Raw Food Forums

Should I or shouldn't I?

And is there a natural alternative with an instant result?!!

Ok, I know that I might be asking for a miracle........all I want is to look like Elle Macpherson.......KIDDING!!!! rofl

A lot of factors play in the way my skin behaves.....but at the moment I am soooooooooo tempted to go to my doctor......who is a cosmetic surgeon and does treatments such as microdermabrasion, botox, IPL and the like.........and am wondering what is sooooo wrong with a chemical peel here and there?!!!  (I know the word 'chemical' should be ringing alarm bells in my head, but I'm so wanting to feel good about my skin that I'm ready to resort to that  :-\ :-\)

And would it have such a detrimental health effect that I shouldn't even contemplate it?

Or what about microdermabrasion?

Is there anything natural I can use that will help with my 'tired' skin which has the same result as, say, the microdermabrasion or peel?

I know this question has more to do with my self-esteem, but until I have won that battle is there solutions out there to make my skin perk up; look younger?

So what do ppl use that help with their skin?  At the moment I'm using coconut oil, almond oil and the like.

Any suggestions would be muchly appreciated.

Luv

Rita :heart:

Hi Rita :)

Hey we all want to look our best!! I'm sure with the raw food, you're face will get better as time goes by :)

Have you looked into facial exercises. They strengthen the muscles in the face, which in turn tightens up your face. I find they're quite good as I have a tendency to get little hollows in my cheeks (hard to explain) and it helps to fill it out.

Obviously that's something that works long term, because as with any muscles, they take a while to develop.

Evening primrose oil and Rosehip oil are apparantly good for lines and rejuvination. You could mix them with jojoba oil.

Pineapple and papaya have alpha-hydroxy acids (dont know if I got that term right lol), that have a sort of "peeling" effect.

xx K

My personal beliefs are that the chemicals they use for chemical peels are too harsh. They strip your skin back too far, meaning that you are more likely to get damage from the sun. Same with microdermabrasion.

With botox (not sure if you were considering this) it becomes an "addiction" because as you freeze your muscles, they atrophy as they're not being used, meaning that when the botox wears off, you need it again.
So that is why I recommend facial exercises :)

I'm not surprised that you're tempted, because they make it all seem to simple and easy don't they :)

xx K

Hey rita!

i know what u mean... today i was getting my hair dyed and i can feel that is so bad for my scalp and head... but at the same time im obviously not ready for the TOALLY NATURAL lifestyle just yet! lol... even tho i am stating to wear less make up...

anyway about your skin...i can only share my experience- i had microdermabrasion about 2 years ago.. i had like 5 treatments, its was expensive, and made my skin red for a few hours after it and did NOTHING to get rid of old acne scars or make my skin glow. nothing at all. it was a total waste of money. =(

The best my skin has ever looked is when i finnished water fasting and started eating fruit. it was the clearest it has even been. but when i eat bad food, the next day i can see its not as good. its a little red, not as even skin tone, a bit more tired looking...
 
??
im not sure what to recommend besides water and diet, .. i just dont want you to waste your money like I did!!

but if u find something that does work let me know!! =)

its all a scam..cant beat eating sweet...

go on no overt fats for 30 days..
eat all the juicy fruits and tender greens you desire.
get enough rest and sleep..

if your skin aint the best ever..i will eat my bike helmet...

always treat the cause..

sure ive had mates that had facial surgery from accidents..different gig..

eat yourself to beauty..

If done well and with love and great products...the results are amazing!!(im a beauty therapist and makeup artist) and i have clients follow me all over SA just to have my treatments...

chem peels are quite harsh.......If micro derm is done well....by a professional who loves their job...you wont be red...and after microderm care...rosehip oil is the best...

combined with 811rv eating or basic low fat high fruit raw eating....and sensible sunning and hydration,you will have gorgeous skin!

And H,its not ALL a scam mate,lol

Book me in for Feb RGG! About the third week or so...  

Thanks everyone for your replies.

Yangkyi, I do vaguely remember that there was a thread about face exercises.....are those the ones you were talking about?  Or do you do specific ones.

And I love the pineapple and papaya idea.  But I AM a little naive with beauty routines....so do you crush the fruit up and put it on your face and leave it for a while or do you just get a piece and rub it over your face and then wash off immediately?

Thanks rawkstar for sharing your experience.  I was a bit worried about something like microdermabrasion and I had heard from friends that your face does go red for a little while, but I'm hoping that if I do go for it, it will be with someone that is passionate about their job......as RGG said.

