DIY EOS Lip Balm Refill

If you are like me, you are a money pincher and love to try out new D.I.Y projects! A few weeks ago I was staring at my empty EOS lip balm and wondering if there was a way to refill it. I started looking around on Pintrest and the good ol’ internet and found tons of different tutorials and all of them used a different recipe. It didn’t seem to difficult and didn’t take much time at all so I thought, why not? I already had most of the ingredients at my house so it would save me money and I would get to customize it for my own taste! This is not an exact replica of the EOS Lip Balm but it is very close second! I actually like the refill I made more! I know exactly what is in it and can personalize it! If you are interested in making your own EOS lip balm – check out the recipe and instructions below. 

Here is the recipe

One empty, clean EOS container

1 ½ tbsp Carrier Oil (Coconut, Olive Oil, etc)

½ tbsp Cocoa Butter (with jojoba is optional)

6-7 drops of Essential Oils

1 tbsp Bees Wax

(I got mine from Sprouts for 50 cents and have a ton left over to make a lot more EOS lip balm refills!)

This is the recipe that I used and I ended up with a perfect blend of oil and wax. If you prefer a little drier feeling like chapstick rather than lip balm try adding a little more bees wax and a little less carrier oil. If you want, you can mix the carrier oils as long as you don’t go over 1 and ½ tablespoons. I really like coconut oil for mine but since my sister is allergic I did a mixture of extra virgin olive oil, coco oil, and jojoba oil. Play around with the flavors by using different essential oils! In my first refill I used only peppermint oil but I am very excited to try lemon, tangerine, and lavender! Make sure you are using essential oils that are ingestible (can get the ones I use here)! Even though you won’t be ingesting the lip balm it will be on your lips so you want to use top grade oils.

Preparing your EOS container

-          First things first, you have to take apart your EOS container so it is in three pieces. I got needle nose pliers and pulled the middle piece out of the bottom piece and then washed all pieces really well!

-          After cleaning the three pieces, screw the middle piece into the top piece

After Top/Middle Piece has been put together

3 pieces taken apart and clean

Making your lip balm

-          Combine carrier oil, cocoa butter, and bees wax into a glass bowl

-          Grab a pan or microwave safe bowl and add water to it

-          Place glass bowl with oil and wax mixture into the bowl with the water in it (make sure the water level is not high enough to get into the oil/wax mixture) and heat

o   The use of two bowls ensures slow and even mixing so you won’t burn anything

-          Stir while heating until the mixture is completely melted and mixed together

-          If you want to add some tint to your lip balm, grab some lip stick and cut off a small section and mix until you get even color throughout the mixture

-          Remove from the heat and add in your essential oils

-          Pour mixture while it is still warm (be careful!) into the EOS top/middle piece you put together earlier. I ended up putting the top/middle piece into a small container and stuffed a paper towel in the edges to keep it upright so it wouldn't tip over

-          Place the top/middle piece with the lip balm mixture in the freezer for one hour

-          After freezing for an hour, take out the top/middle piece and screw it onto the bottom piece until you hear a click. Then remove the top piece like you normally would and wala! You have a perfectly formed new EOS lip balm!

That’s it! This only took me about 10 minutes to do the entire process (minus the freezing part!) and it hardly cost me anything! I love my EOS lip balm refill! It has lasted me a long time and works really well! I hope that you guys have lots of fun creating great new flavors! Let me know what you try and what you like!!

“Encourage yourself, Believe in yourself, Love yourself”

My Personal Acne Routine

My Acne Journey -

Last April, I walked out of the doctor’s office in tears. I had just been told that my devastating skin condition was nothing more than a “minor irritation” that could only be cured through Acutane or other harsh chemical treatments. Last April, I once again had my hopes of clearer and healthier skin crushed with another dead end. Last April, I decided that enough was enough. I would no longer sit there and let someone else tell me what my skin was going to be and how I should treat it. Last April, I decided to take matters into my owns hands. And now, a year later, I am so incredibly happy that I did.

