How To - Make Your Own Natural Face Wash

I have a problem.

I've always had breakouts, even now that I'm (supposedly) a grown up and I don't really love the idea of spreading tons of chemicals all over my face, plus they've never really worked for me.

Don't get me wrong, no one ever called me Pizza Face in school, but once in college I had a pimple so big and so persistent it adopted its own name. To this day if I run into someone from my college days there's a 50% chance they'll ask me about their old friend Ruthie (the persistent zit). The other half of the time they don't even recognize me without my signature blemish.

So after spending an embarrassingly lot of money on face washes with ingredient lists longer even than my No Natural Ingredients Soda, I decided to try my own.

Here's the deal with washing your face:

1. Face washes you buy in stores work by stripping your face of its own, natural oils causing you to put on moisturizer to combat the tightness and dryness you'd otherwise feel. This also makes your body over produce oil to make up for what it's missing.

2. You get breakouts from dirt, hormones, bacteria, and variety of other foreign bodies that are absorbed by the oils in your skin. The oil sort of raps around these impurities causing breakouts.

3. Oil dissolves oil. We're talking ninja style. Hello oil, bye-bye breakouts.

I know you're thinking Whoa, Oil?! Yeah, oil.

Here's the recipe:

1 Part Olive Oil

1 Part Castor Oil

That's it. Tough, right?

Here's why it’s awesome:

1. Oil dissolves oil. I know I said already, but I just wanted to remind you. The castor oil is the tough cleanser and the olive oil the moisturizer.

2. It's cheap. I usually buy olive oil BOGO so I've always got a stock. You can find castor oil in the pharmacy section of your grocer near the laxatives. I think I paid about $5.

3. It leaves my face feeling so good. Seriously, my face used to feel oily by the time I get home from work at  Not any more. Even my hair is less greasy now that my body's not working overtime to make up for the oil conventional face wash takes away.

4. It only has two ingredients. Just 2. T-W-O. And you know exactly what they both are. It's crazy, I know.

Here's how to do it:

1. Combine the olive oil and castor oil. I but my homemade face wash in an empty, glass salad dressing bottle.

2. Barely moisten your hands. I do this for a little added lubrication.

3. Gently rub the oil mixture on your face. Get it everywhere. It may feel strange at first, but trust me, you'll love it. 

4. Rest a warm, damp washcloth on your face. You're opening your pores and allowing the oil to bring out the dirt.   You've got to leave it there for at least 60 seconds. Longer is better. Enjoy your facial.

5. Gently wipe off the face wash. Viola! You're clean and clear.

I've been doing this for two months and have not seen a break out since I started. It works really well and is super easy and cheap. Try it. Tell me what you think!