ecoLIVING London

Have you ever read the ingredient list on your beauty products? Like food, there are many ingredients that I am not familiar with or that I really shouldn't be ingesting or putting onto my skin. Think about it, even though the product isn't ingested, per se, it's still getting into your body.

I read somewhere that if you rub a clove of garlic on your feet then within 15 minutes you should be able to taste garlic in your mouth. I haven't tried this myself, but a quick Google on the topic shows that people who have tried it say that this actually does work. So what does that mean? It means that products on your skin are actually being absorbed into your body. Not good!

I've been on an ongoing mission lately to remove many products from my home (not just processed foods) and making homemade versions of them using stuff from my kitchen. Shocking, isn't it? (I'm being sarcastic obviously)

The first things to go were the bottles of body wash, facial cleansers, and moisturizers.

The body wash was replaced by actual bars of soap; I've been buying my soap at a natural health store for $1.25/each.

My facial cleanser is now a simple mixture of baking soda and honey. On those days, however, when my skin needs extra cleaning my new exfoliating scrub is a combination of sugar, honey, and olive oil. What a difference that has made to my skin! It feels smoother and my pores actually appear smaller. The best part is that it has really reduced some of the redness on my nose and cheeks - bonus!

According to http://www.benefits-of-honey.com/ "honey's ability to absorb and retain moisture make it an ideal ingredient in a lot of cosmetics as it helps keep skin hydrated and fresh and prevents drying. Also, honey's natural antioxidant and anti-microbial properties help to protect the skin from the damage of the sun's rays, supports the skin's ability to rejuvenate and to refresh depleted skin, leaving it feeling silky soft and supple".

Last, but not least, my moisturizer. Yeah..that's gone too. In its place is a bottle of almond oil. There are several different types of oils available but this was the one I had chosen at the time. At $5.95 a bottle it has lasted me months. I use it on my face (doesn't clog pores) and on my body too.

These aren't the only products I've removed from my bathroom and laundry room but I'll save those for a future post (hint: homemade mouthwash...oh yeah!).

Have you made any changes in your home recently? Do you have any homemade recipes for facial cleansers or moisturizers?

Dallas Rocheleau lives in London, Ontario and has been blogging about local eating since 2009. She sources out local foods from the Southwestern Ontario region and loves to spend time in the kitchen making seasonal recipes. She also avoids buying processed foods and tries to replicate common grocery store foods at home from scratch. Her blog can be found here.