After that devastating appointment, and a good cry in the car, my sister and I decided that we would research the skin and figure out a way to help my condition in a healthier and gentler way. We figured at this point, there was nothing to lose. So that night I said a prayer asking for guidance and inspiration on a way to treat my skin and the next morning we began our adventure into the land of skin and essential oils. And I am so grateful that we did. Now a year later, I have the best skin I have had since I was in my early years of middle school. I no longer feel the incessant need to cover my skin with copious amounts of makeup or avoid my own reflection because I hated what I saw. Now I am comfortable and in love with my skin! And I have grown to love and appreciate me as I am! Flaws and all. And now, I would like to share my experience with you.

I know how hard it can be to deal with skin like this. To hate looking in a mirror. To look at others with jealousy and think, if only I could have the skin they did. I know what it’s like to hide beneath makeup scared of what others would think if they saw you. So I hope by sharing this with you, you can gain more confidence in yourself. That you can grow to love yourself again. So here it goes. I hope that what worked for me will work for you! But please remember, that no matter what, you are beautiful and loved for exactly who you are! Please, don’t hate yourself like I did. Understand we all have our struggles and they don’t make us any less beautiful! Getting clearer skin won’t help your self-love. That can only come from you.

My Road to Clearer & Healthier Skin

When I first started researching the skin, there was SO much information it was hard to figure out where to start! My four step plan was as follows: 1. Change Diet, 2. Get rid of all unneeded/nasty facial products, 3. Find a facial cleanser and moisturizer that worked with my skin type, and 4. Get Essential Oils. The Essential Oils were a BIGGIE in helping me get clearer skin! If I were to go back and only do one thing, the essential oils would be it.

Clean Eating & Water

So first thing I did was I changed my diet to include less sugars and started drinking a lot more water and cleaner foods! You can check out the science behind drinking more water here, but suffice it to say that water is a super detoxer. It helps to flush out your system of nasty toxins that could be making your acne worse. It also helps to nourish the cells and encourage growth which helps to heal and get rid of acne. It’s amazing how much better your skin is when it is getting all the proper nourishment it needs. When it is getting nourished, it is actually getting the ingredients it needs to promote healing and health!

Cleansers, Moisturizers, & Toners

Second, I went through all my facial products and pretty much got rid of all of them! When I started going through the ingredient, I was shocked to see how many of my products had unnecessary additives and harsh chemicals in it! Trust me, the more additives and such in it, the more irritating and harsh it is on your face. For me, I had to be even more careful because most products are based on coconut oils. Now for most people coconut oil is amazing! Seriously, if you can you should be incorporating this baby into your skin routine (see the coconut cleansing method here). It has a lot of amazing medicinal properties and has made a huge difference in a lot of my friend’s skin! However, I am terribly allergic and one trip down the road was enough for me! That is actually what triggered my first round with this cystic acne. It was terrible! So please, make sure you are looking in your products for any food allergies etc. You don’t want to do what I did and make it worse by adding an allergic reaction into the mix! I personally went to my local Sprouts and started reading the back of the bottles and googling all the ingredients I didn’t know. There were so many products that had coconut oil or a derivative of coconut oil that it took me a long time to find a cleanser that worked. I found that there were a couple of cleansers that were based in citrus fruits and other oils (grape seed, jojoba, almond, etc.) that I could use that would still break down all of the dirt and makeup that inevitably ends up in my pores. I eventually found a facial wash called “NOW” and another one that was “Simply Organic” that worked pretty well. I personally avoided “acne washes” because I wanted to stay away from products that had drying reagents or other acids in them. Since I was adding oils to my routine, I didn’t need the acids and oil diminishing products.

