Thank you for your questions and comments. Someone recently wrote to ask about how I use oils as a moisturizer and update my skincare routine.
In summer, I don’t use moisturizer. I try to keep all the products to a minimum at all times. I use Thayers Witch Hazel on a cotton ball several times a day to freshen my face in summer. Never scrub your skin. Always use a gentle touch.
In the winter, my skin is so dry it hurts, so I do use coconut oil or apricot oil after the bath and before bed. I massage it into my skin until it is no longer shiny. I often scrunch my hair with my hands at the end of this process.
What you put on your skin gets absorbed into your bloodstream, so using olive oil, coconut oil, or apricot oil makes perfect sense to me. Give your body about five minutes to rest and absorb the oil before you get dressed. The very act of massaging oils into your body can be an invigorating little workout or a soothing ritual that helps you to relax before sleep. Always use a very gentle touch on your face. Never tug, press, or pick at your skin. It is the largest organ of our bodies, and it protects us from many hazards. Make sure you are not doing anything to harm it.
What we use to cleanse our faces determines how much moisturizer we need to add afterward. I am now using gentle oatmeal, and honey soap found here at Bend Soap Company made with goat’s milk. It does not dry or irritate my skin at all.
I repeat. What you put on your skin gets absorbed into your bloodstream. I always avoid any products or foods with contents I cannot pronounce.
What you eat and drink makes a huge difference in the health of your skin. I drink lots of water, never sodas. Never eat anything fried.
Are you ordering some of these on line ? I have never seen some of these products in a store ?
I get most of the products from stores here in Johnson City, but I have included links where you can find them on line. Just click on the highlighted words in my text to visit the websites.
Susan, I just started using the witch hazel on my skin after you had written about it and I love what it does. Thanks so much for this recommendation. I had even gone to the dermatologist and right away they said I had rosacea and of course perscribed this cream…when I came home and told my husband, he said no way. I eventually stopped using it and going to the dermatologist.
I always understood that the kernels of apricot pits contained arsenic. Not certain it’s the best thing to be absorbed into skin.
According to The Food Safety Hazard Guidebook, hydrogen cyanide is not a heat-stable substance and does not survive cooking. It may also help to consider that stone fruit seeds are just some of many common edibles that contain similar compounds when raw. Cassava (tapioca), lima beans, butter beans, sorghum, macadamia nuts, and flaxseed also contain significant amounts of cyanide but are safely eaten after appropriately processed: crushing, grinding, grating, soaking, fermenting, and drying all help make the items edible.
Interesting how so many of us are going back to more natural products and less these days. My mother had the most gorgeous skin and all she ever used was soap and water!
Thayers also has a Rose Water Witch Hazel which smells wonderful. It reminds me of a Rose Water Toner I used to buy many years ago form a local herbalist who made her own skin care products.
My daughter found u on FB an told me to look u up I love every thing u put on here .I have a weight problem due to diabetes,u may not have diabetes but whet did u do to loose weight thank u
Click on the links in the tabs above to learn more about each subject. HERE is a good place to start.
Another excellent post! Not only should we be informed label readers with our food and drink, but the products we put on our bodies. I love the Thayers Rose Water Witch Hazel. It reminds me of a fragrance my mother used to wear. At seventy, I notice my skin is “crepey”. Will have to try the apricot oil. Does Mr Mickey follow your lead on using non-toxic and natural products? I will say he is a handsome fella!
Mr. Mickey is much more thoughtful about what he puts in and on his body now.
Great information…. Thank you.
Thank you so much for giving Bend Soap Company a shout out! Their products are wonderful and who needs all those chemicals with names we can’t pronounce. My favorite in their goat milk soaps is also the oatmeal and honey plus the honey grapefruit is so moisturizing. I love their lip balms in different flavors and might I also suggest their sugar scrub for face and body. Enjoy following you on your blog and on Facebook.
I have those products too (as well as their loofa). Great products!
https://goatmilkstuff.com/Soaps
Susan, you may also want to take a look at Goat Milk Stuff’s
website. They are located in Indiana. I have also ordered from them as well but Bend Soap Co is my first choice.
Goat Milk Stuff was featured on NBC’s Today Show
Ladies might also investigate cleansing with oil. Two that I have used with excellent results are DHC Deep Cleansing Oil – http://www.dhccare.com/deep-cleansing-oil – and Badger Damascus Rose Face Cleansing Oil – https://www.badgerbalm.com/p-549-organic-rose-face-cleansing-oil.aspx
It seems counterproductive, but I’ve had excellent results. DHC is available online, and Badger I find at my local health food store.
I use natural products whenever I can, thank you for sharing. My daughter lives in Bend and I just sent her the information about the farm. She likes using natural products also. We will put their farm on our must see list for the next time we visit her.
Hello Susan,
I enjoy your daily posts. Thanks so much for all the tips. You are an inspiration.
What is your merle Norman lipstick color
Thanks
It was likely Amour.