But I'm the sort of person that I need to make mistakes myself to actually learn anything. *hitting head on brick wall*  But I will be looking further into it.  Never know, I'll probably be wasting my money in the future.......:-\

RGG, since I'm not coming to Adelaide any time soon.......but I should because I have many friends down there I can visit......what sort of products do you recommend and use (if you can't say on here, would you be so kind as to pm me what you recommend?)

And I soooooooooooooo wish I could book in for one of your facials......sounds absolutely divine.

DR, Yep, surely know that fruits are the best way to go......................but I'm weak, I tell you, weak!!!  aaaarrrggghhhh.  Do you have any of that enthusiasm you have for sale.......I'm up for a bottle or a thousand!  :laugh:

Thanks again

Luv

Rita :heart:

Not a problem Emi....would love to....

ROR i will pm you over the weekend ok?

when my life is high in bananas my skin is glowing.

idk why.  it's a magic fruit.

tomatoes make my face puffy and gross.  too bad it's my fav.  =(

My skin is looking a lot better. I don't have too many issues normally, just the normal T-zone issues and usually a bit more problematic during my period. But at the moment I am looking quite clear and have had some nice comments.

I use Sukin (http://www.sukinorganics.com/ (http://www.sukinorganics.com/)) cleanser on my face in the shower, I use Melrose Castile Oil soap (http://www.melrosehealth.com.au/products/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=18 (http://www.melrosehealth.com.au/products/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=18)) on my body, I use Sukin moisturiser and Akin toner on my face (http://www.purist.com/products.php (http://www.purist.com/products.php)).

There is a fabulous article called “mini-makeover” from page 94 to page 99, in the "Nature & Health" Annual Healthy Living Guide 2008 Special Issue ($7.95 at the newsagents)

It shows some fantastic natural make-at-home products for skin, hair, body

(i.e.) for the face it has:

An Herbal Steam
Protein Face Pack
Wrinkle Remedy
Lemon Mask
Apricot Anti-Ageing Cream
Buttermilk Wash
Rich Avocado Cleanser
Original Cold Cream
Chamomile Skin Freshener
Watermelon Facial
Lettuce Smoother

And so on……

I really want to try the Rosemary Hair Gloss (clear henna wax, honey, almond oil and rosemary essential oil – but I don’t know where you buy clear henna wax from)

I have done a couple of the face and hair recipes using organic fruit and it’s been brilliant.

I have also had lots of commercial facial treatments in my time and found the Jurlique facial for sensitive skin to be the best one – although homemade products for facials have always been better.

KittyK, try to source clear henna from any health food shop that sells the coloured henna, if they don't stock it they should be able to order it in for you.

Cathy

my skin used to be so bad...everything seems to come out when you eat right..but i have been using a product called..'Dr. Wheatgrass' ...its a spray and has a very pure extract of wheatgrass antioxidants and have been using it on my face and problem areas...its so amazing..like nutrition for the skin and i mean real nutrition...a spray at night and one in the morning with a little coconut..no more spots or blemishes..id love for others to try it and see what you think...have a look at the site and the pictures..better than any thing i have seen...

Hi Rita

I have just read a hideous article about Botox - page 6 of Conscious Eco Living magazine Issue 78.

Apparently a recent study in Italy has found that Clostridum Botulinum – a bacterium that makes several toxins from which the trademark Botox comes from – moves from the injection site to parts of the brain connected by the central nervous system.

So scientists are now wondering what health problems may occur because the toxin does not remain in the intended area of the injection but instead moves to other areas in the body especially the nervous system within the brains of patients.

Since posting my last answer to your post on 13th January .......my skin has improved 1000%.

And I personally believe this transformation has taken place since we started drinking vegetable juice every day – both myself and my husband now have clear and vibrant skin on our faces and everyone keeps commenting on how healthy we look.

As with the Botox and chemical peels, I really don’t think it is worth unknown future illnesses, just to look good now. It is a huge risk to take and most people look terrible from a “startled rabbit in the headlights” look of one-too-many-treatments.

What is this like on dry skin? I am having dry-up problems using coconut oil; I don't want to go back to anything that's not pure and/or raw and hate the drying up of my skin.

Thanks for your feedback!

Cheers, Niqi

I'd forgotten I'd posted this thread, but am glad it's resurfaced.

Thanks for all the replies. 

