my wonderful skin cleanser

One of the things I realized years ago when studying skin care, was that it made no sense to use a product packed with active ingredients for washing your face. Glycolic cleansers, vitamin c cleansers…seems they always cost 20.00 a bottle.  I could never find a cleanser I loved. Either it stripped my skin of essential oils, or was too creamy and didn’t clean. 

Then 4 years ago my daughter, Rachel, became an esthetician.  She brought me home info on parabans and their link to breast cancer.  Even my cleansers from the health food store had them.  I gave up, decided to make my own.  I wanted it to clean, didn’t want my skin to feel dry or tight.  I wanted it clean enough to eat.

Here is the recipe, I have a few clients who purchase it from me, I make it for my 3 lovely daughters and myself.  I make about a quart at a time, keep a small amount in the bathroom, the rest I put in the fridge.  It keeps for months.

WONDERFUL CLEANSER

3 cup water
2 cups baking soda
1/2 teaspoon almond oil
2 drops lavender essential oil
1 ½  cup honey
1 Tbsp. Dr. Bonners Almond liquid soap
2 teaspoon glycerin
1 teaspoon Vitamin C
1 teaspoon Salicylic acid
3 Tablespoons Xantham gum

On low heat, combine water, honey, almond, Dr. Bonners, oils.  Remove from heat and let cool about a minute. Add honey. Whisk.  While whisking, add ascorbic acid and salicylic acid.  Whisk slowly, do not inhale powders.  Now add baking soda, a little at a time, it will thicken this mix a tad.  Add xantham gum a tablespoon at a time to thicken.  Let sit a few minutes, adjust thickness.  I like it to be kind of thick, like a hair conditioner.  Apply to the skin like a soap and rinse off with tepid water.

You will notice your skin feels incredibly clean, soft with no tightness or dryness.  The honey is a humectic, a good moisturizer and an natural preservative.