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Beauty Tips & Trends | DIY Skincare for Battling Dry Winter Skin!

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Anh Pham

From expensive anti-aging creams to masks to toners and face wash; Skincare can cost a ton. Even when you spend a ton it doesn’t mean you’re getting quality ingredients, not to mention the right product for your skin type. In my experience, skincare is best with simple ingredients. That way only what needs to be there is present, it is customized to you and to top it off it is wallet friendly.

I have various skin problems and after getting frustrated with skincare sold in drugstores, I decided to take things into my own hands. Now I make my own face wash, facial moisturizer, toner, masks, and in shower moisturizer. Most of these I make myself on a regular basis and can attest to their efficacy. It is a learning process and not all my recipes are perfected thus only some are listed.

Toner

One-part pure aloe vera gel or juice, one-part alcohol free witch hazel, and one-part rose water. Whatever your cleanser missed, your toner should pick it up without irritating, drying or adding a greasy layer to the skin. Witch-hazel is amazing at cleansing and healing. Regular pure witch hazel has a lot of alcohol that is very drying, so I recommend alcohol free witch hazel. Aloe is moisturizing without being greasy, and also calms skin irritation and heals. Thanks to aloe in my toner and moisturizer, sun burns don’t hurt and go away quicker than ever. Rose water is luxurious, on top of being cleansing and nourishing.

It is advisable to make a new batch every week or two as it will go bad, since there aren’t any preservatives. This triple threat will clean, calm and add a touch of moisture to your face.

Tip: If you cleanse properly at night, cleansing in the morning is not needed and might be drying your skin out. Instead, I skip the cleanser and go straight to the toner, followed by serum and moisturizer. This toner is also great as a mist for your face when it feels a little tight. If you don’t feel like making your own, Thayers makes an alcohol free toner with witch hazel, aloe and rosewater.

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Eye Makeup Remover

Oils, oils, oils! Nothing removes makeup like oil. Any cold pressed, pure oil will do but if you have oily or combo skin, some oils might break you out. If using castor oil, be sure to mix it with another oil because it’s thick and can be drying. For oily skin, grapeseed oil, rosehip oil, and castor oil will usually work great. For those with dry skin, olive, coconut, sweet almond oil, and the previous oils are great. Pour the oil in your hand or a cotton round and rub it around your eyes to remove the makeup. Follow this with proper cleansing.
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Cleansing Mask

To make your very own mask, you will need two capsules of activated charcoal (opened), one teaspoon of bentonite clay powder, and one tablespoon of pure apple cider vinegar (ACV). The clay and ACV amounts don’t need to be exact; it all depends on the consistency you prefer. The charcoal and clay have dirt and oil-sucking super powers. Together they are an unstoppable force. The clay is also healing and the ACV is great for acne fighting.

For dry skin the charcoal and ACV might be too intense, so instead stick with bentonite clay and water. Mix clay and charcoal together, stir gently or it will fly everywhere, then slowly add the ACV or water. Wait two hours for the clay to absorb the water in order to avoid clumping. Spread a thin layer on your face with your fingers or a brush and leave it on until it is mostly dry, then wash it off with water. Follow with a toner and a moisturizer as it is a drying mask. Do this one to two times a week, maximum three.

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Moisturizing Mask

As the weather gets cold and dry, a moisturizing mask becomes an important part of having healthy skin. For this you will need one tablespoon plain yogurt, half teaspoon turmeric and one tablespoon honey. All of these ingredients are nourishing for the skin. Honey and turmeric are antibacterial and turmeric itself has many anti-aging and brightening benefits. Mix the ingredients thoroughly and apply it on your face. Leave it on for around 20 minutes, then rinse. If you feel your face is greasy afterwards from the yogurt, you can follow with a toner or substitute yogurt with milk. For optimal softness, apply the mask two times a week or as needed.

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Eyebrow and Eyelash Growth Serum

Castor oil. That’s it. Apply once per day to eyebrows and lash line with a mascara wand or cotton tips. Leave in for at least a few hours. Castor oil will speed up the hair follicle cycle – it helped regrow bald patches I created in my eyebrows! Haven’t we all been there?

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Scrub

Scrubs are a great way of removing dead skin and preventing clogged pores. Here is a simple and effective method of creating your own scrub. For this, you will need two tablespoons of regular sugar, one teaspoon of honey and enough lemon juice to saturate the sugar without dissolving it. The sugar will physically scrub away the dead skin, the honey will nourish and the lemon juice will clarify and tighten pores. For body scrub, substitute regular sugar for course sugar or salt and feel free to add cold pressed essential oils or moisturizing oils like jojoba, coconut, olive, sweet almond oil, or grapeseed.

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Setting Spray

Technically this isn’t skincare, but it was too good to leave out. This is a dupe for Mac Fix+, which can be used as a primer, setting spray or to amp up the colour of eye shadows. You are paying for what is literally purified water with minerals and glycerine. All you need to make it yourself is approximately 1/8 part organic vegetable glycerine (up to half if you have dry skin), the rest is pure distilled rosewater, into a reusable spray bottle that sprays an even mist. Mix well and you’re done! Make every week or two, as it will go bad. If you are feeling lazy, Heritage Store makes a Rosewater & Glycerin mix, and it is still much cheaper than Mac Fix+.
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In the comments, let us know if any of these worked for you or if you have your own recipes!

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Photos courtesy of Amazon.ca, Pexels.com and Pixabay.com

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