On a lighter note...

Wow. So this is 2013. This is the year I will turn 32 and have my 5th baby. It’s amazing how NOT older I feel... 

Anyway, I had something I wanted to share. A little less typical for me. I love to write about philosophy, parenting, the Bible, politics, etc. This one is a little less ...mmmm... that. I’ll just come right on out with it. Skin care. Yep. First blog of 2013 and I am diving into an issue that is only skin deep. Oh well, what can you do? I’m a girl. I think about these things.

So, Once Upon a Time, I had really good skin... as do most babies. But, then I hit puberty and thus started the awkward battle with hair and skin and nails. Goodness, I was a mess. I was the kid that got the short boyish haircut that made the waitress at the restaurant ask, “And, what would you like young man?” Yes. It's a fabulous thing for a kid struggling with low self-image to hear. I also bit my nails disgustingly low and, most of all, I struggled with acne. Eventually I learned to get better haircuts and quit biting my nails, but the skin issue - that war waged on. 

I tried everything. SeaBreeze. Remember that? The whole regimen of cleanse, astringe (yes I made a noun into a verb), moisturize. I tried the oxy pads, the zit cremes, I even went to a dermatologist at one point. They assured me I had legitimate acne issues and gave me the prescription strength version of all the above mentioned things. I steamed, exfoliated, cleansed and I also faithfully scoured 17 Magazine for the secret that would help me look like the pretty girls on the cover who probably never saw a zit in their life. I eventually tried Proactive and had a somewhat scary allergic reaction to it - it triggered my asthma. I remember random days of clearish skin here and there when I felt like maybe I was on my way to the other side of all this, and then it all came back. I’m guessing hormones and teen stress contributed, however, I was never able to find that one miracle acne product that actually worked. 

But then, there was this day...

I think I was 18 or 19. I was reading a magazine editorial and the lady writing it said she rubbed Vaseline all over her face every night before bed. I remember wincing at the idea and closely reexamining her picture. How in the world could this be that woman with the perfect skin? It was so counterintuitive. It threw out the science presented to me in every commercial and ad I had ever seen for problem skin!! She said something about skin needing oil (the audacity of such thought!), and that harshly stripping it makes it react with zits and blotches etc. A few days later I remembered all this as I was doing my routine: scrub face with chemically soap, rub alcohol-like substance everywhere to zap any remaining oil, apply water-like “moisturizer”, follow with spot creme, then Epiphany! This wasn’t working. It never had! Though, I was so faithful to it all! I felt robbed and cheated and I made a very rash decision (no pun intended). I washed it all off, pulled out a jar of Vaseline, rubbed it in and went to bed. To my surprise I was not one giant zit when I woke up. So, I continued to do this (whenever I had the guts) and astonishingly my skin slowly started to clear up. Eventually I replaced the Vaseline with other more, natural oils. Coconut and vitamin e became my favorites. And, I even had the gumption one day to toss the acne treatments and cleansers in the trash where they belong. I have some scars from years of mistreatment (that are slowly fading away) and every now and then I get a little break out, but my skin has never been as bad as it used to be since I made the change. Oil is good and natural is better. Who knew?

I guess at this point I should insert a picture of me with no make up. I normally don’t do this because people see the paleness and usually ask if I am feeling okay. Yes, I’m fine. I just cant get a tan...no... I’m not a vampire either. I would post a before shot too, but I wouldn't even know what box to start looking in. 

          I know some of you may have heard a story similar to mine, but I wanted to put it out there anyway. I am not a scientist or a doctor. I just have my own experience and some information I have gathered through a bit of research. There are many people out there learning how to improve their skin with oil, and not just coconut. (Here’s another similar story.) EVOO is great for skin and hair, castor oil, grape seed oil... Simply put, our skin is an organ. You can’t dehydrate an organ and expect it to function properly. I spent several years battling my skin and only made it worse, then one day I decided to be nice to it and it responded. Seems logical. As a side benefit, I have also saved quite a bit of money on not buying skin "care"  products.  Every now and then I try new moisturizers (mostly my free Sephora samples) but, I have never found anything that works as well for me as coconut oil so I always go back to that. 

            It’s my personal favorite because it is super light, it melts in your hands and it absorbs quickly. It also has some pretty powerful anti-bacterial qualities, and smells fabulous. Did you know you can even clean your skin with it? Seriously, the stuff is amazing. I hardly ever wash my face with soap anymore, and if I want to exfoliate I find other things in my kitchen...coconut oil or honey mixed with cinnamon or sugar or salt...  straight up baking soda... All that stuff is so much better for our skin and it costs virtually nothing.

           The point? I guess I just want to throw this out there as a possibility for someone who may be where I was. If the skin care section at the store has let you down... you don’t have to keep going back... shhhh. :)

           Try something new and see what happens. I spent way too much time stressing about this early on in life. I wish I would have figured it out a bit sooner so I could have maybe focused on more important things. Maybe try being nice to your skin this year.