If you had told me a few years ago that I would be in my kitchen preparing my DIY beauty routine for the next day, I would have probably laughed really hard. Out loud. Not that long ago I was a drugstore beauty junkie. I loved nothing more than to try out different creams and lotions.
As a self-proclaimed beauty queen I was already using top pharmacy brands like La Roche Posay. But that didn’t stop my skin from having its very own breakdown. Eczema had made my face red, itchy and plain unsightly. It made me reconsider my beauty regime entirely. It took me a little while longer to also detox from the hydrocortisone cream. You can read all about that here.
For a while now I’ve been making my own products for what is now my very own tailor made DIY beauty routine, and I keep learning more and more as a go. I love that I know exactly what ingredients are in my skin care regime. And I love that you only need a few of those ingredients to create amazingly working products.
I’m really impressed with what natural oils and ingredients can do for your skin. And I also love how I’ve simplified that aspect of my life. It’s a lot easier to choose between a handful of oils than between tens of thousands of products, while new ones appear every day, boosting even bigger and better claims.
Quick note/disclaimer: I’m not a licensed beautician or esthetician, or a professional product developer or anything like that. I’m just a gal who’s really into oils. This post also contains some affiliate links. I don’t necessarily use the exact products I link to (I get my supplies from several different places). I carefully select each source based on the product info and ratings. If you buy something via these links I receive a tiny commision. But feel free to buy your products from any source you like!
My skin type in winter conditions
I would describe my skin type as sensitive (DEFINITELY sensitive) with a tendancy to either get too oily or dehydrated.
Dehydrated skin is actually very different to dry skin. With dry skin (much like eczema) I would layer on a thick cream to restore the dry, chafed/irritated skin underneath. When you have dehydrated skin your skin wants to be, well, hydrated. It wants to be moisturized deep within the layers of your skin.
You can recognize dehydrated skin when your skin feels tight and you see fine lines appear that seem to disappear when you apply a (light) moisturizer on top.
1. For dry, chapped lips: vegan lip balm
I always carry around a DIY lip balm wherever I go. And this vegan lip balm recipe is my new fave. I like to make 6 or so lip balms at a time and divide them over several of the bags and pockets I carry around.
I made the switch to all homemade lip balms when I noticed the eczema around my mouth was the worst and almost all of the store bought lip balms seemed to make it worse. I now make my own clean and simple lip balms with few ingredients. And I’ve even found they work better!
2. Makeup remover + cleanser: micellar water
Micellar water is still one of my favorite facial cleansers of all time. It’s basically like cleansing your face with water. If I you could have a tab in my bathroom with just running micellar water I would. The micelles in this water toner attract the makeup and dirt (like from city pollution and such) and stick to your cotton pad.
I love using micellar water to both remove makeup and wipe my face clean in the morning and evening. I’ve tried several brands and I like them all equally. I just recommend getting pure micellar water. You don’t need any weird additives.
Micellar water removes even waterproof makeup, but for very stubborn cases I like to use one of my quick and easy coconut oil makeup wipes.
3. Toner: witch hazel/ACV toner
For my toner I switch between pure witch hazel and witch hazel with a little apple cider vinegar added to it.
Read my post about the use of apple cider vinegar as a toner here.
The ratio I use for my own toner version is 1/2 tablespoon of pure organic apple cider vinegar for 4 tablespoons of pure witch hazel. Adding witch hazel will not help with the smell, obviously. But it does give the toner extra balancing properties.
You can not use apple cider vinegar around your eye area (this stuff S-T-I-N-G-S), so I use pure witch hazel for these occasions.
4. Moisturiser: handmade face oil
As a moisturizer I use my own custom facial oil. I use a blend of 1 tablespoon of apricot kernel oil mixed with 1 teaspoon of argan oil. I add all of the ingredients to a dark dropper bottle and keep it like this in my bathroom.
Before each use I give the bottle a quick stir. Next apply 2 to 3 drops of the oil on the tips of my fingers and massage it into my skin. Since apricot kernel oil is a very lightweight oil it sinks into the skin quite quickly.
I chose apricot kernel oil because it’s high in omega 9 fatty acids (Guess who’s been reading up on the use of oils?!) which makes it a great moisturizing oil for winter skin.
5. Acne treatment: aloe + tea tree gel
This has become a classic for me, as it’s still my favorite acne treatment out there. It calls upon the power of one of my favorite essential oils: tea tree oil. Tea tree is a great anti-bacterial oil that fights acne. You need to get used to the scent, but once you do you’ll never want to go without again.
6. Body moisturiser: whipped body butter
This whipped body butter is my latest creation. I was looking for a homemade lotion (sans water) and whipping together butters and oils created this gorgeous fluffy treat.
And I have so many more ideas for other whipped body butters! Def on my to do list: a body butter to treat eczema (for sensitive spots like the inside of my arms/elbows) and a unicorn whipped body butter recipe!
Actions I want to take by next season:
Sleep more!
Start dry body brushing again
Have more makeup free days