Sometimes I still go through phases where I feel a little tweak would do me a world of good.....but I do try to talk myself out of it knowing the downside of some procedures!

Yes, I've been using coconut oil on my skin too, but may I ask why does it dry the skin?  Isn't it a moisturising oil?  I've heard olive oil is better and so is jojoba and rosehip.  But why is coconut oil drying?  Just sounds weird, that's all.

Also ingesting flaxseed oil will help dry skin.  So that is one item I need to put on my grocery list.

Luv

Rita :heart:

Melb is the expert on coconut & jojoba oil LOL.  She posted some in-depth info on here somewhere about those oils, I think it has something to do with the humidity factor......

My post on why coconut oil is possibly not the best option, depending on climate, humidity, skin...   Coconut oil - I just don't "get it"........  (http://www.raw-pleasure.com.au/component/option,com_smf/Itemid,71/topic,5305.msg81665#msg81665)

niqi, you gave up on the jojoba and went back to coconut oil? Can I ask why? Maybe you could answer that in the other thread, so your jojoba is great to I stopped the jojoba is all in one place?

As for peels, I'm all for enzyme peels :) they usually chew through the bonds of the dead skin cells on the surface so they fall off revealing the fresher skin underneath, rather than full on chemical peels that just chew through dead skin cells on the surface AND skin cells a bit further down that shouldn't be chewed off yet.  But in the hands of a good therapist, chemical peels can be OK, the skill is all in the timing, too long, too much is taken off.  Enzyme peels are much easier to use, though the results aren't quite as dramatic.

Yes, I have just noticed that coconut oil is drying my skin too and I don't understand it either.

I have been even using the pure raw one from this site, so I know it is good quality stuff.

Last week I changed my skincare routine again because of this issue.

In the morning I have started to cleanse with 100% pure jojoba oil.

And then moisturising with unrefined organic Shea butter (or at least a mixture of jojoba oil and Shea butter, since I find Shea butter so difficult to use)

Then in the evening, I have started to cleanse and moisturise with the jojoba oil.

Sadly I had no luck with finding certified organic jojoba oil again in Sydney – I use to buy it but it disappeared around the time of the drought?!  I really love the jojoba oil, just wish I could find organic.

Yep - I'm a stubborn git and I am reading Elaine Hollingworth's book again; she swears by coconut oil, so I thought I'd experiment AGAIN and give it another try. It worked beautifully for a week (again) until I started to dry out (AGAIN). Some people never learn or like to experiment again and again just to make sure. A bit like tasting wine just to see if you get drunk or not.  :uhuh: :uhuh: :uhuh: !!!

So the merry-go-around. I stopped the coconut oil -- although I am still eating it --and went back to jojoba. Yes, jojoba is great. Yes, it is with great regret that I can't put coconut on my face. Yes, I am a silly git. Mea culpa!

I can't really give this a rational explanation. Coconut oil works for about a week on me and then I need to recover with jojoba. I think the experiment now will be how long I can work with jojoba before I get bored again! (My issue, not the delightful jojoba seed's!!!)  rofl

But as we are speaking of experimentation, I will say that the jojoba oil does work well as a cleanser too. I have gone over your posts again Melb to see how you explained it before and have been trying that; rub it in, massage with water, wash off with face cloth. It does take a lot of dirt off.

So begging your pardon for being inconsistent!

hugs and shrugs, Niqi

I've not found an Australian certified organic jojoba ever, only American.  The farm I used to get it from used no pesticides, but they weren't certified organic. It is generally produced as pesticide free since nothing seems to want to eat a jojob bean, so I make do with that (the Australian site I get mine from now doesn't spray, but they are in a major cotton area, so there is bound to be residual concerns in the soil and possibly air drift, but you've got to weigh up beans on tree that isn't sprayed concentration level vs those on a sprayed tree (and then when you compare that to something like lettuce where it's all sprayed....) It's getting to very small quantities, yes none is better...  But then I am one of the 80% of the world eating 80% raw is better for the world than 1% eating 100% raw, it's all lines in the sand.


niqi, experimentation is good :)  no harm trying out different things, no harm trying the same thing repeatedly, eventually you will give in to your truth :)

My jojoba is not organic either.  It is "GMO free", and that's about as good as I could find.  I think it is by Natural Oil Workers, and I got it in a health food store in Bondi.

Hi guys

I've found that I need to alternate the oils I use on my face too. Perhaps we shouldn't find this so surprising as the skin is living, after all......we wouldn't expect to eat the same thing every day for weeks.

