Natural beauty: skincare and dental

The contents of our bathroom cabinet are not all 100% plastic-free, but where possible we buy and use natural products in sustainable packaging or homemade versions.

I have been using a menstrual cup for around 15 years, since my early twenties, and more recently got some period underwear as well - and a portable bidet as a gift from my mum after my sister recommended it (that's all for another post - no taboos here!).

I don't buy cotton wool or similar. For taking off make-up I use muslin cloths that I store in a glass jar beside the basin. They also work well as a hot cloth for cleansing (I love Dr Hauschka's cleansing milk. The smell reminds me of my mum - it is the only product I currently have that has that white creamy scent idiomatic of so many lotions - something redolent of baby care and sunscreen and very comforting).

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Another cleanser I bought a good while ago (a little goes a long way) and use as my main face wash is a Dublin Herbalists one that comes in a 'jam' jar. The consistency is like something between honey and liquid wax, so when you massage it into your skin you can almost feel it drawing out dirt and impurities. Adding water then turns it milky, and I take it off with a muslin cloth and warm water. As the brand name suggests, this is an Irish product.

I still use the frankincense and geranium moisturiser my sister made for me, and for sun protection I either use REN's SPF 30 or, when I want something akin to foundation (I rarely use foundation; I prefer a bare face), Ginzing SPF35 Hydrating Prettifying Finisher by Origins. It has a subtle glow and shimmer. I used to have Dr Hauschka's bronzer, which was nice and light. 

I tend to sleep with nothing on my face, but I do love Dr Hauschka's Night Serum, which goes on as an imperceptible layer. My skin feels softer and plumper and overall healthier the following morning. 

The Ben & Anna toothpaste comes in a jar with a wooden spatula. The charcoal dental floss feels tougher than conventional floss, but you get used to it. I never bought the dispenser; I just get the refills - we simply use scissors to cut off the length we need (it's crazy that the floss by the main dental care brands is mostly sold in plastic dispensers). We have Mable bamboo toothbrushes, and I like that they have a 'heavy bottom' and thus stand on their own, which means they don't get gunky sitting in a glass.

My sister also made me a jar of deodorant over a year ago that is still half full (at the moment I use it every day, but for a while I alternated with a geranium one I still had - also natural - which I used for exercise and when I expected fear sweat, as the jasmine one is not heavy-duty - but it still works well. I must ask her for the recipe).

Finally, rosewater is lovely as a toner or a hydrating mist and, of course, being rose, it is linked to the heart chakra. After everything that lung cancer and treatment did to that area of my body, I take extra good care of it, so one of my rituals is to spray rosewater on my chest. I used to buy this for other people and hadn't bought a bottle for myself in a while, and then, last year, in one of those examples of synchronicity, Angela in our local healthfood shop put one into my bag as a present, and now it is part of my routine again. And it is an Irish product.

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All calm

My current moisturiser, made by my sister

A present for a friend

Milk and mask

December can be stressful at the best of times, but we have a choice in how we deal with it, and while I never really got that worked up about the season and am striving to eliminate the word 'stress' from my vocabulary (I am a big believer in the power of words and Marisa Peer's approach), this year we simplified it even more by agreeing to no longer give presents to every family member and generally opting for low-key in all areas. I kept up the tradition of baking different varieties of German Christmas biscuits, with my nephews helping me. The highlight of the pre-Christmas period was hearing John sing with the ConTempo Quartet again, in three different venues. The last gig had me in tears throughout.

It is an emotional time of the year for me. Christmas heightens the absence of those we have lost - the other day it struck me that I am the age (36) that marks the point where I have had half my life with my dad and half of it without him. Two years ago I miscarried a week before Christmas on the day of our 12-week scan and then was diagnosed with stage III lung cancer out of the blue a few months later. Both last year and this year I had CT scans of the brain, thorax and pelvis in mid-December with all the scanxiety surrounding them, and last year around this time my mum had tests that would lead to her being diagnosed with breast cancer. My feelings are swinging wildly on the pendulum between exhaustion and fear on one end and immense gratitude (my new mantra, given to me by my amazing hypnotherapist, is "Thank you Life") and joy on the other: right now, my mum and I are doing well; we have food and shelter and peace in our countries and loving humans and animals around us. I spend my days with fulfilling and rewarding pursuits, and in a lot of ways life is good.

