DIY Hydrating Facial Mist
Happy Monday everyone! Last week I shared my favorite watermelon-infused skincare, and I wanted to focus on another amazing way to keep your skin hydrated during the summer months- facial mists!
Using facial sprays is such a luxurious way to elevate your skincare routine or touch-up your makeup throughout the day, and I've tried just about every kind. One of my favorites for a long time was the Mario Badescu rose water- it's super cheap and smells so nice- but after reading more in depth about the brand I realized that the spray was actually likely doing more harm than good by drying out my skin and causing breakouts. If you want the tea on Mario Badescu, I am linking a very informative article here on why it might not be the best thing for your skin after all.
So back to why we're here- no one has time to deal with zits and itchy, irritated skin, so I wanted to share a great alternative to the cult-favorite rose water. I would like to point out that I am not a dermatologist, but every product or ingredient I talk about is backed by science and has proven results. As always, everything is linked below! Lets jump in:
The first thing you will need is undoubtedly my favorite item on the list: a continuous spray bottle from Amazon. My hairdresser actually introduced this product to me, and it CHANGED MY LIFE. You can use it for so many things, like watering plants, cleaning, hairstyling, and even skincare. If you have curly hair this is probably not breaking news to you, as this bottle is commonly used to wet curls, but as someone with board-straight hair, this was a new revelation. I mentioned my love for the Glo Recipe ultra fine hydrating facial mist in my previous post, and the key factor in what makes that product so good is the amazing packaging that provides a cloud-like mist that envelops you rather than creating a harsh spray like Mario's rose water. I highly recommend picking up a pack of these for every-day use, they come in handy for so many things but especially make this DIY spray so enjoyable.
After taking in the amazingness of the spray bottle, I start by filling it up halfway with Aloe Vera juice, which we all know is super hydrating. Aloe also contains Vitamin B, C, choline, 18 different amino acids, and my personal favorite niacinamide (which is amaaaazing for controlling sebum production and reducing breakouts). It is important not to use a gel as the texture is too thick & will not mix well with the other ingredients. For this specific recipe I recommend the brand George's because it is 100% always active aloe vera, and the perfect consistency. (Another little hack: you can just stop here and use the aloe vera spray for treating sunburns in hard to reach areas like your back. This is way less painful than rubbing it in)
Next you'll want to add about 10 drops of vegetable glycerine, an extremely nourishing ingredient that attracts and locks in moisture. It really helps to smoothen and soften the skin, and its pH level closely mimics that of our skins' (making it great for people with sensitive skin like me).
Finally, I like to top it off with a few drops of both Vitamin E and an essential oil of my choosing. Vitamin E is a great antioxidant and rich emollient. It is found in almost every "hydrating" product on the market, and covers the skin in a protective film that traps in moisture. When it comes to picking an essential oil, I love rosehip or argan oil just because they smell so nice and provide great benefits. You can't really go wrong here, but the only advice I have is to stay away from any citrusy oils (no matter how good they smell) as they can cause skin damage from being too acidic.
And that's all there is to it! Before each use I like to give the bottle a good shake to make sure everything is mixed in, and for storage I keep it in my fridge so the ingredients last longer & it feels even more cool and refreshing on the skin. I recommend changing the bottle out every 5 days or so as you want to avoid the mixture turning rancid.
Overall the items do add up to be more than an individual pre-made spray, but with this DIY version you get multiple uses & end up spending less than if you bought a new spray every month or so (better for the planet and better for your wallet). In addition, this recipe is not made with any fillers, dyes, or artificial fragrance commonly found in store-bought sprays. I don't know about you, but I like knowing exactly what i'm putting on my face and that those ingredients are really going to do what they claim to.
Let me know if you try this neat little hack, it's an absolute must for the summer time!