After going through the struggle of finding a cleanser that I could use, I made some cleansers of my own so I could control exactly what was going on my skin. One that I really liked were our DIY Make Up Remover Wipes. And I made sure to wash my face EVERY morning and EVERY night! Without fail! This is so incredibly important! You should try to make sure you are removing the dirt and oil/sebum from your face to prevent further breakout as well as irritation of the acne that is already there! And don’t “scrub” your face! You should wash thoroughly but gently otherwise you can make the acne worse because of the added irritation. And if you have open acne, DO NOT USE an exfoliator! Seriously, those tiny little apricot chunks or whatever exfoliator they use will get into the open acne, collect the bacteria, and then spread it to other areas on your face which can cause new breakouts. So avoid those until they have closed up! And it might take a couple of tries before you find a cleanser that you love and that works with your skin. Give it a month before you switch but if you don’t notice any change in your skin (keep in mind your skin won’t clear up magically in a month) then you can try switching to a new cleanser. Feel free to comment below if you would like further recommendations on cleansers. I’d love to share some more that my sister and I have found over the years that have worked for us! Kaydie has found a lot of success with coconut milk cleansers as well as the coconut cleansing method.

After finding a good cleanser, getting a good moisturizer was the next step! Please, do not skip out on a moisturizer! I know it can be a little counter intuitive to add oil to your skin when over production of oil could be the cause of your acne but this is so important! When your body is producing that much oil, it is because it thinks it needs to. And when you take away moisture and/or add in “acne washes” that strip your face of its natural oils, the body thinks it needs to produce even more. And so goes the vicious cycle. But when you are supplying your face with moisturizer, it eventually adjusts and produces less oil! So do not skip out on this! Again, some people I know found great success in coconut oils or other products based on coconut oils but for me I had to think a little outside of the box. I knew I wanted a good moisturizer but I wanted to make sure that what I was putting on my face was good for it and promoted healthy skin. So after a ton of research, I found that aloe vera lotion and Jojoba or Cocoa oil worked great! You can find these at pretty much all of your local super markets, but again be careful! Make sure to check that ingredient list! You are looking for products that are pretty much 100% quality. When I got my cocoa oil, I made sure the back of the list only included the good stuff. The one I got was from Sprouts and it had rosemary oil incorporated into it but other than that it was 100% cocoa oil so I knew it wouldn’t aggravate my skin or have other components that could potentially make my skin worse. This, just like the cleanser, can take time to find the right one. Personally, I don’t like really runny moisturizers but I do love having an oil that I can put on my face and allow it to soak in while I sleep. So try a couple and see which one you like the best. Again, if you have any questions or want more recommendations, comment below or contact us!

Essential Oils

Now for the biggie. The one that if I were to do it all over again and only do one thing from my list, it would be adding essential oils into my routine. This was my game changer. After one night of this, I noticed a change right away! Not necessarily in the way my skin looked but in the way my skin felt. The first night I started the oils, I used Melaleuca (aka – Tea Tree Oil), Lavender, and Sandalwood. Up until this point, my skin was so bad that my entire face was one giant bruise. There was so much inflammation and open acne, my skin literally hurt. It was bad enough that I would ice it at night to help alleviate some of the pain and inflammation. After using those three oils, I woke up the next morning and the bruised feeling was gone. I can’t tell you what a relief that was. It was then that I knew that I had found what I needed – that God had guided me to the right solution. From there I used oils every single night and morning after I washed my face. I would adjust it as my needs changed but I tried to never miss it. In the beginning, to help with the allergic reaction and bacterial infection, I used Melaleuca. This baby is pretty much anti-everything so it helped to fight my current infection while helping to ward off future ones as well. That isn’t to say that more breakouts didn’t happen, but it did help. Lavender was another one I used pretty much all year. Lavender is so soothing and is a great anti-inflammatory oil so it helped reduced the pain from the acne as well as the inflammation and redness. Sandalwood is very similar. I could go on forever about all of the different oils I used but it would take another five pages I’m sure. However, Google was my best friend during this journey. I would be on there for hours researching all the different oils and how they could help me with my symptoms. That is one thing I loved about this. The oils were so customizable and if I couldn’t use one due to an allergy or I didn’t have it, there were others listed that could help with the same symptoms. My main source for oils was Doterra since they gaurentee there oils are 100% pure and they had tons of information for me as well. I also liked that they only collect there oils from places where it is optimally grown and that they test every oil for pureness before it is shipped out. So I never had to worry about there being additives or other things in it like I did for the Now oils etc. Currently, I am using Doterra’s HD Clear Blend to help me reduce the scarring since it has lemon oils as well as a ton of others that help increase blood flow and lighten the skin. Depending on your symptoms and what stage your acne is (open/closed, bacterial/hormonal, etc) different oils will help. So make sure to do your research! And I am more than happy to help you find the oils that you need! Just comment below or send us a message! At this point, I know so much about all of the different oils! And I’d love to share that knowledge with you!

