For years, I had been cleaning my face with the same harsh cleansers that the majority of the population uses to clean their faces. I tried Neutrogena, Clean & Clear, Biore, Loreal, Clearisil. and even Proactive, but not one of them ever actually made my face any better. In fact, they all just made my face live in a constant state of breakouts, dry skin, oily skin, and black heads.
Of course, after going Hippy I got rid of all of those cleansers because of their toxic ingredients; sulfates, parabens, fragrances, etc. For a long while, I just did not wash my face. I didn’t really know what to wash my face with, and going organic in my diet meant that I was going to have to cut back on the money that I spent on my beauty products, so the expensive natural products were out of the question.
Eventually my Hippy ways lead me to the oil cleansing method. I LOVE it!
If you have never heard of oil cleansing, it’s definitely worth some research, though the basic gist is that you (crazily enough as it sounds) clean your face with some sort of oil that is beneficial to the skin, such as coconut oil (which is what I use). Now, to anyone who hasn’t heard of this method of cleaning the face, it may sound a little bit ludicrous that I am telling you to CLEAN your face with oil, but trust me when I say my face has never looked so young and beautiful until I started cleaning it with oil.
There was something missing though. I needed more exfoliation. I had tried adding baking soda to the coconut oil, but I ended up finding that to be a bit rough for my face.
Then, I came across a recipe for cleansing grains.
One of the most renowned Herbalists, Rosemary Gladstar, came up with the first recipe for cleansing grains. She was looking to make a replacement for soap on the face, but she understood that the face was more sensitive and required a soft touch, so she came up with her miracle grains. Cleansing grains are mild, nourishing, and they are great for ALL SKIN TYPES. My favorite part about cleansing grains, is they make a AMAZING weekly facemask as well. You just leave them on your face for 15-20 minutes before rising off.
After making her basic recipe, I decided to come up with my own for you guys as well! Today I will share TWO recipes with you… Rosemary Gladstar’s Miracle Grains, and my own Raspberry Oatmeal Pie Cleansing Grains. Ready?
Rosemary Gladstar's Miracle Grains & Raspberry Oatmeal Pie Cleansing Grains
Once you try these cleansing grains you will kiss your old face cleansing routine goodbye! Great for acne prone skin, these little grains go deep to cleanse pores while nourishing the skin's exterior.
Materials
For Rosemary Gladstar's Miracle Grains
- 2 cups white clay
- 1 cup finely ground oats
- 1/4 cup finely ground almonds or almond meal
- 1/8 cup finely ground lavender
- 1/8 cup poppy seeds or finely ground blue corn (optional)
- 1/8 cup finely ground roses
For Raspberry Oatmeal Pie Cleansing Grains
- 1/2 cup benonite clay
- 1/4 cup finely ground organic oats
- 1/8 cup finely ground organic almonds or almond meal
- 1/8 cup finely ground rose petals
- 1/8 cup finely ground organic freeze dried raspberries (or freeze dried raspberry powder, it's the same thing)
- 1 Tbsp. ground flax seed
- 5 drops lavender essential oil
Instructions
For Rosemary Gladstar's Miracle Grains
- Mix all of the ingredients in a bowl and store in a spice jar with the holey tops.
- When using, combine 1-2 tsp. of cleansing grains with water and make into a paste.
- Massage onto the face and rinse off with warm water.
- If using as a facemask, leave on for 15-20 minutes before rinsing off.
- Cleansing grains are so gentle that you can wash with them 2 times a day and follow with your normal skin care routine. I usually tone with witch hazel and moisturize with coconut oil after cleansing my face.
For Raspberry Oatmeal Pie Cleansing Grains
- Mix all of the ingredients in a bowl and store in a spice jar with the holey tops.
- When using, combine 1-2 tsp. of cleansing grains with water and make into a paste.
- Massage onto the face and rinse off with warm water.
- If using as a facemask, leave on for 15-20 minutes before rinsing off.
- Cleansing grains are so gentle that you can wash with them 2 times a day and follow with your normal skin care routine. I usually tone with witch hazel and moisturize with coconut oil after cleansing my face.
Though these cleansing grains recipes are actually suitable for all skin types, you can easily customize your cleansing grains to contain items that are great for your skin type.
FRUIT POWDER: Different fruits, such as freeze dried blueberries, mangoes, pumpkins, strawberries (these are REALLY good for those who have problems with severe acne.), or even bananas all all great options to add to your cleansing grains. Most have high amounts of anti-oxidants as well as vitamins and minerals that are very beneficial to your skin.
CLAY: Many different clays such as green or white french clay, fuller’s earth clay, benonite clay, and rhassoul clay are all gentle and help to pull the toxins out of the skin. Clay is also very beneficial to tighten the pores.
HERBS: You can also add finely ground dried herbs to the mix. Herbs (and flowers) such as rosemary, sage, neem, lavender, chamomile, calendula, rose, basil, oregano, peppermint, dandelion, borage, and comfrey all have great healing benefits to the skin.
What combination appeals to you? I am going to make myself a jar of pumpkin spice cleansing grains come fall time!
Ashely Brown says
Clay stimulate the circulation of blood and lymph, remove dead skin cells and absorb dirt and other surface fats.Clay Masks are not only for the face, you can make Clay Body Packs to stimulate blood and lymph circulation.
Jill Lillis says
Rosemary Gladstar is a local herbalist where I live. I’ve been to one of her seminars and she is a fount of amazing knowledge of all things herbal. Thanks for this article!
Jill Lillis says
Rosemary Gladstar is a local herbalist where I live. I’ve been to one of her seminars and she is a fount of amazing knowledge of all things herbal. Thanks for this article!
Jill Lillis says
Rosemary Gladstar is a local herbalist where I live. I’ve been to one of her seminars and she is a fount of amazing knowledge of all things herbal. Thanks for this article!
Jill Lillis says
Rosemary Gladstar is a local herbalist where I live. I’ve been to one of her seminars and she is a fount of amazing knowledge of all things herbal. Thanks for this article!
Michelle R says
I just finished reading her Medicinal Herbs: A Beginner’s Guide! What a wealth of knowledge this woman is. Thanks for sharing!
Sharon says
Love these cleansing grains as well as Rosemary’s Perfect Cream which is awesome. Not sure I can legally share the recipe here, but it is in Rosemary Gladstar’s books, Herbal Recipes, and Herbs for Natural Beauty. These books are a wealth of education, they are part of my “almost everyday” reading.
Katherine says
I am always a big fan of homemade remedies. They are very effective and it is really important to know the ingredients to use. Thanks a lot for sharing this piece of gem.