Self-care is high up on the list of priorities this month and always. Two calming and grounding elements I find easy to incorporate into every day are aromatherapy and nature. I painted the forest scene above as a present for a friend, and it was quite meditative and therapeutic. Forest bathing has become a vital part of my healing, and in a way it has returned me to my roots (excuse the pun): we grew up in a village close to a forest, and my friend still lives there (as do my mum and younger sister). It brought back memories of foraging for wild mushrooms and hiking with my dad and all the exploring and playing we did in and around the forests of our childhood. I loved using so many different greens in this painting. Patients looking out at green from their sickbeds tend to recover faster, and luckily the views from our house offer an abundance of green.

My sister made me a lotion containing frankincense essential oil - I have been using this oil in various ways since I found out about its anticancer properties (I put it in a diffuser during my daily yoga practice, for example) - and geranium oil, one of my all-time favourites. I haven't asked her for the recipe yet, but a quick Ecosia search (I still use 'google' as a verb, even though I switched to Ecosia) yields a lot of great homemade beauty products including frankincense oil. It works well for all skin types, and the scent is heady and musky.

My friend Vu gave me the Weleda lavender bath milk when I was going through treatment. The combination of lavender and a milky consistency makes for one of the most soothing baths. It comes in glass, as does the seaweed face mask from a local company worth supporting, White Witch - their products are organic, vegan and ethical. John bought the mask for me, and I first used it after the worst of the chemoradiation, on the morning I finally felt stronger again, as in strong enough to apply and take off a mask (the things we take for granted when we are well!). I visualised myself emerging renewed and clear of all toxins and illness after rinsing off the mask. It smells energising, as it also contains mint, which together with the seaweed and the green tea forms a perfect trinity of green.

Natural beauty: Hair, skin, eye make-up

The less time I spend in shops, the less frazzled I feel, so I love finding things that work and sticking to them. Unfortunately, with hair care, the perfect product eludes me, and it may well be true that it is necessary to switch products every now and again anyway. Since I try to use only natural beauty products, this criterion narrows down the choice, thus simplifying the process, but of course that also means fewer options. On the rare occasion that I use non-natural products, my hair looks and feels better, but this is short-lived, and I would rather not use shampoo and conditioner with a long list of questionable ingredients. In that sense I am happy to pay the price in the form of sub-optimal hair.

I finished up the Trilogy shampoo and conditioner and don't think I will repurchase, as they did not do much for my frizzy hair. The castile soap I use for many of the 18 uses listed I haven't trialled for long enough on my hair, but according to my sister, the result is not satisfactory.

Now I am using Sukín, and so far, so good. My hair feels more manageable, though I got it cut shortly after I started using Sukín, so that is probably a contributing factor.

My Green Angel moisturiser was running low, and while I loved it, especially the jasmine and neroli scent, I had always wanted to try Egyptian Magic, which is all-purpose and therefore satisfies the minimalist in me (I also like Trilogy's Everything Balm). It is practically scent-free (the ingredients are honey, beeswax, olive oil, royal jelly, bee pollen and bee propolis), and while it doesn't sink into the skin completely, I have been applying it during the day (some people only use it at night for this reason) and haven't noticed an unwelcome oily sheen. You can also use it as a lip balm and on your hair and in numerous other ways. Daisy the cat has skin cancer on her nose, which manifests as a permanent scab-wound-scab cycle, and apparently some pet owners used Egyptian Magic successfully to make the scab disappear, so we might give it a go.

Going natural with make-up means I can avoid all the make-up counters and the accompanying indecision and just buy the products in a health food shop, where choice is definitely limited. I was out of both eyeliner and mascara and got Lavera for both. The eyeliner is probably the best I have ever had, and I don't have strong opinions on mascara. This one, while not giving an awful lot of volume, is great for everyday use.

I would prefer to use Irish products where possible and will look into it, and I will buy from Green Angel (the only Irish company mentioned here) again, but I think Egyptian Magic, like castile soap, is here to stay.

Natural skincare | Hydration, soaps

On the one hand I am becoming more and more minimalist when it comes to beauty products (and pretty much everything else), on the other hand I have added eye serum to my routine...

