Oh I want to play! I love DIY stuff. I'll copy and paste a small guide I made for my mom below. And for any of you ladies that are interested in this stuff, here's a GREAT link to a website full of other DIY recipes:
*~~~~~~~DIY skincare recipe & discussion thread~~~~~~~~*
Guide I made for my mom:
EXFOLIATOR (face or body)
In a small bowl mix:
Two cups or so of sugar (brown or white)
Half cup milk (or any other whole fat, preferably organic dairy product, like yogurt or sour cream- whole fat dairy is great for moisturizing and lactic acid is a gentle peel)
Half cup or so of honey
Mix up and rub skin down in shower, follow with cleanser. Brilliant super cheap scrub! Use every couple of days or as often as desired. Leftovers can be stored in fridge. Adjust the measurements to your preference. If you like you can add some organic essential oils. Lavender is nice. Every other chemical commercial body exfoliator I ever tried irritated my skin, but this is wonderful. Great for hands and feet as well. You can also substitute olive oil for honey if you like but will probably not wash off as nicely.
FACIAL EXFOLIATOR:
Mix a couple teaspoons of plain baking soda and either water, milk, or any creamy facial cleanser (like Cetaphil) and gently scrub skin. The granules are much smaller and more uniform than commercial exfoliators and will be less irritating. Try once a week and see if it’s gentle enough, then as often as a couple of times a week. Leaves skin incredibly soft. I was using Clinique before which was like $15 per tube before and it was irritating to my skin, and didn’t seem to do anything for it. This however, is great and does not leave me red.
TONER
Wet down a cotton ball or facial square with water (pref. purified) and then wet the cotton with RAW, ORGANIC apple cider vinegar (you must use something with the “mother”- Bragg’s brand is good, but any raw organic ACV will do. (Do NOT use Heinz or any other commercial ACV!) to dilute it a bit, and then wipe over face. Let dry on skin and then follow with your regular skincare products. Will be smelly until it dries, but it will go away. ACV has numerous trace minerals and should give skin a glow- it also acts as a VERY cheap AHA product, so it will act as a gentle peel. Do this every other day at first and see how your skin reacts. If it’s OK, then every day is fine. Don’t use it straight, make sure it’s diluted.
ALTERNATE RECIPE:
Rather than water in the above ACV toner recipe, brew a cup of VERY strong green tea (use six bags of tea or so) and let it cool in refrigerator. Wet a cotton ball or facial square with the green tea, then wet it with ACV and swipe over skin as directed above. Green tea has numerous anti-oxidants and will add to the benefits of the ACV. You can also use the green tea toner alone without the ACV if the ACV is too strong for your skin. Follow same directions as above.
HAIR CONDITIONER
Ok, this is freaking brilliant. My hair is going bat-**** crazy because I need to get it straightened again, and I decided to mess around with home products since none of the conditioners I had were working at all. I wet my hair down SLIGHTLY before my shower and then smeared warm honey in my hair (half a cup to a cup, whatever works) and then twisted it up and let it sit for about an hour while I studied. When I washed it out, I could not believe how soft and manageable it was. It’s like it wasn’t even my hair. The next time, I thought “hey I have a bottle of Vitamin E oil from Trader Joes, maybe I should mix that in.” So I did the same thing, but added a tablespoon or so of the Vitamin E oil to the warm honey and let it sit for about an hour. Even better result! I’ve been doing this every second or third day or so. When I get in the shower I shampoo the mixture out, then rinse with 1 cup of ACV diluted in a measuring cup of water. After that, I condition to remove the smell and my hair (though not definitely not perfect because it desperately needs to be straightened) is incredibly soft and shiny. My scalp is clean and all the product build-up and oil is gone. It sounds like it would be gross and sticky, but it’s really just amazing!
MASKS
Queen Helene Mint Julep mask.
$3.00 or so at Walgreens. Has a major cult following and for good reason. Gets rid of oil slicks during the day and shrinks pores. If it’s too drying on your whole face, just put it on the T-zone for 15-20 minutes once a week or so. Can also be used as a spot-treatment on blemishes. Great stuff.
Aspirin Mask
Brilliant. Unbelievable. Aspirin is salicylic acid (actually the body converts it to SA) Salicylic acid is a BHA (the only BHA out there in fact) and BHA is widely known to be the absolute BEST thing for 1) deep-cleaning pores (AHAs on the other hand, cannot penetrate the pore, they can only act on the top layer of skin) and 2) for stimulating collagen production. In other words, this will exfoliate the top layer of skin, tighten pores, and help with fine wrinkles and acne scars. There are literally millions of different recipes you can use for this- just Google “aspirin mask” and see for yourself. Go buy a bottle of uncoated or very lightly coated aspirin. Below are some options:
I usually use 3 aspirin (don’t try to substitute alleve or advil- it must be actual aspirin), and I put them in the palm of my hand and drip a few drops of water in and them mash it with the tip of my toothbrush. Don’t add too much water or it wont work. It should turn into a gritty paste. Just smear (or tap) it onto your face (either all over or just on your T-zone) and let it sit for 10-20 minutes. It WILL flake off, and WILL make you sneeze. Just deal with it and try not to move around a lot. Rinse it off well. That’s it. You can also mix it with a dollop (yes, a ‘dollop’ is a scientific method of measurement) of honey or aloe, or anything else you like to make it more soothing. The honey is nice, but way too drippy for me personally. I recommend this once a week to see how skin reacts to it. Then probably no more than every third or fourth day. This has almost totally gotten rid of my redness and seems to have helped with one especially bad scar on my cheek. My skin is baby soft when I rinse this off. I wish I’d know about this like oh, I don’t know 15 YEARS AGO!!.
