Above: stacked from bottom to the top, an oat exfoliant, flax exfoliant and a homemade oil cleanser.
Below are some of the ingredients I combine for a homemade exfoliant.
Oat exfoliant:
Into the blender or food processor >
A couple handfuls of oat flakes- you can use quick oats or whole flakes. The idea is to pulse them into a soft flour. When you add water (at the time of application), they will become a mucilaginous paste, this is moisturizing and also provides a gentle exfoliation. Oats are known in herbal medicine to be calming, anti-inflammatory and nourishing.
A little dusting of Ceylon cinnamon- this acts as a cleaning agent since cinnamon is known to be anti-inflammatory, anti-bacterial and also a source of silica, which our skin loves! Sometimes I mix this up and add cacao instead, the smell of chocolate is D I V I N E + cacao is also a source of antioxidants.
Just a little bit of fine ground sea salt- this is to nourish the skin with minerals and adjust the pH.
Other options: cane sugar, it makes a nice consistency when mixed with water. I like to add unpasteurized honey to my oil cleanser- recipe coming!
To double this recipe as an effective mask: add bentonite clay. This will harden on the skin and clean out your pores. Another option is activated charcoal, however this is a lot more messy, so you must be prepared for that!
Pulse it all together until you like the consistency and then store in an air-tight container.
Flax exfoliant:
Into the blender or food processor >
A couple handfuls of whole or freshly ground flaxseeds
Coconut flakes (I use about the same amount of flax)
A superfood powder (I use a less than half the amount of the other 2 ingredients)- here I like cacao, a green powder like moringa, dried herbs, or in the picture above I used ground grape skin from an organic vineyard I visited in the Okanagan, B.C.
Nutmeg or another powerful cleaning / antioxidant herb like cinnamon, cardamon, ground pepper- whatever flavour you like! I use a nice scoop, enough so the batch will be aromatic.
Dash of sea salt- because why not, sea salt is very refreshing for the skin!
Blend into a powder / flour.
To use:
I like to use a carrier oil or a natural soap + water.
Warm skin with warm water or a dampen warm face cloth. Massage in circular motion to open the pores.
Take a little bit of a carrier oil, (pictured above at the top of the stack, I combined coconut oil, cacao butter, cold-pressed sunflower oil, cinnamon and unpasteurized honey) .. another nice combo is soaking flowers / herbs in jojoba oil- whatever oil works best with your skin, use that!
Take a little bit of the exfoliant and combine it into a paste. Take this paste and massage into your face for 1-2 minutes, or leave it on longer as a mask.
Benefits to making skin products at home?
Save money, reduce plastic waste and eliminate the use of synthetic ingredients exposed to your body and our planet!
Samantha