Pretty much since high school I have had permanent dark circles under my eyes. No amount of sleep or moisturizer can help them. The only thing that really helps is concealer. So I decided to try to make an eye cream recipe that was designed to help with dark circles.

Now I’m not saying this cream is a miracle worker. I do think it’s made a small difference on my dark under-eyes in the few weeks since I’ve been using it. The best part about this cream, however, is how refreshing it is to put on in the morning. I just love it. So even if it can’t completely fix my dark circles, it does help with puffiness and preventing wrinkles.

This recipe makes about 2 ounces. For eye cream, that really goes a long way. I can’t foresee running out of it in the near future. And it only costs $1.45 to make! If you’re used to buying eye cream, you know that is a steal!

Each of the ingredients were selected to make this cream great for dark circles, moisturizing, and preventing wrinkles:

• Almond oil: Deep moisturizer, soothes irritation, reduces dark circles
• Shea butter: Natural moisturizer, non-comedogenic, good source of vitamins for skin, anti-inflammatory
• Green tea: Full of antioxidants, anti-inflammatory, reduces development of wrinkles, helps with rosacea
• Beeswax: Locks in moisture, protects skin against damaging elements, antioxidant, anti-bacterial, and anti-inflammatory
• Vitamin E oil: Antioxidant, natural moisturizer, anti-inflammatory, helps preserve shelf life of lotion
• Peppermint essential oil: Adds the refreshing cool feeling, smells great

And don’t worry, it’s really nice and easy to make.

Like I said before, this stuff is SUPER refreshing. The peppermint just wakes you right up. It takes a around a half hour to sink in, so don’t worry if the area around your eyes looks oily right when you put it on. It will absorb.

I just can’t get enough. And luckily I won’t have to because it will last me such a long time. Isn’t it amazing what green tea can do?

Let me know how making your own eye cream works for you!

supplies used in this post

If you love this cream and spoiling your skin, you should also check out my aloe vera moisturizer!

And not to mention my anti-inflammatory Aloe Vera Face Wash!

The post Green Tea Repairing Eye Cream for Dark Circles appeared first on Pins and Procrastination.

I’m always looking for healthy all-natural solutions to help with acne. My skin is prone to breaking out, and so I have to be careful what I use. This mask works by pulling dirt and other impurities from the pores, so it is great for acne and blackheads. It will also kill acne-causing bacteria. I adapted this recipe from My Newest Addiction to include only non-comedogenic ingredients.

Well you know how you can get mud baths and facials for a ton of money at the spa? Well this has the same feel and effect, for a fraction of the price.

I simply love this stuff. It’s my new favorite facial product. After using it my skin was glowing, clean, and not irritated. Usually when I use an exfoliator my skin is irritated at first and then looks great when it calms down. With this, I got mild exfoliation and dirt removal without the irritation. It was actually quite soothing. When followed up with my aloe vera moisturizer, it was truly amazing. 

It’s full of ingredients that are great for your skin:

• Bentonite Clay: When mixed with water it is great at absorbing toxins, impurities, bacteria, and chemicals, while adding healthy minerals to the skin
• Activated Charcoal: Absorbs over 100 times its weight in impurities and chemicals
• Aloe Vera: Light non-greasy moisturizer, anti-inflammatory, stimulates growth of new cells, full of antioxidants, fights allergic reactions, reduces redness
• Shea Butter: Natural moisturizer, non-comedogenic, good source of vitamins for skin, anti-inflammatory
• Camomile Tea: Full of antioxidants, soothes irritation, natural disinfectant, reduces redness
• Eucalyptus Oil: Helps reduce skin inflammation, anti-bacterial, for scent
• Peppermint Oil: Antiseptic and antibacterial, cooling and refreshing, for scent

And here is how you make it:

If you want to freak out your roommate or significant other, just put on this face mask and jump out at them. Ok, I don’t really support that. But it did surprise Lars when he saw my face.

I used this face mask at the same time as doing my at-home hot oil treatment, hence the towel. The  combination was perfectly luxurious and after my shower I had super soft hair and skin.

