Beautiful and Smooth Skin, Thanks to Oats Face Cleansing Routine

I tend to splurge on skincare products because I believe it's an investment. As long as it has really good reviews, I don't hesitate on spending a part of my paycheck on them... just as long as it actually works. So when a friend suggested oats as a face cleanser to help clear out red patches caused by a reaction of my sensitive skin, I was hesitant. I mean, slapping breakfast menu on to my face can't be better than my face wash, a concoction of a well known dermatologist right? Boy was I wrong...

I decided to give oats face wash a try since HY got bored of having rolled oats for breakfast. I hate to waste food and though I can always mix the rolled oats into my muffin batter, I thought using it for skincare test is better for my skin and for my waist circumference (no muffins to finish off).

What's the benefit of oats for skin? Well, it's natural with no added chemicals that can irritate sensitive skin and oats is known for calming inflamed skin. Its rough texture also acts as natural exfoliator for you skin that I believe is safe enough to use on a daily basis. You simply adjust the amount of water you add to adjust its texture. For coarser texture, use little water. While if you just want a gentle exfoliator, you can ground rolled oats or use oats flour. Alternatively, you can soak rolled oats in water for a couple of minutes until they soften before using it on your face.

Beauty Routine - Lemon

I love using natural ingredients as part of my beauty routine. I love to scour my kitchen and garden to find something that I can use in conjunction with my current skincare. I’ve previously written about my favorite natural ingredients, Extra Virgin Olive Oil. Now it’s the turn for my trusty lemon and lemon juice.

I’ve been using lemon as part of my beauty routine for a couple of months. I started realizing the benefit of vitamin c for my skin when I underwent a laser eye corrective procedure about 6 years ago, which requires me to have 1000mg of vitamin c on a daily basis to help the scars on my retina heals. Vitamin c did not only heal the scars, but my complexion was noticeably smoother and fairer. Since then, I’ve been consuming vitamin c supplements and buying vitamin c serum for my face, which practically cost me my arms and legs. So when I went back to Indonesia, I resort to a cheaper alternative, lemon juice. Here’s how you can use lemon and its juice as part of your beauty routine.


1. Skin serum - I usually take half of a smaller sized lemon and rub them on my face after it has been cleansed. Make sure to avoid any open wound or inflamed pimples as the lemon juice can irritate your skin. After rubbing the lemon on to the face, gently massage the remaining lemon juice on your skin until it dries completely. Usually I do this right before bed and went straight to bed without washing my face afterward. But if your skin is sensitive, wash your face before going to bed, or you might wake up with red spots or irritated skin in the morning. Try not to do this too often though; twice a week should be enough.


2. Skin lighteners – I got dark elbows from slouching in front of my laptop at work every day. I’ve stopped slouching (for now), but my dark elbows were not getting any better. So I use half a lemon (usually after I use them on my face like in the point above) and rub the remaining juices on my elbows and knees. I’ve been using them for nearly 3 months and I can see the difference. My elbows and knees are a tad lighter (and smoother from my daily dose of EVOO).


3. Hair rinse – I mix 1 jug of chilled tea with the freshly squeezed lemon juice from a large lemon and use it as a hair rinse after I’ve shampooed my hair. As I don’t wash my hair with water afterward, I always make sure I strain my lemon juice so I don’t end up with lemon pulp all over my hair.


4. Mask – I do this in a variety of ways. I usually mix tablespoon of sugar, honey, and freshly squeezed lemon juice together to a pasty consistency and scrub my face gently with it. I was feeling experimental when I first tried it, but notice that my skin was noticeably smoother and suppler. After a couple of times, it my complexion looks slightly brighter. I only wished I took some before-after photos so I can actually compare the difference. When I’m lazy and not feeling like squeezing some lemons, I just cut two slices and put the slices next to my nose at night. It helps tighten my pores.

I’m still thinking of other ways I can use Lemon as part of my beauty routine, especially since it’s cheap, easy to get, and fully loaded with Vitamin C. Actually, I wonder whether kiwi would have the same effect. They do higher concentration of Vitamin C than Lemon…

images: google image

XOXO,

Beauty Routine - Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Most people would have a bottle of olive oil in their kitchen cabinet. I do too, and now I have an extra bottle on my vanity table.

I've long known that olive oil has anti aging qualities that makes it healthy for eating. So I thought, why not use them on my skin? I've used Palmers Olive Butter Lotion which is formulated with Extra Virgin Olive Oil (EVOO) for years and always stock up on them whenever I visit Melbourne.

I've been mixing EVOO in my beauty routine for over a month and you can really see the difference. Even my indifferent husband noticed my smoother skin and softer knees and elbows. Here's how you can use EVOO as part of your beauty routine and please make sure you use extra virgin olive oil rather than other type of olive oil.

1. Body moisturizer - I mix my body lotion (I've switched to a cheaper alternative.. nivea or vaseline will do) with a few drops of EVOO and generously apply the mixture from head to toe. The EVOO gives your arms and legs subtle glow all day long. Just make sure you mix 2 part body lotion and 1 part olive oil, and apply them as soon as you got out of shower, as the oil is easily absorbed when your skin is warmed and slightly damp.

2. Conditioner - I rub EVOO on my hair, from mid length to its end, about an hour before I wash my hair. Try not to apply too close to your roots or crown as you can end up with limp and lifeless hair. After rinsing the EVOO with my regular shampoo, I can style my hair as normal. It helps stop any flyaway and frizz after blow drying or using flattening iron.

3. Scrub - I mix EVOO with other household item I can find at home to make my own scrub. My favorite is mixing EVOO with ground coffee and a tiny bit of water to a pasty consistency, before using it as a scrub. Oh yeah, leave it them on for a minute or two as coffee can help reduce those nasty cellulites.

4. Make up remover - I put few drops of EVOO on cotton facial pads and use it to clean my face and remove eye make up. Afterwards, I wash my face using my regular foaming cleanser. I get easily irritated by eye make up remover, but using EVOO has solved this problem. After about a month using EVOO as eye make-up remover, I swear that my lashes looks even longer!

5. Massage oil - My mother in law known a masseur who lives nearby and she comes to our house every other week or so. I always ask her to use EVOO for massaging (and the coffee scrub after the massage). I gotta say, it's one of the few times I feel happy and grateful to be living in Indonesia.... you can have excellent cheap massage at the privacy of your home anytime of the week.

6. Softer cuticles and feet - I apply drops of EVOO on my cuticle and lather them on my feet before I go to bed at least once a week. Make sure you put on cotton socks afterwards so the EVOO does not rub on to your sheets. I also find that EVOO seems to soften my feet better when I do put on a pair of cotton socks.

I still don't have the courage to put EVOO on my face just yet (other than using them as make-up remover, but I've heard that it can do wonders to your skin. I'll be sure to update this post when I do find the courage to try EVOO on my face and see results (whether it is good or bad)....

Have you tried any of the EVOO beauty 'recipes' above? Do you have any other use for EVOO? Let me know what you think...

XOXO,