last night I cleared out my medicine cabinet and reorganized my shelf too. feels good to have less stuff around and easier access to the stuff i use regularly. also i washed with my rosehip mixture this morning instead of honey and my cheeks feel much less tight than previous mornings. I wouldn't think honey is drying but maybe it is. maybe I will try alternating between OCM and honey every other morning.
last night I mixed a slight variation on what I'd been using. current measurements are:
9 ml rosehip seed oil 2 drops lavender essential oil 1 drop geranium essential oil this morning my face felt very tight after washing with honey and applying this oil mix as moisturizer. it's so strange that using oil makes my face feel more dry than before. but skin is just about free of blemishes though which is a rare treat. hope it continues working so well! and at 2:40pm my face really isn't shiny which is a big change from before this skincare regimen. by the way, i cut out the tangerine essential oil from this mixture b/c there were varying opinions on whether it is phototoxic, and it's just not worth the risk at this point. almost at 3 weeks using only oils or raw honey for washing and only EPO or rosehip seed oil w/ essential oils for moisturizer. so thankful I stumbled upon this blog and decided to give it a try! http://www.minimalistbeauty.com/oils-specifically-for-acne-prone-skin/ this is an informative guide to the top 10 essential oils for skincare: http://www.examiner.com/article/10-affective-and-healing-skin-care-essential-oils-that-suit-most-skin-care-needs
makes me want to check out violet oil. I've always liked sandalwood so maybe I'll give that a try in the future too. I'm still a big fan of the oils. but my cheeks were feeling a bit tight/dry so I started using rosehip seed oil as a carrier instead of the evening primrose oil. rosehip is supposed to be good for drier skins (which I never thought I had) but my cheeks still feel a tiny bit tight/dry. not so much today but this weekend they did. I have been using a mix of 3ml carrier for each drop of essential oil. my current combo for the past few days was: 12 ml Rosehip, 2 drops lavender, 1 drop geranium, 1 drop tangerine. I have seen different reports--some say tangerine is phototoxic and others say it's not. I think I will eliminate it from my next mix just in case. or maybe just use it at nighttime.
most importantly, my skin does seem clearer. I still have occasional issues in the same areas I had problems before but they are much less intense and they seem to clear up much quicker I forgot to include this in the list of items I've eliminated over the past week: Philosophy's Vitamin C Booster Powder. I haven't been using it but I might try including it in my morning regimen just to see if it makes a difference one way or another.
a few of the oils that sound good for my skintype (oily/sensitive) are supposed to be refrigerated. I still need to figure out just how long they can be left unrefrigerated. this website http://www.gardenofwisdom.com/carrieroils.html has what looks to be every possible oil known to man and their shelf life listed. here are a few excerpts for the oils I will be trying:
Evening Primrose Oil CP Shelf Life of 6 months to 1 year (Refrigeration recommended, as this is a delicate oil) Botanical Name: Oenothera biennis Origin: Australia Extraction Method: Cold pressed / unrefined Color: Yellow and rich Obtained From: The seed Contains: Gamma linolenic acid, vitamins, minerals Uses: Can be used in shampoos for dry hair, in lotions and creams for dry skin and eczema. Considered an astringent and recently used for PMS syndrome and of course for it's gamma linolenic acids content. Pumpkin Seed Oil CP Unrefined Shelf Life of 1 year Botanical Name: Cucurbita Pepo Origin: France Extraction Method: Cold Pressed Color: Dark green to black Obtained From: The seed Contains: Rich in zinc, vitamin E, vitamin A, omega 3 and omega 6 essential fatty acids. Uses: Used for its emollient properties, very rich and thick. Rose Hip Seed Oil Shelf Life of 6 months (Needs to be refrigerated, as this oil is quick to go rancid) Botanical Name: Rosa Rubiginosa aka Rosa Mosqueta Origin: Chile Extraction Method: Cold Pressed / Unrefined / Organic Color: Beautiful reddish orange Obtained From: The seed Contains: High in fatty acids. Linoleic (48%); linolenic (35%); Oleic (16%); palmitic (8%) Uses: Remarkable for damaged, agitated, dry, mature skin I realize 1 week is not long enough to know for sure EPO is my new skincare regimen, but so far so good, and here are the items I have stopped using in the past week:
morning & evening facewash (yes to cucumbers) morning toner (caudalie) evening toner (kate somerville) morning moisturizer (algenist) evening oil (philosophy when hope is not enough) evening cream (philosophy help me) morning & evening eye cream (algenist) eye makeup remover (body shop chamomile) various facemasks I will say that in one week of this new skincare regimen i have fewer breakouts and the lines around/under my eyes are much less noticeable. also I have stopped wearing foundation. my skin is not more oily than usual, in fact it probably gets less shiny and greasy looking than before. one blogger's love for rosehip seed oil http://pumpsandiron.com/2014/01/13/why-rosehip-seed-oil-is-my-skincare-superstar-health-benefits-and-uses/
and another's that seems a little more scientific http://thenakedchemist.com/rose-hip-seed-oil/ about a week ago I stumbled upon this super informative blog http://www.minimalistbeauty.com/oils-specifically-for-acne-prone-skin/. I had never understood the importance of linoleic vs oleic acids. that evening I went to my local dirty hippie store and picked up some Evening Primrose Oil to try cleansing and moisturizing with. I follow the steps for Oil Cleansing Method found here http://www.minimalistbeauty.com/high-linoleic-oils-microfiber-cloths-my-daily-skin-care/ and follow up with a little more after I've dried my face. over the weekend I started using honey instead of oil to clean my face in the morning but i still follow up with the oil after drying my face. my concoction is to use EPO as the carrier oil and I add these 3 essential oils (which smell amazing!): tangerine, geranium, and lavender. so far things are going well, so I am curious to learn more and will share any good info I find.
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