So I’m heading to my home town this weekend for a little reunion.
My childhood friend has been wanting to put something together for a long time. I think it’s going to be a lot of fun and there will be many people there that I haven’t seen since high-school graduation.
I’m looking forward to it. But instead of obsessing about what to wear I’m obsessing about my skin.
Every fine line, major line, sunspot and wrinkle has been laughing at me the last few days. But, I decided the joke would be on them so I headed to the beauty store and went straight to the skincare aisle.
Crouching down and practically sitting on the floor I started reading every label of any product that interested me.
Multiple salespeople asked if they could help me. They must have thought I was confused, lol.
And I guess I was because I was questioning why I was there. These products are not going to help me. Most of them, with their parabens, alcohols and toxins, will make matters worse.
But there was one product that gave me an idea.
It was a microdermabrasion product — similar to something I used when I was in my 30s. But I remembered how it made my skin glow at first but then turned it gray after a while because of the chemicals in it. So I stopped using it and never really gave it another thought.
But what I didn’t know then was that I could make something better that wasn’t going to damage my skin.
So I headed to my local grocery store and picked up some sea salt. I chose the mediterranean one because it was unrefined, which means the minerals are still there. You can also use Celtic or Himalayan. Just don’t pick one that’s in a grinder because you will need to be able to pour it out.
Next I took my salt home and put it in my coffee grinder until it looked powdery. I was now ready to head to the bathroom.
I first poured a little bit of my face soap into the palm of my hand and then I added the powdery salt. I mixed it together a little with my fingers and then started to apply it to my face gently using circular motions.
When I felt I had a good application (maybe 2-3 minutes) I rinsed off my homemade microdermabrasion scrub.
When making your own scrub you’ll want to experiment. It can make you feel dry, so you may want to add your moisturizer instead of soap. Also, it’s only recommended that you only do these types of scrubs once a week. You don’t want to damage your skin with too much scrubbing.
If you are a regular reader you know I love exfoliating so I didn’t stop there. I took the remainder of my salt powder into the shower. I happened to have avocado oil in there (you can use whatever you like).
So I put some salt in my hand, added the oil and used the rest for a full body scrub.
If you have oily skin you can also make a toner with sea salt. Mix one teaspoon of sea salt and 4 ounces of warm water into a spray bottle. Let salt dissolve and mist on clean skin once or twice a day. The salt helps balance the oil production, cleans pores and protects the skin against bacteria which will lessen breakouts.
Sea salt is also a great alternative to toothpaste because it contains a natural source of fluoride. Take one part sea salt powder to two parts baking soda for a natural toothpaste. You can even add coconut oil and some peppermint to leave your mouth fresh.
As a precaution, when using any treatment on your face always avoid the eye area. And when using salt, if you have any cuts you might want to wait until they heal. You don’t want to rub salt into your wounds … that’s a saying for a reason; it hurts!!!
As I’m experimenting with ways to use salt I may try Himalayan salt next time. And I’ll be sure to keep you posted.
Have a beautiful weekend.
To a healthy more beautiful you!
Sandy DeRose
