Be a Natural Beauty

November 23, 2009 by · 2 Comments 

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While we’re always striving to live the green life at Little Green Bits, there’s one thing we just can’t give up:  Our beauty products!  But we want them without all the harmful chemicals that you won’t find listed on the labels.  And while there are plenty of great all natural and organic products on the market, we would love to find some less costly alternatives.  This week Tonya and Mecca and try out simple and inexpensive homemade beauty treatments.  Here’s the scoop. 

Tonya’s Take

Skin Type: Oily, acne-prone, sensitive skin

When Mecca came up with the “brilliant” idea of trying out homemade beauty treatments, I really thought the idea was cuckoo!  (No offense Mecca ;) )  Me, make my own beauty products; you’re kidding right?  I reluctantly googled about and found some interesting concoctions.  Masks and scrubs with everything from mayonnaise to egg whites; no thank you!  After deciding this was not for me, I remembered a mom in my mom’s group who used baking soda as a facial cleanser.  Hmm, I figured it didn’t sound too scary and the box also recommended it as a scrub.  So I gave it a whirl.

Baking Soda Exfoliant

Ingredients:  Baking Soda, Warm Water

I mixed a couple shakes out of the box into a bowl with several tablespoons of warm water.  I gently massaged the scrub into my skin using my fingertips.  Turns out it is a great exfoliant!  My face seemed more radiant and also felt smoother afterward.

Pros: Inexpensive, easy, smoother skin, more radiant skin

Cons: Absolutely none for me.

The verdict: I loved it and will try to incorporate this into my routine a couple times a month.  However, next time I will use less water as mine was too runny the first time.

Yogurt Facial Mask

Ingredients:  Plain Yogurt

About a week ago I was talking with my hair stylist about facials and she mentioned that her beautician recommended yogurt for an at-home mask to help with acne.  Intrigued by this, I searched online and found several recipes including yogurt.  I decided to go easy and try a yogurt only mask.  On clean skin I applied a layer of plain low-fat yogurt and let it dry.  If you try it just know that it will be a little cold!  It did make me a bit hungry, but maybe that’s just because it’s dinner time!  Once it dried on my face it felt tight like a typical mask.  I then rinsed it off with warm water.  I didn’t notice any immediate difference in my acne spots, but hope that with a weekly mask I will see some improvements.  I will update in the future.

Pros: My face did feel a bit smoother.  I keep plain yogurt on hand, so there was no trekking to the store to find an obscure ingredient.  Also, yogurt is full of good bacteria so I like to think it will help my skin. 

Cons: I didn’t see any immediate results.

The verdict: I plan to use this mask weekly for a month and then decide whether it is effective in improving acne.

Mecca’s Take

I take my beauty routine very seriously.  I love slathering myself in lotions, potions, and anything else that promises “smoother”, “softer”, and “radiant”.  It was quite a shock once I became pregnant and learned many beauty products contain known harmful chemicals such as bisphenol A, phthalates, mercury, and “Teflon chemicals” that aren’t listed on ingredient labels.  (Click here to read a recent study monitoring the amount of chemicals found in pregnant women’s systems.) 

Since organic and all-natural beauty products don’t come cheap, I suggested to Tonya we try making our own.  Knowing I have dry skin she very ‘helpfully’ sent me a recipe using mayonnaise as the main ingredient.  Uh, thanks Tonya, that’s not gross at all!  (I’m starting to think she’s not too keen on this experiment.)     
 
Skin Type:  Dry
 
Mayonnaise/Olive Oil Facial
 
Ingredients:  2 tbsp Real Mayonnaise, 1 tsp Olive Oil
  
Even though I have a few problems with this recipe (I find mayo disgusting for instance) I decide to give it a try.  It looks simple and easy, and after all Tonya did send me the recipe.  How bad can it be?
 
HORRIBLE.  Mixing two tablespoons of mayonnaise with a teaspoon of olive oil isn’t pretty.  There’s so much fat in that little bowl I begin wonder if it’s possible to gain weight by osmosis.  However, in less than a minute my homemade facial is ready. 
 
I’m at my mom’s house for Thanksgiving and as she walks past the bathroom door she once again expresses her disbelief I’m doing this to my skin.  Encouragement aside, I begin smearing oily mayonnaise all over my face.  I manage to get a good thick coating on before the smell becomes unbearable.  Meanwhile my eyes are starting to burn even though I was very careful to steer clear of the area.  The recipe said to leave it on for 20 minutes.  There’s no way.  I wash it all off with lukewarm water, and ask my mom if I still smell like mayo.  Yes.  Very much so.  About this time my face starts to feel warm.  Hot really.  I rinse again, this time in cooler water.  To my mother, “Still smell?”  
 
“Yes, and I’m not smelling it again.”
 
A pause.
 
“Honey, your face is looking red.”
 
Not just red.  Bright red and the warm sensation has become a full blown burning.  My face looks like a weird sunburn that has been drawn on, with big white circle’s around my eyes and mouth surrounded by red everywhere I applied the facial.  
 
This is horrible.  I am near panic.  Thinking about it now, randomly picking a homemade facial recipe off the internet does not seem like a good idea.  All this time, so careful with my skin only to ruin it with mayonnaise!  As a child I was always the one swimming in a giant T-shirt down to my knees.  These days I won’t go outside for more than 5 minutes without a hat and sunscreen.  I even try to drive palms up in the sun for goodness sake!
 
Since my mom is here I revert back to a hysterical teenager.  I’m screaming, “what do I do, what do I do?” while she helpfully points out the Thanksgiving pictures will be ruined.  (Or hilarious depending on the viewpoint.)
 
Between choking on laughter and I told you so’s, she grabs a bar of all natural glycerin soap and vitamin E caplets.  At this point my face is still burning and now deeper-red splotches have started to appear.  I lightly wash again, then smear sticky vitamin E on my skin.  I feel nauseous, either from mayonnaise poisoning or the thought of walking around with a face that looks like a shiny, red Christmas ornament forever.   
 
I wait.  After 20 minutes it’s not getting any redder and the burning has nearly stopped.  An hour later my mom is certain it’s faded a little, “The spotty red parts are definitely not as bright.”  After nearly two hours I can just make out a red outline around my face. 
 
Pros:  None.
Cons:  Everything.  A possibly permanently disfigured face.  I smell like mayonnaise.
  
The verdict:
Not only will I never, ever use this again, I will probably never use the internet again either.  OK, that last part may be an over reaction.  At least my experience can serve as a warning:  New beauty products should be tested on a small patch of skin on your arm before you cover your entire, possibly allergic-reacting face. 

More info: If you are looking to try your hand at homemade beauty treatments click on the following links:

For acne-prone skin:
The Green Beauty Guide
Livestrong
All Natural Beauty
The Daily Green

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Comments

2 Responses to “Be a Natural Beauty”
  1. Shara Musick says:
    November 23, 2009 at 12:36 pm

    Ummm. I am much more likely to try Tonya’s. Keep it up ladies.

  2. Cristina says:
    March 30, 2010 at 8:49 pm

    Oh my goodness Mecca, you sure know how to make me laugh ! I am glad you are back to be the pretty Mecca we all know ;)

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