Ok so I've been trying to keep it as natural as possible lately, and not out of any urge to go organic, but mostly because I am superpoor, and products cost money. So here's my guide to skin/haircare on a budget.
Skincare
I use the OCM method, which is short for oil-cleansing method. Basically, a mix of castor and olive oils, with a few drops of tea tree oil. I rub this over my face at night, then steam off with a clean washrag in hot water. I usually don't have to add any moisturizer at night, but if my face is feeling a little dry, I add a drop of coconut oil to my face.If I need to exfoliate, I do the same thing, I just add sugar to the mix. Once a week, I use a mixture of Bentonite clay, honey, olive oil and water to make a mask that I apply for about 30 minutes and then wipe off and steam. Whats cool is that the oil takes off any makeup (even waterproof), and I am usually left with clean skin :) So far it is working pretty well, my skin looks very glow-y, although my pores are still larger than I want them to be. I don't want to use astringent, mostly because I have naturally dry skin and it always gives me dry spots, even the alcohol-free ones.
Haircare
I use a mixture of honey, tea tree oil and water in a little spray bottle and spritz my hair throughout the day. Honey is a humectant, and it is VERY humid right now in Philadelphia, so it is actually quite moisturizing (and not as sticky as you might think). I usually moisturize with my sheabutter/coconut oil/aloe vera gel mix and then seal with castor oil or olive oil. My hair is kinky so it does not get oily, I only have to shampoo once a week. (any more and my hair will get superdry). I condition with Aubrey Organics HoneySuckle Rose conditioner (best thing EVER), and also sometimes use Bentonite clay to shampoo.
All in all, I think I use like...one commercial product in that whole mix. I would like to use some
more storebought products (like oyin handmade) but I don't really have it in my budget to spend on a bottle that is only 8oz. Usually when one of the things I use run out, it is expensive to replace, but it lasts me for ages. An $8 container of coconut oil lasts me for almost a YEAR, and a halfpound of shea butter almost 6 months. The honey I use is not organic. Its probably better to get something organic but honestly, organic honey is the most expensive thing ever, so forget about that.
Thats it! As the summer passes, I'll stop using humectants and probably straighten more (and also start using more heavy duty facial moisturizers to prevent dry spots) but this is the extent of everything I do right now.