I alternate avocado oil and coconut oil, changing when my face starts to get dry. The lovely David Wolfe recommends avocado oil and I love it...although I've just switched to coconut again and my skin looks and feels great.

I agree with KK though - by far the biggest gift I've ever given my skin is a juice feast followed by plenty of daily juice after that. The change was obvious and dramatic and I'm thrilled. :-)   
 

 

Most oils won't do much to the skin other than put a coating over it, the actual oil molecules are too big to be absorbed by the skin.  In skincare ranges, the bulk of the oil components are not the active ingredients. Essential oils can absorb through the skin, some other molecules in the oils may absorb into the skin (rosehip oil is a good example, the oily bit stays oily but other bits in the oil give rosehip its reputation as being good for the skin)  Jojoba is a wax not an oil, it is almost exactly the same composition as the skin's own sebum, it functions just like the sebum does, adding a fine protective layer over the skin to keep dirt and grime out and hydration in, and allowing the skin to breathe, other oils will put a thinker protective layer on and not allow the skin to breathe as freely, it all varies depending on the oil/wax used.

If you rub garlic on your feet, you will end up with garlic breath - the active components of the garlic are absorbed through the skin, rub coconut oil on your feet and you don't get coconut breath, molecule size affects absorption rate.

The best ever oil i have recently came across is the Japanese Camellia oil. Its the secret they've used in Japan to keep their hair long and skin beautiful. My skin has become more beautiful with it. My hubby loves stroking my cheeks and says they are so soft. He also keeps saying my face looks different, what am i doing to myself im prettier. So im enjoying this oil very much and am shocked its not as well known as coconut oil.

The reason your skin dries is because you need to give the skin a rest for your own oils in your skin to work. I oil my face every 3rd day even though this is not enough resting time. Any oil will give you a drying effect if used too much. On the days i dont oil, i use aloe vera gel to give my face a natural lift.

Fascinating! Just catching up on some reading here and I too have noticed a great improvement with my skin after increasing the amount of juices I have. It looks great and I am loving it!


True. I've done the garlic on the feet thing and had the garlic breath and I've used coconut oil all over before and never woken with an oily coconutty residue in my mouth...

The Japanese camellia sounds amazing.

xx

Ive bought the brand golden silk with vitamin e from an Australian website and its divine.

Speaking of camellia oil i ordered some last week from a US website that delivers direct from japan products. It got delivered now lol. I ordered it from website natural japanese beauty. I will use them and elt you know how i go. I also bought their wooden japansese comb. It combs the hair like a dream. Best comb ive ever used. Im so happy i found out about Japans secret. Japan is against gmo so rest assured their products are gmo free. I got 120ml bottle of camellia oil and camellia oil shampoo i cant wait to use. When i run out the the shampoo ill add a few drops of the pure oil to my own organic shampoos see how it is.

Ive bought the brand golden silk with vitamin e from an Australian website and its divine.

Speaking of camellia oil i ordered some last week from a US website that delivers direct from japan products. It got delivered now lol. I ordered it from website natural japanese beauty. I will use them and elt you know how i go. I also bought their wooden japansese comb. It combs the hair like a dream. Best comb ive ever used. Im so happy i found out about Japans secret. Japan is against gmo so rest assured their products are gmo free. I got 120ml bottle of camellia oil and camellia oil shampoo i cant wait to use. When i run out the the shampoo ill add a few drops of the pure oil to my own organic shampoos see how it is. Im also going to try the rice bran wash out and seaweed toning gel.

Their packaging is so adorable.

OOOps sorry about the double posting thought computer was stuffing up.

Yes, camellia oil is amazing.  It's up there with jojoba with being very close to the skin's own sebum.  It's even harder to source than jojoba, but if you've got a source, GREAT!!!!  I don't know of any Australian sources for it. 



Added:  Rice bran oil is also often touted as another Japanese secret, it's also very good to use on the skin, but it is a fairly horrific extraction process, so not so good on that side. 

I just used the rice wash bag and loved it. Exfoliated my whole body and it was so divine.

Hi Melb - so does this mean that the jojoba wax/'oil' works differently to oil 'oils'? Does it actually sink into the skin or does it sit on top and let the skin do its own work? How is this different from oils? If oil molecules don't penetrate the skin, and sit on top, shouldn't this work the same way as jojoba? How is this different from 'conventional' moisturisers, which promise to 'get into' the skin? How is this different from an organic product which is made of oils, beeswax and essential oils?