Along with the oils, I also incorporated homemade mask into my routine every Friday. Sometimes, if I found I had the time, I would do a mask a few times a week. As long as you find that your skin isn’t getting irritated, you can do masks more frequently. I really liked the Bentonite Clay Mask (great for pulling out toxins from the skin), the Honey Cinnamon Nutmeg Mask (great for lightening scars as well as its anti-bacterial properties), the Super Mud Mask (this is the do all mask! Great for detoxing, soothing, and moisturizing the skin), and the Avocado/Banana Mask (great for moisture and its soothing effect). You can find a lot of recipes and DIY tutorials on Pinterest! That is where Kaydie and I found a lot of these! Mask are a great way to give the skin a little extra umph! And just like the essential oils, you can cater the masks to your needs. During the beginning, I did a lot of the anti-bacterial masks to help fight off the initial infection. I can’t tell you how many times I watched TV while wearing the honey mask and a bandana to catch the “drips”! Once I noticed the acne starting to get a little better, I incorporated detoxifying masks to help pull the toxins from my skin and fight off further breakouts. That was when I also started to experiment in the kitchen a bit more and started making my own masks! We pretty much had a joke going that if anything ended up in the fridge in a mason jar, it was a eat at your own risk type of deal. That was actually how I found the avocado mask!

Last Words of Advice

            I do want to include some pieces of advice that I discovered along the way. The first one is so incredibly crucial! If you can, and I know it’s hard, but please do not pick at your acne! This is so terrible for spreading the acne as well as causing some nasty scars known as “ice picks”. These scars are very hard to get rid of and come directly from picking at your face! Red and purple scaring will fade and go away but the ice pick scars take a really long time and have a good chance of never going away! So prevention is key! Do whatever you have to do to keep yourself from picking at your acne. My sister actually helped me with this because I was a subconscious picker. If I touched my face and felt the acne, no matter what I would do I would inevitably find myself picking or scratching at my face. Whenever Kaydie would see me doing this she would bring it to my attention and tell me to stop. Sometimes she would lightly hit my arm to kind of “jolt” me out of my subconscious picking! And it really did work! And it made a huge difference because now I am really only dealing with the purple/red marks instead of a whole bunch of ice pick scars.

         

             The last piece of advice I can give you is to find your support group. Along the way, you are going to have setbacks and bad days. Those will be the hardest. Those were the days that I came home and cried because I was so frustrated that I had another breakout or I wasn’t seeing enough progress. It was those days that having my mom or Kaydie’s support made such a difference! I can’t tell you how many times Kaydie stood with me in the bathroom mirror telling me how much of an improvement she saw and that she could tell my skin was getting better. Or helping me to look at my weekly progress pictures and point out where I had clear spots that weren’t there before. And they were always quick to remind me that no matter what, I was still beautiful exactly as I was – acne and all. And with their continued support and love I never gave up on my skin! It is so easy to get down on yourself but this type of treatment takes time. I am so sorry to say this, but you will not have clear skin in three days let alone a couple of months. It takes time and dedication and if you are doing this by yourself, that can be extremely hard. So, even though it might be tough, ask a friend or family member for help. Ask them to be a part of your support group. Someone you can call on those bad days who can help you not give up! I would never have gotten to the point I did without all of my friends and family backing me up. It is mainly because of them that a year later, I am almost completely healed. They kept me going.

