7.06.2008

Basic Daily Milk and Oatmeal Facial Cleanser

This recipe is the easiest one that I make so I thought it fitting as a first entry. It's simple, fast to whip up - and absolutely effective....... leaving the skin refreshed, cleansed, and supple.... all of this without over-stripping your natural oils. If you presently use a high-foam soap product - this will feel different - It is a non-foaming, light cleanser and your skin will love you. There are many different versions of this recipe.. but the staple ingredients remain the same - and there's really only 2 that are absolute essentials. Milk and Oatmeal. (that's it ? what ? how does oatmeal do anything at all for your skin ? Can milk really work to clean your skin ? Keep reading, I promise you won't be dissapointed.)

Skin type: Sensitive, Normal.
Milky Oats Facial Cleanser
Ingredients:
(2-3 applications)
1 tablespoon powdered goat's milk (substitute powdered organic buttermilk or powdered regular milk as well)
1 tablespoon organic oatmeal

Distilled water
A few drops of honey (optional for a face mask version)


Directions: In a food processor, blender, or mortar and pestle - grind the oatmeal into a fine powder. If you have a food processor, kitchen mill or oat grinder than those are your best options for this step. The finer the oatmeal - the nicer the overall texture in your final cleanser. (this finely ground oatmeal has a fancy name - colloidal oatmeal.) Add the powdered milk, and blend the two ingredients together. To use: put a tablespoon of the powder in your palm and add bout a teaspoon of distilled water. Blend together to form a paste, and slowly add more water as desired until you have a milky, yet still spreadable paste. Use this mixture on your face - ( I like to wet my face first) and clean in circles until your full face is covered. Wash off with warm water.

This is your main "base" - It works as a non-irritating daily cleanser, safe for sensitive skin types if used as above, and doubles as a face mask - simply use a little less water, and leave it on your face for 20 minutes before washing off with warm water. Adding a few drops of honey to the mask adds the added benefit of honey's natural moisturizing properties. It is a humectant, so it attracts and retains water. The oatmeal mask draws impurities from your skin while it dries, leaving a supple, elasticized, glowing skin underneath !

(*Colloidal oatmeal as bragged about in all Aveeno products is really simply regular oatmeal (yes !) ground into a very very fine powder so that it forms an emulsion in a liquid rather than the separate clumps that oatmeal tends to make when water is added. To make a creamy milky texture rather than a lumpier oatmeal one - you will really need to grind up those oats ! That said - a mortar and pestle also work - the benefits of your cleanser are still the same and the product has a true homemade feel. Like always, if you use organic ingredients you are less likely to introduce harsh pesticides and chemicals to your skin, so when available buy organic for your skin products. When I can't find organic I buy regular ingredients- keeping in mind that I sparing myself the plethora of preserving chemicals that regular face creams and washes include.)

Why does this work ? ( here is the science behind the beauty)

Dating as far back as Cleopatra, milk has been used as a skin cleanser and softener, and as an integral part of beauty regimes in many cultures. Milk is high in vitamins A and D, probiotics and lactic acid, and all of these things are absorbed by the skin when we use it to wash our faces. Goat's milk is a particularily good choice - because the pH is the closest match to our skin's natural pH - so it leaves a soft, moisturized skin after use. It also contains over 50 nutrients, Pantothenic Acid, Biotin, Choline, Vitamin B2, calcium, potassium, Magnesium, Phosphorus, many other trace elements, and anti-inflammatory compounds (short-chain sugar molecules called oligosaccharides) .
The lactic acid in milk is a natural
alpha-hydroxyl acid. (why spend your well earned wages on synthetic alpha hydroxides when they exist so readily in nature ?) These acids are absorbed by the skin and help to dissolve the "glue" that hold dead skin cells together and in place on your face. This type of natural exfoliation allows the new healthy skin cells underneath to come to the surface - and this renewal of skin cells helps to show off your vibrant, glowing skin.

