If you’re anything like how I used to be, when you open up your bathroom cabinets, you probably have tons of supplies that you bought to enhance your face, hair, and skin. I used love trying new beauty products until I realized: they weren’t so beautiful after all.

Instead of being beneficial to my body, I was basically slathering myself in a lab experiment that was neither healthy for me or the environment. For people who are dedicated to yoga, asanas (yoga poses) are just one part of our lifestyle. Seeking a simple, gentle, and natural living has a gravitational pull for us. We want not only to be strong and flexible, but to have healthy bodies, minds, and souls as well.

Using natural beauty products not only is kinder to the environment, but it’s better and more effective for our bodies. I now have a simple but highly effective skin care regimen that uses zero chemical ingredients, and while I’m not one of those lucky people who has a naturally perfect complexion, I can honestly say this routine and my vegetarian diet give me an amazing healthy glow and true porcelain skin.

A big part of supple, healthy skin is keeping it moisturized, and unfortunately most moisturizers are laden with horrifying chemical products. I mean horrifying. Since the skin is actually our body’s largest organ and first line of defense in our immune system, it goes without saying that what we put on our skin gets absorbed into the body. There are plenty of easy-breezy ways to naturally keep your skin radiantly beautiful, even in the midst of winter blues, and the best way is to use essential oils.

It might sound crazy to slather oil on your face, since it’s been pounded in our brains that we want to scrub off our natural oils and then smother our faces in chemically laden products. This actually causes the pH of our skin to freak out and either dry out or go into an over production of oil. Nature knows best. We need to rely on it a little more.

Have you noticed expensive skin product tout their uses of vitamins, minerals, and anti-oxident properties? Well, guess what, any time you extract those things from it’s natural source, it becomes less and less stable over time. Usually the process of mixing the very ingredients of those products damages or entirely ruins the healthy enzymes in the vitamins these companies brag about. The result? That expensive, fancy cream isn’t really as effective as you might think.

Fortunately, nature has a much less expensive, much more potent solution. Essential oils do, in fact, maintain a high level of vitamins and antioxidants because it’s a part of their very make up. Using face oils is the new major go to for beauty, and for a good reason. If you use the right oil, it nourishes the skin like crazy, and with ingredients that truly feed the skin in a healthy way. The overwhelming majority of skin care products strip skin of its natural oils and throw off its pH balance, which results in an over production of oil, or dry, red, irritated skin.

If you’re into living a natural lifestyle, you’ve probably already heard about to wonders of coconut oil. And the stories are true, all true! They just might not end in a happily ever after for everyone if you use it on your skin. It can clog the pores, so I wouldn’t necessarily consider this the best skin moisturizing go to for sensitive or acne prone skin. Happily, there are plenty of other amazing options to try.

Pumkinseed Oil:

It’s rich in vitamin E, omega 3- and 6- fatty acids as well as antioxidants. It’s has incredible anti-oxidents and it helps your skin naturally hold in moisture. It also helps fight off acne and it’s high zinc content improves your skin tone. It’s excellent to use as a face cleanser (true story! It melts that makeup right off!) or as a moisturizer.

Rosehip Oil:

This is my personal favorite to use, and I’m not the only one. Miranda Kirr, who is not only a supermodel and lover of natural living, uses rosehip oil as her moisturizer as well. It absorbs quickly, and provides skin rejuvenation, pigment reduction, moisture retention and improved complexion. Your skin will feel supple and radiant after using it. It also banishes wrinkles and makes you look like you’ve spent all day at a spa (you don’t have to let on that you haven’t!)

Geranium Oil:

Helps regulate oil production, so it reduces acne breakouts. It also helps improve skin elasticity and tighten skin, reducing the appearance of wrinkles. Many people love the way it smells. This is one of my personal favorites to mix with rosehip oil.

Lavender Oil:

Helps lighten age marks, acne scars, sun spots and scarring. It’s also good for all skin types and smell fabulous (if you like lavender, that is!)

Lemon Oil:

It’s a natural astringent and antibacterial agent, so it’s extremely beneficial to those with oily and acne-prone complexions. It both tones the skin and reduces the size of pores.

Tea Tree Oil:

For hippie-dippie nature lovers, this is a well-known essential oils for acne-prone skin. It has amazing antibacterial properties help ward off acne-causing bacteria. You can actually use it in home cleaning products and a slew of other things. It also helps to regulate oil production. I recommend using this last, because it has a distinct smell, and usually once a person starts uses facial oils, their skin becomes very balanced and is no longer overly oily. I used to have terrible combination skin (a mega pain to regulate) and now my skin is completely balanced when I follow my simple, natural care plan.

Regardless of whether or not you live an entirely natural life, I really encourage you to give essential oils a try. After using them for a week, a noticed a big difference in my skin’s texture. After a month, the change is really remarkable, and looks better than it did when I wore makeup. I actually never wear foundation anymore, and again, I wouldn’t ever claim to be one of those people who were blessed with a flawless complexion. New to essential oils? Let me know if you have questions! Experienced with oils? Feel free to share ways you love using oils in your beauty routine! Much love and namaste!