I'm not trying to argue, just wanting to nut out how all this works and why all these different substances that I experiment with work in different ways.

Thanks for any of your careful information -  :-*

yours in eternal experimentation,
Niqi

Yeah, jojoba doesn't soak through the dermal layers of the skin either, but because it is so much like the skin's own sebum, it lets the skin think it's doing the right thing and the skin does the right thing, it's not enough of a layer to confuse the skin.  Jojoba sinks in as far as the sebum does - on the surface.  What sinks into the skin are what should be referred to as active ingredients, most oils don't have many active ingredients, they just sit on the surface in a layer that is often a bit too thick for the skin to know what it is meant to be doing, so it starts doing something to deal with it, it can take a while for what the skin is doing to become apparent, sometimes a week, sometimes longer, depending on what it has to do to deal with it - but if you find your skin is misbehaving a week or less after using something, it usually indicates that that something is not making the skin happy, if it happens monthly, it might be hormone related, you might have to adjust the amount used at certain times, if it is every 3-5 months, climate is probably coming into it, what works in cold weather may not work in hot, if it's every 6 months or more, it's bored and wants a change, though you'll probably come back to what's working fairly soon :)  These are all generalisations, individual reasons may vary, though anything flaring up in a week or less usually indicates to me either it's totally wrong or you're sensitive to the product.

the bizarre thing with many conventional moisturisers, all the research on the wonder ingredients are usually research on the wonder ingredients, NOT on the end product.  Often the end product contains mineral oil (particularly the super market ones, though even the more up market ones sometimes).  Mineral oil molecules are HUGE, anything mixed in with those are virtually pinned in between mineral oil molecules and don't even get direct contact with the skin so all the wonder ingredients hardly get to do anything - but mineral oil puts a very effective coating over the skin and makes people think it's plumping their skin up when it is just keeping everything in.


All the supposedly wonder ingredients in most products are usually small enough molecules to penetrate into the skin - it's not the oil molecules doing the penetrating it's the other bits. Rosehip oil is a good example of an oil with a lot of other non-oil molecules in it with active properties, though I find rosehip oil so oily I'm not a fan, someone that doesn't mind an oily feel may love it, someone with really dry skin may love it, after the skin has got all the other goodies out of the rosehip oil it needs they can probably move on to something lighter like a blend with jojoba and rosehip. 


I confess, I am attached to the wonders of jojoba, which is more like the wonders of the skin working easily without a thick layer smothering it :)

Melb you really know your stuff! Thank you so much for sharing. I had heard that Jojoba oil was an amazing one to use and will definitely buy some soon.

Regarding 'active ingredients' or advertised ones.... it can be easy to fall for hype. I have some shampoo advertised as natural with organic fruit in it.. but when you look at the ingredients the shampoo is not organic, and the organic apple and mint is so far down the ingredients list as to be non existent (I've stopped using it). Someone gifted me last week with shampoo and conditioner from Dr Robert Young of the pH Miracle which is fairly natural and works well. Piers hasn't had to use shampoo in years and years and he has the best hair ever. I'm going shorter soon (having been growing my hair for www.locksoflove.org (http://www.locksoflove.org)), and I look forward to using less shampoo too. I'm doing to using it about once a week though which is pretty amazing for me.

I'm so looking forward to shorter hair... when I sit back now it gets caught behind my back! I don't know that I've ever had it so long.

I would love to hear how you go with it RC. It sounds like you got good service from that website too. Speedy delivery.

Ah Sheryl, your beautiful hair! Someone is very lucky to get it.

xoxoxo

Sheryl what a beautiful gift to give...yes its only hair...and ideally not something that we should be so attached to...for years i use to be though....i hid behind it for so long..and thought that my beauty was my hair...lol :rolleyes:...go figure hey!

maybe it doesnt help that alot of men think that woman should have long hair...im keeping mine short and rebelling he he

i could grow mine long in a flash...mines cut every 2 weeks!! my hairdresser cannot believe it...every cut i can get a new style..and now my eyebrows are finally growing after years of not growing...when i was eating unbalanced raw...interesting hmmmm...

Melb...even i think i might look for that jojoba...and i have a bathroom and storage room full of diff products lol..thanks again for sharing your knowledge

 :ohyeah: wooow!  another possible jojoba convert, or at least a jojoba investigator!  :ohyeah:

Melb, thanks!

