Stephanie’s Morning Hair and Skin Routine…Exposed!
Happy Monday, everyone! Meet Stephanie and her sweet-as-honey routine. She swears by Manuka for her skin. She also has been getting a lot of mileage out of spiritbeautylounge sample items. Annnd..she makes her own (edible!) DIY brozer. Read on!
Name: Stephanie
Age: 23
Current Weather: In the 70s-80s and humid-ish. I just moved home from the North so I am loving the warmer weather despite the humidity.
Hair: Long, brown, and sort of curly/wavy. Definitely not straight. The oiliness has become non-existent since my switch to natural products and reduction in showers. Which is great because it saves me a ton of time, I find showering to be a pretty grand and involved event in my life. 23 year old problems clearly.
Skin: I have always been acne prone :( I was on a strict regimen of prescription topical stuff which worked, but I got completely fed up with how dry they left my skin. Right now, I just got off birth control but things are still OK. Residual scarring and the odd small breakout are all I have to worry about now with no dryness!
Favorite Star: Miranda Kerr. Was she already chosen? I just love her values and personality! Image via
Before the shower…
I try to do oil pulling with coconut oil (I use the nutiva brand) which is an ayervedic technique that consists of swishing the oil in my mouth for twenty minutes then rinsing with warm salt water. It’s hard to last the full twenty, but I’ve found it is a great way to naturally whiten the teeth and make my whole mouth/gums feel supple and healthy. I will then usually eat breakfast and workout and also take some skin supplements which I thought could be applicable. I take fish oil or flax seed oil, black current oil and evening primrose oil which are GLAs which are supposed to be beneficial for skin and regulating female stuff as well as Indole-3-Carbinol which I saw was recommended in an article for women coming off the pill again to regulate hormones. I also only brush my hair before I shower with a wide toothed comb.
In the shower…
I’ve usually had a Wedderspoon Manuka Honey 16 strength mask on my face for at least half an hour before my shower and leave it on until the end (this was inspired by Siobhan) which I use as a facial cleanser. If I don’t have time to do a mask I will use the Tata Harper cleanser or the Dr Alkaitis cleanser I have from the samples I purchased on spiritbeautylounge. I like them both and find them super gentle, but prefer the manuka for its anti-acne fight. Manuka honey/honey in general for the face has been a godsend for my skin! Next I shampoo with either Desert Essences lemon and tee tree shampoo for oily hair or Alaffia neem shampoo (both of which I like and find wash away build-up, which was my biggest difficulty when looking for a natural shampoo) followed by either John Masters Lavender and Avocado Intensive Conditioner, the John Masters Honey and Hibiscus conditioner, or the Alaffia neem conditioner. I have recently begun washing my body and shaving with Moksa soap in Abbey Road. It smells amazing, is gentle (I loved Dr. Bronners tea tree bar soap, but then it become too harsh for my skin) and the company is amazing and donates to so many great charities! After that I may spray my hair with the Aubrey organics Nustyle Organic Detangler and Shine Booster (which smells like limes) as a heat protectant or Intelligent Nutrients leave-in conditioner which kind of makes me smell like a pizza, but I like it anyways. (Ed. Note: Pizza?!?!?! We need more info on this! Ha!) Then I wrap my hair up in a t-shirt which I’ve also heard is better to prevent frizz and keep curls intact.
Outside the shower I don’t really towel off because I find the extra moisture super beneficial for the rest of my routine. I spray my face with the Acure Organics Rose toner for oily skin which I LOVE it smells so good especially after reading that article about rose scents on here, then I mix my beloved Aubrey Organics aloe vera with whatever moisturizer is tickling my fancy. I use the aloe because it is such a great base to cut/preserve products which we know can be quite expensive. As I mentioned, I purchased the sample packs of Tata Harper and Dr Alkaitis so I basically pick and choose which moisturizer I feel like mixing in with my aloe. At the moment, I love the Tata Harper Serum and the Dr Alkaitis soothing gel and nourishing oil. Both companies products smells sooooo good and honestly make my skin look so plump and incredible. I never thought I would be able to treat myself to such luxurious moisturizers during my prescription days; it has been one of my greatest revelations of going natural! After that I spray my body with a DIY toner of Aloe Vera gel by Lily of the Valley (which is edible quality that I sometimes add to my drinks) and Witch Hazel followed by a DIY combination of coconut, argan, and jojoba oil, my Acure Organics unscented lotion, or my Bubble and Bee or Moksa body butter. I’m really into body moisturizers. Or moisturizing in general.
