DIY Beauty 101: How to make a natural foaming face wash

Beauties, how would you like to make a natural fruity foaming face wash? I have a simple, easy-to-make, very affordable, skin-clarifying recipe for cleanser made with apple juice, castile soap and clay. It gently sloughs off dead skin cells and feeds skin with enzymes, vitamins and antioxidants.

This is the Juicy Fruit Foaming Cleanser recipe from Green Beauty Recipes by Julie Gabriel, who is also the founder of organic skincare lines Petite Marie Organics and Green Beauty by Julie Gabriel.

Ingredients

• 4 tablespoons apple juice
• 1 ounce natural olive oil soap or castile soap
• 1 ounce green clay (illite)
• Optional: 10 drops chamomile, mandarin, lemon and/or carrot seed oil (if using all four, make sure you do not use more than 20 drops of essential oil for each ounce of soap

How to Make

1. Combine juice and soap; stir gently to avoid excessive bubbles from forming.
2. Gently fold in clay and stir well (use a stick blender if needed, but keep it below the mixture level to avoid getting tons of bubbles).
3. If using, add essential oil and stir.

How to Use

1. Every morning and evening, apply a hazelnut-sized amount to skin and lightly massage.
2. Avoid getting cleanser in eyes.
3. Rinse off with a face cloth and warm water.+

Storage

Store for up to one month in a refrigerator or cool, clean place (not the shower!) with container tightly closed.

I just whipped up a batch of this for myself and I really like it. It was super easy to make – only took about 5-10 minutes. It provided a lot of lather but didn’t leave my skin feeling dry or stripped.

I only had peppermint castile soap on hand, which contains peppermint essential oil. That gave the cleanser an extra refreshing feel (great for a morning pick-me-up!). If you do the same, just be sure to not get much of the cleanser around the eyes (eg., don’t rub it around the eyes or use it to remove eye makeup), because peppermint oil can be too strong around the eye area.

I also used orange, lemon and chamomile essential oils and doubled the recipe, which was more than enough to fill this 125ml bottle. That will probably be way more than I need to wash my face for a month so I’m going to try using it as a body cleanser as well.

First Aid Beauty Facial Radiance Pads

The First Aid Beauty Facial Radiance Pads have become a staple in my beauty arsenal. These resurfacing pads fight blackheads and blemishes while restoring the skin's natural pH balance. I've tried everything to get rid of my milia and only this seems to be working. I use it once a day before bedtime and follow it up with a nourishing serum. They're particularly good for people with clogged and congested skin as it efficiently exfoliates without aggravating the skin. The pads contain a blend of lactic and glycolic acid to improve the texture and clarity of the skin. The hyaluronic acid in it helps refine and smooth the skin while deeply nourishing it. The pre-moistened, single-use pads are extremely gentle and you won't feel any tingling sensation. Post use, my skin always feels softer and glowier - great for prepping your skin before big occasions. A quick sweep over the face and décolletage is all it takes to achieve healthy, radiant skin. Suitable for dry and oily skin types.

Best of Beauty: Paul Mitchell Express Ion Dryer – super fast and kind to the planet

Wow, what a difference a really good hair dryer makes. I recently tried the new limited edition, nature-inspired Paul Mitchell Express Ion Dry Turbolight Dryer and was super impressed by the results. It dried my hair about twice as fast and left it incredibly shiny and smooth.

Before using this dryer, I would avoid blow drying my hair if at all possible. My hair has gotten thinner as I’ve gotten older but I have a lot of it, so drying tends to take a long time. I usually let it air dry instead. And then there’s the matter of how damaging blow drying can be.

But now I’m drying my hair more often, because this dryer works so much faster – saving me time and damage. That also means it’s using less energy than a typical hair dryer so it’s kinder to the planet. It also helps moisturize hair and minimizes damage.

How it Works. It’s able to dry hair faster and leave hair looking so good, because it’s so powerful (1875 watts) and due to something called Express Ion Complex, which is a blend of volcanic minerals that deliver conditioning negative ions and far infrared heat.

According the company, the far infrared heat penetrates the hair shaft to dry from the inside out and thus minimize damage to the outer cuticle. They say the negative ions break down hydrogen bonds to create microscopic water molecules that diffuse into the hair shaft to leave hair shiny, smooth and moisturized. It certainly seems to do the trick.

Other Features. Other handy features include:
a removable filter for easy cleaning (you know how the back of dryers get all gunked up with dust and such? – this has a filter you can take out and wash really easily)
includes a styling nozzle that is also infused with the Express Ion Complex
three temperatures and two speed settings
a self-locking cool shot button to set styles
a hanging loop for easy storage
it’s also very lightweight – great if you’re a professional stylist and have to hold the thing a lot
faux woodgrain design

Availability. The Paul Mitchell Express Ion Dry Turbolight Dryer is available for $190 only at Paul Mitchell professional salons through April. They also have a limited edition Express Ion Smooth flat iron ($160, shown in photo above) that is supposed to style faster with the same Express Ion Complex.