           

            And that’s my story. Pretty simple. Definitely doable. And I hope that this has inspired you to start your own journey! I hope that this is the solution you are looking for. And I hope you find success as I have. And thank you for being so kind to me. Having your support in this has made a huge difference! And I hope that I can return the favor to you. Please feel free to contact me with your questions and concerns. I will do my best to find the answers for you. Good luck my friends!

“Encourage yourself, Believe in yourself, Love yourself”

Milky Piggy Carbonated Bubble Clay Mask Review

I am constantly looking for new (and cheap!) beauty products that are not only good for you but fun to do! The more entertaining the process, the more likely I am to do it consistently! Which brings me to this little beauty -

Say “Hello” to the Milky Piggy Carbonated Bubble Clay Mask by Meme Box. This thing is jam packed with awesome nutrients and ingredients to increase your skins health and natural beauty! It provides pore cleaning and black head removal and is SUPER addicting! I have absolutely no problem doing this mask once a week! And this is a great choice for when you find that you don’t have the time to do DIY Masks.

So what makes this mask so special? Why is it currently my favorite? Let’s start with the fact that this is no ordinary face mask! This baby bubbles up as it is exposed to oxygen giving you a unique experience as the mask foams! That's right - it FOAMS! I'm talking like crazy foams! Not only can you feel this mask pulling out all of the impurities as the bubbles massage your skin but you can see it! I'm telling you, this is strangely addicting! You have to try it to see for yourself (and it doesn't hurt its 100% guaranteed right???). And it is so easy to use! Just apply, foam, massage, and rinse!

My skin always looks so smooth and glowy when I'm done. And it is SO soft! I love it! Do you have a favorite mask? Share below! 

Ingredient Magic-

Now for those interested in the science! Let's talk about some of the awesome ingredients that they have included in this mask! You can find the whole list of ingredients here but for our purposes, I am going to highlight a few!

      1. White Clay (Kaolin)

Kaolin is a naturally occurring clay substance that is able to absorb the waste products of organism cells such as chemical waste, toxins, and dead epidermis cells while promoting skin regeneration, hydration, purification, and detoxification.

      2. Green Tea Extracts

Green tea extract is naturally rich in antioxidants and Methylxanthines, which protects the skin from the damaging effect of free radicals and stimulates skin microcirculation promoting overall skin health. Green Tea is also known to help reduce wrinkles by inhibiting collagenase which breaks down collagen which helps the body to maintain a firm and elastic skin. It is also a well-known for its anti-inflammatory properties which can be very soothing for acne prone skin.

      3. Charcoal Powder (Activated Charcoal)

Activated charcoal is great for the skin because it pulls bacteria, poisons, chemicals, dirt and other micro-particles to the surface of skin. Then you wash all those nasty particles down the drain helping you to achieve a smooth complexion while fighting off acne. If you want to know more about the science behind how this works, go visit our Bentonite Clay Mask Tutorial here.

     4. Lavender, Peppermint, and Chamomile Flower Extracts

Lavender soothes occasional skin irritations.

Monarda Didyma is a gentle, yet, powerful anti-infectious agent, especially viral which can help with bacterial infections that can cause acne.

Peppermint gives antiseptic and antimicrobial properties and helps to cool and brighten the skin (reducing the appearance of scars). Peppermint oil can also aid in oil secretion and prevent clogging of pores which helps to prevent acne outbreaks.

Chamomile Flower has a calming effect on the skin and a TON of other chemical properties! It is sudorific which helps to remove toxins and agents that cause infections. It is an antiseptic, antibiotic, disinfectant, bactericidal & vermifuge. This is huge in helping keep the skin healthy by killing infectious agents that might cause irritation and breakouts! It also has anti-inflammatory properties which can be very soothing for acne prone skin.