The hotel we stayed in in London had one single bottle of organic mint body/hair wash in the shower, and I loved the simplicity of it - nothing else cluttering up the shower. I used to take a bottle of Dr Bronner's castile soap with me when travelling, which is for everything from brushing your teeth to washing the dog and apparently even for removing your eye make-up. My sister has started using it as shampoo, and I got a large bottle (the lavender scent) to have by the kitchen sink for washing dishes (as that lovely lemon balm one we had seems to have been discontinued at our supermarket) and will decant a bit into a bottle for the bathroom.

I have combination skin and still get minor breakouts at age 33 (nearly 34), but my skin can also get dry. When I ran out of my Weleda rose moisturiser I thought I would try something else.

I have been giving Green Angel products as gifts, as they are a great Irish company and stocked in the shop at the bottom of our road, so I can shop local. I am halfway through the moisturiser, which contains two of my favourite essential oils, neroli and jasmine. Since using this I haven't had any problems with dry skin, and my skin is clearer as well.

As for the eye serum, this is from another Irish company. I am a bit sceptical when it comes to eye products, as products for the face often do the job just as well (and when using olive oil for removing eye make-up, you are simultaneously caring for the area around the eyes), but I thought I'd give this a go, as I like the ritual and this has a cooling roller. I have only used it for about two weeks, but already can see and feel some improvement, with plumper skin that doesn't feel tight. It can leave a bit of a residue that looks like dried tears (or maybe I used too much), but as long as you blend your moisturiser or concealer into the edge, it becomes invisible.

I love that both these products come in glass instead of plastic, though would advise not to store them at a height it in a bathroom with a tiled floor - the cap of the serum shattered into a million pieces when it fell out of the cabinet.

I didn't own any lip balm for the last two years, at least. At home, when I thought of it, I would apply coconut oil or honey and dry-brush with a toothbrush to exfoliate my lips, and then during the day I would leave them alone or apply lipstick or gloss. But recently I must have neglected them, and I thought it would be handy to have some lip balm in my bag, so I bought the Trilogy one. It works really well, and I love mint in lip products - some energising aromatherapy right under my nose.

And finally, soaps. I know having the Dr Bronner's liquid soap ought to cover that area (another minimalism fail), but I don't have that many bottles I can decant into, and I like using old-fashioned solid pieces of soap. These are as local as it gets, and they don't dry out your skin; I can even use them on my face (one thing I no longer buy is facial wash). They also remain solid, unlike a lot of natural soaps that turn into mush, and they scent the bathroom nicely.

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Beauty | Moisture for winter

Last month I spent more money and time on make-up than in the last decade or possibly my entire life. I usually keep it simple: eyeliner and/or mascara, lipstick or gloss. I would like to be able to do make-up well, but even though I am a morning person and could find the time, I just never bother.

I only wear foundation on rare occasions, but when I do, my skin often shows up flaky, as I have the type of combination skin that is still prone to breakouts in my thirties yet can also get dry. After a professional make-up artist alerted me to this, I went and bought the hydrating mask shown in the photo, which comes with a muslin cloth for taking it off. My face drinks this up, and it has one of my favourite scents, rose geranium, which makes the 15 minute treatment time even more relaxing.

My sister got me the lavender hand cream (another favourite scent), and I have been using it on my lips as well as my hands. I also smooth it over my hair to tame flyaways and sometimes on my eyebrows and lashes, and it works wonders as a healing cream on scars and cuts.

Seaweed bath time

This week has made me crave hot showers. Even better is a seaweed bath. You can go to a spa, buy dried seaweed, or, if you live near a beach, get fresh fucus serratus, which is what we do occasionally. Afterwards we put it on vegetable beds in the garden as a fertiliser. This article about using seaweed and its miraculous properties in the garden also addresses how to collect it, as there are laws and rights (of course as individuals we only ever use a tiny amount, a small bucketful). It has become big business in the food, health and beauty industries, and it is important to harvest it in an environmentally sustainable way. During the Famine its consumption saved lives, and adding seaweed to meals is a simple way of upping your nutrients.

