Better Than Botox Facial Scrub
Currently we are living in Argentina and while the experience has been great for our personal development, life experience and overall enjoyment—it’s been terrible for my beauty regimen. Quality non-toxic products are hard to source here and when I find something “natural” it’s usually very expensive and poor quality. As a result my poor skin has seen better days. Over the last year my skin has felt tired and in desperate need of a lift. And since I usually say no to chemicals, Botox is out of the question. So a “Better than Botox” facial scrub was the next best thing.
A few weeks ago I decided to take matters into my own hands and started making homemade skin care a priority. We’ve been using more and more essential oils in our house for all sorts of purposes. From fighting colds to better quality sleep, we love experimenting with EOs. Lately I’ve been using them to give my face a much-needed anti-aging weekly treatment. To make my Better than Botox Facial Scrub I combine 2 essential oils that support great-looking skin: lavender and frankincense. Combine this Better than Botox facial scrub with my SUPER BOTOX tip at the bottom of this post and you’ll have glowing skin in no time.
Better Than Botox Facial Scrub
Ingredients:
1 tablespoon baking soda
½ tablespoon raw Manuka honey
1 drop of pure lavender essential oil
1 drop pure frankincense essential oil
Directions:
- Combine the baking soda and honey together until it looks like a paste. Add one drop each of lavender and frankincense essential oils.
- Place a warm washcloth over your face and hold on skin for a minute or so to open up your pores.
- Gently rub face with facial scrub using small circular motions (be gentle with your skin!). Keep massaging skin with scrub for 3-5 minutes to fully remove dead skin from face and to let the essential oils work their magic.
- Rinse off with warm water.
- Your face may be red for a bit but this will wear off.
- Use this scrub no more than 1-2 times a week.
- This scrub is alkaline to the skin, so to even out your pH it is a good idea to splash your face with rosewater afterwards. This will naturally balance your skin.
Now for my SUPER BOTOX hint.
Glowing skin originates from inside the body so here is my number one tip for healthy, firm skin. HYDRATE! I know, I know…water is boring and old news. But trust me, hydration is the foundation for good-looking skin because it helps cleanse the liver. The health of your liver is what dictates the health of your skin. My favorite way to hydrate is with lemon water first thing in the morning on an empty stomach. This helps flush my liver at the beginning of the day. I have also found that drinking fresh aloe water helps my skin look younger, too. I buy a whole aloe leaf at the health food store and add about 2 tablespoons of the inner leaf gel (just the clear gel, not the green skin) to my lemon water in the morning (I have to blend the water, lemon, and aloe to get it to combine). I don’t consume aloe every day, normally 2-3 times a week. Aloe also helps your digestive health so it’s a win/win. Try this recipe for aloe water and see what you think. Don’t want to buy fresh aloe? Then try this brand of aloe juice.
Do you love making your own homemade personal care products?
Will your botox scrub make acne worse or help it?
I think it could possibly help if you don’t scrub to hard or to often. Ive used a similar scrub for years with baking soda with good results for my acne prone skin and it helps with black heads as well. I would personally switch out the essential oils for tea tree and lavender as I like these best for my breakouts but these others could work too. I also like one I tried with just baking soda and coconut oil but either way use a mild toner after. I like one I make with an Ester-C vitamin added to about 4oz of witch hazel and don’t make to much of this toner as the vitamin C will brake down in a about a month or less depending on the temp it’s stored at. I use coconut oil as a moisturizer as it’s antibacterial but remember a little goes a long way with coconut oil. I take a pea size amount and rub it in between my palms then I put it all over my face, even on my eye lids and under my eyes and neck. You would think that with oily skin you wouldn’t need a moisturizer but if you don’t use one your skin will pump out more oil than it would if you use one. You just have to careful of what kind you use. I rarely get breakouts anymore but when I do I crush up an aspirin and leave it on for a few minutes and you can also ad aspirin to your toner to calm the redness and swelling and it’ll heal up fast as long as you not allergic to aspirin that is.
Tabitha, I don’t know for certain. But I do know lavender can help with skin issues so perhaps just use lavender and be gentle. Baking soda is very alkaline so will change the pH of the skin. I have read that using rose water will balance that if the baking soda upsets the skin (however there is always the chance your skin will like it). This is a very gentle scrub so you may try it with lavender only and see if it works for you!
Hi Tabitha coconut oil is quite low on the non-comeodegenic scale. Meaning it may clog your pores. I have acne prone skin and while coconut oil has many beneficial qualities, I would not apply it to my face or back.
There are many great alternatives such as my all time favourite, jojoba, sweet almond and hemp seed. I love jojoba oil so much, i use it alone as a facial moisturiser every day.
Where do you recommend getting your essential oils from?
I recommend Young Living or DoTerra essential oils!
I can help you with Young Living oils if you’d like. I would definitely avoid buying them off amazon or any other online source besides directly from the company or a distributor. Bottles can be emptied, filled with anything, and recapped to look new and unsealed. =(
Hi Kate, that sounds crazy! I have many, many friends selling young living oils–but thank you!
