A Cleaner Face...Naturally

One of the very first "green" things I ever did as an adult was to make my own facial cleaner.  When it comes to skincare, I like simple.  Products like Pro Active work great, but that many steps....I get lazy and just stop using it after a week or so.  I wanted something simple, quick on and off.  So I turned to astringent cleaners.  They are so easy, but can be very drying.  I decided to try making my own to see if I could come up with something just as easy, but less drying.  This was the result.

Witch Hazel Astringent

1 16 oz bottle of Witch Hazel astringent, costs about $5.50 at Walgreens for the Dickinson brand
Tea Tree Oil
Lavender Essential Oil

Add about 8-10 drops each of Tea Tree Oil and Lavender Oil. 

To apply, shake bottle, squirt some onto a small piece of flannel or cotton velour rounds (or a cotton ball) and wipe your face.  That's it!  It's so simple

Now....why does it work?  A little about the ingredients.

Witch Hazel: an astringent made out of the twigs and bark of the North American Witch Hazel bush.  It works as a toner, cleanser, helps treat acne, and reduce the size of pores. 

Tea Tree Oil: an essential oil made out of the Melaleuca alternifolia plant, which grows in Australia.  It's a natural antiseptic, which also aids in the healing of wounds - this makes it great for helping with acne treatment, among other things.  There are tons of uses for Tea Tree Oil, so it's great to have around.

Lavender Oil: an essential oil made out of lavender flowers.  It is a natural disinfectant and also enhances blood flow to the area in which it is used.  It also smells great, so it helps tone out some of the smell of the witch hazel.

So from the above, you can tell that each of the ingredients in this formula have cleaning and healing properties.  In my opinion, witch hazel does not smell the best, but the scent does fade from your skin over time. 

Try it out, let me know what you think!  You can, of course, adjust the amounts of the essential oils as you see fit.

Sources
 
http://www.dickinsonsusa.com/index
http://altmedicine.about.com/od/herbsupplementguide/a/TeaTreeOil.htm
http://www.organicfacts.net/organic-oils/natural-essential-oils/health-benefits-of-lavender-essential-oil.html