In a bath it is moisturising, extremely relaxing and soporific, healing and detoxifying, with a cocktail of vitamins and minerals. Some people feel squeamish about getting into the tub, as the seaweed is slimy, and while I do my best to avoid it when swimming in the sea (but more because of a fear of getting my legs entangled in it), I think it feels lovely to let yourself sink into it in a bathtub.

After scalding the fresh seaweed (or rehydrating the dried version for 15-20 minutes), it is added to the bath, which is filled with warm water. It releases its oils and also keeps the water hot much longer than usual. The body absorbs it easily, and your skin is wonderfully soft afterwards, and if you submerge your hair, it is better than any conditioner. Towards the end of the bath, which should take at least 30 minutes to get the full benefit, it is a good idea to scrub your skin with a handful of the seaweed. Apparently the seaweed can be reused, which makes the price tag of the dried seaweed  you can buy a bit less shocking (seaweed products tend to be expensive).

Baths are an absolute luxury, and we don't have them that often, as we try to be mindful of how much water we use. I am also strict about showers and never stay in there longer than necessary, turning the water off while applying products or exfoliating, so my hot showers are not of the wallowing type, but rather a short cathartic boost. Another (no waste) way of temporarily relieving a feeling of heaviness is doing this Yoga Rinse.

Paying attention

"The longer I live the more beautiful life becomes. If you foolishly ignore beauty, you will soon find yourself without it. Your life will be impoverished. But if you invest in beauty it will stay with you all the days of your life." Frank Lloyd Wright

"Pay attention. It brings such peace."

Charlotte Mendelson in the Guardian, 15/11/16

Predictions differ as to what kind of a winter this corner of the world will see this year, and it may not end up as stormy as last winter, but in any case we are making the most of the beautiful golden days and soaking up the light that October and three out of five November days so far have brought. Gradually more of the back garden is revealed as we clear away briars and nettles and free the stone wall, and the donkeys are taking care of the overgrown field behind it.

The writer Charlotte Mendelson keeps cropping up, and her non-fiction book Rhapsody in Green, about growing an abundance of food in her tiny urban garden, is on my reading list. There was a beautiful piece about her visit to Tolstoy's country estate in the Guardian recently.

I feel the need to slow down while trying to get things done that cannot be put off any longer. Late nights at work and at events or entertaining alternate with days we go to bed at 9pm. Thanks to Yoga with Adriene, I have been maintaining an almost-daily yoga practice, and I feel so much better for it, physically in myriad ways, including a stronger back and better posture, as well as mentally and emotionally. I had a bad headcold a couple of weeks ago and started burning peppermint oil while doing yoga and in the studio, and it has improved my breathing and my concentration.

Recently I started taking this skin supplement, mainly to prevent breakouts and cold sores (I stopped taking other supplement a good while ago, in the optimistic belief that I get everything I need with a good diet, and this is hopefully just a temporary aid for a stressful few months). I started with a low dose and still haven't gone up to the maximum, but it seems to be working. Then again, when you make a few changes at the same time, you cannot say which individual thing is responsible for any improvement you see, and I tend to introduce several changes simultaneously. This coincided with the beginning of my more serious yoga routine and remembering to take apple cider vinegar regularly.

Beauty | Rituals and Rituals

Heatproof

Still water in a glass bottle

Sun protection on my mom's patio

I switched to aluminum-free deodorants a good while ago, but have switched back temporarily (to this one by Rituals), due to a holiday heatwave (although I need it primarily for fear sweat; the heat is secondary), while waiting for the launch of this natural deodorant cream.

I used to travel with a suitcase full of stuff when visiting home (there was a time I would bring up to ten CDs with me...), but now I have mastered the art of traveling light, hand luggage only, which isn't hard to do when you can have some clothes stored at your mother's house.

It means lightweight purchases if any, so when my sister showed me the natural cosmetics line at a German chemist's, I picked one of the smallest items, a nail and cuticle oil pen, which is lovely to brush on - a calming late-night ritual I had never really tried before. I like to keep it simple and limit the amount of products I use, and I am sure using oils and the hand cream I already have does the job adequately, but this is perfect for trips.