 :thumbup: :thumbup: :thumbup:

Niqi

Just out of sheer curiousity; Melb is there any substance that 'sinks into' the skin and feeds it or nourishes it in some way? Instead of eg mineral oil which fills it out.

I always called these conventional creams 'spack fillers' because it felt like I was filling in the bits that I didn't want anyone to see LOLOLOL!!!

Also, I think I watched that ad too often when I was young, the one where the washing powder gets into the ceramic sink!!!! Ha ha ha; funny how media shapes one's mind...!

Thanks again,
Niqi

Lots of things do sink into the skin, do help nourish and build up the skin, it's just that often heavy oils don't, they just don't have enough of the little extra bits to really do much beyond sit on the surface and get the skin confused. Essential oils can help the skin, though not if they're in something with mineral oil!  Traveling down the hair shaft can help penetration of some things, so hair removal where the entire shaft is removed can slow down things traveling that way.  There is a lot to this stuff!

Most oils have a few extra things in them other than the oil molecules, some of those are small enough to sink in.  Rosehip oil has lots of the extra bits, evening primrose does.  Some macerated oils are very good (where some plant is chopped up and left soaking in the oil) calendula oil is one of the most commonly use macerated oils lots of the goodies in the calendula flowers soak into the oils and then into the skin, main problem with calendula is it's usually bright yellow and can stain things. 

There are lots of incredibly high-tech methods of extracting the active ingredient portion of whatever, but it's often some major extract process with other chemical additives (sometimes similar to Jim's post about milk solids on how bad somethings in chocolate are) Sometimes the cheap version is of something like rose oil is either a synthetic copy (the very cheap version) or extracted using a lot of nasty chemicals, or extracted the traditional way with petals on fat between glass, but that often involves animal fat, or the incredible high tech super dooper phyto extraction that is so expensive you don't even see it anymore (wholesale pricing a few years ago super cheap copy unknown because it wasn't stocked, chemical extraction about $70 for 2ml, $120 for trad fat, and $350 for expensive high tech version with a few variations in between depending on location/organic)  The $350 for 2ml had more active ingredients than the others, the synthetic copies usually have no active ingredients other than some of the smell.

Unless it is horrible hormonal skin, I think a lot of skin problems are incorrect products - they either irritate it or people think oil is bad strip all the oil off  (sebum, which is actually a wax, but I'll call it oil since people think of it in terms of oily skin, not waxy skin:) ) so the skin thinks must pump sebum to surface to protect the skin, and goes into crazy oil production mode, the oil starts getting to the skin surface, but it's so dry it can't flow out over the skin, so it just sits in the pore, skin still feels dry, more oil is pumped, it gets blocked behind the first bit that hasn't moved out of the pore properly, still nothing gets out, more oil pumped, more stuff stuck on pore, enlarged pores, blackheads, pimples etc.  This is where oil as a at least a first cleanser works well (and you're not trying to nourish the skin with oil as a cleanser, so any oil will do pretty much, and you're going to wipe it off anyway) the oil will soften up stuff in the pore and it all loosens up and comes out, it also loosens up the greasy pollution grime on the skin in big cities and/or make/up etc. Dry skin is often diet related, not enough omega 3s, old age dry skin is often sundamaged and/or omega 3s.

Stick with jojoba (or camellia oil :) ) for a while and let your skin figure out what it can manage to do by itself.  Once it starts showing what it can do, you might find it is doing it all anyway - most of the nourishment for the skin is what you feed it from the inside rather than the outside.  Good diet it one of the best things you can do for you skin  :yahh:

If you want to reveal fresher skin faster than it naturally falls off (and that is what happens you are continually shedding skin cells, they fall off!), use an enzyme mask (green papaya and pineapple are the big two, though the pineapple can be a bit aggressive on sensitive skin, depends on the pineapple)

If there is a particular condition, like psoriasis or eczema or rosacea, there are particular things to try, but most people it's just not having the right oil flow confusing the skin.

Yes raw sensation loved the speedy delivery was happy with it. The camellia oil has to be the best ive tried so far. I will have to order jojoba oil too see how i go with that too. :)

For those who were looking for organic jojoba oil, I discovered yesterday that Perfect Potion sells it.

Here's their website:

http://www.perfectpotion.com.au/index.php (http://www.perfectpotion.com.au/index.php)

(posted with permission from RP)

Disclaimer:  I personally have a long history with Perfect Potion, as I have been a customer since their first store opened in QVB, many moons ago.  I love their products, and have the deepest respect for Salvatore & his passion for aromatherapy.

