The Green Beauty Guide: Your Essential Resource to Organic and Natural Skin Care, Hair Care, Makeup, and Fragrances (26 page)

Nonfoaming Cleansers

Burt’s Bees Lemon Poppy Seed Facial Cleanser
makes a wonderful second cleanser for colder months when skin can use some extra moisture. Thick and rich, this stearic acid–based cream cleanser contains citrus oils, as well as sugar enzymes and exfoliating crushed poppy seeds. It is made of natural but not certified organic ingredients. The cleanser is packed in a wide-neck jar that can turn the product rancid fairly quickly.

Aubrey Organics Sea Buckthorn & Cucumber with Ester-C Facial Cleansing Cream
doubles the richness of the coconut creamy base with the cleansing abilities of castile soap, a combination that performs a really thorough cleansing. It contains a plethora of vitamins, beneficial herbs, and reasonably measured amounts of essential oils, but unlike vitamins in gel cleansers, the wholesome ingredients of cream cleansers are likely to remain on your skin longer. Also, this cleanser smells wonderful, which is not typical for this otherwise brilliant organic beauty brand.

CARE Stella McCartney Gentle Cleansing Milk
is the only cleanser that can convert a foam junkie like me into a milk cleanser aficionado. Its satiny, lightweight texture dissolves impurities while doubling as a gentle moisturizer rich in organic lemon balm, apricot extract, carbohydrates, and vitamins E and A, packed in a sensible pump bottle that looks great in the bathroom.

Making Your Own Cleansers

When you buy cosmetics, you rely on the expertise of many experienced chemists. When you create your own cosmetics from scratch, you may not achieve truly elegant results, but you will know exactly what goes into the product, and you can twist and tailor the formulation to suit your needs. Few of us have time to rely exclusively on homemade creations, but making your own products saves money and is definitely fun.

“A good cleanser will remove grime deposited on the skin, and that can be very important in the city, without removing the lipids that are vital to the role of the skin as a barrier from the environment,” says Dr. Sivak of Skin Actives, who recommends blending a no-nonsense cleanser by combining sea kelp bioferment, some nice plant oils, and a small proportion of a mild surfactant, such as castile soap.

Just Olive
Cleansing Oil

2 ounces organic extra-virgin olive oil

1 ampoule of vitamin E (a blend of tocopherols and tocotrienols)

1 drop of essential oil of chamomile

Yield
:
4 ounces

This is a green replica of conventional cleansing oil formulations, but when you make your own, you can skip all those mineral oils and paraben preservatives. This gentle cleanser will stay fresh for up to three months when stored in a pump bottle on a bathroom counter.

1. Pour the oil into a stainless steel shaker; add the vitamin E and essential oil. (If you have acne outbreaks, replace the chamomile oil with one drop of tea tree or geranium oil.)

2. Shake vigorously for 30 seconds.

3. Pour the contents into a pump bottle. Thanks to the antioxidant action of vitamin E and chamomile, this blend has a long shelf life in dry, cool conditions.

Eye Bright
Layered
Makeup Remover

1 ounce pure organic green tea (without any added flavors)

1 ounce sweet almond oil

1.2 ounce vegetable glycerin

Yield
:
5 ounces

Do not add any essential oils to the mix. This cleanser is deliberately left unscented so it can be used on the sensitive eye area. Apply with cotton ball, gently wiping in a circular motion around the eye, from the inner corner outward and back into the eye toward the nose. Keep this lotion in the fridge and use as a soak and a compress to soothe tired eyes and reduce puffiness. To extend the shelf life of the lotion, replace the sweet almond oil with wheat germ oil, which acts as a natural preservative.

1. Prepare green tea by steeping it in a teapot or in a cup from a teabag.

2. Combine all ingredients in a wide-neck bottle, shake-shake-shake thoroughly, and watch lavalike shapes form. Eventually the mix will settle into two layers. This cleanser can be stored in a refrigerator for up to ten days, so prepare smaller batches and use them up quickly.

