Caring for your skin naturally - a rough guide to using natural products on your body

I remember when I first started questioning the choices I made for my body. My skin health.  I was about 26, I had  just transitioned through my first big life change, had survived my first experience of extreme anxiety which resulted in therapy and studying.  

It was during my studies with aromatherapy that I began questioning the impact everything has on our semi permeable skin after all, the skin is our body's largest organ. I started making changes.  I started looking for natural ingredients, researching and analysing ingredient labels. 20 years on, I’m so pleased I questioned my choices as more and more research and information has come to light about just how important it is to question the choices of products we use.   

our home grown veggies

Whole foods, organic products, balanced diet, beauty sleep, exercise, being in nature, reducing stress levels and balancing living and working are essential and certainly the best way to start for a more healthy, natural living!

Caring for your skin naturally and understanding your skin's needs is also an essential aspect to consider for living well. I thought I would share some of my favourite changes that have enabled me to feel more comfortable and safe with what my skin absorbs.

natural nail varnish for little feet

Makeup

Not that I actually wear a lot of makeup, but over the years I have when needed and I switched to natural and organic brands over 20 years ago as I kept questioning what is in these products that our skin is absorbing daily?

Even as my skin is becoming perimenopausal, I still like to avoid wearing too much makeup - it’s a personal choice.  One of the first switches I made was to a non waterproof, natural mascara. I have experimented with many natural mascaras over the years and my current favourite brand is Ilia Beauty.

An ethical, lovely, easy to apply and easily removable mascara that they also sell in a mini size - what a wonderful idea for those of us who don’t wear it daily!

Obviously, I'm a huge fan of natural skincare products, www.lilylolo.co.uk do some lovely natural and breathable mineral makeup and I’m currently using www.seamagik.com BB mineral cream, it’s a great cover up to quickly apply if I’m off out and my hormonal acne has arisen.  Often when my skin is very dry, I put a layer of my own balm on underneath and allow that to soak in before applying the BB mineral cream.

Personally, I avoid most perfumes, have done for years, I often make a little Rose Otto spray or roll on if I fancy it back in my life.  You can just add a few drops of rose to water or a carrier oil (if you want to use a roll on). I think the more time you spend away from perfumes, the more you can recognise the artificial smell of many of them.

Another option to consider is switching to wooden, natural hairbrushes and combs and I use a lovely natural nail varnish brand for both myself and my daughter www.earthynailpolish.com. Also, if you’re looking for natural face paints for your child’s skin, I’ve used Natural Earth Paint for the last couple of years.

our skin balm

Skin care

Natural skin care has developed expansively over the last 20 years. We are seeing much more helpful information nowadays about how to avoid harsh chemicals, more natural and organic ingredients being used in skin care and beauty products which is good news as it's allowed us to really think about our own skincare routine  

I have enjoyed using www.seamagik.com products for years.  I use their pink salt shampoo, conditioner and after trying many, many face creams, I always end up resorting back to their 97% natural rich moisturiser.  It’s full of minerals and vitamins and very affordable and works well on my sensitive facial skin. Honestly, I have tried so many face creams over the years! From very expensive brands to spa brands to various natural brands and always resorted back to the Sea Magik rich moisturiser. It just works for my skin! I’ve made my own face cream too which was a beautiful consistency, smelt divine and worked well on my sensitive skin, but have misplaced the recipe, I intend to find time to rediscover this as it was a lovely texture. My best body cream, I use Jāsön - again I’ve enjoyed these products for years, particular fan of the lavender.

Obviously, if you, like me, get particularly dry skin some days, then a good layer of my own balm helps enormously with restoring some hydration back to the skin. Also, I would like to add that I tend to use my own home blend oil as a cleanser, my skin is very sensitive and using an oil rather than harsh cleansers is definitely a better way to take care of your skin. Also, the less water you can use, the better, as it tends to dry it out more.

For years and years, I have used Aloe Vera suncream on mine and my family’s skin, a lovely natural sun cream.  However, in recent months, I’ve had to make a switch as my skin is changing. As Salma Hayek said earlier this month ‘You have to change your makeup and beauty routine as you get older.  What worked before is not working now’.

So, you have to experiment to find the right product for you, our current favourite suncream is Green People children’s suncream 30 along with my daughter - it’s not causing any adverse reactions and it’s lovely on the skin.

Insect Protection

My skin is extremely chewable, luckily I take it for the team as the rest of my family are not so tasty apparently. When we go on holiday, I make a bug repellant for all of us which we spray over our skin and clothing, in a 100ml bottle full of water, I add drops of citronella, lavender, lemon eucalyptus and peppermint. My daughter wears a little mozzie repellant sticker, you can buy anywhere and I wear an ankle bracelet on my legs, from www.pestects.co.uk, it all seems to work a treat in Mediterranean climes. (However, in tropical climates, I sometimes restort to using deet based products as a deterrent should mozzies be in high concentration, more out of fear as there are so many diseases carried by insects.)

At home, in the UK, if I start getting bitten, I add a few drops of citronella oil in my open window frames as a deterrent. In summer I also wear the pestects bracelet when wearing shorts on a walk, as a tick deterrent, as ticks are prolific where we live.

Massage oil

LOVE to give and receive a massage with my partner to reconnect - very rare to find the time. It’s honestly so simple to just grab some sweet almond oil from your local health shop - this is such a lovely, easy oil to use on the skin.  If you suffer with back pain, adding a few drops of essential oils like lavender, chamomile to the carrier can help ease any discomfort.

Ultimately, I’ve found one of most healthiest ways to live life is to not become imprisoned by strong moral decisions. Many times on my journey towards natural living, I have sacrificed my health and finances when I’ve become too morally obsessed about animals, the environment and ‘healthy living’. Living life in a gentle flow with a basic moral compass swinging towards compassion for ourselves and our planet is easier and kinder on my overall health.

I really hope you have enjoyed the start of my rough guide for finding more natural products to use on your body. My goal is to share my own, long researched and trialled discoveries to help you on your own journey towards living more naturally for your body. The most important thing of course, which is something I'm forever learning, is to love yourself.

I will be doing more posts on natural products for the skin shortly…

Love Gem x