Anyhoo, I thought this may be of interest to the burgeoning band of jojoba hombres!  -_-

Thanks everyone -  :yahh: :yahh: :yahh:

I've got to say - since using coconut butter AND jojoba oil (not at the same time!!!) as a cleanser, all those little black milia and pore blockers have disappeared. This is exactly as Melb described.

Whoohoo!

Thanks again everyone - what a terrific discussion!
 
 :wub:
Niqi

Sorry can I just clarify - you are using coconut butter, rather than coconut oil, as a cleanser? Or is butter and oil the same thing, just different names?

I thought I might buy some of the camellia oil from the USA and start to cleanse with jojoba oil and then moisturise with the camellia oil (still toning with the warm water)

Honestly I thought coconut oil and coconut butter ARE the same thing. I might be wrong.

What I use is the coconut product (now using the one from Raw Pleasure website - looks, feels and tastes best I've ever had) that when cold, is white and when warm is a clear oil with coconut smell.

I've stopped using it on my face and am using it on my body which seems to work well. Remember please that I AM experimenting and I do believe things work on extremely individual levels.

I use it as a soap; before I get into the shower (yay, saving water as well!!!) I slather it on much in the same vein as soap; I use it everywhere, even the girly bits. Then I use a dry brush to stroke the skin; not too hard, not roo light. Then I step in the shower and rub all over with a soft washcloth. It leave my skin slightly oily, but this seems to dry off, leaving the skin damp and very well moisturized. So far I have no complaints.

I use jojoba oil as a facial cleanser and moisturizer; my face and body skins have always reacted differently to the same products, so I shouldn't be surprised. Now that it's dry winter in melbourne I have to supplement the moisturizer with a organic tasmanian product that contains no chemicals whatsoever, but is made using bee products, so technically not vegan.

Someone on this thread also suggested wheatgrass spray (THANKS BTW). I got hold of some and am using this too. Despite my fear that wheat = gluten, I've read as much as possible on google about this and it seems that wheatgrass contains no gluten and am therefore experimenting with this as well. It is really good. Works a treat on cracked heels.

Does this help at all?  :-\

cheers,  :laugh:
Niqi

I'm sure it's helping a lot of people, even if it just to realise not one thing will work on everyone all of the time everywhere :)  (though jojoba will work on most of the people most of the time :) )

Whenever I make wheatgrass juice and it doesn't matter if I have green hands, I rub any left overs on my hands, seems to help.  (which is also a reminder, whatever you do to your face you should do to your hands - your hands show signs of neglect faster than anywhere else on the body, basically because they are more exposed to everything all of the time, if anything is going to start falling apart, it's the hands first.



My understanding is that coconut butter is the US name for coconut oil - ie they are the same thing.

Oh, you guys seem so knowledgable on the topic. I tend to buy some products from time to time, then forget about them and go naked anyway. Somehow nothing seems to stick long enough on me to draw my interest. Several months ago I got myself some anti-wrinkle creams but haven't observed much, apart from me thinking about wrinkles far too much. Then I got Tonya Zavasta' creams and brush for skin brushing, and this was quite some fun for a while. But now I am back to zero. I love sauna, and I observe my skin getting nicer after each. Also, sweating during exercise seems to create wonders. Do creams ever work? Or, is this just sheer fun?

Gosia

Sorry to be such a gritty bug bear about this. But my skin is driving me nuts.

It's SO DRY!!!!

I've mixed together a potion of cacao butter, avocado oil, hemp oil, vit e oil, rosehip oil, evening primrose oil and jojoba. I jusst got so sick of my dry skin I threw everything into the mix.

Well, it's good, but I feel like it's STILL not enough!  :-\

My skin feels dry and taut - like when I move my facial muscles everything pulls. It looks good, I have no complaints about the way my skin looks - it just feels so dry!  :huh: :huh: :huh:

Does anyone have any suggestions?

Thanks,
Niqi

Niqi, how much water are you drinking?  And is it active water?  What I mean by that is do you shake it before drinking, or pour the water from one glass to another a few times (to emulate a waterfall) before drinking.  I've heard that a little lemon juice in the water will help the body uptake it better too.

I have a way of hydrating the skin....but it also hydrates the ovaries - which means you can be more fertile.   If you want the chance of more children then great, if not then we look at something else  :laugh:

You're in Melbourne, I presume you have some kind of heating in your home.  Is there a way you can put some extra moisture into the air - like a humidifier for example?  I'm also thinking that maybe a rich cream (which has oils and water) may be better than just oils alone for your skin at the moment. 

