Update: Bad Breakouts and Eczema

Hi Again, Guys!
Sorry I have not posted in a long time. Holidays + Stress. I just wanted to update you on some findings that I have on what sparked my current problems with my skin.

We were correct with the diagnosis of a cheese allergy. Cheese created a very specific reaction in my skin. Itchiness to the point of raised and broken skin began to plague me. It was very distracting. After cutting out most cheeses I found that I could still have mozzarella, but because it's buffalo dairy, not cow's dairy.

While at Jessa's Skin Care, Jessa mentioned salt(excluding sea salt) as being a possible problem. I found that if I stick to sea salt, I don't have a bad outbreak. After lot of testing, I found that Ritz crackers are both my weakness and my downfall. After eating a few, I will have a ferocious outbreak around my chin.

If I don't eat Ritz, my skin is dry but I don't have outbreaks.

Still on the quest to find the right hand cream. Just came back from Arizona a few days ago and my hands have not recovered.

My advise for you... test a few things that you are eating, if you find that your eczema AND blemishes flare up!

Write a comment below if you have any tips for me!
Happy New Year!

Recent Bad Acne Breakout + Eczema

Hi Guys,
It's been awhile since I last posted and there is a reason. At some point in the last two weeks, I had a very very bad reaction on my face to something. It's still unclear what that item is. At the moment, it could be any of the following: cheese, soda, stress, peri-menopause, a new product. I'm sure there are more possible culprits, but after seeing my aesthetician, I'm thinking it's a combo of those main items.
Because my eczema is a fairly new diagnosis and also because until two years ago, I had near perfect skin (THANK YOU MOM!), I reacted poorly. In my home lab, I experimented with everything. I threw anything I could think of, at it. I also pulled back on all of my usual products and habits. In the end, all of that was WRONG!
I forgot some very basic things...
1. You cannot treat 41 year old skin like it's 16. Applying hot water and then cold water, and not using moisturizer, is NOT the answer. DUH
2. What works for everyone else (your husband, your dad, your coworkers) may not work for you.
3. Picking at it like a teenage boy isn't a good habit.
4. Be careful about changing your habits. Using new hair products could impact your eczema or skin care regimen. 

Not ever having had a bad acne breakout, I had no tools in my arsenal. I never had picked at my skin. I had rarely popped a pimple successfully. Why I didn't go straight to my dermatologist or my aesthetician, I don't know. I just freaked out! I picked and poked and applied products that were too strong, I didn't change my diet, and stressed out more.

I've decided to follow a regiment that is informed by my aesthetician and use products made by their company that are all natural and some products that I already use that fill the regimen that they suggest. I plan to adjust their prescribed regime to my preferred products after my face calms down. Hopefully this is a one time deal and not an ongoing problem, though I understand that acne can be about managing it and not eliminating it.

First things first:
1. swap out cotton pillow case with satin
2. wash two times a day. (previously I washed once and used a facial wipe at other times, to avoid drying out the skin)
3. Change the order of "applications" after showering and in the AM. Face first, body, and then hair.
This is in response to the idea that a new product was the culprit.

At the moment, I am using the following, in this order:
1. EO Products Cleanse for face
2. adding Jessa Vanilla-Soda Blemish scrub to my face cleanser every other night
3. Jessa Anti-oxident Blemish Toner
4. Hada Labo Hyaluronic Moisturizing Lotion- tap into skin
5. 100% Manuka Honey Hydration + Mask 1oz - use as mask every other day for moisture. 

6. Ole Henriksen Sheer Transformation®  for moisturizer

I'm on day 4 after my visit to the skin care specialist and most of the blemishes are scarring over, a few are less red and a few are erupting after microderm treatment.

So the following posts will be about my journey. I considered posting pictures, but I will be participating in a video series by my aesthetician. Those photos will be good quality and hopefully we will see some good BEFORE and AFTER comparisons.

I hope you will join me in my Journey!

If you have any comments or suggestions, I will take them. Comment below!

Review: One's Care Snail Mask Sheet

I had heard about snail masks as having some great results while watching youtube videos and other skin care sites. So I chose one while on my usual shopping trip for skin care.

The Rating: ★★★☆☆

This mask had great moisturizing, and felt good while I was wearing it. I felt my skin was softer after wearing and I thought my skin looked plump afterwards. Also, I felt the few pimples that I had, were reduced afterwards. The problem was the next day. Intense itchiness and redness around the nose, made this a "never use again" product for me. If you don't have sensitive skin and are not prone to eczema, this mask may be great for you. For me it was so uncomfortable and distracting the next day, that I'm going to have to say no thanks to another use.

Review: Glysolid Glycerin Cream for the skin

I have been struggling with trying to find a suitable moisturizer and body lotion. If I don't use any lotion, I feel uncomfortable, distracted and my skin looks dull. If I do use something, I often have a reaction. I've been reading labels and doing a lot of research on what is working for others. So far, everything I've tried has not been great. I end up using anything with a scent only on my feet because my feet are rough anyway. I have to wash anything with a fragrance off of my hands before I go to bed. It's a real pain.

