use this too quickly so it’s not necessary for us.

Whisk the raw honey, oil and essential oils together so that they are well combined, then gently stir in the castile soap to avoid creating suds. Pour into a sealable dark glass bottle/s that ideally has a pump lid.

NOTE: I find that the with every batch no matter how hard I try the scent will vary. This does not bother us because as a body wash it gets the job done for us in a non toxic way.

Body Cream/Butter/Balm

This all-natural cream absorbs well into the skin to leave it feeling soft and hydrated. I will point out that whenever I make a natural product at home the results sometimes vary for me depending on the ingredients themselves, the weather or just the fact that I’m human and my measurements may be slightly out. I believe that for my family the products I make at home are still way more natural than anything you can buy which we are always happy with.

So, keep an eye on consistency as you’re preparing this cream. In Winter, the cream may solidify a little more than it does in Summer. Again, we find that when we apply the cream to our skin it does the same job!

You may find that a firmer batch will also work well as a balm for irritated skin that needs a bit of barrier. In this case try adding just a teaspoon more of beeswax.

Ingredients:
½ cup of almond or olive oil
¼ cup coconut oil (virgin cooking oil is great here because it will solidify again)
¼ cup beeswax
25-30 drops essential oil of preference (Lavender, Roman Chamomile, Wild Orange and Frankincense are gentle enough for babies)

Optional: 2 tablespoons Shea Butter ~ we like to include this when we have some at home
Optional: 2 tablespoons Magnesium oil
Optional: 1 teaspoon Vitamin E oil ~ will give cream longer shelf life

Creating this cream is really simple ~
1. Combine all the ingredients in a glass jar and loosely place the lid on the jar.
2. Place the jar in a saucepan and fill the saucepan just so the contents of the jar are covered and set temperature to low/medium, the ingredients will melt as the water heats.
3. Shake the jar occasionally as the ingredients are melting.
4. When all the ingredients are melted transfer the contents to a glass container whilst still warm to make pouring easier.

We occasionally find that the beeswax may not melt, this is okay because the final step is to transfer the oils to a blender/processor of some sort and blend for approximately 20-30 seconds to whip up your cream/butter/balm. Just be sure that the beeswax is completely soft, we use a fork and try to squish the wax to check for hardness.

Thermomix option:
1. Place the almond oil, coconut oil and shea butter into your thermomix and melt for 4 mins/37 degrees/speed 2.
2. At the half way point scrape down the sides.
3. When first cycle is complete check to see that the coconut oil and shea butter are melted, if they are not set for another 1-2 mins/37 degrees/speed 2. If the beeswax is not completely melted do not worry as the final step is to whip the ingredients.
4. Add essential oils and vitamin E oil, whip for 1 min on speed 7.
5. When all the ingredients are melted transfer the contents to a glass container whilst still warm to make pouring easier.

I usually give my glass containers a wash in hot soapy water and then I pour boiling water in them and tip them over to dry. Be sure to use a glass container that will allow you to easily access the cream and use this cream within 6 months for best results.

REMEMBER this cream is 100% natural so you may notice that when you apply it to your skin it will melt due to the warmth of your skin. It may feel greasy initially but it will not take long for your skin to soak up the cream/oils. This really nourishes my skin and it feels hydrated and soft without all the synthetic chemicals!

RECENT ESSENTIAL OIL OUTDOOR/CAMPING COMBINATION: For my most recent batch I used 10 drops of Patchouli, 10 drops of Lavender and 10 drops of Cedarwood essential oils. I chose this combination for their insect deterring properties whilst camping. We also find these oils great for skin health and have the amazing bonus of a beautiful earthy aroma.

NOTE: Avoid using citrus oil on skin that will be exposed to the sun during the day as citrus oils increase sun sensitivity.

Deodorant

Lets face it we are all a little worried about being on the nose when we sweat. In fact it is bacteria feeding on our sweat that is responsible for bad odour, not the sweat itself. Conventional deodorants can clog pores that can hinder our body in eliminating toxins from this area and can wreak havoc on our hormones.

There are a few natural deodorant methods or recipes that I use:

Recipe 1

Tea Tree essential oil neat. If I have nothing concocted and ready to go I simply use a couple of drops of Tea Tree essential oil neat under my armpits after my shower and through the day/night as needed. I will note however, that it is recommended to dilute tea tree oil, please see the Modern Essentials guide for information on this.

Recipe 2

I personally love this recipe as it includes magnesium oil, which is known to help with cramps, insomnia, chronic pain and of course body odour.

Ingredients:
-1/2 tablespoon magnesium oil (helps with cramps, insomnia and chronic pain)
-pinch sea salt
-8 drops doTERRA Melaleuca essential oil
-3 drops doTERRA Lemongrass essential oil

Method
Fill with remaining space of 30ml/1oz dark coloured spray bottle with alcohol free Witch hazel

Recipe 3. If you don’t have magnesium oil you can make the above recipe and just omit the magnesium oil.

REMEMBER with these natural recipes you will still sweat but the ingredients will take care of the odour-producing bacteria whilst allowing your body to eliminate toxins.

There you have it, some more simple DIY natural health recipes that support good health. You can throw these recipes together yourself and you will know exactly what is in them and I reckon they would make a lovely gift!

Natural Skin Care Shopping List

You may already have some of these items in you cupboard. Some of these ingredients were used in my previous skin post about face products!

• Jojoba oil
• Witch hazel
• Bicarbonate soda
• Raw honey
• Activated charcoal
• Aloe vera juice/gel
• Sea salt or Himalayan salt
• Liquid castille soap
• Vitamin E oil
• Almond or Olive oil
• Coconut oil
• Beeswax
• Shea butter
• Magnesium oil

Please remember that these recipes are made from all natural ingredients and so some will split/solidify, just give them a shake! This actually just makes me question over the counter products and their ingredients even more! Have fun creating these safe and natural skin care recipes for your family and yourself.

I would love to hear how you are creating skin care and hygiene products using natural ingredients in your own home, Margie x