My Minimal Natural Skincare Routine

Just updated with my latest skincare loves for 2020!

For the past few years I’ve been working at creating a skincare routine for my body and face that’s fuss free and natural, but that most importantly makes my skin feel good. The steps I’ve listed are what I do in the morning, but my night time routine is very similar – except I leave out exfoliation, body butter and sunscreen. Before I jump in – a quick little background on my skin – I have dry/oily combination skin on my face and dry arms and legs. In the same day my nose could be peeling and my forehead super oily. So I have opted for products that nourish but don’t feel oily.

The products I now use are 98-100% natural and organic where possible. I also opt for brands that use glass jars instead of plastic when I can. So far, there has been consistent evidence indicating that exposure to plastics and the their additives may lead to a variety of health complications. Endocrine disrupting chemicals, often used to make plastic clear and durable, are associated with a disruption in fertility cycles, delayed neurodevelopment in children, immune disorders, and a higher risk of hormone-related cancers (source). Which is why I am working on reducing the amount of plastic in my home.

I would also like to mention that I am not a skincare expert and my routine is based on what I have found to work well for my skin. The book I found incredibly helpful when I was working on my skincare routine is Amazinger Face by Zoe Foster Blake.

My Minimal Natural Skincare Routine

1. Drink Water

The very first way we need to look after our skin is by keeping it hydrated from the inside first. There is no amount of moisturiser that can help you if your skin is already dehydrated. Aim to drink 8 glasses of water a day. A tell tale sign that you are dehydrated is lips that are dry and chapped.

2. Dry Brush / Exfoliate

I exfoliate my body 3-5 times per week and my once per week. When we exfoliate we scrub away the top layer of dead skin cells which allows our skincare products to work more effectively. I use my Body Shop dry brush to exfoliate my body before I hop into the shower. Dry brushing is done with a firm bristled brush on dry skin. If you have sensitive skin it’s probably not suitable for you.

Once in the shower, oncer per week I use Frank Body Creamy Face Scrub. With ingredients like coffee, bamboo and walnut this scrub detoxifies pores and fades scars. And it smells so good that I want to eat it!

3. Cleanser

One of my favourite skincare products is my cleanser. It’s a super soft balm that I massage into dry skin with dry hands, which then melts into a cleansing milk after adding a little water. I chose a cleansing milk over the foaming kind, because these contain harsh ingredients like sodium lauryl sulphate (SLS) and sodium laureth sulphate (SLES). I use Evolve Gentle Cleansing Melt which is a cleansing balm made with nourishing organic baobab oil that soothes and hydrates.

4. Body Butter

After my shower I pat myself dry with my towel so that my body is still a tiny bit damp. This helps keep pores open, making your skin more open to the benefits of my moisturiser. I put my body butter on as quickly as possible after drying off, to lock in the moisture in my skin. The body butter I’m loving right now is the Weleda Skin Food Body Butter (the packaging is plastic, but Weleda have an incredible recycling program that allows you to post your packaging to be recycled for free). This body butter soaks in to my skin really nicely and has a fresh citrus smell.

5. Face Toner

Next I move onto my face and the first step is toning. I use the Herbivore Jasmine Green Tea Balancing Toner to tone and love that the organic, natural, organic ingredients are anti inflammatory. I’ve found that my monthly hormonal breakouts are much smaller and also heal faster since I started using this toner.

6. Eye Cream

Then comes my eye cream – I use Pai Gentle Eye Cream. Eye cream is important because the skin under your eyes is extra delicate and prone to fine lines. I love that this cream is really hydrating but isn’t too heavy. It’s the first under eye cream I’ve used that I visibly notice a difference in the health of the skin around my eyes. Pai also have a commitment to using pure ingredients which means they never use artificial fragrances, alcohol (denat.), parabens (including japanese honeysuckle), phenoxyethanol, propylene glycol, formaldehyde (including sodium hydroxymethylglycinate), sodium lauryl sulfate or other skin irritants.

7. Face Serum/Oil

Face Serums should be used to target specific concerns like dry skin, acne, wrinkles, pigmentation etc. Face oils can offer some of the same benefits and are a great substitute if you don’t have specific concerns. I use The Jojoba Company Australia Jojoba Oil instead of a specific serum. Jojoba is a powerful natural moisturiser with a whole range of uses. It matches our own skin’s oils, so it suits any skin type at any age. It is naturally hypoallergenic and non-pore clogging and is rich in vitamins, antioxidants and omegas.

