My Personal Skincare Routine

So I'll let you guys into my secret world of my skincare routine. Shhhhh! Don't tell anybody. Just kidding! It's really simple, easy, affordable, and best of all natural.
Seven important factors for my beautiful skin:

1. Eating healthier with more whole fruits, vegetables, and grains
2. Exercise (15 minutes of jogging or 30 minutes of walking everyday) This will increase blood and oxygen circulation. Sweating is a great way to rid of toxins. Take dance or sport classes if the gym bores you. Make sure to keep at it since it is much more rewarding to be consistent even if it's for 10 or 15 minutes a day.
3. I drink a lot of water! This will help flush out toxins from my body and improve my overall appearance. I feel better throughout the day.
4. Sauna after a workout for the best results!
5. Tanaka facial massage
6. My own personalized skin care routine
7. This is an easy one! Sleep! 

Most of them are pretty self explanatory and do not need further detail but if you have to know please comment below and I gladly to tell you~! I will get into further detail about 5 and 6 in this blog since there's a lot more that goes on. I will start off with my skin care routine:

My Facial Cleanser:

My homemade cleanser consists of three products: tea tree oil (You can find some great ones from Mountain Rose Herbs), Dr. Bronner's baby mild Castile soap, and lastly sweet almond oil.  Tea tree oil is a natural antiseptic which helps with my acne. This combination is gentle and super cleansing. Keep in mind that every item I mention in this blog should be sensitive enough for all skin types but use discretion and always test them out first before buying or using it.

My Toner:
I also make my own toner but trust me this one is even easier! All you need is good quality green tea and cotton balls.

Put some boiling water into a cup and steep your favorite green tea.

 (I usually use the Mighty Leaf Green  Tea Tropical but I just bought the Yamamotoyama Sencha Green Tea to be a little more adventurous and will definitely let you know more about it in another post)

I drink half of it and put the rest in the fridge to really cool it down. This is usually enough for an entire week's worth of toner. I soak the cotton balls half way and apply it all over my face. This feels absolutely wonderful! The cold will help tighten the skin and minimize the appearance of pores. It's cooling and soothing for my super sensitive face. The green tea is rich in antioxidants that will help neutralize those free radicals. (For those who don't know about free radicals they can damage cells and tissues and antioxidants bonds with those free radicals to prevent them from damage. Click here for a detailed article) My skin feels smooth, supple, and refreshed afterwards. You have to try it!

My Moisturizer:
I used to use the Burt's bees moisturizer for sensitive skin but it was getting too expensive since it is like almost 20 US dollars for a TINY bottle! It did the basic job of moisturizing my face and it didn't have a fragrance which I liked a lot (as perfumes gave me headaches easily). I felt hopeless because I thought I had to spend a lot of money for a really good natural moisturizer. They're not cheap! D:

Then I got the vitamin E oil and I've fallen in love completely! It is easily absorbed into the skin and it is not greasy even for my acne prone cheeks and oily T-zone!! My skin feels baby skin soft. The lid contains a wand to apply on easier if you want.

Be careful though when searching for a vitamin E oil since all brands are not created equal and don't think the more expensive the better either. I learned, that's not always the case. Prior to this one I bought wasn't pure enough since it was diluted with other oils like safflower and grape seed oil. This isn't bad of course but this specific formula made my skin feel too icky, heavy, and greasy. However, please don't let that stop you from buying those! Just make sure to test it out before you buy it on your hand or on the side of the face. I'm sure it works for some people! My advice is to go for more of a pure and organic formula of vitamin E oil. Higher units is fine but I'm sure the lower ones work just as well. The photo listed above is the brand I use which is the Jason Extra Strength Natural 32,000 IUs. One oz (30 mL) runs for approximately 10 dollars. I use a tiny pea size amount and apply it all over my face. Additional benefits of vitamin E oil is that this is also an antioxidant and reduces existing scars and stretch marks. I have acne scars so I am glad there is something like this to address that problem. I want to add other essential oils to this in the future and create a good formula which I will definitely share with you guys in another post.

Sum of all ingredients mentioned:

Dr. Bronner's Baby Mild Castile Soap, Tea Tree Oil, Sweet Almond Oil, Green tea, Cotton balls, Vitamin E Oil. 

Estimated total price is 40 to 47 US dollars. You can find these easily on Amazon.com or at your local natural grocery store. Depending on the price and frequency of use these should last you for months compared to hundreds of dollars spent of cosmetic products at drug stores and malls! Another additional benefit is that you can cross over these products for different things which saves you even more money! All of these are non-toxic since it doesn't contain unfamiliar chemicals that you even can't pronounce. There are more options as you can look for organic versions, cruelty-free, or eco-friendly containers. Or do what I do and recycle all the paper and glass and reuse them in your home or send them appropriately along with your recycled items for trash day. I love recycling! <3

Last but not least, I do the Tanaka facial massage daily which I'll include a link to the YouTube video that I refer to. Click here for the video. There are several different types and the ones I've seen so far have been good. I love doing these massages because they're free, easy, natural, and not time-consuming. I spend about 10 to 15 minutes a day doing this massage. It's a natural way to get youthful looking skin by reducing fine lines, wrinkles and saggy skin. A face lift without the costs! Click here for my "Facelift Without Surgery" blog. I have saggy skin and ever since I started doing these massages recently, I've seen drastic improvement in my face. It really works! You just have to keep doing the massages at least once daily (Try to do it twice daily morning and evening). This also stimulates lymph flow and surfacing of blood and oxygen circulation.

Look at the dramatic difference in this model's face. Like wow! This is the same model in the video I linked for you.

Share some of your secret beauty tips or your daily routine. I would love to hear them!