Carrot Cake
Cleansing
Cream

½ ounce organic semolina

⅓ ounce muscovado (fine brown) sugar

1 ounce organic orange water

½ ounce coconut oil

⅓ ounce vegetable glycerin

⅓ ounce unrefined beeswax

10 drops rosemary leaf extract

5 drops carrot seed extract

3 drops vitamin E

Yield
:
4 ounces

Originally, I wanted to create a duplicate of Burt’s Bees Poppy Seed Cleansing Cream, but the recipe got tastier and tastier, so I ended up with something delicious enough to put on top of a muffin.

1. Lightly grind the semolina and muscovado sugar in a mortar.

2. Carefully heat the orange water in a stainless steel saucepan and set aside.

3. Using a double-boilermethod,melt coconut oil, glycerin, and beeswax until liquid.

To melt ingredients using double-boiler method, place them in a clean stainless-steel saucepan with a wooden handle (for easier handling) and set it over a bigger saucepan filled with very hot but not boiling water. Make sure the water is not boiling, as droplets of water may fall into your melting ingredients and make clumps. For the same reason do not cover the top saucepan with the lid because droplets of water may condense under the lid and drip into the melting mass. Place the large pan on very low heat. As the ingredients begin to melt, stir them carefully with a wooden spatula. When the ingredients are liquid and mixed well, remove the bowl from the heat.

4. Pour the hot orange water into the melted oils, beating in the ingredients with a fork until fluffy and uniform. Blend in the sugar and semolina mix, carefully adding the rosemary leaf and carrot seed extracts and vitamin E.

5. Mix thoroughly, transfer into a jar, and resist the urge to eat. Instead, apply daily as your morning cleanser, especially in winter. This blend can be stored up to two weeks in a cool, dry place or refrigerator.

Day in Provence
Cleansing
Powder

1 teaspoon loose organic green tea

1 teaspoon dried rose petals

1 teaspoon dried calendula (marigold) petals

1 teaspoon dried lavender florets

1 uncoated aspirin tablet

1 ounce white clay (bentonite)

1 ounce rice bran

3 capsules of vitamin C

Yield
:
5 ounces

This second-step exfoliating cleanser works particularly well if you have congested or acne-prone skin. For emergencies (such as pimples, dullness, overall uneven complexion), leave on up to five minutes as a mask. You can store it up to three months in an airtight twist-cap bottle.

1. Crush the green tea, rose and calendula petals, and lavender florets in a mortar. Add the aspirin tablet, crush it, and blend with plant particles. Add the clay and blend thoroughly. Add rice bran. Twist open capsules of vitamin C and add them to the mix.

2. Transfer to a wide-neck glass bottle and shake vigorously so the ingredients form a homogeneous mix.

3. Use daily by pouring a teaspoonful (size of two quarters) into a dry hand. Add a few drops of water, form a dense paste, and rub into face, avoiding the eye area.

Sunshine and
Lollipops Soap

200 g (1 cup) finely grated pure olive soap

30 mg (1 ounce) dry organic milk or organic baby formula

15 mg (1/2 ounce) vegetable glycerin

2 teaspoons Manuka honey

5 drops mandarin essential oil

3 drops neroli essential oil

2 drops rose essential oil

1 drop chamomile essential oil Molds: vintage soap dishes, jelly or cookie molds, milk cartons cut in half. You can always form balls of soap by hand. Small dried flowers for decoration (marigolds, violets, chamomile)

Yield
:
4 ounces

Milk, especially when used in baby formula, acts as a wonderful source of fatty acids, while olive soap serves as a great neutral base for essential oils. The scent is adorable, and you can use it to cleanse your face, body, and hair.

1. Put the grated soap and milk in a bowl over a simmering pan of water, stirring occasionally until melted and runny.

2. Add the glycerin and honey and stir until completely dissolved with no cloudy particles left.

3. Add the essential oils when the mixture has cooled.

4. Transfer the soap using a clean spoon into molds or form soap balls. Press some dried flowers on top.

5. Set aside in an airy place until completely dry and hard.

6. To polish the soap, lightly moisten a muslin cloth with water or olive oil, and then buff the soap.

Yummy Mummy
Oatmeal
Cleanser

1 cup organic oatmeal (not the instant type)

1 teaspoon sweet almond oil

2 tablespoons full-fat organic milk

1 free range egg

1 tablespoon organic brown sugar

Yield
:
5 ounces