As far as makeup goes, I probably wear it once or twice a week and try to keep it really simple. Again, I am all about the samples! I recommend it because they are all quite sizable and I have yet to run out of one and repurchase. I use the Vapour organics concealer on my eyelids and the Alima Pure satin matte foundation on my under eyes and any other imperfections. I line my upper water line with Korres brown eyeliner, apply RMS living luminizer to my eyelids, brow bone, cheekbones, nose, and cupid’s bow and have been loving revolution organics in blush for my cheeks! I also love RMS lip2cheek in Modest. I sometimes finish that up with a DIY bronzer made of cinnamon, nutmeg, cocoa powder, and some other stuff and 100% mascara in black tea as well as my Bubble and Bee lip balm in pomegranate or my Badger Organic cocoa butter lip balm in cocoa.
Thanks, Stephanie! I’m having a hard time not making a “good enough to eat” pun about this routine…
Haha, the Intelligent Nutrients stuff totally does smell like pizza sauce! I think it’s technically cumin-scented, but people are always like “You smell like… pizza? Spaghetti?” It works really well though. :)
Is there something special about that specific Manuka honey? I’ve never really had any special results with manuka honey for acne, so I’m just curious. :)
I also stopped the pill a few months ago. It was fine for a month, then my skin exploded. It’s calming down a bit now, but I also just started taking Indole-3-Carbinol and I do really think it’s helping. I’m really, really, hoping my skin settles down soon…it’s bringing me back to when I avoided looking at myself in the mirror…
Love to hear about the oil-pulling. Just recently decided to try it but am using sesame oil. I don’t care for the taste, I think I will try it with coconut oil. Talking about teeth, I gave up fluoride and traditional toothpaste for tooth soap almost 1 year ago. I have been using Tooth Chips Spritz by Rose of Sharon Acres and I love it. It is basically a liquid soap for teeth that foams and cleans like no other. At my recent dentist appointment, my dentist said Wow, what are you doing different? I said I gave up toothpaste-he was dumbfounded!
I came across this website a while back that was selling a special “curl drying”towel for around $25.99. Upon further research I found out it was just made of fine jersey so I started using some old tshirts I had. I’ve been using them to dry my hair ever since and its working wonders for my anti frizz!!
These morning routine’s only get better! I,for one, really enjoy reading them and it never fails.. There is always something (and sometimes a few somethings) that catches your attention ,making you want to investigate further and even try it. DIY bronzer made with cinnamon ,cocoa powder and other stuff?!? That sounds interesting… Did you submit your DIY concotions? Hope so! Clever way of using your samples too..and the oil pulling thing…curious about that one too.. I heard about it but the the recipe didnt call for coconut oil, which I particularly like so there you go, one more for my to try list! Thank you Stephanie!
love Manuka Honey, have been using for a few months now to help with my acne and inflammation on my face and it has helped! love that idea of oil pulling for washing teeth, I will have to give that a shot. thanks
Yay! I love Miranda Kerr too <3
Hi I loved this morning routine , but I would love to know how she does the natural bronzer please !!!!!
This is great – thanks for sharing!
Now, a couple of questions about the manuka honey… Is it only appropriate for acne complexions? I have somewhat sensitive skin, probably would be considered combination-to-dry, would it be suitable for this type? And is it essential to leave it on for that long, or would it be effective if it was only 5 or 10 minutes before rinsing it off? And do you rinse, or do you wash it off?
@Naomi, I have sensitive and drier skin at this stage of my life so the manuka is not my go-to. But I do use it occasionally, I should probably use it more often now in the warmer weather now that I’m less dry. Since manuka is from bees feeding on tea tree and I find tea tree oil a little harsh, I guess it’s not surprising that this type of honey is not my usual, but I am definitely inspired to try it as a spot treatment. For honey masks in general, I like a minimum of 5 minutes, and will leave it on as long as 20-30 minutes when I have time.
DIY bronzer is right up my alley! What is the recipe? And do you just oil pull or do you brush your teeth as well?
For anyone who has tried the Manuka honey how many weeks of using the mask did you really notice a difference in your acne breakouts? Or was the mask more used to tone down the red/inflamed look of acne you already had and not a “preventative” for acne breakouts (so to speak)?
Thanks in advance!!
@Rebecca – thank you!
