- I decided on a direction (for now). Turns out I love biology. But I have an engineering degree. In an effort to combine the two, I've decided to stay an extra semester and take a little extra biology, then apply to bioengineering grad programs. Preferably somewhere warm :)
But mostly, I've been learning to live on less.
Step 1: Discover the magic of coconut oil from a strange woman at Whole Foods
Here's the deal. At 22 years old, I have acne like I'm 15.
One day I was pursuing the facial cleanser aisle at our new Whole Foods and a lady walked up to me and said (I kid you not), "Hey, I don't want to offend you, but it looks like you're pretty old to have acne like that."
Who says that?! Am I right?
Turns out she wanted to help me. She suggested I used raw honey as a cleanser, apple cider vinegar as a toner, and coconut oil as a moisturizer.
I'm not below taking advice from strange women at the grocery store, so I marched to the coconut oil aisle and bought this beauty for about $5.
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Then I came home and googled it just to make sure she wasn't totally crazy. She wasn't.
That night I slathered honey all over my face and left it there for about 20 minutes. Then I slathered watered-down apple cider vinegar all over my face.
I finished with the coconut oil for a moisturizer, and seriously, it was amazing.
It sounds terrifying to rub oil all over your face, but it perfectly balances my face's natural oils. I never feel oily; I never feel dry. It dissolves away all the dirt in my pores. It's perfect. And this $5 jar will easily last me a year.
I found the honey irritates my skin if I use it too often, so I use it once or twice a week and use Cetaphil and coconut oil the other days. I only use apple cider vinegar every other night before bed, and I dilute it with water so it doesn't irritate my skin.
Step 2: Make your own laundry soap
I ran out of laundry soap and was tired of clothes coming out dingy because I always buy cheap detergent. So I jumped on Pinterest (where else?!) and found this recipe for homemade detergent
Homemade Laundry Detergent (Powder)
- 1 box Borax
- 1 box Washing Soda
- 1 box Baking Soda
- 3 bars Kirks Coco Castille Soap, grated
- 2 tubs Oxyclean (from the dollar store, it works the same as the real stuff)
I found all of this at Walmart for about $15. Then I mixed it all together in a big bucket from Lowes. This recipe filled a 5 gallon bucket about halfway. Then, because I'm in love with glass jars, I poured some of it into a lovely glass jar. I just used the scoop from the Oxyclean.
Voila! I seriously love it. It only takes 2-3 Tbs. per load and will last me forever. I actually did the math and it will last me around 300 loads, which is forever for a single college girl.
Step 3: Homemade beauty
I already talked about coconut oil, which is my all-time favorite "homemade" beauty product, but here's a couple of my other favorite beautifications straight out of my kitchen.
Olive Oil and Salt Exfoliating/Moisturizing Scrub:
I'm sure you know about this, but mix some olive oil with some salt and rub that all over your hands and feet. It feels amazing.
Orange Juice and Baking Soda Pore Reducer:
Mix fresh orange juice with baking soda in equal proportions. Slather on your face. Leave for 10-20 minutes. Wash off.
This is a little strong for sensitive faces, but I do once or twice a week and see a difference in pore size and blackheads.
Lemon and Honey Spot Treatment:
When I have especially troublesome acne spots, I add a bit of lemon to the honey and leave it on as long as I can. It definitely helps spots go away faster, but can really dry out your skin if you do it too often.
I'm pretty amazed by how well things in nature can fix my problems after spending years thinking the right antibiotic or fancy cream would rid me of my acne forever. Not to mention these are way less expensive. Hooray for nature!
Speaking of nature, is anyone else itching with spring fever?
Last week I spent an afternoon hiking in the rain, pretending it was a nice summer day. It was so nice to be outside! I can't wait until camping weather is upon us once again.
Always,
Allyssa