Features and Benefits:

Glycerin and Allantoin is designed to treat sensitive, stressed and damaged skin.
The Glycerin used in Glysolid is vegetable based.
Principle effect of Glycerin: A skin softener; it keeps skin cells supple and flexible.
Principle effect of Allantoin: Stimulates skin cell regeneration and the healing of small injuries, nicks, scrapes and minor burns.

The Rating: ★★★★☆

I finally found something that works well enough for the eczema. Glysolid Glycerin Cream, 3.38 oz jar. I am using the cream that comes in a red tub. It's very thick and paste-like, which is not ideal for my taste, but the product itself, once rubbed into the skin, helps with itchiness and moisturizing. I apply it twice a day and like the way my skin feels afterwards.  I want to point out that I did not try the version that comes in the tube. I would like try the tube version to see if the formulation changes between the two dispensers. I personally like a product that is a little thinner. If you like a super thick application, you will appreciate this item.

The Ingredients:

Glycerin, Aqua, Cetearyl Alcohol, Decyl Oleate, Ceteareth-12, Allantoin

Dimethicone, Sodium Cetearyl Sulfate, Ceteareth-20, Silica

Review: Hask Macadamia Oil Hydrating Deep Conditioner with Keratin

As you know, I am still looking for the holy grail hair conditioner for my 4a hair. I have reactions to various ingredients: the ubiquitous "fragrance", parabens, possibly witch hazel. It's difficult to know what will create a "flare up," so I am testing all types of hair conditioners. I have such a dry scalp, that nothing has relieved it so far except avocado applied to the scalp as a pre-treatment. But I continue to try various products. So here is my breakdown for this item.

Product's Benefits

• Repairs dry, damaged hair
• Enriched with Keratin
• Moisturizes hair

My Process

I used these products, in this order, with a rinse between each application:

1. Free & Clear™ Shampoo
2. Beyond the Zone Shock Therapy Extreme Clean Clarifying Treatment
3. Hair One Hair Cleanser and Conditioner with Argan Oil only applied to the back
   
4. Ovation Cell Therapy only applied to the front hairline, above the forehead.
5. Free & Clear™ Conditioner

The RATING: ★★★☆☆

This was ok at conditioning. Very shiny curls, no itchiness. I had some flaking by the end of the week. There is a scent and as you know I am sensitive to fragrance. This one is pleasant and not too heavy and it does disappear. You won't smell it the next day or on your pillow.

If you are interested, my husband's feedback: "There's a nutty aspect to the scent that makes your general scent less earthy, more nutty."

In general, this product is great as a deep conditioner unless you have allergies to fragrances and have dry scalp and dandruff. If you are like me, you would need to apply a pre-shampoo treatment. This isn't the holy grail but it's nice. I probably won't stick with it, because there are other conditioners that worked better.

Ingredients:

Water/Eau(Aqua), Cetearyl Alcohol, Cetrimonium Chloride, Lanolin, Quaternium-18, Macadama Ternifolia(Macadamia Nut) Seed Oil, Hydrolyzed Collagen, Hydrolyzed Keratin(keratin Protein), Silk Amino Acids, Juglans Nigra(Black Walnut) Leaf Extract, Simmondsia Chinensis(Jojoba) Seed Oil, Panthenol, Glycerin, Isopropyl Palmitate, Tetrasodium EDTA, Citric Acid, Propylparaben, Methylparaben, Caramel, Yellow 5, Green 5, DMDM Hydantoin, Fragrance/Parfum

Review: Touch Theraphy Total Defense Deep Moisture Ampoule Mask

On a recent trip to Japantown in San Francisco, I stopped in at a beauty store. They had a whole section with just face masks. Now, I am of the age where face masks were mud, peel off, seaweed or some packet of cream that you applied and kept on for a 10 minutes. This type of mask is fairly new to me. As I've stated in other posts, I am just now paying attention to my skin since my early 30s. I've since tried about four different types. I was very excited to try the Touch Theraphy Total Defense Deep Moisture Ampoule Mask when I first saw it.

This item has argan oil and I've been trying everything that I see that is affordable that has argan oil. I just want to see if this is a good additive or just a trendy thing. Other sites have listed this item as having hyaluronic acid which I like to use anyway to enhance the moisturizing properties of whatever I use right afterwards.

The Rating: ★★★☆☆

I liked this mask because of the moisturizing. It has a stronger fragrance than I prefer. For many, this will not be a problem. For me, fragrance of any kind, even if it's pleasant to me, can be a problem.

The fluid was kind of soupy. I'm not sure of any other way to describe it. After I removed the mask, and tapped the rest of the product in, it appeared to take over an hour to absorb into the skin and felt tacky for way too long. I went out for the evening and it still felt a little tacky, hours later. I'm not entirely sure what that means. Was my skin not able to take the product?

Another issue with this product was that it contains parabens. I'm kind of ok with this, but who is to say that my itchy eyes was not due to that. Hard to know. For this reason, I am giving it 3 stars. I may try it again. I have another to use. If that trial goes well, I'll be sure to let you know.

If you've tried this product and had similar or different results, please comment below!

