Adventure in the bathroom: Part III

Get your minds out of the gutter, and into the shower!

In this blog I will give you some great ideas for blemish treatments; and some of them are right out of your kitchen cupboard!

What are the main problems w/ the over-the-counter acne medicine?

Well I’m sure most of you have found it starts to work, and then after a month your problem gets worse and you have to switch to the next best acne cure.

Alcohol and acetone:
While a lot of acne treatment information will tell you that these chemicals work in treating acne; the truth is that it kills off all of your natural bacteria that helps to FIGHT off the acne. It doesn’t just dry out your skin, it destroys the natural PH balance of your skin. Alcohol is a petroleum product(derived from plastics)it is toxic to the skin, and in the long run you will end up having enlarged pores and thirsty skin.

Sulfur:
My mother and I have personally tried sulfur, and at first our skin looked amazing, but a few weeks down the line, it started to change the texture of our skin. Our skin was very dry and our pores were enlarged. I do not recommend using it as an all over treatment for acne because it kills beneficial bacteria as well as the bacteria causing the acne. I do however recommend it as a spot treatment.

Salicylic Acid:
I recommend using products with 5% Salicylic acid, to treat acne, 2% is too low of a percentage, and the pharmaceutical companies get away w/ a low percentage because consumers see that it contains this active ingredient, and assume it must work.

$7 Tea Tree Oil:
Try using Tea Tree oil as a spot treatment, you can buy this at just about any grocery store that has a natural and organic section, you can also buy it at your local health food store, or specialty herbal store. Make sure it is pure undiluted tea tree oil! It lasts forever so don’t be jaded by the price.

$10-12 Neem Oil:
Neem oil is good as a spot treatment, and an all over skin refresher when left on overnight. If you buy it like I did in bulk, where it is used as a bug repellent on plants, it has a very strong smell. I would buy Neem oil that is specifically for your skin, unless you want to spend the next morning steaming your face to get rid of the smell. Besides that I don’t think I’ve found a better miracle cure than this stuff.

Garlic Cloves:
Another awesome spot treatment I only use when I’m desperate; slice in half a clove of garlic and rub it on your zit. The garlic is an anti-bacterial, and it is also a fast healer of cuts and razor-burn.

$5 Dessert Essence Thoroughly Clean Face Wash: W/ organic Tea Tree Oil and Awapuhi:
My favorite face wash, it keeps my skin soft w/out over-drying, and it’s awesome at keeping mild acne at bay.

Now those are just my favorite cures, and treatments! Hope these help; what are your favorite cures?

An Adventure in the Bathroom: Part I

Get your minds out of the gutter ladies!
If your a typical woman, like me; your bathroom is probably filled w/ varying brands of shampoos and conditioners, lotions, face masks, cleansers, exfoliators, detoxers, scrubs, moisturizers, and different deoderant scents...I think you get the point! All of these products you probably rotate through, finding that as soon as you find a product that actually WORKS it starts doing the opposite a month later, and you find yourself staring at dead ends and an overused flat-iron. Or; tired dry skin, wondering WHEN your going to give it a break and let it breath.
I used to have a bathroom filled w/ "Wonder Products". Things like Clearisil Icy foaming cleanser, Got2b In Your Face masks and scrubs, Oil of Olay moisturizers and make-up removers, Pantene Pro-V, etc. There's always the "Exfoliating" body washes like Tone, and Caress.
I'm here to tell you that these amazing wonder cures that stop working, or cause an increase of your problem, are actually the root of all evil, BUT not your last source of salvation. In the following series of blogs, I'm going to teach you how to eliminate the majority of your bathroom space stealing products; so get ready to clean your shelves!

About a year ago, I started to go "Au Natural"(No not giving up on shaving my legs and washing my hair EW!) I slowly threw away all my bathroom products, until I was left w/ an almost barren shelf(I had more bathroom products then my whole family combined) I replaced all of my products w/ natural home remedies and natural products.

Now why are the Pharmacy brands of body care products so bad for you?

Moisturizers:
Most of the moisturizers on the market, contain Mineral Oil.
Mineral oil:(a petroleum product) is basically an illusory quick fix for dry skin, but over time your skin can no longer produce its natural oil, and relies on the mineral oil. After awhile your skin becomes immune to the oil and dries out. So; you end up buying WAY more lotion, and switching brands to fight off this over-dried skin problem.

The other main ingredient of lotion, is Alchohol; no matter what name they put in front of it, its still a petroleum product. They add this nifty little ingredient to DRY OUT the skin, so that you don't break out from all the skin irritating chemicals they add.
(If your really curious about all those big words on the back of your products, you can always get this book from your local library: A consumers dictionary of cosmetic ingredients By Ruth Winter)

The solution: Try Organic Jojoba oil, $7-9 dollars a bottle; it mimics the skin's natural oil, great for acne prone skin! It soaks in quickly w/out that icky oily feeling, and you only need a few drops. One bottle lasts months, and it doesn't go rancid! Jojoba oil is also a carrier oil, so you can even buy a little bottle of your favorite essential oil for about $3 bucks at Whole Foods, and add about 5 drops to your bottle of jojoba oil, and have a scented moisturizer.
Where can you buy it? Whole foods, Trader Joes, or the Natural section of your regular grocery store. Don't be discouraged by the price, your skin will love you!

You can also try Raw Cold Pressed coconut oil, about $12 bucks a jar at Whole Foods, or online. It will get rid of stretch marks, smells awesome, GREAT for tanning; it is practically indestructible to heat, so its an awesome skin protector.

Next time I'll give you some great tips on exfoliators and scrubs!