DIY Kitchen Facial for Clear Skin
How to naturally and magically cleanse, tone, and moisturize using only what you can find in your kitchen.
I love a spa facial just as much as the next person but there's something so grounding from creating a full facial routine with just ingredients found in your pantry. Oats, honey, apple cider vinegar, and olive oil are the only items you need for a full DIY kitchen facial.
All-natural, healthy, and holistic skincare is truly accessible to all of us. Below are some of my recommendations for an easy DIY kitchen facial but use what you have on hand. The point here is that you use what is available to you rather than ordering anything online or for delivery.
Get creative, experiment, and have most of all: have fun and bring a sense of wonder, joy, and beauty to your life.
Oat Cleanser and Exfoliator
When ground up, oats are naturally exfoliating, softening, and soothing to the skin. Use a tablespoon of ground oats to gently exfoliate and cleanse the skin.
If you have any clay on hand (like bentonite or white clay) you can mix that in at a 1:1 ratio, along with some water to make a paste. If you don't have any clay, no worries—just skip that part.
Gently massage the ground oats (and clay, if you have it) into the skin and wipe away with warm water.
For a more aromatic experience, add a pinch of cinnamon or ginger!
Alternatives: Classic cleansing grains are typically made with oats and almond powder with clay. If you don't have oats, try almonds instead!
Hydrating Honey Mask
Honey is a natural humectant, meaning that it draws in the water from the air to hydrate your skin. Plus, it smells delicious and truly feels indulgent.
Once your skin is clean but still damp, add a tablespoon of honey to a small dish and massage into your skin. If the honey doesn't spread easily, add a bit more water to your skin. You want a consistent layer on your entire face.
Allow the honey mask to sit for 20-30 minutes. This is a great time to meditate, read, or do some stretching. When you're ready, massage your skin with warm water to completely rinse it of the honey mixture.
Alternative: Avocado or Banana Yogurt Mask. Smash up half an avocado or banana with a little bit of yogurt until it forms a uniform consistency. Apply to your face using a brush or your fingers and allow to sit for 10 or so minutes.
Apple Cider Vinegar Balancing Toner
Surprisingly, apple cider vinegar is one of the best pantry ingredients to balance the pH of your skin. To create an apple cider vinegar toner, fill a 2 oz spray bottle with 2/3 water and 1/3 apple cider vinegar. Shake to combine then follow by liberally misting your skin. Adjust the water to vinegar ratio to what feels good for you.
If you don't have a spray bottle, you can saturate a cotton round with water and add a few drops of ACV to the round, then apply to your skin that way.
Store your toner in the fridge for 1-2 days and make fresh when needed.
Alternative: Kombucha toner. Follow the same process as above but replace the ACV with kombucha.
Olive Oil Moisturizing Serum
Olive oil is a nutritious oil not only for cooking with and consuming but also for your skin. In fact, most herbalists use beloved olive oil as the base to their infused herbal oils.
As your skin air dries from the apple cider vinegar toner, massage in a dime size amount of olive oil to your skin.
Alternatives: You can also use avocado oil, sesame seed oil, or sunflower seed oil.
