I Replaced My Fave Beauty Products With DIY Versions for a Week—Here’s What Happened!
In an effort to be more natural, I replaced all of my beauty products with DIY versions I concocted at home for one week.
It was definitely a bold move, but keep reading to find out what happened!
Beauty Routine Overhaul
I realized if I wanted to go completely natural, I had to start with step one of my beauty routine—washing my face. I researched a bit and learned that many beauty aficionados on the same quest for less chemical products have used olive oil to replace their face wash. I used a tsp of it and rubbed it on my face. I had a rude awakening when I decided to wash it off with water and felt panic set in almost immediately. Water doesn't mix with oil! What was I doing? Nevertheless, I promised myself to see this experiment through, so I patted my oily face dry and went to bed hoping for the best. As the week wore on, my face was noticeably more supple and moisturized, but I'm also prone to breakouts and this natural solution didn't help that situation one bit. The verdict: I'm going back to my face wash immediately after this experiment!
I Swapped Conditioner & Eye Makeup Remover for Coconut Oil
(via Carrington Farms)
It's an understatement to say that people online love their coconut oil. Its popularity is one of the reasons I decided to give it a whirl during my natural beauty week. I opted for using it as a hair conditioner and eye makeup remover. During three separate nights, I saturated my hair with the yummy-smelling oil. I laid a towel over my pillow and slept with my hair in the oil. I couldn't be happier when I washed it off the next morning. My hair was hydrated and had a beautiful bounce. I learned from Carrington Farms that coconut oil contains proteins not found in other hair oils, helping hair retain its natural moisture, making it stronger. I would 100% recommend doing away with your conditioner and using this instead! I also packed a handy "single use" pouch in my gym bag to use as an eye makeup remover. The results were amazing. The verdict for supplementing coconut oil in your beauty routine: 100% recommendable! This is a natural solution I will be going back to time after time.
Bye Bye, Dry Shampoo! Hello, Arrowroot Powder
(via Amazon)
I've spent more on dry shampoo than what I'm willing to admit. It's the one beauty product that I always run out of, and sadly, one of the pricier ones, too. I decided that my au-naturel week could also use a dry shampoo alternative. I skipped to my nearest health food store and bought a bag of arrowroot powder. I substituted this for my usual aerosol dry shampoo whenever I felt my hair needed a refresher. This hack definitely did the trick. I'm confident that I'll be able to kick my dry shampoo habit once and for all with this simple substitute.
The Ultimate Test: My Brows
(via BareMinerals)
After a couple of days on my au-natural kick, I decided to go for the ultimate test: my brows. It may be the countless Instagram tutorials I've watched or the crazy hours I've spent dissecting my favorite celebs' arches, but it's safe to say I've become a crazy perfectionist when it comes to brows. My go-to product is bareMinerals' brow-defining gel. I use it incessantly and I knew trying to kick that habit would be tough. I did my due diligence and researched natural alternatives. The internet said subbing out brow gel for the juice of lemon or lime would do the trick. The stickiness is supposed to hold your brows in place, similar to a gel formula. I grabbed a brush and got to work. I'll spare you the details, but this is one habit I'm not going to change. Note to future self: Anything involving your eyeballs and lemon is a bad idea.
The picture above was taken one full week into my natural beauty routine. My hair has great texture at the roots from the arrowroot powder and it feels hydrated and conditioned at the tips from the coconut oil. My skin has a little glow for the olive oil washes at night. After experiencing a more natural beauty routine for this short amount of time, I'm looking forward to continuing the experiment and finding other beauty hacks to try.
Now that you've learned a couple of new DIY beauty tricks, check out THESE pumpkin spice beauty DIYs.