Your skin wants to be fed nourishing, whole ingredients, just like your body.

Everything in my life changed when I started to wake up to the marketing schemes of the beauty industry and started to take my health back into my own hands.

Sometimes, the answer isn’t found in hundred-dollar creams or gold-infused masks. Magic happens when we come back to the wisdom held within simplicity and the wholeness of the medicine gifted to us by Mother Earth.

Cue Rosemary Gladstar, the Fairy Godmother and magical witch of North American Herbalism. Her book ‘Herbal Recipes for Vibrant Health’ She offers a natural cleansing grains recipe, and today I am respectfully offering you an altered variation of my own after years of playing with Rosemary’s original recipe.

Benefits of Cleansing Grains

Use this recipe in place of a facial cleanser for a natural alternative to chemical, synthetic based products. This recipe is perfect for those who experience inflammation, dryness, redness, oily skin, acne, hormonal breakouts – honestly, just about anything!

And remember, part of the joy of herbalism and making your own products is the PLAY that is invoked through the process. So feel free to experiment, follow your intuition, and add in your own special touches – that’s what being a witch is all about 😉

Choosing Your Clay Base

Everyone’s skin is different, which means it deserves special attention and specific ingredients to nourish it. Choose your base for this recipe by reading through the properties and effects of the clay using the guide below.

White Clay

Also known as kaolin clay, I highly recommend this clay for those who experience sensitive, flaky, or rough skin as this clay is often the least drying.

Red Clay

Often sourced from the desert of Morroco, this clay binds with impurities to pull it out of the deeper pores of the skin. Red clay is a perfect choice for those who work in polluted environments, live in cities, or experience oily skin.

Green Clay

Green clay is high in minerals as it’s derived from mostly plant matter. This clay brilliantly adds minerals to the skin while extracting sebum from the pores to prevent breakouts. It’s a wonderful choice for those with sensitive skin who experience acne breakouts.

Benonite Clay

This clay is sourced from ancient volcanic ash which makes it rich in minerals like silica. This clay is beneficial for most skin types and is easily accessible in most parts of the world.

Ingredients

This recipe makes two months worth of facial cleanser (around 60 uses). Source organic, sustainably sourced ingredients whenever possible to support your skin and the Earth.

• ⅔ cup of oats

• ½ cup of clay of your choice

• ¼ cup sunflower seeds or almond seeds (two options provided for those with allergies)

• ¼ cup rose petals

• ¼ cup lavender flowers

• ⅛ cup chamomile flowers

One of the reasons that I love this recipe so much is because it’s so EASY!

Making the Grains

Place all of your ingredients in a blender, set to low, blend until they’re well mixed and transform into a powder and then voila – your magical cleansing grains are ready. Store in a glass container away from the light either in the fridge or in a cool place to keep the oils from the almonds or sunflower seeds from going rancid.

To use, take a small handful in your palm, mix with a small amount of water until the grains turn into a paste, then spread over the face. Allow your skin to absorb the benefits of the ingredients for one to two minutes before washing off completely.

And remember while you’re using them…. Life is short, be silly, be weird, have some freakin’ fun.

I feel so radiant inside and outside when I wash my skin with these natural grains. It feels good knowing that not only am I taking care of myself with natural ingredients, I’m also taking care of the Earth.

Interested in exploring another one of my favorite self-care rituals? Enter Yoni Steaming. For centuries, wise women have practiced this ritual to awaken, honor, and harness the power of the womb – and I’ve got JUST the thing to get you started!