I know you might already be a minimalist & not spending very much money on face lotion or makeup, but prior to my scaling back, I spent a good chunk of money on high quality skin & beauty products.
I love Aveda products (organic & natural stuff) & the Body Shop used to have a lot of tempting things as well. I was fine spending more on organic, more natural, & cruelty free products because my skin is rather sensitive & I can’t go near the cheap stuff or else I’ll break out, get a rash, have skin irritation, etc. Also, I believe in supporting companies whose philosophy is based on ethical business practices. So, that meant I shelled out a good chunk of change as part of my beauty routine.
Since we’re on the get-out-of-debt-quick plan, & I revamped our budget some time ago, I racked my brain with how I could scale back on my beauty products. I shared some of those tips with you, in this post, & around the same time, I found out I was pregnant, which was a great time for me to recommit to not putting anything on my body that would conflict with a growing fetus. I’ve been doing this for about 7 months, & it’s so ridiculously simple & it works, I thought I’d pass it on to you.
(Also, as a side note, my skin when pregnant is even more sensitive than usual, so I pretty much have to eliminate everything anyway.)
Here’s what I do:
I buy my coconut oil from Costco–it’s $15 for roughly 7 cups. I fill a small glass mason jar with about 1/2 c. of oil & it lasts me about 3 months. Face moisturizer, wash, & makeup remover for a little over a dollar for 3-4 months is a pretty good deal to me. And I don’t have to worry about chemicals, breakouts, & best of all–it works! I love the smell & it leaves my skin soft & smooth. I use the rest of the coconut oil in cooking & baking as a more natural replacement to Earth Balance (a non-dairy butter).
Here are some tips:
1) If wearing eye-makeup, dip a cotton ball into coconut oil. My house is warm for 8 months of the year–about 80-82F–so my coconut oil is semi-solid. Coconut oil hardens below 76F. Gently press cotton ball on eye, and dab until eye make up is mostly removed. Run a wash cloth under warm water, wring out excess water & lay on face for 15 seconds to soften any remaining makeup. Using warm water, rinse your face & dry with a clean towel.
2) Once face is dry, take a small amount of coconut oil & gently rub into face & neck area, dabbing around the eye area. All oil should be absorbed, so you shouldn’t feel like you have an oil slick on your face. A little goes a long way!
That’s it. I apply a little oil after a warm water wash in the morning, or after morning shower, then again at night before bed.
Simple, inexpensive, & it works.
♥
Have you ever used coconut oil as a moisturizer? If not, would you be willing to try it out, or does it seem “weird” to you?
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