Something I wish we had in Ireland is still water in glass bottles. It may exist (restaurants have them), but I have never seen crates of bottles, which are ubiquitous here, and in Ireland you would pay a small fortune. Luckily, our tap water is safe to drink, but with the bottled water pictured above you know its mineral content, and it is suitable for my little nephews.

Beauty | Green angels and people

The last time I was at the hairdresser's (I only go once in a blue moon, a factor that may have contributed to the sad state of my hair) I was persuaded to buy the Wella salon-only products they sell, and I was happy with the shampoo, which lasted so long it was well worth the price. The conditioner and the keratin hair mask went some way to tame my frizzy hair, but unfortunately they also made my skin break out along the hairline and on my neck. Most hair products that are not shampoo seem to do that to my skin, although I suspect hormones play a role, too.

I always turn my pillow around after a night or two and use the other pillow after that, do the same with that one and then change the bedclothes, because what ends up on the pillowcase (oils from our skin and hair, plus any products that have been applied) is a well-known cause for breakouts. I also wear my hair up a lot of the time. But it still got worse, so after I used up the conditioner I decided that was the end of that, and I only use the mask before an event (at which I inevitably will wear my hair down, to cover the resulting spots, which then exacerbates it).

A few years ago I experimented with the baking soda and vinegar method, but gave up eventually, as my hair didn't look that great. I also used all-natural shampoo for a good while, but went back to the big brands again for some reason (ok, because I felt my hair looked better).

Recently I began to reconsider and decided to go back to natural products. The shop down the road stocks Green Angel, and John gave me the shampoo and conditioner as part of my birthday present. It's too early to say whether this conditioner doesn't cause breakouts, but so far, so clear, and my hair feels better (lighter, in a good way) even after only two uses. It also smells amazing. Lavender and neroli are two of my favourite scents, and using these in the shower is like being in a spa.

Another 'green' product I have started using is this Green People facial sun cream. Apparently it's the same stuff that's in the body version, just in a smaller bottle, so next time I will buy the latter. Sun screen can be very chalky, but this one goes on quite nicely and moisturises and doesn't cause spots. I like the company's philosophy, and 10% of their net profit goes to charities.

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That was a long break...

The weeks are whizzing past me, and I am slowly working my way through an impossibly long To Do list. I haven't shown up here because various work projects have included a lot of time spent creating and managing websites and social media and volumes of e-mail, so when I wasn't working I wanted my eyes to look at green trees and the expanse of the sea, or anything that was not a screen.

There have been so many big and small changes - both in my work and my personal life, all positive for the last two months -, and I am still adjusting to the new rhythm. It continues to elude me how people who work full-time and have families look after themselves and keep their energy levels up. I seem to need a disproportionate amount of time to myself and an early night at least three times a week in order to function, and I am responsible for myself only. I know it's a HSP/introvert trait to be so easily overwhelmed, but there have been too many mornings (especially after working late and/or socialising) spent sitting around in a daze with aching muscles trying to muster the energy to step into the shower. I know a lot of people who would see that as luxury me-time they would kill for, but I just think of all the things I could be doing and the seconds ticking away.

Last week it struck me how much of the low-level everyday anxiety I have been feeling is fuelled by neglecting friendships and not phoning home enough, even when that neglect is not one-sided. So now I am surrounded by half-written letters and cards and e-mails in my draft folder. And of course I acutely feel my sister's absence after her three-month stay here. We had a little farewell party at my house, and Galway Bay put on a spectacular evening sky with a lot of pink and a rainbow. A friend took the photo above of us three sisters in the twilight, and due to the latter and also because I enlarged it from a small photo it physically possesses that blurry nostalgic quality that I have already imbued it with in my mind.

On a less emotional note, my inner minimalist is delighted with Dr. Bronner's liquid soap and its multitude of uses (I haven't tried it as toothpaste or for washing the dishes or laundering clothes yet, though all that and much more is possible). It had always been on my radar, but since I generally prefer soap bars, I never bought it until a couple of months ago. It works really well as a facial wash, and you don't need moisturiser afterwards. I love travelling light, so this, the smallest bottle, will serve as a one-in-all on future trips, and I will get a large bottle for at home. I was going to dedicate a whole post to this soap, but then India Knight reviewed it for the Sunday Times, so I will just quote her: "Come the apocalypse, you want a bottle of this about your person.". Yes!

