Many spas and salons may offer facials that are full of chemicals and toxins you normally like to avoid. Some of those chemicals might be parabens, sulfates, petrolatum, or phthalates, which are commonly used in even the most expensive skin care products.

You are not guaranteed to avoid these ingredients, unfortunately, even if a product carries an “organic” label. Organic products are not required to exclude additives or preservatives. Therefore, they may contain common carcinogenic additives as well.

For a 100% natural home facial that you can do yourself at home for a reasonable cost, there are a few great ways you can get spa results without the chemical exposure. For example, you can make a deeply moisturizing and detoxifying facial mask out of a few products you may already have in your home.

For dry skin, avocado is excellent for adding moisture and softening the skin. You can puree a fourth or half of an avocado along with a teaspoon of lemon juice. If your skin is in need of exfoliation you can also add a teaspoon of oatmeal. You may also add sugar as an exfoliating agent. If the mixture is too thick, you can add water.

Egg white is very popular as a natural facial mask as well. A popular pore-tightening recipe uses one organic egg white beaten and mixed with five drops of lemon juice. This is a great recipe for tightening and lifting the skin as well. All homemade facial masks should be kept on the face for fifteen to twenty minutes.

If your skin tends to be dry and flaky you may want to opt for a natural scrub for exfoliation and accelerated skin cell turnover. When you exfoliate the dead skin cells, you reveal fresh new skin and you essentially force the skin to produce more collagen.

As mentioned earlier, oatmeal and sugar are both excellent natural skin sloughing agents. Another option is coffee grounds, preferably organic. Their naturally coarse texture and caffeine content have a tightening, lifting, and toning effect. Coffee grounds also have some antioxidant properties that may benefit the skin when applied topically. Coffee grounds are also used as a natural cellulite treatment.

Baking soda is an inexpensive exfoliation option as well. This is a good sloughing agent for acne prone and oily skin. Those with skin abrasions or open sores on their skin will not want to use this as it can irritate and burn open areas.

Tea tree oil is also excellent for oily or acne prone skin. Tea tree oil is well known for possessing natural antibacterial and toning qualities. It acts as a superb toner by itself, and it is very reasonable in the organic variety. It has a clean and unique scent and is very gentle for sensitive skin.

Cucumber is excellent as an under eye soother. Cucumber has been used as a beauty trick for decades to reduce under eye puffiness and to soothe irritated skin. Cucumbers can simply be placed over the eyes, or they can be pureed with egg white and applied to the under eye area for fifteen minutes to reduce the puffy look.