FYI – This is not a short post. I am going to go through my process, and my brain is like a monster-drink fueled chipmunk on speed with the focus of a cat on the nip with a bird in the house.
So this week has sucked. Like, stress at work combined with loosing a close family friend sucked. Soooo, what does my brain do? In an effort to protect itself from stress and freak-outs, my brain goes “Hey! Lets randomly start creating a recipe for some sort of thing” or “I bet you could make that cool outfit you saw on that Pinterest with the fabric you have on hand.”
Years of depression and anxiety issues have actually netted me some decent stress control and treatment skills. Who knew?
I firmly believe in self-care. So I am not sure if this is the original quote, but I paraphrase this a lot.
“Rest and self-care are so important. When you take time to replenish your spirit, it allows you to serve others from the overflow. You cannot serve from an empty vessel.”
Eleanor Brown
You cannot pour from an empty cup! This is so important, but it is incredibly difficult to realize and implement. I can’t tell you the sheer amount of guilt that accompanies it at first. Why am I taking care of myself when others need something? My husband has spent many years trying to convince me I need to take care of myself. I think this is a life-long thing. I’m trying, and I will continue to work at it. It does get better the more you try it.
I try to look at it logically. If I am calm and centered, I can better help others when there is a crisis or they need support. Strong foundations go a long way to shoring up life’s burdens.
I’ve been using a recipe for a facial cleanser I got from https://livingwellmom.com/homemade-lavender-honey-face-wash/
Fun fact about entering your 30’s, it’s another type of puberty. Your body goes through the next stage of changes in your life, and suddenly I don’t even recognize my skin anymore. All the things I was doing, no long work. Don’t even get me started on how my metabolism has betrayed me, that Bastard!
It sucks.
Since its winter, aka The Season of Cold and Misery (disclaimer, I just really hate being cold. I was not made for cold, I am a lizard. Come find me when it’s Spring – I will be on my sun rock.)
This cleanser has been working very well for me. I tweaked the EOs for my own skin needs, and during the Fall, I actually didn’t feel the need for a moisturizer while I was using it. I actually just discovered today that my husband has been using in the shower, which explains why it is going faster then I expected.
I am currently in mourning for my moisturizer. I was using Origins Ginseng Energy Boosting Moisturizer, and I loved it. Great smell, energy boosting benefits, and it was the best damn texture that I had found in all the overwhelming options, especially since my skin is more finicky then a cat whose had their food brand switched. Like what the Hell do we even need that many options for? I understand that everyone’s skin is different, really, I do. I bet you there is probably a moisturizer made from Koala Bear poo and the Komodo Dragon spit. I really do. Probably turns you into a zombie if you stop using it, too.
Actually… I kind of like that. NEW MOISTURIZER TITLE – I AM NOW GOING TO NAME THIS DRAGON SPIT!!
Sorry for the side rant. Anyhoodles, my moisturizer was great, but I realized that it was turning my face red. I’m trying to even out my complexion, so I gave it to my husband (side triumph, I got the man to use moisturizer after he shaves! BOO YA! *hip shimmy* Seriously, if it makes you feel better and helps your skin not feel irritated, why is it so hard to get them to use something just because it’s traditionally “feminine.” I will personally sucker punch anyone who gives my cinnamon roll a hard time!)
Side note: Please don’t tell my husband I referred to him as my Cinnamon Roll of Gooey Awesomeness. Appearances must be maintained, after all.
So my goal is to make myself a new facial moisturizer to help with the scaliness the Season of Cold has deemed to grace my magnificent self with.
To start, I wanted certain ingredients included. Those who know me know I have a random attic filled with strange oils and potions. I’ve always thought that I was a hedge witch in a former life.
- Aloe gel (I have a metric crap-ton of the plant and wanted to experiment with fresh stuff free of chemicals and preservatives.)
- Rose hip Seed Oil – lovely skin benefits and I got some samples from my soaping ingredients supplier
- Cocoa Butter – it reminds me of chocolate. God help my hubby when he uses the stuff, because I turn into a lion stalking my gazelle. If that isn’t enough, it’s got some awesome skin benefits.
- Tea Tree or Rosemary Essential Oils – to help control my skins more oilier tendencies. (Like my skin is my biggest organ, and it’s freaking out. Can you have organ failure of the skin?)
- Green Tea – because it is awesome sauce and has all sorts of great properties that I don’t want to explain here. Seriously, what am I, Google? Look it up! (Sorry, I need a snack. There are studies about it protecting skin from bad things, like radicals)
This is going to probably go through several incarnations. I went searching on Pinterest, and these two recipes inspired me the most, especially the first.
DIY Healthy Face Moisturizer – Note: I know it says no to the homemade aloe gel, but I’m doing this on purpose. Reasons!
Homemade Face Moisturizer
Random things I picked off my goodies shelf:
- Helichrysum Hydrosol Water – Helichrysum is said to have both spiritual and body benefits. It’s been attributed to help with inflammation, eczema, allergies, anxiety, etc. However, some studies have shown it to have antimicrobial and antifungal properties. I’ve also seen it described as for “mature skin.”
- Honey – wish I would have known about this during puberty. Wonderful skin benefits. They used this stuff to heal wounds people! One of my favorite uses was to mix it equal parts with warm water, & soak a cotton ball in the mixture. Tape it overnight onto a blemish and it would do wonders.
- Jojoba Oil – Goodness, this has so much science and history behind it. Native Americans used it to treat wounds. It’s molecular makeup allows for a long shelf life and a heat tolerance. I’ve also seen multiple times that it closely resembles the sebum that our skin naturally produces. Aging results in less sebum, and jojoba can fill the void.
- Beeswax – also awesome. Going to use it as a preservative and its got so many benefits. Seriously, its antiviral, antibacterial, anti-inflammatory. Anytime I hear people who aren’t really concerned with how bees are disappearing, I turn into Peter Griffin and I get all “Why are we not funding this?!”
So I don’t think I am going to get everything in on the first go, but I am going to save some of these options for later testing. I highly doubt I am going to succeed on the first try.