Tranquility

 

The response to what I pondered in my last post is shingles in my eye and a kidney infection. That's what I got for a lifestyle and tempo of said lifestyle this introvert was unable to maintain for long. Or maybe it had nothing to do with that, but was a delayed reaction to the upheaval of recent months. Whatever the reason, I obviously need to remind myself that one day every week must be a blank in my diary set aside for doing nothing (doing nothing may include reading, running, swimming, meditating, baking, cooking, organising and a whole lot of other doings, but I have to be on my own for most of it or in the company of someone similarly disposed).

I managed to continue with the teaching, as well as going on -relaxed, inspiring- day trips to beautiful corners of the world, so today was the first day I was able to work from home and take it easy. Stillness is in order, and it is easy to attain in a house filled with beautiful flowers, among them the sweet scent of hyacinths, and with my own little assistant-sister who just made me dinner.

As a soap bar enthusiast I always get ridiculously excited when I try out a new one, and this Brigid Soap with its intriguing ingredients is extra special because it was a gift from my older sister, who presented it to me in Brigit's Garden, with a touching explanation of why she had chosen it. My aura expertly cleared after using this in the shower, I am now sipping tea made with cayenne pepper and lemon and envisaging a wild Friday night bedtime of 8pm. This is exactly how I used to live.

Jasmine and mint

Sunny morning, condensation on the window, mint and cologne

Someone very dear to me whom I have known most of my life gave me money with instructions to buy 'something luxurious', so I got the cologne pictured - because I love jasmine and it is an antidepressant and I want to smell it all the time. I used the essential oil on my wrists before, but the scent doesn't last very long.

This fragrance, together with this eye cream I have in my fridge, is my - material - motivator for the start of the year. I know a new scent and better moisture levels around my eyes won't make me a new person, but an outward change does help to get me out of a rut. And both involve rituals that are part of my morning routine, which sets the tone for the rest of the day (I am with Gretchen Rubin on the impact of making your bed).

As always I have returned from Christmas at home with a head full of ideas and renewed enthusiasm (travelling and being away rewires my brain), and as always I see it all disintegrate or take a back seat now that I am settling back in again. But I know it's there and I can access it. And the jasmine-mint cloud I spray on and the ice-cold eye cream remind me.

To Do

To Do (for pleasure; I won't go into my countless other To Do lists):

- Read all the books I currently have by my bedside, so I can start reading Damage (actually, I might not wait): this is one of the books that had been on my To Read list for years, and somehow I never saw it anywhere and always forgot when I ordered books online, which is less than once a year as I prefer buying books in real shops. Then, on Saturday, while waiting for a friend I popped into Bell, Book and Candle, a second-hand book and record shop, and there it was.

- More reading. F. Scott Fitzgerald's novels are among my favourite and I have long been fascinated by Zelda Fitzgerald's part in his life and work as well as herself in her own right. My sister gave me the novel Alabama Song a few years ago and I have Nancy Milford's biography, and now, with the new The Great Gatsby film approaching, there are various fiction and non-fiction books being published this year, among them Beautiful Fools by R Clifton Spargo. Everything seems to be Gatsby-themed at the moment, and as someone who loves flapper dresses and ornate headbands, I don't get tired of it, but I have a feeling that despite the abundance of choice at present the flapper dress I have been searching for for so long won't be from a high-street shop. It will be vintage or made by one of my sisters. Or remain a sublime idea.

- Go to the cinema (a rare occurrence for me). I have been meaning to go and see In the House, but the screenings at the cinema here always seem to clash with my teaching or other things, but hopefully I will make it this week. I loved Ozon's Swimming Pool, and until a few weeks ago I didn't know about 2007's Angel, but apparently In the House completes his three-part exploration of the theme of writing.

