DIY Aloe Vera Cleanser

A Cleanser fit for a Queen

Cleopatra is notorious for her milk bathes and kohl eyeliner. The Pharaoh(ess) indulged in a natural beauty regime (I meant routine but I love this witty mistake) that included a large variety of herbs, plants, and raw ingredients including aloe vera, which is our star ingredient today. Queen Nefertiti is also known for using aloe vera to help promote healthy skin.

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Aloe Vera is anti-inflammatory, anti-bacterial, and soothing. It can help prevent scars and contains salicylic acid which helps combat acne. It also helps to improve the elasticity of skin, preventing wrinkles.

This aloe vera cleanser is indeed fit for a Queen! Something about creating my own beauty products makes me feel like royalty myself.

This recipe fills a 4 oz container. I usually recommend using glass bottles and jars but because we have ours in the shower (and we have a little one who sometimes uses that shower), we've put it in a "safe" plastic bottle.

If you have dry skin, skip the castile soap and use an extra tablespoon of almond, castor or olive oil. You can also interchange these with the almond oil below.

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Aloe Vera Cleanser
5 t aloe vera gel (or heaping 1/4 cup)
2 t sweet almond oil
1 t castile soap (as noted above, skip if dry skin and replace with an extra tb of oil)
20-60 drops Essential oils (20 if you have sensitive skin)*

Directions:
Add aloe vera gel (using funnel) to bottle. Shake to break up chunks. Combine rest of ingredients in bottle. Shake vigorously to mix. (May seperate over time so just shake to mix - mine never does seperate though).

To use:
Wet face with warm water (too hot and it can actually work against you). Pour a small dollop on your clean fingers rubbing them together. Start at your forehead, working toward your nose then out toward your cheeks and eventually down to your neck. Using a muslin cloth, rinse your face with cooler water to help close pores. Pat dry with clean, unused towel. Voila!

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*For my essential oils, I use a combination of lavender, chamomile, tea tree, carrot seed essential oil.

You can buy all of these ingredients through Mountain Rose Herbs. Vitacost (here's a $10 gift card), amazon, and your local health food store also offer these products.