“Encourage yourself, Believe in yourself, Love yourself”

D.I.Y. Glam Glow Super Mud Mask

I think is by far one of our best money savers to date! If you go to Sephora or Glam Glow’s website you will find that 1.02 ounces of their Glam Glow Super Mud will cost you $69.00! Yikes! I don’t know about you but this girl over here on a college student salary cannot afford spending $70 for a jar that would last me a handful of applications. I decided to do some research and I am so glad that I did! This DIY Glam Glow Super Mud Inspired Mask only cost me $20 and I have TONS of leftovers to make A LOT more!

Now first of all, I want to make sure that everyone knows that this is not an exact replica of the Glam Glow Super Mud Mask but an inspired one. However, I have used both masks and find that this one is very similar! It is for men and women and helps fight breakouts, discoloration, white and black heads, razor bumps, and in grown hair. No wonder they call it Super Mud!!

Here is the recipe

          - 1/4 cup Aztec Secret Bentonite Clay
          - 2 drops Eucalyptus Essential Oil
          - 2 drops Peppermint Essential Oil
          - 9 capsules of Activated Charcoal
          - 1 tablespoon Carrier Oil
          - 1 tablespoon Aloe Vera Gel
          - 2 oz Chamomile Herbal Tea
          - Optional
                    *2 drops lemon essential oil
                    *2 drops melaleuca essential oil

Instructions 

- Begin steeping one chamomile tea bag in 2 oz of hot water
- If your choice of carrier oil is unfractionated coconut oil – melt 1 tblsp
- Combine activated charcoal and bentonite clay in a non-metal bowl and mix together

- Add in aloe vera gel and carrier oil and mix (will look like pebbles)
- Add in essential oils and chamomile tea
- Mix until the mixture gets a creamy consistency

After Essential Oils and Tea

Before Essential Oils and Tea

Using your DIY Super Mud

Before applying your DIY super mud, make sure you have a clean face! This is not a cleanser, this is a mask so you want to make sure that your pores are nice and clean and open before using. Apply until you have a good layer of the mud all over your face (minus the eye area) and leave for 15-30 minutes. If you don't want to wait that long just wait until the mask dries. I have found that the charcoal likes to stick in my pores so I like to exfoliate afterwards but that is optional. I know that it takes some extra time but let me tell you – it is worth it! After using this mask my skin feels refreshed, clear, moisturized, and brighter! Its awesome! 

“Encourage yourself, Believe in yourself, Love yourself” 

DIY Sugar Scrubs

I love DIY projects! There is just something so gratifying about making something from scratch that is personalized to you. Which is why you will see so many DIY projects on this page! There is so much you can do for your health from your own home! Which brings me to today's Bellissime Sorelle DIY project - Sugar Scrubs!

I swear by these! I love being able to tailor them to my specific needs! It only takes about 10 minutes to make them and they last for weeks! Plus, they are cheap and so insanely good for you!

Ingredients

1 Cup Carrier Oil of your Choice

1 Cup Granulated Sugar

10-15 drops of Essential Oils of your Choice (combined)

Depending on the container you have, you might want to make a smaller amount of scrub! For my little mason jar, I do a 1/2 cup of carrier oil and a 1/2 cup of granulated sugar. Just make sure to do equal parts of sugar and oil and leave a little room at the top of you container so you can mix it well before each use!

Directions-

     Step 1 -  Combine equal parts of your carrier oil and sugar in a bowl.

     Step 2 - Add your choice of essential oils! This is the best part! You can mix and match different        oils depending on your needs. Need some ideas? See the bottom of the post for some of our

     favorite combos. All of oils together should come out to 10-15 drops (don't do 10-15 drops per 

     oil!)

     Step 3 - Store in an air tight container to prevent mold. Make sure the container is made of glass
     as plastic will absorb the essential oils you put in.

That's it! So easy right? And as long as you prevent water from getting into your container as much as possible and keep the lid on when not in use, this scrub can last for weeks! Just leave in the shower and you'll always have a great exfoliater within reach!

Comment below with your favorite combos! We'd love to see what you come up with!

Sugar Scrub Combo Ideas-

Here are some of my favorite Sugar Scrub combos! Happy mixing my friends!

