For over a decade, I have been practicing and teaching natural skin care. I have formulated dozens of homemade skincare products, but I also purchase some that I know are made with the same integrity, quality, and thought I put into my formulations. One of the newest additions to this “can purchase elsewhere” category is Mountain Rose Herbs’ new line of housemade skincare. Now, I may be a little biased, but I would not put something on my face that I didn’t trust, and I can tell you honestly that I love the new line.
In this article, I will talk about the basics of natural skin care, some of the ingredients I like working with, including the new Mountain Rose Herbs line, and information for further exploration. Skin care is very much a personal experience, so I always encourage people to try different things and mix it up from time to time. Just like we need a varied diet to maintain balance, I believe this too, for our skin care. I kept this article about the basic steps that I find most important, but there are, of course, more complex steps you can add. You can make your skin care regimen as simple or as sophisticated as you would like.
Cleansing
Washing our face is an important aspect of our skin care. In order to keep our pores clean and our epidermis able to absorb moisture, we first want to remove dirt and excess oils. Here are some of my favorite types of skin cleansers.
Oil Cleansing
If you've ever taken a class with me, you know I'm a big fan of oil cleansing. The way oil cleansing works is basic chemistry: like-dissolves-like. Using nourishing organic oils to clean your face helps break up the grime that gets caught in your skin’s natural sebum while also maintaining hydration. You can learn more about that here.
Cream Cleansers
Cream cleansers are a blend of water-based and oil-based ingredients that emulsify together to form a creamy texture. It's a good hybrid between a traditional face wash and oil cleansing. It has a bit more cleansing action, but doesn't completely remove all of the skin's natural oils. This Blue Tansy Cream Cleanser is one of my most proud recipes!
Liquid Face Wash
Liquid face washes that contain soap provides a deeper clean and generally contain a larger percentage of soap to moisturizers. Mountain Rose Herbs’ Rose Facial Cleanser, for example, is made with a base of gentle Castile soap, which cleans purely and creates a pleasant lather. It also includes rose hydrosol for its astringent and balancing properties, along with nourishing oils, calendula extract, and skin-loving essential oils of Australian sandalwood and Roman chamomile essential oils. This makes for a lovely light wash that also has tightening properties. For me, as a person with drier skin, I like to use this 1-2 times a week to get a deeper clean, especially on those days when I'm spending time in the garden, in my bee suit, or cleaning out the chicken coop.
I like to use all of these in moderation. As I mentioned earlier, our skin likes variation, so calling on all of these for different purposes keeps our skin nimble. Also, it helps us to be in tune with the signs our body tells us through our skin. Looking at our skin each day, and noticing that it may need more hydration one day, or deeper cleaning another helps to keep us in the present and also pick up on cues that our bodies may be giving us about what's happening on the inside.
Toning
The second step in a basic skin care routine is toning. Not only are they fabulous for the skin, but toners generally smell good, adding a pleasant aromatherapy experience.
Witch Hazel Extract
This classic botanical preparation has maintained a prized place on vanities and in bathroom cabinets for over a century—but what actually is it? Witch hazel extract is liquid distilled from the twigs and bark of the witch hazel tree (Hamamelis virginiana). Many commercial witch hazel extracts are high in alcohol content and low in witch hazel, making them quite drying and, to me, irritating to the skin. However, the extract that Mountain Rose Herbs offers is 86% pure witch hazel extract and only 14% alcohol, making it gentle and toning without the alcohol sting, scent, or drying action.
Hydrosols
These delightful waters make for gentle and effective skin toners. Crafted through steam distilling botanicals, hydrosols are pure and easy to use. They contain no alcohols and are more suitable for those with drier skin. Some of the most commonly used ones in facial care are:
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Rose for its gentle astringency and its support of maturing skin
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Toner Blends
Many ready-made toners include a blend of witch hazel, hydrosols, and skin-loving essential oils. Mountain Rose Herbs’ Rose Facial Toner is crafted with witch hazel extract for its calming and toning properties, rose hydrosol for its astringent properties and luxurious scent, and Australian sandalwood and Roman chamomile essential oils. It also includes vegetable glycerine, which acts as a humectant, meaning it attracts moisture to the skin. This helps to prime for the next step of a skin care routine—hydration!
Moisturizing:
One of the trickiest of all facial care steps is moisturizer. They can be a bit more complicated to craft, and there is a lot more variation in the ways they are made and how they work. Here is a quick view of the main types of moisturizers so you can make the best choice for you.
Serums
Serums are usually comprised entirely of oils to help coat the skin to keep it soft and supple. Depending on the oil, they can provide lighter or heavier support, which also makes them less or more absorbable. The new Mountain Rose Herbs Facial Serum is a lighter, very absorbable blend crafted with rosehip seed oil, calendula oil, and skin-loving essential oils like carrot seed, frankincense, and lavender. I use serums in the morning or afternoon.
Balms
Skincare balms are crafted by combining oils and waxes to create a spreadable, longer-lasting moisturizer than oils alone. I like balms for the face in the evening, or if I have a scratch, I want to keep moisturized to support the healing process. Most of my balm usage, however, is for things like scrapes, bumps, and bruises. You can make your own or find them pre-made if you prefer.
Butters
Butters are heavier and are generally used for dry skin or as a deeper treatment. They are made by combining oils and butters, such as shea, cocoa, or mango, for added nourishment and longer staying power. I mostly use butters for the rest of my body, and seldom on my face. You can learn how to make your own here to give it a try for yourself!
Lotions
Lotions are lighter and are made by combining oils and a water-based ingredient, such as hydrosol. They tend to absorb a bit more readily. Lotions are quite finicky to make and have a short shelf life unless a preservative is used.
Sun Protection
I always like to include a note about sun protection because I do think it’s an important topic. While exposure to the sun is important for our health, it can also be damaging to our skin if done in excess. This is especially true for those with fair skin tones and those living in places that experience months of no sun exposure followed by months of consistent sun exposure (like the Pacific Northwest). The extremes can make us more susceptible to the harmful effects of the sun.
I prefer monitoring my sun exposure and using covers like hats and specific clothing as my sun protection. For those who like bearing it out in the sun, it’s important to use skin care that includes ingredients with Sun Protection Factor (SPF). You can find more natural forms of sunblock made with zinc oxide and clays these days, which are good alternatives to some of the more conventional ones.
Want to Give the New Mountain Rose Herbs Organic Skincare Line a Try?
Find the Organic Face Wash, Toner, and Serum Here!
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