Get that Glow: Natural Body and Facial Care

All of my favorite natural, safe, effective, and affordable beauty products for face, skin, hair, and more. 

Raise your hand if you feel guilty every time you use something that’s not good for your body or the planet… Me, too. I’ve worked towards transitioning entirely to all-natural products for so long – not just for facial care, but for full body care. I love love love the products that I use today, and I’m really excited to share them with you.

Using natural body products makes sense to me. Your skin is your largest organ, and it drinks in anything you put on top of it. Lotions, creams, and other products actually enter your bloodstream. So, it makes sense to want to switch to natural body products. When choosing natural body products, I focus on a few factors:

• 100% safe, natural ingredients
• Effective
• Affordable

Major bonus points for eco-friendly, recyclable packaging, and companies that give back or operate with a deeper purpose.

I’m working on reducing the amount of waste that my body care products contribute to the earth – I’ve switched from liquid soap that comes in plastic bottles to bar soap that comes in a little paper bag, from tampons to a menstrual cup, and from plastic floss to eco-friendly floss in a refillable container.

I often feel like it is intentionally confusing to find and choose the safest products for body care. Now, I just won’t buy a product if the ingredients aren’t 100% pure and recognizable. I’ve researched a lot and learned different names for safe ingredients like vitamin E, so when in doubt, just Google it. The products I’m sharing below are actually what’s in my bathroom and what I use every day. None of this is sponsored – I just want to share what works!

Please note that I’m not a doctor and can’t give medical advice, so everything listed in this post is what I’ve found to work for me over years of trial and error. Everyone’s body is different, but I hope this helps some of you.

Natural Facial Care Products

You’re looking at my ride or die, can’t go a day without, must have facial care products. These babes support my sensitive, picky, acne-prone skin in the most nurturing way, and I’m so beyond grateful to have found such clean, gentle, and effective products.

A little background: I used to suffer from awful cystic acne after going off of the pill. My hormones have a long way to go to be 100% in balance, but my acne has subsided a lot in the past year and a half, which has opened up space to transition off of prescription products. I’ll still use two of my prescriptions if absolutely needed, but for the most part, I’m able to manage acne naturally now – which is what I wanted from the beginning.

I’ve broken this into two categories: my facial necessities, and my facial nice-to-haves, which is exactly what it sounds like.

Necessities

• Shea Terra Black Soap + Rose Hips Face Wash & Mask: This face wash is everything to me. After reading amazing reviews about black soap for people with acne, I took the leap and found that I was able to switch to this face wash cold turkey. I’m in love with it. This face wash is purifying (you can leave it on as a mask) and leaves my skin feeling refreshed and nourished.
• Manuka and Raw Honeys: I switch to manuka or raw honey as my face wash a few times per week. I love using it in the morning. Honey leaves my skin feeling moisturized and soothed, so it’s a nice break on days when the black soap feels too purifying. Crunchy, crystalized honey is also a great exfoliant. Lily Diamond of Kale & Caramel encouraged me to try honey for my face, and I’m so glad I did. Here’s a run down of the benefits from her blog:
  • Honey is a natural antibacterial agent;
  • Honey is a natural preservative (aka, anti-aging agent);
  • Honey is both slightly astringent and humectant (moisturizing), helping to regulate the skin’s production of sebum (our skin’s naturally occurring oil);
  • Honey preserves the skin’s acid mantle and regulates the skin’s pH.
• Clarisonic: My aesthetician suggested that I get a Clarisonic for my skin, and it took me forever to take the plunge because of the price tag, but I’m so happy I did! My face and pores are smoother and clearer when I use my Clarisonic on a regular basis. I like to use the radiance brush head when I wash my face with honey, and the deep pore brush head when I wash my face with the black soap.
• Thayers Rose Petal + Witch Hazel Aloe Vera Toner: I never understood using toner until I used this one. It makes my skin feel refreshed and rejuvenated, and it feels amazing (especially on Sprouts organic cotton balls – why are they so fluffy?!).
• Organic unrefined sesame oil: I buy unrefined sesame oil from Sprouts and use it as my facial moisturizer and also my body moisturizer (more on that below). Sesame oil keeps my skin balanced and my oil production in check. Plus, it gives me a glorious, healthy glow. Love it. Not every oil will work for every face type, so take some time to experiment and see what works for you – some people love olive oil, rose hip seed oil, or sweet almond oil.
• Heritage Rose Water: In the dry, dusty desert of Arizona, nothing upsets my skin more than dryness. So, I carry a mini spray bottle of rose water everywhere I go and I spritz it on my skin multiple times per day, even over makeup. It feels incredibly refreshing and I don’t know how I ever lived without it.
• Rose Quartz Roller + Gua Sha: I am in love with my rose quartz roller. There are lots of articles circulating about the benefits of using one, which there are many, but no one really talks about how good it feels! Using a rose quartz roller or a gua sha is like a little massage for your face, and it really helps me clear stagnant energy, drain lymph fluid, and decrease puffiness. It’s a life saver and I find any excuse to roll.