Oatmeal is an extra-gentle exfolient that works to draw impurities from the skin and helping to unclog pores. It is also a mild astrigent (a substance that constricts or shrinks connective tissues) - and is EXTREMELY gentle on sensitive, or damaged skin. Oatmeal contains beta glucan - a polymer chain that comes from oats - which has proven to be an effective moisturizer and has shown in testing to help heal skin heal more quickly and may help to stimulate collagen production in the skin. It has also tested positive as an anti-infammatory. All this goodness - without the hefty price of a brand name cosmetic ! Who knew ? That mother nature was some-kinda genius.


20 comments:

  1. hey i was wondering can i use oatmeal, honey and milk as a daily facial cleanser, morning and night? thanks

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  2. People do use this cleanser consistently. I don't think you would need the honey all the time, though, since it really makes the cleanser more heavy and nourishing than most people would need. (It's more like a mask than an everyday cleanse.) The oatmeal and milk together have exfoliating and cleansing properties that work for many people as a base cleanser. I use dried powder milk and colloidal daily. that way all the ingredients are dry and I just keep them in a shaker bottle. This way allows you to shake some out into your palm, add a few drops of water, and voila ! A quick. effortless and mess-free solution. Best of luck ~ Chris

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  3. I love your recipe, like to do it and I know that oatmeal also cure pimples which I have. Questions? By making the oatmeal recipe can this be stored? where? duration?

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  4. I'm just learning the benefits of goat's milk. It seems such a great alternative to use in natural skin care recipes. Thanks for the recipe!

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  5. Susy: I use a mixture of colloidal oatmeal and powdered milk when I want to have a quick "on hand" and in the cupboard recipe. I just leave the powdered mixture in the bathroom in an airtight container.
    Sprinkle a palm-full into your hand, run the tap, add a bit of water... and you have a natural, STORABLE option. Some people add neem powder of chickpea powder as well. (Ayurvedic principles.) I have found for my really sensitive skin that just oatmeal with a little bit of skim-milk powder is the best.

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    2. I know this is an old post, but I was wondering how much neem powder you would add to the above recipe? Thanks! Can't wait to try it.

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  6. I've used this recipe for over a month and I love it! For a little more scrubbing power once in a while, I add a sprinkle of baking soda to the powdered milk and ground oats. Also, to remove my make-up before I wash, I rub olive or grapeseed oil into my skin with fingertips and wipe with a tissue or dampened washcloth. It all sounds so strange, I know, but my skin has never been clearer or softer!!

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    1. Love to hear it! Thanks for the comment- my skin also loves this recipe :)

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  7. Awesome!!!great sharing!!!! .I can wait to make some too ,but i will use some of raw goat milk that i save from my friend Dr RaiHanLiPot. I have been searching for this recipe.

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  8. * i meant * i can't wait to make some too

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  9. Hope it went well with your raw goat milk. Would love to hear :)

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  10. Thank you for the info. It sounds pretty user friendly. I guess I’ll pick one up for fun. thank u



    Facial Cleanser for Sensitive Skin

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  11. Hi I know this is an old post, but thought I'd share anyway.

    I tried this before bed last night and I must say I didn't use goats milk powder - just ordinary milk powder as NZ doesn't have a lot of choice for some things and you have to pay a lot to buy those things from other countries or specialised health stores.

    Regardless, it was really nice to use and my skin looked and felt amazing! All creamy and smooth and it still feels like that now (a little way into the next day). I can definitely see myself using this as a before bed pampering :-)

    Thanks!

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    1. So nice to hear it was great for your face! It's an oldie but a goodie post. xo

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  12. Organic face cleansers products are best for your face. This ways can make your face permanent because and you will be natural beauty so use natural products. I love your posts about natural products
    best organic face cleansers

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    1. Looks like you have some great products there :) Wonderful!

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  13. I'm very happy that I stumbled across this in my hunt for something regarding this.

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  14. Thanks a lot for sharing. Hormone optimization Wellington Will check back later for more of your articles.

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  15. I saw this and have been using this for the past 3 days and I can tell u my face looks smooth and bright...Thank you so much

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