Well, as we all must, I am doing my best to look at the positive through ‘COVID-19/Quarentine2020’. One of the positive things is that I have a lot more time to write.

Lately I’ve been doing some brainstorming on how I can lessen my overall spending. One area that I have been working at for a while now is my skincare. There are SO MANY amazing natural and effective skincare products out there. It has truly been one of the greatest surprises of my adult life. Yes, many are quite expensive but (another pleasant surprise) there are an insane amount of relatively affordable natural and effective skincare products as well.

Below is my budget friendly, all natural skincare routine for my combo-oily-dehydrated-acne-prone skin.

Daily Skincare:

Grape Seed Oil is an excellent, affordable, and non-clogging oil to remove makeup with. I apply it to wet or dry skin and use my fingers and the oil to gently break down makeup. Then I follow by placing a warm and damp washcloth over my face to gently remove the oil and makeup. I follow this step with a cleanser. $10.99 16 fluid ounces

Nourish Organic’s Moisturizing Face Cleanser  is a fragrance free cleansing cream with some of the simplest ingredients I have ever seen. It does not leave the skin dry and leaves the pH of the skin feeling balanced. I will either use this on its own, or with grapeseed oil to cleanse the skin and remove makeup. $14.99 6 fluid ounces

Calendula hydrosol for hydration and calming effects on the skin. I use this in place of toner. It literally feels like a drink of water for the skin and is one of the few things that I feel actually hydrates my skin topically.  $8.75 3 fluid ounces

Lastly I follow the calendula hydrosol mist with a light layer of Jojoba Oil as moisturizer. $12.99 4 fluid ounces

Weekly Skincare:

Eminence Organics Strawberry Rhubarb Exfoliant. I wouldn’t necessarily categorize this product as ‘budget friendly’ ($48 for 4.2 ounces) but it is a fan-freakin-tastic product, and a good ‘bang for your buck’ find. It is 4.2 ounces of dry ingredients that just needs a little water added to it in the palm of the hand to activate the dry ingredients. I have had my bottle for 8 months and I’m not even half way through it.

It also contains salicylic acid (anti-inflammatory, hydrating, pore cleansing), ascorbic acid (Vitamin C, brightening), lactic acid (conditioning enzyme), and gentle and non-scratching physical exfoliants such as rice and chickpea flower. The fact that this is gentle, exfoliating, contains salicylic acid, and lasts me several months makes it a conscious investment I’m okay with, as I have yet to find such an effective and gentle exfoliant.

These are my tried and true skincare basics. I may get samples of products, or purchase a new product here and there, but this is the skincare routine that I always come back to. It is calming, hydrating, and non-clogging which is perfect for my (high maintenance AF) combo-acneic skin.

There are however a few skincare basics that I have yet to find at ‘budget friendly’ prices… check out this post to learn which skincare product categories the green beauty industry still seems to lack in offering affordable and natural product options.