Update: I've tried this mask a second time, and with good results. The fragrance was not irritating the second time and I felt that the mask did a great job with moisturizing. No irritation the next day and I felt that the results were lasting. 

Review: Philosophy Time in a Bottle

I've been wanting to pay more attention to my skin for awhile. When I was pregnant with my son five years ago, I was very sensitive to scents, as most women are. They didn't necessarily make me nauseated. Some did, but some scents just gave me a headache or feel itchy and flared up my allergies. I used to be able to use any and all types of cosmetics and creams. All of a sudden, that ended. I was sensitive to fragrances, animal smells, and my moisturizer and hair spray!(Please notice below that I've bolded the ingredients from this product in bold if they are also on the Avoid These list.

I ended up not using any moisturizer on any part of
my body for five years. The only thing that worked was a humidifier. Anyone who has been pregnant knows that your body is working so hard and that dry skin becomes a problem during this time. This is also a time when a lot of women get a bloody nose while

sleeping. At this time, you tend to slather on any and all moisturizers. I had to do something to alleviate my cracking skin and the uncomfortable dryness.

So it's been five years, two kids and I haven't been washing my face in the morning and I haven't been using moisturizer. I know, weird. Even when I was 13 I used a moisturizer. It's the one thing I always did. Wash, tone, moisturize. But here I am. Looking at my skin through the eyes of a 41 year old woman and thinking, "Oh I really let myself go!" I needed some real help. Philosophy's Time in a Bottle is one of the first things I tried.

According to the product information:
Time in a Bottle daily age-defying serum helps defy the appearance of all major signs of aging with a breakthrough dna renewal complex and high-potency vitamin c8 activator. The packaging shows a side by side view of before and after results.
*clinical study, 120 women, ages 25-55, once daily use. measurement of aging not yet visible on the surface using cross-polarized light to reveal sub-surface signs of aging in the epidermal layer.

Features and Benefits:

• transforms your skin inside and out at any age by targeting the source of aging: your skin's dna
• helps skin appear radiant, poreless, even, wrinkle-free, smooth and firm
• fresh-pour system triggers the highest level of activity and potency by mixing the serum and activator prior to first use

My Usage and Rating: ★★★★☆

I did not have to mix the contents for this sample of product. If you purchased the full size, you would mix the two liquids and must use it within a certain amount of time. 

I applied this at night after my evening shower for several nights in a row, about 10 days. I saw visible results. I really liked the product because I saw a smoother texture, looked better rested and saw that other products were proving more effective as well. I can honestly say I look much younger.

This is exactly what I was looking for. One of the problems with this product is that it lists some ingredients that are on my MAY-POSSIBLY-CAUSE-IRRITATION list. See below for the ingredients list. (I have marked in bold the offensive items)  So overall I would give this a Rating of 4 stars for myself. If you are especially sensitive then this might not be for you. I did not have a real problem with it, but I have since found some other items that I like just as well. The other problem with this product is the price point. It's about $74. For me this is a deal breaker. For some of my friends, it isn't. For this mom of two on a budget, this wasn't something I could get used to.

Suggested Usage:

-Prior to first use, pour the entire vial of high-potency vitamin c8 activator into the serum, and fasten pump to the bottle. 
-Shake well for 20 seconds. The serum will turn light pink, indicating it is ready to begin transforming your skin. 
-Use morning and/or evening by applying to clean, dry skin. 
-Follow with moisturizer, if needed. 
-Use within three months after mixing for best results. 

Ingredients:

serum: aqua/water/eau, dimethicone, alcohol denat., bis-peg-18 methyl ether dimethylsilane, cyclopentasiloxane, peg-8, butylene glycol, polyethylene, glycerin, dimethiconol, methoxy peg-18, camellia sinensis leaf extract, coffea arabica (coffee) seed extract, pongamia pinnata seed extract, angelica archangelica root extract, citrus aurantium amara (bitter orange) peel extract, punica granatum fruit extract, plankton extract, ptfe, bifida ferment lysate, peg-40 hydrogenated castor oil, acrylates/c10-30 alkyl acrylate crosspolymer, hydroxyethyl acrylate/sodium acryloyldimethyl taurate copolymer, squalane, ascorbyl palmitate, silica dimethyl silylate, tocopherol, polysorbate 60, lecithin, sclerotium gum, hydrolyzed soy flour, retinyl palmitate, propylene glycol, caprylyl glycol, micrococcus lysate, bacillus ferment, magnesium aluminum silicate, maltodextrin, trisodium edta, hydrolyzed vegetable protein, disodium edta, sodium phosphate, sodium hydroxide, potassium phosphate, potassium chloride, sorbic acid, adenosine, sodium benzoate, citric acid, parfum/fragrance, 1,2-hexanediol, silica, xanthan gum, ascorbic acid, lactic acid, sodium chloride, alcohol, acetic acid, phenoxyethanol, bht, mica, titanium dioxide (ci 77891).
activator: butylene glycol, 3-o-ethyl ascorbic acid, aqua/water/eau, fd & c red no. 4 (ci 14700), d & c red no. 33 (ci 17200).