- Get some sunlight (this - see last photo- is from a lovely book I picked up in a Hippie shop and often dip into for inspiration called 365 Ways to Live a Simple and Spiritual Life by Madonna Gauding. Each entry is preceded by a quote.) I have done that quite a bit over the last few days, which has prompted me to look for a good natural SPF moisturiser. The ones I have used in the past were either too sticky and/or chalky-looking. So far my research has told me that it may be better to use a separate SPF that sits on top of the moisturiser instead of using a combined product. This and this sound good, but I haven't figured out whether I can get them here or if they ship to Ireland. I use jojoba oil as a moisturiser, which is a natural sunscreen, but I worry that it is not sufficient. Lavender and chamomile essential oils also have sun-blocking properties, so mixing those with jojoba as a base oil could be a solution, but again I am not sure how much they protect the skin. Of course I will also go without every now and again to get the full benefit of sunlight. If you have any recommendations for sunscreen, please share in the comments.


| I intend not to use or link to amazon anymore due to their ethically questionable world-domination strategies. And none of the links on my blog are affiliate links.

|| The juxtaposition of the title of this post and the title of the book in the first picture just struck me - no, I do not intend to do damage...

Skin deep #2

When you try out several new things or make various changes all at the same time, it's hard to say which one makes a difference. For instance, last year I incorporated several positive changes into my diet within a few weeks, or days even. Maybe they all help, but only eliminating one thing after the other would tell me which are vital for me, and somehow I cannot be bothered to do that. I just choose to think that all the changes I have made help, and as long as my diet works for me, I am happy.

Similarly with skin care I cannot pinpoint what single thing has made the most difference. And of course there are so many other contributing factors. Skin responds to what you eat, and to exercise. Deep breathing helps. My skin is much better when I go to the sauna or steam room regularly (whenever I spend time in Germany where I don't go, it gets worse). Stress makes me break out more. Swimming in the sea is great for your skin. And so on. But I have found some products that seem to help, too, and work better than others I have used.

I have the annoying type of combination skin that means you have to deal with oily skin and break-outs as well as dry patches and peeling skin. I switched to Dr. Hauschka facial oil a few months ago, and unlike before then, it was the only moisturiser I have used since. However, I also use a separate SPF sometimes, and I do facials with other oils, such as jojoba (with essential oils added, and I vary these, too).
All this to say that, even though I cannot vouch that this product has made all the difference, I like it a lot. Oily skin actually needs external oil to regulate itself, and while it may seem counterintuitive at first and feel greasy, after a while you do notice that your skin absorbs it better and your skin becomes soft to the touch, without the grease. Sometimes I still am oily-faced at the end of the day, when I've been anxious or stressed or nervous (and forgot to breathe deeply), but overall it is more rare. The only downside is that the dispenser bottle is prone to leaking from where the top is attached to the bottle, no matter how I adjust it. I'd prefer if it just came in a normal bottle with a screw top. Before I bought this one, I had a sample -a tiny glass bottle- and I use it for travelling and for the gym; it doesn't leak at all.

I also have the Translucent Bronze Concentrate. I don't like using foundation (it often looks cakey and clogs my pores), and this is completely different. It doesn't cover your skin like foundation does, but it gives it a healthy glow and unifies it. You can mix it with the oil or any moisturiser. So all in all a more subtle approach. It is very dark but adjusts to your skin tone. You have to be careful how much you use, though - I would recommend applying it in daylight. It is also great for contouring the space between your brow and eyelid and your cheekbones. And of course it is all natural, too. I don't use it every day, especially because nowadays I do have more of a natural glow, compared to my former pale sickly appearance, so I don't need it as much.

Dr. Hauschka products are not cheap, but I find they last forever and are well worth the money (they are also an ethical company).

Argan oil and Maria Sibylla Merian prints

I have also started using Argan oil. I had a sample of the much-hyped Moroccan Oil and loved it, but I prefer using pure Argan oil. So far I have only used this on my hair and elbows, knees and scars, but it's supposed to be great for your face as well. You can put it into your hair half an hour before washing it or rub it into the ends afterwards. It makes my hair stronger and easier to manage and adds shine.
 I also use coconut oil and jojoba oil for my body, instead of body lotion and for shaving. I find using oils feels more natural and nourishing than lotions and conditioner.

See also Skin deep #1

[Update - I forgot to say: I did not get paid to endorse these products]

Skin deep

Like most people women, I must have used hundreds of different beauty products in my life so far, in the quest to find that elusive product that will solve all my problems and will mean no more frizzy hair/shiny face/spots/spending too much time in front of the mirror. I want to simplify that area of my life and have less stuff in my bathroom (though I have to say my collection of cosmetics looks spartanic compared to those of my sisters!), but at the same time I like trying out different things. The latter is largely satisfied by my use of essential oils - by mixing them you get an infinite number of scents. I like to make my own cosmetics and with those I buy I prefer when they have as few ingredients as possible and/or are all natural, though not everything I use is 100% natural.