Facial Care Bonus Items

• Desert Essence Tea Tree Pads: I keep these in my yoga bag to use when I need to remove makeup before yoga and when I need to make sure my face is clear of any sweat after yoga. They’re effective and super easy to travel with.
• Desert Essence Tea Tree Oil: This oil, when diluted, is my favorite way to combat pimples. It has to be diluted because it’s quite strong in its natural state, and it’s highly effective.
• Aztec Secret Indian Healing Clay Mask: When my skin needs a good detox, this face mask is it. I mix it with apple cider vinegar for an ultra purifying cleanse – you can feel a huge difference before and after. It leaves my skin feeling soft, toned, and clean. It can leave a little redness, so I like to use it at night.
• Puristry Flower Toner: This is another toner that I like, however, I use it more on my neck and décolletage rather than my face. It helps lock in a lot of moisture.

Natural Body Care Products

• Trader Joe’s Tea Tree Tingle Shampoo: This shampoo has been reliable and effective for years. I tend to have oily hair and need a nourishing and purifying shampoo that’s not too drying, and this one does the trick! Plus, it’s super affordable at only $4 per bottle.
• Shea Moisture Raw Shea Butter Moisture Retention Shampoo: I originally bought this shampoo to use as it’s intended – shampoo – but I found that it’s so moisturizing, I can actually use it as conditioner. So, I use this “shampoo” as my conditioner 1-2 times per week. It leaves my hair feeling silky and smelling gorgeous. A little bit goes a long way, so a bottle of this lasts me forever.
• Organic Unrefined Coconut Oil & Sesame Oil: I alternate between moisturizing with coconut oil and sesame oil depending on how I feel and the weather. They’re both amazing options, and coconut oil is cooling while sesame oil is warming. Yep, this means I don’t use lotion! Oil is all you need.
• Seaweed Bath Co Hydrating Seaweed Bath: This bath is amaaaazing. I love it. The bath smells so good and relaxing (no matter which scent you get – I’ve only tried the eucalyptus and peppermint, but I’m excited to try the lavender one, too). Detox baths are so amazing and I need to take them more often. When I use these bath soaks, my skin feels so nourished and it helps me relax.
• Zum Bar Goat’s Milk Soap: I get this from Sprouts in the vitamin and body care section and I really enjoy mixing up the scents that I use. It leaves my skin feeling clean but not dried out – it doesn’t strip the oils like other soaps. My favorite scents are rosemary mint, lemon lavender, and lemongrass.
• Dry Brush: Using a dry brush on your skin is a great way to improve circulation and activate lymph flow, among other things. It’s invigorating and feels good, if a little scratchy at first, but you’ll get used to it! I like to dry brush before I shower.

• Schmidt’s Bergamot + Lime Deodorant: The first natural deodorant I’ve ever used that actually works. Period. Plus, I love the scent.
• Lip balms: I like using Dr. Bronner’s Peppermint lip balm for your regular, every-day chapstick, and Badger Balm Red Jasper Lip Tint for a little color. I also have a delicious lavender chapstick from a local artisan that I’ll try to find the link for.
• Dental Lace Floss: LIFE CHANGING. I hated flossing because I hated throwing away plastic strands of floss. I envisioned them floating in the ocean. Dental Lace has actually changed my life because now I can’t go a day without flossing. It comes in a glass reusable container and all you have to do is buy refills. Amazing. I love it. Please try it.
• Alba Sunscreen: This maybe isn’t the absolute cleanest sunscreen on the market, but it works well and I’ve enjoyed using it thus far, so I’m including it on this list.
• Lunette Menstrual Cup: Switching from tampons to a menstrual cup changed my period forever – in a good way. I now feel closer to my body, and all of the guilt I was carrying around every time I used and disposed of a tampon, contributing to mountains of waste each year, is gone. My cup made all the difference, and I highly recommend making the switch. There are lots of cups out there, and I use the Lunette cup. Check out this post by Lee From America for more info on the period cup.

Want to learn more about natural body care? Lily from Kale & Caramel has been ultra inspiring for me and she has taught me so much. I love her book, which is packed with amazing facial recipes and recipes to nourish your belly, plus this blog post is an amazing guide to natural living.