Love, light, and a little face scrub

My beautiful mess is a mix of all the things. As I explore and discover my life I get excited about what I've found out and want to share it with you!

So I start my first blog (ever) with an introduction to me... and then my most recent, DIY discovery to find an awesome, natural face scrub that wouldn't cost me a zillion dollars or be harmful to the environment! I get super excited when I can recreate products in my kitchen, and I think you'll appreciate this too!

But first since we don't know one another, here I am!

I'm a closet nerd/PhD student, fitness fan, yoga lover, homemade homemaker, renovation renegade, makeup junkie, neat freak, who has been determined to avoid social media... until now. I love my husband, my hair,  the gym and pink lipstick ( sometimes going to the gym in pink lipstick because, well, why the heck not). I love to recreate delicious things in my kitchen, travel everywhere and anywhere and spend time with my family. I've never met a cheese I didn't love, and find the world is so full of interesting things, I struggle to find favorites and instead I just love. So, this is me!

Now, on to the goods!

I have a love/hate relationship with my skin. I had PERFECT skin when everyone else had teenage acne, I never needed foundation or cover up and then I turned 24. It's like my teenage years realized they didn't torture me and have now come back like the ghost of Christmas past. Fast forward 3 years and I have tried what feels like every acne product ever. They just don't work for me! Typically, they lull me into a false sense of security for a few weeks and then BAM! Teenage face is back. Enter vicious cycle of trying to treat acne covered skin, but wanting to cover it up, but it being too dry to cover up, then having to wash the makeup off with more face wash that re-irritated my skin.

What. The. Heck?

I decided to give up on over the counter, or prescription treatments because they were making my skin red, tender and crazy dry! I forfeited my huge haul of treatments and did some (ok, A LOT) of research and have found some awesome, natural products that have cleared my skin up, saved me a ton of money and given me an excuse to make a big mess in my kitchen all in the name of beauty!

Today's recipe is to make a face scrub/ mask inspired by Lush Cosmetics Angel's on Bare Skin. Lush makes awesome, crushworthy products, but I was looking to do a version that was entirely natural. As such, I recommend making small batches because it can go bad if you leave it to sit. I chose to use bentonite clay because I was looking for a more active way to use my clay other than just the very tight mask it is typically used for. By incorporating it into this scrub, I am able to use it as a scrub and then leave it on while I shower, do laundry, pretend to be a Ninja Turtle etc and get a 2-for-1 from one, natural, homemade product. I won't say I am lazy, buttttttt I do love a product that does double duty.

Without further ado: Dr. P's Mud Man Scrub and Mask.

You will need:

1/3 cup bentonite clay (I got mine here)
⅓ cup ground almonds/ almond flour ( You can order the flour, or you can grind almonds yourself. I've done both and I prefer the almond flour because of the consistent size. But, if you have an awesome food processor, go for it on your own. Be careful not to overprices or you will make almond butter which is delicious but not great for this recipe. )
4 TBSP raw honey to form a crumbly "dough" ( I've used a lot of honey in a lot of beauty recipes, and I'm favoring this one at the moment. ~Tip~ If you use a little bit of almond or jojoba oil in the measuring spoon before you put the honey in, the honey will slide right out instead of sticking to the spoon!)
2-3 TBSP Apple Cider Vinegar: 2 TBSP will give you a more crumbly scrub whereas 3 will give you a more mask-like consistency.  (I buy a few bottles at a time because ACV is awesome for your complexion and your hair, but also has benefits when taken internally. I got mine here)

*Optional* Tea Tree Oil, Grapefruit Oil and any other oil you like for your skin or for scent. Tea Tree oil is a great antiseptic and kills acne. Grapefruit oil is also awesome for your skin and helps the scrub smell less earthy- it doesn't bother me but my husband doesn't really like it, so Grapefruit Oil it is. I use this Tea Tree oil and this Grape Fruit oil.

I do all the below steps inside a quart-size sandwich bag to keep it neat and for storage purposes for any extra that doesn't fit in the container.

• Add the bentonite and the almond flour together. 

• Add the honey to the dry ingredient mixture one TBSP at a time. ( If you make pie, the "dough" looks like pie dough does before you add the water in)

• Add oils if you decide to
• Add the ACV and smush together 

• You can either store this in the plastic bag, sealed tight in between uses or you can put it in a nice looking jar or container, that seals tightly.

To use:

1. Wet face
2. Grab a quarter-sized blob of Mud Man and add water to your palm until the dough spreads into a paste between your hands. 
3. Scrub! 
4. You can either rinse right away or leave it on for awhile. Since I leave the bentonite mask on for 20-30 minutes, I usually leave the Mud Man on for that long.

Happy Scrubbing!

Love and Light

- Dr. P