Thanks for reading!
What is the shelf life? I’d love to make this as a gift but want to make sure it will last!
Thanks!!
This should be good for a month (ish). It doesn’t contain any chemicals to preserve the ingredients so I wouldn’t let it go over a month!
There are a few methods with which you can make your skin wrinkle-free. These methods include Washing skin with AHAs. AHA based cleansers are so common these days. Home peels, mega Moisturizers, Anti aging nutrition are a few other methods to get rid of wrinkles.
What do you recommend for a daily face wash? To remove makeup. My skin is prone to breakouts and is sensitive.
I have been using coconut oil for over a year and a half now and I LOVE IT! I use it as my cleanser and moisturizer. I have sensitive skin and it has been the best!
coconut oil rocks! I use it on my face as a cleanser and all over my body and face as a moisturizer. It really is great and has natural sun screen too
Is liquid coconut oil just as good for the skin as cold-pressed solid, or should the liquid be used on the body?
what kind of coconut oil do you recomend
in which part of argentina are you?
I’m from there, but I’m living in Paraguay. Where do you find this oils? there, in Arg?
Hi there! We live in Buenos Aires right now but will be leaving in a few months back to California. I get the oils from someone locally here, yes!
Hi Janet! Yes baking soda IS very alkaline and can disrupt your skin’s natural balance–it really depends on your own personal skin type. My skin has not had any problems with this scrub, but like the recipe states I would not do this more than 2 times a week (I do it once a week, usually on my home spa sunday 🙂 ). I have read that rose water can be used to balance the pH of the skin after using baking soda on the skin so if you are concerned you could try that! Thanks for reading!
I’ve done this and know it’s great. One question: What is Kumbu and where do I find it? Also, I’m a consultant with doTERRA Essential Oils and can help anyone who is interested purchase those oils, even at wholesale prices. Feel free to email me if you are interested or would like info about the company or the oils and their usage.
Hi Corrine, Kombu is a seaweed that’s full of trace minerals. 🙂
I like and will try it! thanks
I have very sensitive skin with atopic dermatitis. I have allergies as well and am interested in a natural approach to healing my skin.
When I make this, the paste is much darker and thicker than your picture. I am using all of the right ingredients. The Manuka Honey I use is aged 12+
What am I doing wrong?
I don’t think you are doing anything wrong..I think the photo editing changed the color of the paste in this photo. Hope you like it!
I use this, but I wonder what I am doing wrong. Your looks light in colour and thinner than the one I make….
It could be the photo!
Is manuka honey a must have or can I use a regular raw honey? I just purchased a large container of organic raw honey and was hoping I could simply use that.
Hey Emily! regular honey will work just fine!
I think the ratio of ingredients is wrong as I ended up with an unmaleable blob. Perhaps it should be 1 teaspoon of bicarbonate of soda as opposed to 1 tablespoon?
This ratio works for me but happy yours worked for you!
if you make a batch ahead of time how long does it last pre-made?
I have used baking soda on my face for years. I also use it in my shampoo to remove build up. Just put a tablespoon in the palm of your hand add shampoo and make a paste. Rub it in your hair all over and rinse. Your hair will be so soft you may not have to condition it.
How did you set up your awesome Young Living EO with the links?? Love it & I am a YL distributor too 🙂
Hi Connie, I am an old seasoned hairdresser. The Ph of your skin and hair is 4.5 to 5.5. Baking soda is much higher. Damagingly high if not balanced afterwards. I recommend that you always condition to restore the Ph after deep cleansing with a baking soda paste.A vinegar rinse works great. Just pour thru hair. You can rinse to remove the smell. The same can be used on the face instead of rosewater if you want. Happy cleansing!
As for the manuka honey, you can use local raw honey with a ever so slight drop of tea tree oil into the mixture.
Thanks.
I imagine that would be wonderful yes!
Where do you buy rosewater?
You can buy rose water at most vitamin stores and health food stores.
Hi this sounds great and I would love to do it but I am sadly very allergic to lavender oil ( not the flowers just the oil ) is there another oil I can use. Thanks for your great information 🙂
You can leave the lavender out and use any gentle oil you like.
I am definitely going to try that recipe with my Melita Manuka Honey!
I’ll never forget my mother’s plastic surgeon telling me that certain facial moisturizers with hyaluronic acid, work better than botox. I have done both botox and use products with hyaluonic acid….I would recommend the Lady Soma Renewal Serum – as that has the highest hyaluonic acid I found found – and my sessions to the doctor are ALOT LESS !
Thank you!
I love you dyi I use coconut oil for everything. Thanks for all you homemade receipts
thanks a lot!!
Hi! I’ve been wanting to do this scrub, however Im afraid to mess with the pH of My skin without having a balancer. Is there anything else I can use at home to balance the pH of skinew sheet doing this scrub?
Thank you!
Can’t wait to try!