Farmgirl Beauty Secret #27: Milk of Magnesia as a super oil-controlling serum ~ Brilliant Farmgirl's Beauty Secrets™
Brilliant Farmgirl's Beauty Secrets

6/5/09

Farmgirl Beauty Secret #27: Milk of Magnesia as a super oil-controlling serum

YES, Milk of Magnesia as in the laxative! This is a God-send for those who are SUPER oily- I don’t say this lightly because this is serious oil-control. If you experience mid-day shine before mid-day even rolls around, this is the solution for you. I recommend the Original Flavor of Phillips' Milk of Magnesia. Unless you’re also using this for its intended purpose, I would buy the smallest size available because a little of this stuff goes a loooong way. Milk of Magnesia can be used 2 ways:

As a daily serum:
- Shake bottle and lightly soak a cotton ball with the solution.
- Lightly swipe cotton ball on face, concentrating only on oily areas.
- Apply moisturizer and/or cosmetics as usual.

As a weekly mask:
- Shake bottle and carefully pour a small amount of the solution in the cupped palm of your hand.
- Using your other hand, liberally apply the solution to face, concentrating on oily areas.
- Leave on for 10-15 minutes. Rinse clean.
- Repeat 1-2 times per week.

When you use it as a serum, keep in mind that the solution does dry white. It will look chalky if you apply too much. Using a light moisturizer, spf and/or foundation should take care of that issue. If you feel that you’ve O.D.ed on the serum, rinse lightly with water, pat dry and proceed with moisturizer/foundation. There will be enough serum left on the face even after a light rinse. A few trial & errors may be required to figure out your happy medium.

When you use it as a mask, feel free to apply more than you would as a serum. The tightening effect is almost immediate and it really works to draw out excess oils and impurities. Try dabbing it on a popped zit overnight, it’ll help calm the inflammation and bring down the swelling.

Like many things recommend on Brilliant Farmgirl, this is extremely effective yet gentle on the skin. The solution is made to be safe for internal usage and it beats all oil-control lotions out there by a long mile!

17 comments:

Elizabeth from Texas said...

hi farmgirl,
I thought you were crazy at first but I tried it last night and this morning and I couldnt' believe my eyes! It's like an oil vacuum cleaner.

Thank you thank you thank you!
Elizabeth

Brilliant Farmgirl's Beauty Secrets™ said...

LOL I'm glad to to be of service. :)

Cassidy, CA. said...

Hello Farmgirl!
Going to Target after work and I'm trying this tomorrow morning!
Cass

Dawn said...

havent' tried it yet - but I'm realizing why your blog is titles "brilliant" your solutions make sense. :0) Do you have any solutions for back/body acne??

Dawn said...

quick question - do you think the generic kind of milk of magnersium would work just as well?? Thanks!

Brilliant Farmgirl's Beauty Secrets™ said...

Hi lostsentiments,

Yes, the generics definitely work! I am just familiar with the Philips' brand's ingredients. Be sure to double check the ingredients to make sure there are no fillers (compare it to the Philips').

And thank you so much for the compliment, you are so sweet!

Farmgirl

Brilliant Farmgirl's Beauty Secrets™ said...

I forgot to add- yes, I do have a solution for bacne! I will work on a post for next week on that, everyone has been asking about bacne!

Farmgirl

Dawn said...

:-D GOODIE! ;) I can't wait! :) Thank you!

Kelly Lish said...

I cant wait to try this! I just love your blog!!!!

Brilliant Farmgirl's Beauty Secrets™ said...

Oh thank you so much, Kelly! I have to say nothing absorbs oil like this mask!

Farmgirl

diana said...

does using this as a weekly mask leave the face dry after use?

Brilliant Farmgirl's Beauty Secrets™ said...

Hi Diana,

Because this is a mask that absorbs oil, if your skin is not oily or super oily, it may become dry. However, it never irritates because it's so gentle. I would start once a week and increase/decrease based on your skin's reaction. Hope that helps :)

Farmgirl

Anonymous said...

Your blog keeps getting better and better! Your older articles are not as good as newer ones you have a lot more creativity and originality now keep it up!

Olga said...

You can also use it as a deodorant!

Brilliant Farmgirl's Beauty Secrets™ said...

HI Anonymous,

Thank you so much for telling me that, it means so much to me :D

HI Olga,

Again, I like the way you think! I love that idea!

Farmgirl

Jill Lasak said...

Thank you so much for this idea! This is now my every day primer: 50% Phillips and 50% distilled water. I found that using straight Phillips gave my skin a strange texture when I used my mineral makeup on top, but this 50/50 mixture works great! It only minimally helps keep my oily skin at bay (but I'm an oily, oily girl), but my makeup stays put ALL day long, no matter how much blotting I do, and that is priceless!

Brilliant Farmgirl's Beauty Secrets™ said...

Hi Jill!

I LOVE that idea. Milk of Magnesia can be quite chalky so I understand what you mean about the texture.

Farmgirl