Face Hacks

Based on the list I posted last week I was asked to post some of my hacks. Well, without knowing specifically what was wanted I have chosen my LIMITED beauty hacks.

Based on the photo you would assume that I was going to do some baking, but these are what I use to care for my skin. I am missing ground coffee from the image but I will add it in the explanation.

So, I wash my face with sugar. Yup- white sugar. I lather up with a beauty bar and then add a scoop of sugar to my hands and go to town. No, it’s not sticky in any way. Even if it was, you rinse it off in the end. Brown sugar and coconut oil are great as a gentle exfoliant for your lips and quite gentle. (Don’t worry- I’ll include the recipes at the end.) Baking soda and coconut oil works as a microdermabrasion, lemon juice as an astringent, vitamin E is an amazing facial moisturizer and you can’t beat coconut oil as an all-over moisturizer.

Let me break down some of these recipes for you. This is one of my favorites for a morning shower. It will wake you up and make your skin glow.
Coffee Scrub

1 cup coffee grounds

3/4 cup sugar or salt

2tbsp olive or coconut oil

I recommend you do this in the shower because it can be a bit messy. You can use it on your entire body (minus your hair). It softens and exfoliates beautifully. If you are able to keep it on your face for a few minutes it will draw blood to the surface causing fine lines to disappear. The capsaicin in the coffee gets the blood moving which helps with plumping of your skin and wakes you up.

Your skin will appear red when you get out of the shower but it will dissipate quickly. It’s just the capsaicin bringing the blood to the surface.
Baking Soda Microdermabrasion

2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp water

1/8 tsp melted coconut oil

1 drop lavender essential oil (optional)

THIS STUFF IS AWESOME! After I have done a basic wash with soap and sugar I do this. I smear a thin layer over my face and using a facial brush, I work it around all over my face and neck. I focus on my crows feet, laugh lines and forehead wrinkles. The microfibers in the baking soda really do wonders to truly smooth out my skin.

When I’m done and have dried off I coat my face and neck in a thin layer of Vitamin E oil. It will be absorbed by your skin. Not only does it moisturize but it also helps in the healing of any irritations.
Basic Sugar Scrub

3parts sugar (white, brown, or raw)

1 part oil (coconut, olive, or almond)

This is a simple scrub you can use to exfoliate- everywhere. With warmer weather creeping in, this works well to get your arms and legs ready to be seen. Use on your elbows to soften them up a bit.

Here’s a trick my grandmother gave me- lemon juice! Before I crawl into bed a few nights a week I take a cotton ball saturated with real lemon juice and work it around my face and neck. You’ll be shocked by how much grime is still on your face after you shower. Work the cotton ball around really good. Don’t forget your neck! And then take a look at what you removed. Ew! The trick here is to not rinse it off. Let it dry and go to bed. Rinse it off in your morning shower.

• If you have a pimple or boo-boo it will sting but it will also help dry it out.

You don’t want to do hard scrubbing every day. A couple of times per week are plenty. You don’t want to irritate your skin. I have found as I age that doing the facial scrub and microdermabrasion helps keep my face brighter if I do it three times a week. As we age we lose our natural “glow” easier. So, these are just a few helpful hacks to bring back your sparkle.

Sandy M.- This is just one hack in my life. If you have something specific you want to know, just ask and I will do my best to post it.

***If anyone else has questions or ideas of what you would like to see then hit me up in the comments and I will respond. ***

And to answer the questions I’ve gotten- I am close enough to 48 yrs old to slap it in the face. Now you can choose if the homemade ideas work.