Winter skin blues...or more precisely reds...

Ever since I stopped using chemical laden products (in 2008) I have been struggling with keeping my skin blemish free and looking healthy. It is easy in the summer when the sun (even though I hide in the shade or under a hat/clothes) keeps those pimples at bay and the humidity keeps my skin from drying out but the winter is always troublesome. This winter has been especially bad with breakouts on my face, chest and neck and dry skin everywhere! I know that I am getting older and my skin is definitely changing BUT this is out of control! I always thought getting older meant getting dryer skin and wrinkles, not getting huge breakouts!

I used to be the girl who always wore makeup and never left the house if my blemishes weren't covered. Ridding myself of all makeup (except special occasions a couple of times a year) and other products was a huge step but in the end I felt free. I no longer had to spend 30-60 mins in the morning getting ready or 30 mins at night getting ready for bed. However, I think that letting go has also gotten me to neglect my skin. So now I think I need to get back into some sort of routine, that maybe isn't makeup oriented but rather with the goal of healthy skin.

I had started a new beauty regime in the summer of 2009 (see my post here) and I am not sure why but I fell out of it. Of course 2 years later, I don't even remember if it was working! So I have come up with a new regime that I think will promote healthier skin. I have decided on a rather aggressive assault on my unwanted guests in hopes that I can get the breakouts under control and have healthy glowing skin. It is a combination of what I posted in 2009 and some new ideas for smoothing and nourishing the skin. I personally don't mind wrinkles, I am not the type of person that obsesses over them. I think they are natural and beautiful but smooth skin and slowing the appearance of wrinkles is a product of healthy skin and a healthy diet and lifestyle which is something that I am striving for. All of the information and recipes below come from various internet sources that I found in my research.

Routine and Benefits of the Ingredients

1. Use a mixture (2:1) plain yogurt and lemon juice as a night cream. I mixed one cup of my homemade yogurt (see recipe here) with 1/2 cup of lemon juice. This makes a lot of cream and I would recommend making 1/2 to 1/3 of the batch and make it more often. I rinse my face, neck and chest with water then rub the cream on and let it dry before hopping into bed. The lactic acid in the yogurt is a gentle exfoliant. The yogurt also contains vitamins A and D which help to nourish the skin and help to sooth dry and itchy skin. The lemon juice contains citric acid which helps to slough off dead skin enabling new skin cell growth, flushes out pores and improves the skin's elasticity.
2. Use a 1:1 mixture of rosewater and lemon juice as a cleanser/toner. Rosewater stimulates blood flow to the skin, balances sebum (oil/wax produced by the skin) production and pH, tightens pores and has antibacterial properties. It is reported to be effective against acne, blemishes, scars, wrinkles and both dry and oily skin. Not to mention that it smells wonderful and has been used to treat many ailments for centuries and is extensively used in aromatherapy. I apply this using a fleece wipe after rinsing off the yogurt/lemon cream from the night before. I let is absorb and wait 30 mins before rinsing it off.
   
3. Use EcoYogini's sugar scrub in the shower. I made this recipe using peppermint oil to stimulate and revitalize, which is GREAT in the morning! The scrub contains honey which is touted as the oldest moisturizer in the world! It has antioxidants and anti-microbial properties helping to protect the skin from the sun but also fighting the bacteria and microbes that can cause acne. It also has a great ability to retain moisture. The scrub also has sugar which when rub gently on the skin helps to remove the flakes. I usually rinse off my rosewater/lemon toner in the shower, then apply this scrub to my face, neck and chest. I leave it on until the end and rinse it off with the suds of my shampoo.
4. Use a damp washcloth with a few drops of tea tree oil to wipe over my face, neck and chest. Tea tee oil has antiseptic, antibacterial, antifungal and antiviral properties. However, it is toxic if taken internally so keep out of reach of children.
5. Massage a very thin coat of Sweet Almond Oil to my face, neck and chest. Almond oil balances moisture in your skin and is a good moisturizer for all skin types. It is also said to have anti-aging properties and it is used to fight wrinkles and dark circles under your eyes. I also eat almonds almost every day in my yogurt.
6. Drink 2-3 cups of nettle tea per day. Stinging nettle has a long history of medicinal uses and as a food source. It is a diuretic which help the body excrete toxins from your blood stream which can cause acne, among other health issues. This is touted as a tonic for general health because it has lots of vitamins such as calcium, iron, folic acid and zing among others. So I am on board for giving it a try. Stinging nettle grows here locally, so if I like it I may try to harvest my own!
7. Drink 3-10 cups of green tea per day. Green tea has lots of antioxidants that have protective effects against free radicals cardiovascular damage, some cancers, infections, toxins and much more. See my post about foods that fight cancer. Green tea has been shown to inhibit enzymes whose excessive activity contributes to the age related deterioration of the skin.
   

I know that acne can also be caused by changes/imbalances in hormones. Rosewater and stinging nettle are also thought to help in balancing hormones.

