Hey class and Dr. Concilio!
We can’t all have “seemingly” flawless, poreless skin like the Kardasians or any other famous person we see on tv nowadays bc let’s face it, the majority of us are broke college kids. So if you’re like me and have skin that still breaks out or you’re just interested in exploring home-made, eco friendly, and/or toxic-free face products then look no further! This is a very simple two ingredient face scrub I came across while scrolling through Pinterest.
For whatever reason, my skin is constantly broken out with one or more pimples and it suckssssss. For the longest time I used Proactiv which worked but severely dried out my skin because of all the harsh chemicals they put in it. So then I switched to just regular neutrogena face wash and one day I thought “why not try coconut oil?!” I used it for a while in the morning and at night. All you do is massage coconut oil (however much as you please) into your face for 30-45 seconds and then put a hot towel to open up the pores until it’s no longer hot. The first few times I used it I was amazed at how clear my skin and complexion looked! The two main active ingredients found in face washes are either salicylic acid or benzoyl peroxide. Which often times can cause skin to become super dried out like mine did. After doing more research of the other damages skin care products because of the ingredients in them, it’d be nice to say that I was shocked or surprised, but after taking this class and realizing that there are so much more toxic chemicals that are involved into our everyday lives, I actually wasn’t surprised. For the sake of the assignment, some of the harmful ingredients that are in our skin products can include Alcohols and parabens, sodium laurel sulphate, and Diethanolamine– to name a few. These products have been found in other products used for automobile maintenance, but are also used in these products for longer shelf life, or to speed up the rate of absorbance into the skin.
Here are a couple benefits to using coconut oil and coffee:
Coconut oil: antimicrobial, full of antioxidants, very moisturizing. Improves collagen cross-linking, may improve scars and fine lines.
Coffee: rich in antioxidants, stimulates skin and improves blood flow to face (glowing skin!!), increases production of collagen and elastin, and protects against loss of moisture.
SO with all of that being said, I tried a easy 2 ingredient face scrub of organic coffee grounds and unrefined virgin coconut oil. The total cost was about $4 which was for the coffee grounds since I don’t drink coffee. I already had the coconut oil and..well, the face! Ha. All that was needed was ½ tsp of coffee grounds to ½ tsp of coconut oil. While it said only ½ a tsp of coconut oil, I used a whole tsp (preference). Scrub it into your face for about 30-45 seconds and let sit for 10-15 minutes. After, simply rinse off with warm water and pat face dry with a towel. I’d have to say, the scrub really made my face feel softer and I’m most definitely going to use it again. You can do this scrub 3-4 times a week. 🙂
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