Friday, June 24, 2011

Makeup on, Makeup off

     At the end of the day it always feels so good to take my makeup off and wash my face.  New, chemical-free palette of makeup in hand, I determined to find an equally suitable makeup remover.  As soon as my Neimans-quality makeup remover ran out, I ran over to Whole Foods to search out the next best alternative.  I came across a 2 ounce bottle of remover made with herbal oils that promised to wipe makeup away.  I put a small drop of the herbal oil concoction on a cotton ball and rubbed the greasy stuff on my eyes.  The makeup was somewhat off my eyelids and very much under my eyes.  Not quite the effect I was going for.  My next idea was to use the Alba brand Un-petroleum I had recently bought for chapped lips as a makeup remover.  I wiped a little under my eyes and then used a cotton ball to remove my makeup.  The Un-petroleum worked much better than the herbal oils, but it was really think and just not quite what I was looking for. 
      Then I found the makeup remover of all makeup removers!  I was was looking through natural products on Passionate Homemaking, a blog with great ideas for natural products, and found the perfect solution, coconut oil.  I have a tub of coconut oil on hand at all times for making deodorant, so I dabbed some under my eyes, wiped it away with a cotton ball, and voila!  All makeup was gone, I was left with no thick, oily residue, and my skin felt clean and refreshed.  I scooped some into a small jar that I can keep in my bathroom and use a little bit every night before I wash my face.  The greatest thing about it is I now have two uses for my coconut oil.  As an added bonus, the delicate skin around my eyes feels rejuvenated even before I get a little shut-eye!
     Last night before I went to bed, I decided to look around on the Internet a bit to see what reasons people gave for removing makeup at night.  Most of the websites I found stated that the chemicals in makeup are especially harmful to the skin if left on over night.  Others cited that our skin needs time to breathe and regenerate while we sleep.  The bacteria in makeup was also suggested as the cause of infections if makeup is left on.  People obviously know that makeup is full of harmful chemicals, chemicals that they apparently think will only do damage if left on the skin overnight.  I'm just glad that I now know how harmful the chemicals in makeup really are.  And, it's probably important to remove makeup at the end of the day no matter how healthy it is.
    

1 comment:

  1. Rebecca, starting with using your recipe for deodorant and baking soda for washing my face twice a day - I began using my relatively inexpensive tub of organic coconut oil (same one you have pictured) as a moisturizer on my face everytime I wash and all over after bathing! Love it! Thank you so much for turning me onto this wonderful oil! Love your blog!!

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