My favorite thing about this mask is how it felt when it was on. At first it had that smooth muddy feeling that you probably remember from playing in the mud as a kid. As it dried it tightened, leaving my skin feeling all tingly. In a great way. It was like I could feel it cleaning out my pores.

Two days after using this mask, all the pimples that were threatening to poke out had calmed down. I don’t know if I’m imagining it, but I think the redness in my face has been reduced too. And I haven’t needed to moisturize. It’s like the balance in my skin has been restored.

I think this is going to be a weekly mask for me. It’s too good not to use on a regular basis.

Let me know how making this impurity removing face mask works for you!

If you like this post, you should also check out my green tea eye cream.

The post Impurity Removing Facial Mask appeared first on Pins and Procrastination.

Last week I posted How to Make Homemade Sunscreen. In that post, I mentioned that the recipe was not very acne-friendly. At least for me personally, coconut oil makes my face break out. It has a comedogenic rating of 4 out of 5, meaning it is very likely to clog your pores. So, the sunscreen is great for use on your body, but if your face is acne prone like me, you might want to use a separate face sunscreen.

I had that in mind when I made this recipe. I used only ingredients with low comedogenic ratings. And it has done WONDERS for my skin. I have started using it as my daily moisturizer. So now I have an awesome moisturizer with SPF that makes my skin glow. Seriously, my skin loves this stuff.

Ok- this sunscreen is a natural moisturizer, has anti-inflammatory properties, is non-comedogenic, is waterproof, and has no harmful chemicals. I promise, it is not too good to be true. It is true!

It cost $6.48 to make about 4 ounces of this facial sunscreen. When you think about how much the “natural” sunscreens for your face cost in stores, that’s a really good price. It is really thick and you only need a tiny amount to cover your whole face, so the small bottle will last you a while.

Don’t you hate reading ingredient labels and wondering what the heck some ingredients are and why they are in cosmetics? Well here is why I used each of these ingredients:

• Shea Butter: Natural SPF of 3-8, natural moisturizer, non-comedogenic, good source of vitamins for skin, anti-inflammatory (You can get it here)
• Jojoba Oil: Natural SPF of 4, non-greasy oil moisturizer, anti-bacterial, natural antiseptic, non-comedogenic (You can get it here)
• Beeswax: Makes sunscreen waterproof, protects skin against damaging elements, antioxidant, anti-bacterial, and anti-inflammatory (You can get it here)
• Zinc Oxide: Sun protection (You can get it here)
• Red Raspberry Seed Oil or Carrot Seed Oil: Natural SPF of about 30-40, anti-inflammatory (You can get it here or here)
• Vitamin E Oil: Antioxidant, natural moisturizer, anti-inflammatory, helps preserve shelf life of sunscreen (You can get it here)

Before I started making my own cosmetics I had no idea that oils could have natural SPF in them. It makes sense when you think about it. This recipe uses both oils and zinc oxide to achieve a higher SPF level. If you want to learn more about natural sun protection- this is a great article.

So if you leave the zinc oxide out- this recipe will naturally have an SPF of about 20 or so. That is my unprofessional estimate based on the oil SPF ratings.

The sunscreen is super easy to make. All you need to do is melt everything but the essential oils and zinc oxide in a double boiler, or a pot placed on top of a pot of boiling water. It only takes a few minutes and a little bit of stirring.

It looks like a lovely shade of honey once it is melted down.

Next all you do is add the essential oils and zinc oxide. And that’s it! Super easy.

The sunscreen is very thick and will not squeeze out of a squeeze bottle. I recommend putting it in a bottle or jar with a wide lid so you can scoop it out.

Like I said already, I am kind of obsessed with this stuff. It has been great for my skin and I use it as my daily moisturizer. It also survived a day at the beach without me getting burnt. So it is good on all fronts.

Try making it and let me know how it goes for you!

This homemade sunscreen is great for your face, but you should also check out my homemade body sunscreen! Together the two are a perfect complement.

The post How to Make Homemade Facial Sunscreen (Acne Friendly and Good for your Skin) appeared first on Pins and Procrastination.