Honey Mask
That’s it. Just honey. Raw, organic honey is best, but even drugstore stuff is fine. Honey is anti-bacterial, anti-microbial, and an excellent humectrant (meaning it draws moisture to your skin and acts as a protective barrier. It is also an AHA (it’s a fruit acid) and will gently peel the skin if used over time. Should give a nice glow and can help with both acne and dry patches. Just smear a thin layer over face and let sit for as long as you want and then rinse well (even an hour is fine). You can do this one everyday if you like with no adverse effects (after a trial run to ensure no odd reaction to it of course). Honey also helps with healing wounds and preventing scar formation. Good stuff.
MAKEUP REMOVER
I stopped using soap on my face. The “oil cleansing method” (OCM) is also a cult fave. I was terrified to try this at first because with oily skin, who wants to smear more oil on?? Well actually oil dissolves oil. I started with plain old olive oil at first, and now I’m using DHC’s “deep cleansing oil” (it’s Japanese company that makes very simple skincare products- I’ll tell you about the wonderful eye cream later). I was shocked when this didn’t break me out. Shocked. I thought I would end up with horrible cysts, but so far it has been the absolute best thing I’ve ever used to remove every trace of makeup. You can use plain old olive oil and it’s also great. Just use a tablespoon (or two) of oil in the palm of your hand and then massage it over the face. Removes every last bit of makeup, and you will NOT need a separate eye makeup remover (keep your eyes closed when using it to remove makeup though). If you massage lightly for four or five minutes (mini-facial) it should also bring any oil plugs to the surface and clear out clogged pores. It’s a lot less irritating than commercial brands and should stop the nasty cycle where you overcleanse to get rid of oil and then end up with MORE oil or redness, dryness and irritation. It balances the skin and wont make your skin feel stripped and tight like soaps and other cleansers. After you do this, you can either rinse with water and then wipe the skin with a clean damp cloth, or follow with a very mild cleanser. I use Cetaphil to remove every last trace of oil, but for dryer skin, some people like to leave a thin layer on the skin, and it should absorb very quickly and leave skin moist and soft.
MISCELLANEOUS
Vitamin E oil or jojoba oil from Trader Joes (or wherever else). Use on lips, under eyes and anywhere else on skin or hair. Ultra moisturizing and has tons of anti-oxidants. Way, way better than chapstick and all that crap. Also put it on hand and feet overnight and cover with socks/gloves.
Stop using detergent soaps on your face and body. Too many chemicals, and your skin spends its time trying to compensate and remoisturize to fix the PH levels that you’ve messed up with those soaps. Try “Castile Soap.” You can get this anywhere- Trader Joes or Dr. Bonners are good. Made from OILS (olive oil, coconut oil, etc) they lather really nicely and smell great (lavender scent, peppermint scents are available) and will not dry out your skin like those crappy soaps or body “cleansers.” My skin never feels tight and dry now when I get out of the shower.
“Body brushing”- go buy a natural fiber body brush with a long handle. Use it twice a day. Start at the soles of your feet and move up the body moving in long strokes in the direction of the heart. On the stomach however, brush in a circular clockwise motion. This helps the body remove toxins, improves circulation, and will remove dead skin cells and help the natural body oils escape from under a layer of dead skin cells.
I have no basis for believing this except instinct, but I would pay particular attention to the soles of your feet. Brush them well and try to keep everything except all natural products off of them. Things are absorbed through the skin (largest organ in the body, after all) and the feet seem especially vulnerable.
Stay away from all chemical commercial moisturizers except for 100% cocoa butter, aloe (the real stuff from a plant or else organic 100% aloe vera) and natural oils (coconut, olive, vitamin E, jojoba, etc). I started using cocoa butter again after a few years away and cannot believe that I ever stopped. It is by far the best, least irritating and most beneficial thing I have ever used on my skin. I use the tubs of pure, 100% stuff and a little goes a long way. This stuff is all you need. Skin is calm and moist, even after a shower.
Drinking ACV. Again, ONLY organic stuff with the “mother” (Bragg’s brand is what I use.) NOT Heinz! Also be VERY careful since it is very acidic and could potentially cause decay of tooth enamel. I do 2-3 teaspoons once or twice a day in a VERY small glass of water. Drink it fast (don’t sip slowly as it will expose your teeth for too long) and then RINSE teeth well with pure water or else with water mixed with a small amount of baking soda at adjust the PH in your mouth. Do NOT brush your teeth for at least an hour before or an hour after drinking this- it wont help, it will only hurt because your enamel is more vulnerable when you just brushed. Anyway, ACV seems to have given me more energy, made me more clear-headed and cleared my skin a bit. It has an endless number of anecdotal benefits if you research online. Worth a shot, but if it seems to make stomach problems worse, then discontinue.
NOTE: I don’t recommend that you try ALL this stuff at once (not on your face at least, the hair and body stuff is all fine). Add one or two things at a time and see what works, but I firmly believe you should give things 2-3 weeks before making a judgment since your skin needs an adjustment period to decide what it likes.
P.S. I’ll follow up with more tips later, but for now STOP using toothpaste with fluoride. Just. Stop. That is some crazy, scary **** that the government is trying to kill us with. Among other things, that is. Anyway, buy “Tom’s of Maine” or something else fluoride free.
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I have a pretty small knowledge base on these kinds of things! I have noticed though now that I'm hittin' 30 pretty soon that I don't look like I'm 20 anymore so I'm paying more attention to these kinds of things! I'll definitely drop you a line if I have any questions! Thank you - foma
But your skin will feel so soft. It's supposed to help with acne and people swear by it. It's cheap too. Just buy one of those No Brand name, cheap non-coated bottles of aspirin you see in the drug store. 
Papaya on the Face