@Nancy – I know this is off topic, but I made the DIY deodorant recipe you posted a few weeks back. Although the arrowroot, clay and baking soda are all white, when I mixed with the oil mixture (coconut, shea butter and sunflower) it turned brown! I figured this was a result of it getting wet, but it didn’t lighten when it hardened. I used it this morning and love the texture, but it made my underarms look like they had a five o’clock shadow. Have you experienced this chemical reaction of the powders darkening? If so, do you have a solution? For reference, I purchased the arrowroot and white kaolin cosmetic clay from mountain rose herbs. Thank you!!
@ KN, I believe you got the recipes mixed up and probably made Rebecca’s instead. Mine(actually not mine as I did not create it:) does not call for arrowroot or clay.. The one I make is this one:
3 tbsp. of shea butter
3 tbsp. of baking soda
2 tbsp. of corn starch
2 tbsp. of cocoa butter
Vitamin E oil (as much as desired, I usually open from 10 to 12 gel caps)
Essential oils (scents of your choice – I have tried ylang yang & orange )
Mix it all and melt it in the microwave (minus the essential oils) .Be careful as it melts rather quickly.. Pour into jars, place in the fridge until it hardens. This recipe will be a vanilla color and won’t leave armpits dark in any way. I haven’t experienced any angry pitt reactions, darkening, undesired odor and plus! no sweating!( although I’m not preparing for any marathons or do a lot of exercise outdoors:).
@KN, I use a similar recipe, and it shouldn’t turn brown. Maybe the oils were overheated and you got oxidation?? Maybe there was some reaction with the containers you used? I know people say not to use metal (I don’t) but I’m not sure what exactly it does if you use metal. In any case, it wouldn’t necessarily be dangerous (maybe), but it would cut the beneficial effect of the oils on your skin. I’m just guessing here, I’m sure Nancy will tell you more specifically about her experience.
@Nancy – you’re right, I did get mixed up :) I actually tried your recipe first, but it was too emollient for me. My hair kept sticking to my underarms when i would blow dry it…I know, great visual :)
@Rebecca – I heated in a pyrex measuring cup with a spatula and ordered the same plastic twist up containers you recommended. My shea butter was yellow, I wonder if they made it dark? Or, maybe it was the essential oils I used. I used vanilla and lavender. Because they’re in dark containers, I can’t see what colors they are, but maybe they are dark?
Hey guys! I’m so happy I got so many great responses to my routine! I love reading them so I figured it was about time I share my own. Anyways, since I specifically use the Manuka honey to combat acne I would recommend trying to keep it on the face as long as possible for it to truly be effective. The differences I noticed were less inflammation, really tiny and quickly disappearing breakouts, and a reduction in scarring. If you just want to cleanse your face, however, use the honey just as you would any face wash – i.e. rub it in then rinse it off right away. You could just use regular honey for that (which I did and it works great) though and not have to spend extra money on the Manuka. As for the oil pulling, I do brush my teeth in conjunction with the oil pulling – I do the oil immediately upon waking before eating (which is recommended) then brush my teeth as usual after breakfast and at night! Finally, my DIY bronzer recipe I got here (http://www.crunchybetty.com/natural-makeup-hacks-homemade-bronzercontour-powder) from the crunchy betty site! It made so much bronzer for like a price point of like nothing and it came out the exact same colour as my Alima Pure bronzer so I highly recommend it. Also, this site has sooo many great DIY recipes including many for gift ideas :)
@KN, I believe the vanilla oil would be brown, but I’m not sure how much of an effect that would have on the overall color since the other ingredients are a much larger volume. The unrefined shea butter I use isn’t very yellow, it’s sort of a creamy beigey color. You might check your shea to see if it is pure shea and to make sure it hasn’t gone bad. Shea has a very distinctive smell but make sure it doesn’t have a rancid odor. If the mixture is so brown it’s discoloring the skin with a single application, that’s just not practical. I’d experiment a little. Make a small batch without the essential oils and see if it still turns brown. If so then you know it’s not the oils. Then maybe try a different brand of shea. Good luck!
@ KN, it’s definitely the vanilla oil. I’ve used it in products before and it does have the tendency to turn things brown.
@ Rebecca, can you post where you buy your deodorant containers from?
I am considering making my own deodorant. Soapwallla and Bubble and Bee have not worked to control the stink factor :(
Hi Sylvie and Stephanie,
Thank you for loving our Neem & Shea Scalp Recovery Shampoo & Conditioner :) Keep us posted with your Alaffia journey and have an excellent weekend!
My I suggest using a combination of coconut and argan oil for your hair. It works for me and gives me a salon finish to my hair.
Here is the link to it
http://www.tiana-coconut.com/argan_coconutTLC.html