I know it sounds like a lot of effort but really it is WAY less (~10 mins per day) than my old make-up routine! You can also opt to use only parts of my routine rather than all of it. Either way, you should see a reduction in acne in about 2-3 weeks but can see and feel the benefits in your skin almost immediately. After 2 days, my skin is smoother and the flakiness is starting to go away. I will definitely report back in a few weeks on my progress.

New Routine

When I turned 30 last year, I made it my quest to be as Chem-free and local as possible. This means we (Diego has been fully supportive although skeptical at times) have been on a long journey to find the right deodorant, shampoo, soap, cleaning, skin care, food...and the list goes on. One of the hardest things that is still an ongoing battle is finding a skin care regime that works for me. Since eliminating the chemical-ly stuff my skin has reverted back to my 15 year old state and I have frequent break outs. Also, many of the natural creams out there are butters and are too heavy for my face and only enhance the 15 year old look (with wrinkles so it really is not and anti-aging tactic!) of my skin.
In comes the sugar scrub seen above. I happened across this page from Little House in the Suburbs and decided to give the naturally clear skin regime a try. It goes like this (taken from Ivory's site):

1. Use homemade basil sugar scrub in shower and leave on for a couple of minutes.

2. Rinse a bunch and then a little leftover shampoo bubbles or other dilute amount of soap over my face for the final rinse.

3. After shower, wet washcloth and sprinkle a few drops Tea Tree Oil on it.

4. Wipe over face.

5. Apply Tee Tree Oil directly to any trouble spots.

So upon discovering this I promptly made a batch of the sugar scrub. Instead of dried basil, I added rosemary and lavender and 2 drops of peppermint oil. Let me just say that I love the scrub! It leaves your skin feeling soft, smells wonderful and the peppermint is very energizing and invigorating in the morning!

After I apply the tea tree oil to my trouble spots, I follow up with a new not so heavy face cream that I discovered a few months ago. It is the youthful glow face cream from Avalon Herbals.

It is water based rather than oil based and is wonderful for the face and chest. They are a local company (for those of you in Nova Scotia) that sell in Pete's Frootique and every two weekends at the market. They are lovely people and grow a lot of their own ingredients. What more could you ask for!! Actually, definitely ask for the "Bliss" foot cream...IT IS AMAZING! It smells of rosemary and feels like heaven. I use it on my hands and they have dramatically improved in elasticity and no longer look dry...hang nails...gone!

As for the rest of my body, I am still in LOVE with Earth Elementals Soaps' Midsummer Night's Cream for my eczemic arms and Cocao Butter Mousse (you just want to eat it it smells so good!) as an aftershave delight. They too are local, grow many of their own ingredients and are just all around wonderful people. They also sell at Pete's and every weekend at the Market.

So I have been on the new facial routine for a week now. It usually takes a couple of weeks for your skin to get into a new skin care rhythm. So I will give it at least a month (likely 2) to see if the results are consistent. I will keep you posted.

Happy Sunday!

Getting Ready for Christmas!

The gifts are piling up! I am trying as hard as I can to have local, handmade, chemical -free Christmas gifts for all this year. I just picked up these lovely facial and body creams called A Midsummer Night's Cream and Whipped Shea butter, respectively, from a local company called Earth Elementals Soaps. I absolutely LOVE them (and their lip balm too!!)...I had to try them before giving them away ; ) The whipped shea butter comes in a GLASS container! YAY! Because of the light sensitivity of the essential oils in the facial cream they normally come in a wide-mouth amber plastice container. However, I made a special order and got mine in a clear glass container and whipped up these little pouches from some fabric I had laying around to keep them in the dark.

These pouches were my very first non-fixing sewing project! I made the pattern myself...sure the stiching is a little crooked but practice makes perfect and I had such a great time making them!!

I also picked up some soap from my fav soap maker in Yarmouth, NS Birch Bark Soap. She made a special order for me that is the best ever! I sent her my wish list and she wrapped each gift in beautiful muslin bags with her logo on it and made little gift cards with everyones name on it! The soaps are amazing!! Here they are in a box (with the cream and lip balm from the above local maker) packed and ready to go! There are some great photos of my special order on the soap makers website...check it out!

Also, I finished the baby blanket I was knitting for my nephew, Santiago. It will make a perfect blanket to throw down anywhere and wrap him when he is small. It is a narrow longish blanket, I could have used 1 more skein but ran out...I hope it ends up being his blanky...Holes and all, I am sure they will love it...it was my second knitting project ever! Ambitious I know, but I am happy with it...like I said imperfections and all. Diego keeps insisting I should tell them the holes were strategically placed for ventialtion since they live in Cancun. ; )

Lastly, here are the fresh pumpkin pies I made the other day for American Thanksgiving and our lab Christmas Party...I know this is only 2 events and there are 3...you can't blame us for keeping one to ourselves...at least we kept the one with the burnt edges...I technically could have made four but I overfilled them and they overflowed while putting them in the oven and the edges burnt...what a mess...regardless, they were soooo tasty!


Have a good week!