4 Must-have Ingredients to get started in Natural Beauty
Your skin and finances, not to mention the planet, will thank you.
So without further ado, here are the 4 main ingredients you MUST have at home.
A virgin, qualitative and organic vegetable oil
Vegetable oils are not strictly confined to the kitchen, and you would be wrong to deprive yourself of them in your beauty routine!
Thanks to single vegetable oil, preferably virgin and organic, you can carry out all kinds of care:
To remove make-up or simply cleanse your face
When? At least in the evening before going to sleep... Don't forget that cleansing the skin in the evening, before going to bed is an essential gesture to preserve pretty skin.
How? Simply by massaging your face with your fingertips. If you are wearing make-up, you will see the make-up dissolve, as most make-up products are based on greasy substances.
Next, gently wipe a reusable cotton pad (previously moistened) over your face to remove traces of makeup, and/or any dirt that has accumulated throughout the day: excess sebum, sweat, air pollution…
Whatever your skin type, I recommend jojoba vegetable oil. Because of its composition, very close to the sebum of the skin, it will regulate its secretion (more than 70% of women have mixed skin) and will allow the skin to keep all its moisture.
As an anti-aging serum
The oil can also become your anti-aging beauty serum.
Naturally very rich in triglycerides (fat), it will nourish, moisturize by limiting water loss and protect against skin aging.
Simply massage 3 to 4 drops every evening, first on the face, then on the neck and décolleté.
Here again, jojoba oil can be a good choice for all skin types, just like argan oil, borage oil, evening primrose oil, grape seed oil (oily skin), or apricot kernel oil.
To restore the shine and health of your hair
Most virgin oils are also very good hair care products.How? Before a shampoo, add 2 to 3 drops (no more) in the palm of your hands and gently massage your scalp to nourish it. Leave it for at least an hour, or all night long if you prefer to wash your hair in the morning and give some extra time for the oil to penetrate.
Then wash your hair with your regular shampoo or our Sweet Shampoo bar here, enriched with coconut oil).
When? You can repeat this every week. This ritual is also great to prevent annual hair loss after summer!
We recommend using coconut, argan, apricot kernel, avocado, or macadamia oil for softer, stronger, and easier to style hair.
A cold saponified soap
Cold saponified soap (cold process soap) is literally the most natural and the softest kind of soaps out there. It is way richer in glycerin than any traditional commercial ones.
With an artisanal soap, cold saponified, you replace the shower gel and if your hair is already accustomed to natural and solid shampoos, rather short or half-long, you can also use it directly as shampoo, and therefore avoid shampoo bottles!
It is an ecological gesture that can make a big difference. Just imagine that: you will no longer have to throw plastic bottles in the trash. And bonus, solid washing products use less water!
A hydrolat
What could you possibly think of that would be more natural (and pleasing!!!) than to spritz a little bit of floral water on your face when you wake up?A good hydrolat is a pure product of nature: during the steam distillation of a plant, essential oil and its hydrolat are extracted. Using one on a daily basis is an amazing way to benefits the pure power of the different plants.
How to use it? In the morning as a tonic to wake up your skin and activate blood circulation and benefit from its natural aromas, again, there is nothing more natural and effective. And every time you wash your face, don’t hesitate to spritz some to remove all the limestone residues from the water.
Baking Soda
Baking soda is not only used to make your home-care products naturally (but if you’d like to learn that though, check out our zero-waste and natural homecare product workshop!)Here’s the trick: every morning, you can rub a little ultra-fine baking soda under your armpits for a very effective and 100% natural deodorant without controversial ingredients for health (our blacklist here!). You can also apply it under your feet if you tend to sweat. A small pinch in your shoes!
From time to time, for a guaranteed whitening effect you can also add a very small pinch on your toothpaste.
Baking soda is also used as an exfoliating powder. In the palm of your hand, put 10 drops of your choice of vegetable oil or your serum. Add equal amounts of baking soda, and you'll get an exfoliating paste to massage very gently on your face and body!
Now you have all the elements to start a more simple and natural beauty routine, and I can tell you that you’ll be amazed by the results. Natural, raw and good quality ingredients have incredible power, way more than any artificial products you’ll find.