I live right around the corner from a little beauty shop called Scratch Goods. I had always meant to stop in, but with the cold weather I am rarely out walking. I had no idea that most of the Scratch Goods space was dedicated to a mask bar. The mask bar is much different than a facial: the Scratch Goods gals actually take the time to walk you through how to take care of your skin at home, what ingredients help fight your problem areas and all the in between. With a recent change in my health, using all-natural products is a very important thing to me and I am so happy to have found this new resource! A MAJOR plus: most products range from $14-$18.00: very affordable compared to $60 bottles of all-natural skincare sold at Sephora or Nordstrom. While I am not in any way knocking those brands, this just goes to show you that there are some affordable, organic ways to take care of your body.

Scratch Goods began out of a personal need for natural, affordable skincare. Co-founders Maureen and Elizabeth, high school friends now living in Chicago, realized that while they were eating clean, their personal care products were still laden with questionable ingredients. Knowing that 70% of what is applied to our skin is absorbed into our bodies, they slowly purged from their homes everything containing parabens, sulfates, pthalates, synthetic fragrances + dyes.

Replacing these items was much more difficult –  truly natural products were hard to find, and came with high price tags. So they rebuilt their own personal care regimen from scratch, in their own kitchens. Their requirements for product development remain the same today: food-grade ingredients that are safe enough to eat, fragrance from pure essential oils only, and zero water, eliminating the need for synthetic preservatives.

Here are five (slightly shocking) things I learned today:

1. Coconut oil shouldn’t be used on your skin: it blocks the skin from releasing toxins from the body.
2. Caffeine is great for aiding in lightening dark spots and assists in anti-aging. Scratch Goods works with Dark Matter Coffee in their mask selection.
3. You should be putting on a hydrating spray before you apply oil to the face: water is the only liquid that can penetrate to the third layer of the skin.
4. Jade rolling can work wonders for you: jade has healing properties and can be put in the fridge or run under warm water to help decrease facial inflammation.
5. Pure activated charcoal helps fight breakouts and blackheads.

Here are some 100% all-natural products I would recommend: Charcoal Mask: $17.00, Cleansing Oil: $14.00, Lash + Brow Oil: $18.00, Lavendar Mint Soak: $20.00.

The Roscoe Village space offers their full range of fresh, handmade seasonal goods as well as an interactive mask bar for guided, self-service facials.  However, Scratch Goods is expanding to a larger store in the West Loop.

*While these services and products were provided complimentary, I only share places and products that I truly believe in. As one of my doctors recently told me, “Don’t put anything on your skin that you wouldn’t smear on a sandwich.”

<3 Al