I actually mix a tiny bit in with my moisturiser in the next step instead of applying it directly to my face. This is because I find I only need a very small drop, which is hard to spread over my face on it’s own. But if you have dry skin you could apply a larger amount directly. It can take some experimenting to figure out how much your skin can take without feeling oily later in the day. You can also use Jojoba Oil for:

Calming and Soothing

Scars
Burns
Rashes
Eczema
Dermatitis
Psoriasis
Nappy rash
Cradle cap
Acne

Beauty and Pampering

Wrinkles
Stretch marks
Dry and sensitive skin
Sun damage
Pigmentation
Uneven skin tone
Oily skin
Age spots
Nourish hair

8. Face Moisturiser

The Evolve Daily Renew Natural Face Cream is my favourite natural moisturiser yet. It’s lush and nourishing but not too heavy/greasy. It also smells so good that I want to eat it straight out of the jar every morning! It contains Argan oil and hyaluronic acid. As I mentioned above I put a blob in my hand and mix in a small drop of Jojoba Oil then I rub into my face, neck and upper chest. The skin on our neck and upper chest is very delicate and we often forget to take care of it.

9. Body/Face Balm

After I’ve exfoliated, cleansed, toned and moisturised I also use the cult classic Weleda Skin Food balm on areas that are super dry and flaky. For me this is usually in between my brows, the end of my nose, my elbows, knees and shins. With extracts of gentle viola tricolor, calendula and chamomile, in a rich, thick base of oils and beeswax, Skin Food is super hydrating. You only need the tiniest amount! I have also heard that you can use it as an intensive overnight face mask, but I haven’t tried this myself yet.

10. Body/Face Sunscreen

Finally one of the most important steps in my morning skincare routine is sunscreen. Applying sunscreen daily is a habit I only picked up a couple of years ago and I wish I’d started earlier. Sun damage in it’s most innocent form will lead to wrinkles and pigmentation spots and at it’s worst skin cancer. So there really is no excuse to skip sunscreen. If you are only exposed to a small amount of sunlight each day SPF 15 or higher will do the job, but SPF 30 is the safer way to go for most of us.

There are two main types of sunscreen – chemical and physical. Chemical sunscreens (most sunscreens) absorb the sun rays under your skin and must be applied to clean skin to be effective. Chemical sunscreens can be irritating to the skin, lead to skin damage, ageing and hyperpigmentation and even disrupt your hormones. Then there are physical sunscreens, these deflect or block the sun rays from being absorbed into your skin and should be applied after skincare and before makeup. Physical sunscreens are made from the minerals zinc oxide and titanium dioxide which ideal for people with sensitive skin. There is some debate about the use of micro or nano particles in some physical sunscreens, which have been argued to be unsafe. However this has not been proven.

I use Salt and Stone Mineral Sunscreen (physical sunscreen) on body and love the smell and texture. Salt and Stone use non-nano particles too! For my face I use the Coola Full Spectrum 360° Mineral Sun Silk Crème Organic Face Sunscreen SPF 30. I love the fact that this sunscreen is not only non-nano mineral but also organic. It also has some extra ingredients that help defend against the blue-light from our device screens and pollution in the air. It goes on really smoothly and doesn’t leave any oily residue behind.

There are more and more mineral sunscreen brands entering the market which is great to see. I’d love to hear any recommendations you have in the comments below.

11. Natural Deoderant

For the past 12 months I’ve been experimenting with natural deodorants. I can’t deny that the switch wasn’t as easy as I’d have liked it to be. When you first start using natural deodorants (as opposed to most supermarket deodorant which contains aluminium and all sorts of nasty ingredients) your body goes through a little bit of a (stinky) detox.

If you do want to make the switch, I’d suggest starting in winter, over the weekend or at a time when you can freshen up easily if you need to. But it is worth sticking it out! One big change I’ve noticed since switching to a natural deodorant is that my arm pits no longer have the constant irritated patches of skin.

After trying quite a few brands including Primally Pure, Weleda and Nuud (which I found made me smell terrible!) I’ve come to love the Levera Organic Deodorant with Witch Hazel and Rose Essence the most. It’s in a glass (yay for no plastic) spray bottle and I just use a few sprays for each arm pit. Some days I do reapply a couple of times and it’s also a handy size to keep in your bag when you’re out and about.