I still haven't found the perfect product in all categories, and it probably doesn't exist - after all, the needs of our skin change with the seasons, the menstrual cycle, weather conditions, etc. Recently, though, I have come a bit closer to perfection with some of the basics.

Because of all the above, and also because I like documenting things, I have decided to occasionally share here what I use and love, so I can refer back to it, and perhaps some of it is helpful to readers, too (with apologies to my very few male readers...).

Today, five rather random things I am absolutely sure I could live without, but wouldn't want to at the moment:
(please note that I do not get paid for any of the things I recommend on my blog)

...I also like that there is a lot of pink involved

The Tisserand Refreshing Deodorant Roll-on comes in glass packaging (apart from the lid) and smells divine. It says wild rose and lemon leaf on the front, but geranium dominates (as in a lot of their products). Geranium is a very strong scent and lifts the spirits, which is always good. I once noticed it on someone, and she revealed it was a Tisserand hand cream - that's what I will get once I finish my current one.

Weleda Wild Rose moisture cream - because I have oily/combination skin, for years I would only use harsh antibacterial creams and cleansers, which is just wrong, as it exacerbates the problem. In fact, oily skin needs oil, and once this cream is finished, I will get Dr. Hauschka's facial oil (I just used up a sample I bought). I also love this cream, though - it is quite rich, but ideal for when my face feels dry.. And it smells...of roses!

Aloe Vera and Lavender - a favourite ever since a friend gave me this years ago when I spilled boiling hot tea over my hip (and my brother-in-law's feet). It is cooling, moisturising and soothing, and I use it all over my body. To make it, mix a few drops of pure lavender oil into pure aloe vera gel.

Bio-oil: another multi-purpose product. I use it on pretty much everything it says on the bottle: stretch marks, scars, uneven skin tone...got them all. I also use it in the bath. I don't like that it's mineral oil-based, though - am trying to find a natural alternative.

Benecos nail polish: I got two of those in a health food shop in Germany - they don't contain all the harmful stuff that is usually found in nail polish. You need two coats for a good result, but it stays on for several days and the colours are gorgeous (at the moment, I am wearing this mud-colour -Urban Grey, a warm grey- on my fingernails and Wild Orchid on my toenails)

Steamy

I am still undecided about joining the place where I can use the sauna and steamroom again. I do think it would make me a better person (feeling cleansed physically and mentally), but then I tend to get obsessed with an idea, and I just spent a whole year without sauna-visits and it wasn't that hard. But I can't help it. These days the word sauna keeps invading my brain.

In the meantime -until I can cough up the membership fee- I am going to have steam facials: putting your head under a towel for ten minutes and inhaling nice-smelling steam is time well spent, not only when you are sinusy, but as a weekly deep-clean for your skin and for relaxation. I generally keep it simple and stick to one or two essential oils. As for quantities, three drops of oils in total is plenty, in my opinion. I boil one to two litres of water and then add the oils or dried herbs. Inhale under a towel for about ten minutes, with eyes closed.

These are my go-tos:

-Dried Chamomile (preferably loose, or chamomile teabags - see photo. More than one, though. In the photo it was mixed with oils). That's what my mom used to make when we had a cold or the flu. Very soothing.

-Lavender oil, on its own, or two drops lavender with one drop ylang-ylang or geranium  - lavender and geranium are antiseptic, ylang-ylang relaxing

-Some dried herbs such as chamomile or sage and lavender oil -soothing

-Lavender, geranium and lemon essential oils, one drop each -good for oily skin, astringent

For dry skin, adding a bit of almond oil to the water will moisturise. Rose, chamomile and jasmine essential oil are also good.

-When my nose is blocked, and for colds/flu in general, I use eucalyptus and/or peppermint oil, and sometimes Vick's Vapo Rub diluted in the water or Olbas oil.
 

Inhalation is also a good escape from the reality of the hurricane outside...