Of course eating fruits and greens containing lots of water is always good, inside and out.

OK dry skin - are you still breast feeding? If not how long ago did you stop? You've been mildly doing 80/10/10 a bit haven't you?  I don't think 80/10/10 can get enough essential fatty acids into a diet for nice plump skin, and it isn't enough if you're nursing.  Nursing will lower your own supply of Omega 3s like nothing else, it can take months to get your levels up again.  The skin coming out on the surface of your face now is 4-6weeks old - so you need to consider what your diet was like early to mid July.  

Eat lots of flax seeds though that can then bring about a bit of loosening the bowels up too much, so just be a bit cautious before you eat a kg of it.  Avocados, durian, chia seeds, evening primrose, hemp, even eating coconut (I recommend consuming coconut oil more than applying it :) ) Unfortunately it will take 4-6 weeks for all the extra essential fatty acids to have an impact, so your skin will feel great mid-late Sept when it probably would be feeling better due to the warmer weather anyway.....

How to get the skin comfortable now: spray your face with water or the wheatgrass juice spray you were using before and then apply your wonder oil mix while still damp, this gets your skin some hydration under the oil.  Get an enzyme mask to chew off the tight skin, not AHAs like glycoloc or lactic acid, you want an enzyme mask (papaya or pineapple), if you can cope with a collagen face mask have that done, it really will plump up the skin.  There are some marine collagen products (Arbre has one) rather than freeze dried cow collagen, but freeze dried cow collagen will build it up. Honey mask, face mask applied at home with steam (have a steamy bath with mask on).  Increase water intake. Increase intake of omega 3s in particular but all essential fatty acids.

all of the above is great advice....

rosehip oil is awesome...yes def apply oils to damp skin,better absorptiona and hydration...but best not to spray plain water on skin(as water attracts water and will dry you out)when you wash your face...use a creamy style cleanse,no soap or foaming anything(drys out badly)wipe off cleanse with a warm(not hot cloth)and spray with a rose  water spray.....then oil,then seal in with a creamy moisturiser,something that will absorb well,but not just sit on surface of the skin...

sandlewood essential oil is awesome for dry skin,add a couple drops into cream....but dont apply around eyes.....

get a good cream mask(hydrating)that you can leave on over night...use night and morning til your skin feels better

veg juice....diluted with water,lots of water.....lots of juicy fruits...food combine well.....not hot showers or baths...minimal to no clothing when you sleep,no heating blankets....this ensures you dont overheat and dehydrate even more...

yes efa's super super important for nice plump skin.....

buy some quality vitamin e capsules....stick a pin into one and squeeze out oil and massage onto your skin,super nourishing

Dear friends - thank you so much for your advice.  :wub: :wub: :wub:

I am using wheatgrass spray, and I am in Melbourne - it's really cold and dry, no humidifiers anywhere! Not breastfeeding. Not drinking enough live water - lots of lemon juice in water, though, which is the only way I like it! Need to step that up more. I've been drinking lots yesterday and today my skin does  not feel as tight.

I will give the pineapple enzyme mask a go. Thanks for the advice, Melb.

I'm wavering on the 80/10/10 - I REALLY feel the lack of fats. I know I'm experimenting and flirting with food here, but I think I'm on to something. I NEED fats! I find that fruit/veg fats are really well tolerated by my body, and Melb, you're right - 4-6 weeks ago I wasn't eating as much good EFA's as I am now.

I have just found an all-vegan creamy cleanser from Brisbane, and and chucking my Jurlique one out - creamy it is, but it's got something which once upon a time I thought was ok, but now feels toxic. (Some 'vegetable derived' chemical.) Thanks RGG.

Sanghama, can you recommend a rich cream? Everything I look at here has chemicals and preservatives in it, and one product I used once upon a time from Tasmania is made with beeswax & honey, which I would prefer to avoid, not vegan. Thanks for this advice.

Look, thanks SO MUCH!

Will let you know how it goes. My skin is feeling better today, but only because of water intake yesterday.

*rising from desk and going to water filter*

blessings to you all.
THANKS!!!!! :ok: :ok: :ok:

I used Jurlique for years and thought it very pure (or at least a lot purer than most). However, since starting to eat raw, I have also felt like has become toxic to me.