DIY Exfoliant: Oatmeal Scrub

photo credit: free digital photos

Many of us love the idea of going to a local Spa - whether it be to get our nails done, hair treatments, facials or full body messages - but unfortunately sometimes going to the Spa can be costly.

Having that thought in mind, I wanted to bring the Spa to You by sharing some of my naturally made skin care recipes. 

When this thought of  Do-It-Yourself  home skin care came about,  I had been experiencing breakouts of adult acne. It's really surprising for me to say this, but now that I think about it, my skin rarely broke out during my teenage years. I don't know if I should think of it as a blessing or a curse. On some days, I honestly believe that it is a curse!

Over the years, I have tried several methods of taking care of my skin by purchasing and using some of the most expensive skin care kits. This does work but it certainly brings "new" skin issues along with its good results. 

One of the side-effects of using topical skin creams and toners is that even the oiliest of skin can get very dry and flaky; especially around the mouth, chin and jaw line. The worst thing is when you are trying to apply your makeup and all you can see are little skin flakes making their appearance under the layer of makeup. I cannot tell you, how annoying that is! This is something that always happens to me after using medicated skin care products.

So, not being able to "suck-it-up" any longer I decided that I would exfoliate my skin to rid myself of these annoying flakes. And that I did!

For the past two days, I have been using a d-i-y Oatmeal Scrub. The results can be seen almost instantly. After using the oatmeal "paste" my skin feels soft and supple - there is no tightness to the skin what-so-ever.

Here is what you will need to make this Oatmeal Scrub at home:

• about 1/8 - 1/4 cup of old fashioned oats
• a few teaspoons of milk (or water)

Using a food processor or small coffee grinder, grind the oats until they become powder like. (I used my coffee grinder and it worked amazingly well!)
In a clean bowl, mix the oats with a few tsp. of milk.  Basically you want to end up with a semi-thick paste.

I have found that the easiest way to use the oatmeal scrub is during my evening shower. I do this for several reasons: my skin is already damp and clean, my pores are open due to the steam the shower creates and it's just easier to clean up!

After I am done washing up, using my fingers I apply the oatmeal scrub to my face/neck/chest gently rubbing in circular motions starting at my forehead continuing downward until all the oatmeal has been used. (if I have extra I also apply scrub on my arms and legs)

I like to let the scrub sit on my skin for at least 10 min. Then I rinse off with lukewarm water following up with a splash of cold water (doing this will help your pores to close). Lastly, using a clean soft towel, I pat my skin dry; then I apply toner followed by a moisturizer.

Simple and yet, so very effective. What I like most, is seeing immediate results - there is nothing better than that!


Now it's your turn: Have you ever used oatmeal as a skin defoliator before? Would you give this treatment a try? Let us know in the comments!

Simple Skincare

If you are anything like me you try your best to stay abreast of all the new latest skin products. Sometimes it becomes a challenge because there are so many different brands that are being made and each one tries to sell it the public promising great results.

But, let me ask you this: Do you always get the results brands promise? Not always, huh.

This is one of the many reasons I enjoy being a part of the shespeaks community. I was given the opportunity to participate in their Walgreens Simple Skincare Program. Basically, all I had to do was visit my local Walgreens store (which was not hard for me to do - I go there all the time!) and once there, speak to the Beauty Advisor about the New Simple Skincare Line. Easy as pie, right?

Right! Luckily for me, my Walgreens in Gahanna, Oh is by far the best pharmacy to go shopping at. The cashiers are very friendly and the Beauty Advisor was also helpful. They had the Simple Skincare Display right there where the Beauty Advisor's cash register was at. It would have been very hard to miss. (please notice the above photo)

Along the side of the display, there was also a small flyer describing the product line and inside there was a $1 off coupon.The Beauty Advisor was knowledgeable enough to point that put for me.

As a result of sharing this information with the team at shespeaks - I was sent a sample of a Simple Skincare product to try and review. The product I received was the Simple Smoothing Facial Scrub.

A day after I received the Facial Scrub I decided to use it after my evening shower. I was caught off guard by the soft smell of the scrub. The fragrance is more "natural" smelling - it doesn't smell like perfume, like some other facial products I have used before.

The scrub has these little "rice granules" in it- this is what exfoliates the surface of the skin. Immediately after I used the scrub I noticed a few things: (1) the rice granules do not scratch or irritate skin (2) the scrub is light but not runny (3) the scrub rinses off quite easily and (4) my skin feels refreshed.

I am really enjoying this facial scrub. It is gentle enough to use twice a day. I tend to use it in the morning as a "wake up call" as well as at night, before going to bed, in my opinion the scrub washes the daily stresses away.

So, ladies please trust me when I tell you: the Simple Skincare product line is well worth the cost!

If you would like more information on this product line, please feel free to visit them at simpleskincare.com

For more information about the shespeaks community please visit their site.

Disclaimer: As an active member of the shespeaks community I was given the chance to participate in this program - As such I received a free sample of the product in order to test and review. ALL photos and opinions are 100% my own.