     1. Lemon and Lavender

     2. Wild Orange and Peppermint

     3. Rosemary, Lemon, and Peppermint

     4. Orange and Ylang Ylang

     5. Lemon, Wild Orange, Lime, and Grapefruit

Don't know where to get essential oils? Our favorite brand is Doterra. You can check out their essential oils here.

“Encourage yourself, Believe in yourself, Love yourself”

2016... We've been waiting for you!

I know it has been a long time (yikes!) since we have had an update! So first, we want to apologize for our absence and let you know that we have so much more in-store for this blog! And we have some great posts coming! But before we can get to that, I wanted to take this time to fill you in on the happenings of our lives! And let me tell you, we have some BIG news!

We will officially be college graduates as of December 2016! That’s right, we have ONE more semester until we are done with our Undergraduate education and then it’s off to Medical School!! So as you can imagine, life has gotten a bit hectic as we are preparing for this transition and finishing out strong at CMU. However, we haven’t forgotten you guys and have quite a few new posts to share! And I think you are going to love them!

So keep an eye out this Spring Break for some new product reviews, DIY skin care projects, and so much more! And leave some comments below on things you would specifically like to see! Do you want more DIY projects revolving around beauty care? Do you want to see more product reviews? Are there problem areas you find you’re struggling with right now? Let us know! That way we can continue to cater this more towards your needs!

“Encourage yourself, Believe in yourself, Love yourself”

DIY Makeup Remover Wipes

          I am sure that all of you have insanely busy lives! Between work, school, parenting, grocery shopping, house cleaning, driving, and so much more we are exhausted by the end of the day! I know that I am! By the time I get home I am so tired that I get my studying done for the day and immediately jump into bed – not even thinking about taking the energy to wash my makeup off first! It is so bad for your skin! If your skin could talk, you would hear, “Save me! Save me from the makeup, sweat, dirt, and who knows what else that has managed to crawl up into these pores!” As we go through our day our skin builds up a layer of oil, dead skin cells, makeup, dirt, sweat, and bacteria! When we skip washing our face at the end of the day, we are allowing all of those things to settle deep into our pores creating larger pores, breakouts, and dull skin. You can bet that the next morning after forgetting to wash my face there will be some brand new blemishes!

In an effort to get myself to wash my face in the evening when I don’t have the energy to go through the process of washing and exfoliating (also important! I will be doing a blog post on that soon!) I purchased some makeup remover wipes. I’m sure that you have figured out what a life saver makeup remover wipes can be! I normally buy the cheap pack of equate makeup remover wipes. It’s a pretty good deal – you get around 160 wipes for $5 when they do the 2 for 1 deal. The only problem? The ingredient list is like size 4 font and around a paragraph long and filled with words you can’t pronounce let alone understand. And to be honest, a lot of my makeup ends up staying on my face and in my pores afterwards and my skin feels tight and dry. This is a pretty good sign that these wipes were not breaking down the layer of oil on top of my skin in order to get into my pores and really clean my face.

So one day I was on Pinterest and I saw a post for making your own makeup remover wipes and I was intrigued. These wipes were perfect! Just 3 natural ingredients and you have the perfect makeup remover or toning cloths! They are perfect for all skin types and completely customizable!! How cool is that!? The mixture that I made and have been using has proven to be very soothing and refreshing! I have used them as a complete makeup remover and as a toner and I love it!!! They are great at cleansing but are still gentle! Another thing I love – the cloths are reusable! Good for the environment too!

Like I said, this recipe is very customizable! Below is an ingredient list and directions but know that you get to choose what goes in! This is great for those of you with certain allergies because you control everything that goes into your own DIY Makeup Remover Mixture! *** Please know that it is important to either research or consult with someone who uses essential oils daily to make sure that the oils of your choice can be used together! Some oils are not meant to be mixed together! ***

Ingredients
 2 cups of your base of choice
 1-2 tablespoons of your oil(s) of choice
Around 5 drops of essential oil #1
Around 5 drops of essential oil #2
1 Microfiber cloth
1 small mason jar or container with lid

Directions

          Step 1: Make sure your jar or container is clean! We don’t want bacteria growing in our mixture! Cut the microfiber cloth into small squares (I cut mine into 2x2 inch squares) and stack in the middle of the jar or container. I personally like to stack them sideways so that it is easier to grab one - way at the end you don't have to reach the bottom of the jar to get a cloth. I forgot to take a picture before adding in the mixture so make sure to only put the microfiber cloths in for this step.

