Face Value

 When I was younger my hair was bone straight, and my complexion near perfect. The tone of my skin was glowing and healthy.  I think having kids and getting 6 hours of interrupted sleep per night for the last 5 years has changed things. Thanks to pregnancy hormones I now have a significant wave to my hair, I get more blemishes, and my skin often looks a little dry and tired. I assign a lot of value to what I put inside my body, what kind of shoes I wear, what cleaning products I use. I don't always put as much value on my skincare. I have a regimen I follow, but it does not involve getting facials, seeing a dermatologist or investing in expensive products.  I've been washing my face with a mild soap and applying a tinted spf moisturizer for the day and removing make up and applying a heavier night time moisturizer at night for as long as I can remember.   I've decided to change things up, naturally. I found a homeopathic recipe for toner made with raw/unfiltered apple cider vinegar from Rebecca Baust's blog The Daily Muse. She swears by it, and she has really beautiful skin, so I believe her. It's three parts water to one part ACV. I whipped up a batch, and bottled some jojoba oil for eye make-up removal, a suggestion from friend Lisa who also has beautiful skin, and olive oil for non-drying face wash.  Both oils have antibacterial qualities and leave the skin moisturized, which is what I think my skin is lacking most. I bought the Whole Foods version of Cetaphil, the same cleanser without the sulfates and parabens, which I'll use in the shower as both a face and body wash. Lastly, and most importantly I invested in a mineral based organic face sunscreen. I'm going to follow this new routine for the next month to see if I notice any improvement, I'll let you know if it works.