Have you heard about microbeads? They are tiny beads made of plastic that can be found in some face washes and even some toothpastes. Unfortunately, microbeads are small enough that they can pass through water treatment plants and end up in our waterways, where they easily absorb pollutants. Marine organisms may mistake microbeads for food, which allows the toxic microbeads to enter our food chain. Considering that one face wash bottle may contain thousands of microbeads, it is a big problem.
The whole point of microbeads in facewash is to exfoliate and cleanse skin, but who really wants to rub plastic on their face? Although there are some face wash products that are made with natural, biodegradable ingredients, another option is simply to make your own washes and scrubs.
Below you can view various recipes for natural washes and scrubs.
The simplest option is using raw, unfiltered honey as a cleanser on it’s own. Just wet your fingers with water, and add a quarter-sized dollop to your face like a mask. The natural grittiness of raw honey will act as a gentle exfoliator.
Two parts oatmeal (ground up finely using a blender or food processor)
One part honey
One part coconut oil, olive oil, or almond oil
Combine ingredients, adding more oil if consistency is not smooth. Then, rub into skin.
¼ cup raw, local honey
¼ cup water, coconut water or coconut milk
1 tablespoon liquid castile soap
Combine ingredients and pour into bottle (can reuse old honey bottles, etc). Massage into face and neck. Once or twice a week, mix in a pinch of baking soda as you massage your face to exfoliate.
Lemon juice (from ½ a lemon)
½ cup sugar
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon honey
Whisk all liquid ingredients together until mixture has a thick consistency. Then add sugar and mix with a spoon. Add more sugar if you want a thicker scrub.
If you have any simple homemade recipes for face washes or scrubs that you would recommend, please leave in the comments below!
Image source: Cocorinna Blog
Microbead resources:
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