Sent by Sarah

I never really settled into a solid face care regime. I blame the face that I have been lucky enough to have pretty healthy skin and only occasional breakouts. I only starting taking off my mascara at night my sophomore year of college. I didn't even get into a routine of doing this every single night until my junior year of college. Then last fall, I decided to buy face wash because I had never used it before but wanted to try it out. Previously my face washing consisted of getting it wet in the shower. I am not telling all of this to brag about my "amazing" skin that is still good despite my improper care, I am sharing this to lay the scene of how badly I was treating it.

Well, with an upcoming wedding, I decided it was time to try my hand at making my own beauty products. I had pinned some "recipes" for these years ago but like many Pinterest pins, they were forgotten. I liked the thought of making products at home because it eliminates a lot of the chemicals in them. Over half of this particular exfoliant is edible. I had gone through all my pinned recipes before selecting this one, mainly because of the easy to find ingredients whereas others were calling for more exotic things like lava clay. I like to use this in the mornings.

Why I am using each ingredient:
-coconut oil: "anti-bacterial, anti-viral, anti-fungal, and anti-inflammatory benefits...an incredible moisturizer, it also helps to reduce bacteria associated with acne, infections, and other skin conditions."
- green tea: "antioxidants present in green tea will give you healthy and glowing skin. It acts as a natural, anti-aging ingredient, preventing wrinkles and blemishes."
- vitamin E oil: "the antioxidant nature along with the skin-lightening properties of vitamin E oil makes it the perfect natural anti-aging solution" Also provides moisturizing properties.
- aloe vera gel: anti-inflammatory, anti-microbial,  natural astringent, and natural anesthetic
- sugar: gritty to gently exfoliate and remove dead skin layers


On Wednesday, I am going to share two more DIY facial products!

Ingredients:
- 4 bags of green tea
- 2/3 cup coconut oil, melted
- 1 1/4 cup sugar, mix to your desired consistency - more sugar = more exfoliation
- 2 tablespoons aloe vera gel
- 8 drops vitamin E oil (optional)

Directions:
- Measure out everything and mix it together.


To use:
-Take a small quarter sized amount and scrub on your face. Wash with warm water. The coconut oil will feel oily at first, but your skin will quickly absorb it.

Recipe modified from this Source
Coconut oil references
Aloe vera references
Vitamin E references
Green tea references