On my quest to use all natural cosmetic products, I knew that sunscreen was going to be a necessary product to make. My skin often gets itchy just from using the store-bought kinds, and it leaves me feeling icky. Not to mention, it is usually polluting a water body. You also want to be on the lookout for the endocrine disruptor, oxybenzone, used in many store bought sunscreens.

Anyways, a few weeks ago I spent all afternoon in the park with my boyfriend and his family. It wasn’t a very hot or super sunny day but I didn’t have any sunscreen on because I hadn’t made any yet. Someone brought out a bottle when we noticed we were getting a little toasty. I read the ingredients label and it had so many bad ingredients that I opted not to use it. Well, sunscreen is tricky isn’t it? Because I ended up with a mild sunburn. So- the choice is- run the risk of skin cancer from the sun, or the list or risks that come from ingredients in harmful cosmetics? It’s definitely a trade off.

Well- there’s no need to decide! Just make your own- it is natural, good for your skin, and it won’t harm your body or the environment! Plus- it is mostly waterproof! What’s not to like?

It costs $7.46 to make 6 oz of this sunscreen. For sunscreen- that’s not a bad price at all!

If you are acne prone, this sunscreen is not non-comedogenic and it could cause you to break out. I also have an acne friendly facial sunscreen recipe that is non-comedogenic.

Before I started making my own cosmetics I had no idea that oils could have natural SPF in them. It makes sense when you think about it. This recipe uses both oils and zinc oxide to achieve a higher SPF level. If you want to learn more about natural sun protection- this is a great article.

So if you leave the zinc oxide out- this recipe will naturally have an SPF of about 20 or so. That is my unprofessional estimate based on the oil SPF ratings.

I like to explain why I use each ingredient in my cosmetics:

• Coconut Oil: Natural SPF of about 2-8, antibacterial, natural moisturizer, full of antioxidants and nutrients your skin needs (you can get it here)
• Almond Oil: Natural SPF of about 5, deep moisturizer, soothes irritation (You can get it here)
• Beeswax: Makes sunscreen waterproof, protects skin against damaging elements, antioxidant, anti-bacterial, and anti-inflammatory (You can get it here)
• Shea Butter: Natural SPF of 3-8, natural moisturizer, good source of vitamins for skin, anti-inflammatory (You can get it here)
• Vitamin E Oil: Antioxidant, natural moisturizer, anti-inflammatory, helps preserve shelf life of sunscreen (You can get it here)
• Red Raspberry Seed Oil/ Carrot Seed Oil: Natural SPF of about 30-40, anti-inflammatory (My favorite essential oils are from Rocky Mountain Oils, and I love their Carrot Seed Oil. You can also get these on amazon here and here.)
• Zinc Oxide: Sun protection (You can get it here)

It’s so easy to make- all you need to do is melt the oils together in a double boiler or a pan placed on top of a pot of boiling water.

They should only take a few minutes and a little bit of stirring to combine.

Ta da! Melted and combined! You are half way there!

Then mix in the zinc oxide and essential oils, and pour into your desired container. It really is that easy. Why doesn’t everyone do this??

This recipe is adapted from Real Food RN:

*Note: The beeswax and shea butter make the sunscreen thicker- if you want a sunscreen that is easy to squeeze through a bottle you should use the lower amounts, but it may make the sunscreen less waterproof. If waterproof sunscreen is your priority, stick with the larger amounts.

I used this sunscreen on a day at the beach and it passed the test- no sun burn! I wasn’t laying out in the sun- but I was playing in the water and out on a sailboat for several hours. The water didn’t rub it off and I didn’t get burnt. I am a fan. And my skin was moisturized after.

I wouldn’t recommend using this on your face if you are prone to break outs. Don’t worry- I’m not going to leave you high and dry. You can find my recipe for acne-friendly facial sunscreen here.

Try making your own sunscreen and let me know how it goes for you!

supplies used in this post

The post How to Make Homemade Sunscreen (SPF 30-40 and good for your skin!) appeared first on Pins and Procrastination.