Yesterday I tried out my first beauty DIY; I realize that this may make it a little too early to review but my first experience with the technique says quite a lot I think. Yes, the results of a beauty regime are what matters to most of us most, but I find that the process and application is important too; quite frankly, applying this to my face wasn’t all that fun.
You will need:
- 1 part bicarbonate of soda – you can get this from ASDA for around 80p, or from your local Food Weighhouse for literally pennies.
- 1 part pH balanced liquid soap – Sebamed Face and Body wash around £4; Dr Bonner Organic liquid soap around £4; I used Clinique Liquid Soap in Mild as it was all I had. I am pretty certain that a good hunt around your local market or supermarket and you can get hold of a basic soap for pennies.
Methods:
- Mix one part soda with one part soap into the palm of your hand. It definitely does not look nice and fancy or very appealing to slap on your face first thing but give it a go.
- Massage into damp skin in circular motions as you would when using a face exfoliator.
- Dampen your fingers with some water and continue massaging into the skin.
- Wash off gently before damping your face dry with a clean towel.
On application, a little does not go a long way as you might find with a more expensive product. I definitely did not have enough for a comfortable application in the picture above. Adding water to your fingers when massaging helps to spread the soap a little further and dilute it however.
My first thought about this –and the reason why I am not too keen on trying it again- is that it is super scratchy on my skin. It is basically a home made exfoliator, but quite harsh on the skin; my skin is sensitive and I’ve had no reaction to the concoction but it didn’t feel too nice rubbing it into my skin. No matter how gentle I was, it was still rough.
I’ve tried several exfoliators before, including the LUSH Ocean Salt scrub and the Origins Modern Friction, and they made such a dramatic impact on my skin immediately after rinsing, and I feel like this technique just doesn’t quite live up to my expensive products. I am a little bit disappointed as I had high hopes for this but it just seems like too much bother for an uncomfortable scrub.
Final thoughts:
- Very cheap but need to find a cheaper liquid soap alternative
- Scratchy, rough on the skin
- Still prefer my expensive products in terms of a face scrub
I’d like to say thank you to everyone who commented on my last post and tweeted me regarding this project. I’m so glad you all like the idea and hopefully I will find some good DIY tricks that you will be tempted to try out for yourself. Unfortunately, I’ve had a bit of a poopy start but at least now you can stick to your beautiful, perfumed scrubs without the hassle I endured. Couple of ideas coming up next including an at-home hand treatment and a hair mask with a difference courtesy of one lovely blogger!