         Step 2: In a separate bowl, add 2 cups of your base of choice. I would recommend using water (boiled or distilled), aloe vera juice/water, or rose water. These are great! I used boiled water for the first batch of makeup remover cloths I made but I am very excited to try the aloe vera water next time!! I recommend boiling water if you do not want to purchase distilled water to purify it first.

         Step 3: Add 1-2 tablespoons of your choice of oil into the bowl with the base. I used two tablespoons of coconut oil. You can use jojoba oil, castor oil, extra virgin olive oil, vitamin e – pretty much any oil that was discussed in the oil cleansing method which you can find here. Everyone’s skin is different as well as their preferences. I personally LOVE the coconut and jojoba oil but find jojoba oil to be pretty expensive while coconut oil is not.

         Step 4: Add in your essential oils. Remember to do your research first and make sure that the oils you choose can be mixed together. Also keep in mind that some oils are more expensive than others! I chose to put in lemongrass and melaleuca oil.  Here is a list of oils and their benefits for skin. This is not a complete list, there are tons of oils that have great benefits for your skin – this is a just a selection of some of those. 

• Carrot seed oil – helps to smooth skin and increase cellular rejuvenation which can help with lightening scars and improving overall skin tone.
• Frankincense oil – is antibacterial and anti-inflammatory which is great for acne prone skin! It also helps to decrease pore size, even out skin tone, and hydrate skin.
• Geranium oil – helps to regulate oil production and reduce acne breakouts. It also helps to increase elastin production and blood circulation which helps to improve overall skin quality.
• Lavender oil – helps to increase cellular rejuvenation and smells amazing! It is great for using in the evening to help you relax.
• Lemon/Lemongrass oil – is a natural astringent and antibacterial which again is great for acne prone skin! It also helps with evening out skin tones and lightening scars.
• Myrrh oil – benefits aging skin and has anti-inflammatory properties that will aide in improving overall skin quality.
• Neroli oil – great for oily, sensitive, and mature skin! Helps improve cellular rejuvenation and has antiseptic properties.
• Tea Tree/ Melaleuca oil – one of the commonly used essential oils for acne prone skin. It has antibacterial properties and helps to regulate oil production.
• Ylang Ylang oil – helps to control oil production and minimize acne breakouts. It also increases cellular rejuvenation and helps to increase elastin production which increase skin quality.

         Step 5: Stir well and then pour over cloths in jar or container until the liquid just barely reaches the top of the cloths (you want to be able to reach a cloth without having to stick your hand into the liquid and contaminating it). You might have to squeeze out some of the liquid (I did) so make sure to wash your hands before sticking your fingers into the jar and squeezing out the excess liquid. 

That’s it! I let mine sit over night before using them because I really wanted the cloths to have time to soak up all of the goodies in the mixture!! You can choose to store it at room temperature or in the refrigerator (great for those who like a little “cooling” action in their skin care routine). Like I said earlier, you can use these strictly for removing makeup and/or as a toner. I love using one of these right after I get out of the shower because my pores are nice and open and it is so rejuvenating and energizing! When you use it as a makeup remover or toner – be careful around your eyes! You do not want to get this in your eyes – it will burn! Just warning you!  

Look how much makeup came off just on one side of this little square!!! Told you they worked! 

Of course, please let me know how you are liking your new DIY Makeup Remover Cloths! I promise you – you are going to love them! They are so cheap and easy to make and make such a drastic difference for your skin! Let me know if you have any questions!

“Encourage yourself, Believe in yourself, Love yourself”