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Soooo…. my skin has kind of been amazing lately. And yes, I can say that about myself πŸ˜‰ I dealt with years and years… and years of nasty breakouts. I’m talking, like, Acutane through my teenage years bad. And yes, I got the miserable depression with it. Screw that man. So now, years later when my skin has gone from AWFUL to good to meh to good to amazing, I am a happy, happy lady. After a nasty little rash that spread to my face (thanks Marlowe, thanks obsessive picking)… I decided to try out a few home remedies. Well, not only did my home-treatment work, but it also made my skin wonderful, glow-y, and clear. My secret ingredient? Butt cream. Yep, I am completely and totally guilty of using Marlowe’s diaper rash cream on my face (and loving it). Between the diaper balm and the two oils (or just one: the coconut oil) my skin has been looking fresh and dewy, but not oily —> and that’s key, because no one wants oily skin.
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Coconut oil– there are a ton of different brands out there. You can buy them in the oil section and in the beauty care section of health food stores. I find the spectrum brand at my neighborhood grocer and whole foods… or there is the whole foods brand. I just look for whats on sale. Just be sure you buy the refined coconut oil
Almond oil– optional. I’ve heard really great things about almond oil for your face, so I decided it was worth a shot and wouldn’t hurt. This stuff can be pricey so it’s great to put into this mixture, diluted, instead of using it up by itself.
Avalon Organics Protective Zinc Diaper Balm– oh yes, butt cream. It goes on white, and stays white… so adding it to these oils, is the perfect way to use it, without having a white, creamy face. I’ve bought this at Whole Foods, but I’m 95% sure they also sell it at Publix (my neighborhood supermarket).
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I haven’t measured the exact amount of ingredients, but the ratios go somewhat like this:
two parts coconut oil. one part diaper cream. a few drops of almond oil.Β 
You want the “lotion” to be thinned out and runny, but still a bit white from the cream.Β A little goes a LONG way. Just dip one or two fingers in and blend into skin. Wipe off any excess or wait a few minutes before applying any powdered makeup, or else your brush (or sponge) will get oily. Speaking of oily, please know: I have combination skin, bordering on oily. I’m not sure how this would work on dryer skin types, but I imagine: pretty well (but of course, I’m not an expert).
I don’t know how many (if any) of you tried theΒ homemade deodorantΒ I posted…Β but I’m still using it, and loving it… buttt, my friend Laura: hated it, and gave it back to me. I had people inquire about the oil ruining clothing, I do wear sleeves about half the time, and haven’t had a problem whatsoever. Coconut oil dries pretty quickly. Once it dries, there is a bit of white residue leftover from the powders, but thats easily brushed off.

You know, I never ever thought I would get to this point with homemade and natural products… at all. I was certain natural deodorants WOULD NOT and COULD NOT work. I am beyond pleased with all the products previously mentioned and the fact that everything new (and natural) I’ve tried, is working. Especially since: it’s the middle of summer, in south florida, and I spend a few hours a day on a hot, greasy food truck. Three cheers for (FINALLY) clear, glowy skin (and fresh underarms)! Yay! Yay! Yay!

Happy cleansing πŸ˜‰

21 Comments

  1. Ohhh I just started using coconut oil but I would of never thought of using it with the butt cream, wow thanks for the tip!!! πŸ™‚ Michelle

  2. I make my own coconut lotion too. Mine is a creamy consistence since we keep our house n the cold side (62 degree) I add vit e oil and olive oil and whip it to make it creamy or else the coconut oil is hard to use since its pretty solid. I don't understand the butt cream though…I haven't use one in years, doesn't it create a barrier ? Do you use it to make the coconut oil easy to apply?

  3. Hi there, Ms. Glowy! =D As a fellow acne sufferer, I share your joy in finding a remedy that works, and is cheaply and simply made. Yayyyy!!!! So naturally, I had to try it! It's on my face right now, so we will see… πŸ™‚ I added jojoba instead of almond, because it's what I already had and I know it's wonderful for the skin as well (they say it's the oil that's closest to the sebum that we produce!) anyway, I've been lathering up in coconut oil for a while now, although I, too, was using the UNrefined variety, but your explanation makes sense, as far as filtering out the dust and whatnot…..my question is, how are you storing it, and do you think it matters? I know that the coco oil remains oily at room temperature, and I've just been keeping mine out in the open, but with the mixture I'm wondering if it wouldn't be wise to keep it in the fridge to preserve its freshness? What's your take on the matter?

