Rice scrub and toner

I felt like doing a DIY beauty thing today, so I decided to try making a scrub made of ground up white rice and using the leftover water as a toner. Why rice? Well a few of my fellow beauty bloggers and youtube gurus made videos stating the beauty benefits of rice, and how rice farmers apparently had very soft and fair hands, so I'm giving it a shot! It didn't cost me anything since I already have a tonne of rice in my home (I'm Chinese after all!)

I made a small batch of this, since it doesn't have any preservatives, it is likely to go bad within a few days to a week.

What you'll need:

- about 1/4-1/3 cup of rice
- about 1/2 cup of water
- a blender

1. I put the rice into a bowl and added the water. I stirred it around for a bit and let it sit for a few minutes while I went to put on a face mask (Queen Helene Mint Julep).

2. I transferred everything to the blender and pulsed it to get a coarse gritty mixture.

3. I separated the grit and cloudy water

4. I stored most of the grit and most of the cloudy water (together) in the fridge -- it needs to be stored with the grit to prevent the rice from drying out in the fridge, and needs to be refrigerated to prevent bacteria growth. (It will last a few days to a week in the frige)

5. After I rinsed off my mask, I took a spoonful of the grit in my hands and gently scrubbed my face with it. Be careful not to apply too much pressure as they can be kind of rough. If you want less abrasion, put it in the blender longer. WARNING: this step is kind of messy, so do it over the sink!

6. Rinse!

7. Pat your face dry, and then dip a cotton ball or pad into the cloudy rice water to use as a toner.

8. I added 2 big blobs of Fruit of the Earth 100% natural Aloe Vera Gel as a moisturizer right after.


My thoughts:

I felt like this scrub was gentle, but it was very effective in helping to smooth out some rough spots I had without being too much. The rice toner helped to remove every last bit of residue and also add a bit of moisture back to my skin so it doesn't feel super dry. My skin feels smoother, softer, and looks a bit brighter. I will continue to use this toner for a week and the scrub 1-2x/week and update later.

Who would've thought...

I feel like since my blogging hiatus, my life has gone crazy and to hell. Ugh. Sometimes I wonder where the "real me" has gone. I was (relatively) carefree, satisfied with myself, and confident in my abilities. Now I constantly find myself worrying, feeling inadequate, and wondering if I am incompetent.

Is this the feeling of true humility? Feeling good at nothing? I used to be totally ok with being non-social, and I still am, but for some reason it bothers me more, like I should be more social.

I don't know. and I'm still sad over the grading that U of T gives :( I'm just glad that I'll have a break from Bloomberg for 2 months as of next Tuesday afternoon.

DIY...

I read a lot of beauty blogs, and many of the bloggers swear by "Do It Yourself (DIY)" types of things. I'm all for mother nature, but I think this just further emphasizes the point that everybody's skin/body is different, and that what may work for one person, may not work for another.

I have tried many of the famous DIYs:
- aspirin mask
- yogurt mask
- green tea - sugar scrub
- turmeric mask

Personally, I have only found the turmeric mask useful. Whenever I use the yogurt mask, my face breaks out even more, in place that I don't usually breakout. I am also lactose intolerant, so I'm wondering if maybe my skin also is "allergic" to milk... The aspirin mask did NOTHING for me, if anything made my pores worse. Green tea and sugar? Also did nothing.

I use the turmeric mask when I'm facing a breakout -- and I'm talking underground, cystic, painful breakouts. In a ceramic dish or bowl I mix up some plain turmeric powder with a little bit of water -- just enough to make a paste that will spread easily without being too watery. I just spot treat whatever areas I need to, leave it on for about 30 mins, then rinse.

VERY IMPORTANT: DO NOT do this in your bathroom sink! It will stain anything white yellow permanently. I do this at my kitchen sink since it's metal. I also do not recommend rinsing this mask off with bare hands. I wear latex-free gloves to rinse this off, and it stains them pretty thoroughly. When you rinse, you'll find your skin is tinted yellow, but it should lessen when you use a toner, and then when you wash your face the next morning (HINT: do this mask/spot treatment at night before you go to bed).

I find this mask especially helpful in reducing pain/severity of a pimple, or at least helping it to turn faster. It's worked for me, but hey, it might not work for you. I just decided to try it because I had turmeric lying around and I figured I had nothing to lose! Give it a shot :)