Holistic Healing: Kenya Kush's Clean Beauty

I’m a huge fan of simplicity when it comes to holistic healing, including herbal medicine, skincare, and all other rituals of self-care. To me the fewer ingredients you use on and in your body the better. The closer your health and beauty gets to nature, the less complicated interventions you’ll need for both. 

Over the years I’ve shared with you all my recipes for detox baths and alternative smoking herbs, but I always get questions about my skin care routine. My best skin allies come from the kitchen and I’ve been experimenting with recipes and combos for the last 12 years. 

In this post I’ll share one of my routines for when my skin is calm aka not irritated or overly dry, oily, inflamed etc. As always sub any ingredients that work better for your skin! 

Step 1: Exfoliate

~ Mix used coffee grounds with either honey or favorite carrier oil ~

I prefer to use used (damp) coffee grounds instead of dry because it causes fewer abrasions and feels a bit softer on my face. 

I use honey if my face feels more feisty or prone to breaking out or has dry skin that needs to be sluffed. I prefer to use an oil, usually avocado or jojoba, if my skin just wants hydration or needs something very gentle. I don’t have issues using oil on my face, but for some it’s clogging. Other oils to experiment with on your face are apricot and almond oils. 

Wet face, massage scrub into face for at least 1 minute and gently rinse with warm water. 

Step 2: Mask 

~ Raw Honey // Aloe gel or Aztec clay with Apple Cider Vinegar ~

Honey— Honey again! This anti microbial food is hydrating, cleansing, and softens skin when left on face as a mask. Just apply straight or mix with a splash of lemon juice for dark spots or with an oil for moisture. 

Pure Aloe Gel— this is the best , cooling remedy for sun-exposed or otherwise inflamed skin. You can use an arm from a homegrown plant or buy one from an Asian or Latinx market. I would always recommend using gel straight from the plant over pre-packaged gels as they usually always have some preservative in them. Use plain gel or mix it with a little quiet of lemon juice or, you guessed it, honey.

Aztec Clay with ACV— this is my go-to mask for when I’m experiencing a breakout, am super oily, or otherwise feel I need to totally reset my skin. I eyeball the ratio, but I will usually do clay mixed with water and ACV 50/50. When I use ACV alone, the mask burns when applying and leaves my skin feeling frozen when it dries.  This is the most intense of the three masks 

Photos: Das Leune

Step 3: Cleanse

~ Dr.Bronner’s Magic Soap / Black Soap/ oil for oil cleansing method~ 

I used to be product junkie, trying every new hair conditioner and face wash. I’ve tried almost all natural lines of cleansers. There have been some that I would definitely use again, but honestly I find the simplicity and effectiveness of Dr. Bronner’s hard to beat. The ingredients are simple, hemp-derived, and gentle enough for use on my face, the different scents from essential oils are a nice pick-me-up, and it is fairly concentrated, so a bottle costing roughly $20 lasts a very long time.

If I’m not using Dr.Bronner’s I usually use a CBD based soap from a small business. I love the “Cleansing Heart: Detox” with activated charcoal and tea tree oil from Karmic Bath. 

Sometimes I use the oil cleansing method, which takes some patience as your skin adjusts to this treatment. It involves using oil on dry skin to massage into pores then rinsing with very warm water. This is actually great at regulating my combination skin, but it takes time to determine which oils to use. I’ve found success with apricot, jojoba, and almond oils. 

Step 4: Moisturize 

~ light oil/ serum , aloe gel, butter ~

Ahh, the feeling of moisturizing my face to complete my skincare routine. Forreal, washing and moisturizing my face and body is one of my favorite parts of the day—small pleasures. What I use depends on the season and what my skin is asking for. 

If the weather is moderate to hot and my skin is not having any particular issues, I like to use a light oil such as avocado oil or apricot oil. 

If I’m craving lightweight moisture, I’m having a breakout, or it’s summertime hot I will just use aloe gel as a leave-on. 

If it’s winter, or my skin is feeling a bit dry I like to go with a heavier product like a body/face butter. Shea-based butters are perfect for my skin moisturizing without being too heavy or greasy. I love the whipped CBD body butter from Co$mically Charged. Beauty. 

Spending time taking care of my skin—washing and moisturizing my face— is a daily ritual that I treasure. It’s more than skin-deep, the feeling of washing away my day and refreshing and pampering myself is a reset on my day and my mindset.

Let me know what works for you & what clean products you love!

~ Kenya Ku$h