    Thanks sooo much for sharing this with us-apparently zinc oxide does wonders for acne, and I'm wondering why it's not a more well-known treatment! I had never heard of it til now!

    Love your blog, btw. You are an amazing woman and I really enjoy following along with your adventures! πŸ™‚ best of luck with the upcoming move, dear <3

    • I store it in my bathroom cabinet, in oily form , I don't think it matters too much… but I'm not positive πŸ™‚

  4. bit late in commenting! but this stuff is amazing, ive been using it a couple nights now and even after first morning my skin felt smoother. Only downer is its too oily for me to use in morning, gives me mega shiny face. but love coming home in evenings and taking off make up and putting it on. I think my skin will really benefit from natural ingredients! Can you make a natural face scrub soon???

    • Nice! I can try! I used to make one in high school, I don't remember everything in it though πŸ™‚

  5. Butt cream also works well for bad sunburns! Slather it on before bed, wear a tshirt, and no pain in the morning! For my face I only use olive oil! Works perfect to take eye makeup off, I rub it on before bed and it cleared up my acne!

  6. Oh, and another thing I've used off and on is the oil cleansing method for my face and it works for me too! I just haven't mixed up anymore (on my list to do now) so I've been using my homemade soap as a cleanser for my face lately.

    • I've looked into it! I've been tempted to try but I haven't made the plunge!

  7. Yes! I'm a fan of the natural deodorant… and use coconut oil straight as a moisturizer for my body and face (and sometimes a tiny bit on my hair). My skin is "older" and it's leaning towards dry (especially in dryer climates – we travel). I still may try your "recipe" though… Thanks for sharing!

  8. I started using coconut oil as my moisturizer sometime in the winter and was shocked at how much my skin improved. I was definitely skeptical about rubbing oil all over my face due to how many times I had been told to look for "oil free" this and that to deal with my acne. But it is awesome, and oddly feels less oily then some of the lotions and moisturizers I had used before!

  9. I always love your posts πŸ™‚ As I have pimples as well – I may have to try this out.

  10. You are the first to say to use REFINED and not UNrefined. Now I am confused! Why do you use refined over unrefined coconut oil?

    • Thats actually a good question! It totally slipped my mind to talk about it. Spectrum, refined oil, while it is processed, doesn't use any harsh chemicals. (I should like a spokesperson for spectrum, I'm not). I think (again, not an expert) that using refined on your skin makes sense because you don't have any of the dust particles or anything to clog your skin. And I know with my very easily agitated skin, I have to be extra cautious. I guess the biggest thing between the two is usually the chemicals in processing, so you just have to be sure to buy the organic non chemical one when you buy refined.

  11. i'm intrigued! i've used 'butt cream' to eliminate red blotches on my face for years, but only a teensy dab here and there. i might try this!

  12. i MUST try this out! i've been more in to home remedies rather than creams from the dermatologist. this is so helpful- thank you! πŸ™‚

    andrea brionne
    @thedailyeverythings.blogspot.com

    • I haven't seen a dermatologist in years for my skin. It got better in my twenties and would only get iffy on occasion with hormone changes… or when I started working on the truck. I feel like this adds an extra layer of protection from the oils on the truck or something. It really has been working great.

  13. coconut oil is amazing for skin! i read about it on bekah's blog (mylittleloves) when i was pregnant & decided to try it out. i religiously put it on my stomach morning&night and i only got a few teeny stretchmarks at the end of my pregnancy when things changed quickly& slightly drastically! πŸ™‚ i'm a total lover of it! i use it every night on my face in place of moisturiser – and i have combination skin, it doesn't make my face oily, just smooth πŸ™‚

    • Bekah was actually one of the two people I had originally tweeted to about using coconut oil (for my legs). She was like "yes yes yes!" so I started doing some research into it… and decided to start mixing some things together and BAM not only did it clear up the foliculitous (it's gross. you're warned if you decide to look it up) on my face, but also my pimples.

  14. Haha I've been using butt cream too since I had my boy 4 months ago. It was such a nice thick cream and I'd run out of moisturiser is I thought- why not? Great idea with he oils though I tend to look a little ghost like for a few minutes after I put it on!

    • haha yeah, I have a bit of tanned skin, not really dark, but you know, a mix of colombian in there, so I looked super freakish with just the white cream on my face. It worked much better thinned with the oil πŸ™‚