Hi Susan – what are the products we should avoid in our make up?
Read this article for more information. http://www.davidsuzuki.org/issues/health/science/toxics/dirty-dozen-cosmetic-chemicals/
Susan, love your minimalist makeup routine. It really is true we don’t need a boatload of products — just the right ones. And — even though you don’t say it — the beauty industry is built on plying women with more and more of the latest miracle creams. You are absolutely spot on about using less and making sure what you use is efficacious! Brava!
I would like to add that I enjoy my relaxing evening skincare routine and sometimes splurge on luxurious oils. It’s my little present to myself.
Also the Thayers Rose and Badger Damascus Rose line are fab!
Oh, Susan – I have always wondered. Do you use sunscreen?
I do when I know I will be outside for more than a half hour. Be cautious about the sunscreen you choose, because they can have toxic ingredients as well. A few minutes of sunshine each day provides vitamin D, so I don’t wear it every day but, I am also not out in the sun during the middle of the day.
I use an organic one. By the way, are you transitioning to organic makeup???? since your skincare is organic?
I am doing some research into organic makeup. I’ll let you know what I learn.
Susan, may I suggest Pure Anada for you to try. http://www.pureanada.ca/why-pure-anada/ It’s ethically produced and avoids the “dirty dozen”.
I have loved RMS Beauty line. Also Physicians Formula has some great CC/BB creams that I use. Good luck!
Thank you so much for your blog. I totally agree— never put anything on your body that you can not pronounce. I have used coconut oil for a long time. I am going to find apricot oil- it sounds amazing.
I live at high altitude, where there is less protection from the sun’s rays. Lately, our UV index has been showing as a 7 or 8, which is high enough for me to burn within minutes. This means sunblock (mineral, not chemical sunscreen) all year round on exposed skin. And now, people in my area are suffering from vitamin D deficiency. How ironic in a sunny place! This deficiency is suspect in a number of diseases, including one that claims our area as a world leader in case numbers. I find myself having to stay indoors more in the summer than during our frigid winters. Summers are short here. I guess that’s a good thing.
Vitamin D deficiency is a major problem here too.
Susan. I am blessed to have found your blog. Keep preaching. I use Obagi. Should I not??
Always read the contents. You can google those that you are not familiar with. I try to keep everything as natural as possible. We are bombarded with many chemicals every day; I try to limit the ones I introduce into my life on purpose.
I am sure you have posted this before and apologize for asking again: What do you put on your salads (dressing wise) when dining out?
I look forward to your blogs and thank you for sharing yourself with us. Much appreciated.
I do not use dressings or oils on my food. I do enjoy aged balsamic vinegar.
I agree! Nice info shared this week…as always. I thought you commented, in one of your blogs, about under things? I couldn’t find it again. Can you help, please.
Hi Sherry, I remember that Susan’s bras were from Soma. Because of that I went to Soma and love their front closing bra, other than my sports bra for working out I’ll never wear another!
I have used witch hazel as a toner since high school and have never found a product that works as well. Recently, I began using Grapeseed Oil to combat deep wrinkles. But it is also great for removing eye makeup as well.
Susan, I too enjoy the Bend Soap products. May I suggest also a deodorant from the company “Native”. They too have a superior product.
Lynn, you may want to look into Piper Wai. My sisters and all my nieces use this natural deodorant. They were featured on Shark Tank. You can find it at GNC but also obtain it online from them and check them on Facebook.
Hello Susan – even though it’s your summer, doesnt witch hazel alone leave your skin a bit tight & dry? (Even here in a sub-tropical Queensland summer my skin wouldn’t feel moist enough without some moisturiser.) I enjoy your posts very much. Kitty
Witch hazel is alcohol-free, so I do not experience any tightness or dryness after using it, but I do live in a very humid climate.
Susan, if you would permit me one more comment —
I prefer to get high quality oils that are not mixed with other oils. All the cosmetics companies are coming out with their version of facial oils. Actually, getting a high quality argan/rosehip/barbary fig/etc., is much more cost effective and, I think, a better product. Trilogy Rosehip Oil is the bomb! La Bella Figura Beauty has some wonderful luxury oils. . . . (I could go on. . . .) Happy Hunting!
Thank You for the tip! I live two hours from Bend in Oregon and did not know about this company. I will definitely be trying their products now.
Susan,
I love reading your blog! Your photos are always gorgeous. What camera do you use for your outside travel photos?
I use a Sony Alpha a6000 Mirrorless Digital Camera with 16-50mm Power Zoom Lens as part of the kit.
May I suggest that instead of just arbitrarily not using anything on (or in!) our bodies that we “can’t pronounce”, we make the effort to learn what those things ARE and go from there? There are many additives & ingredients that are healthy & nutritionally valuable that are also difficult to pronounce (& vice versa) & God knows we have enough scientific illiteracy in the world today without encouraging more of it. And re Thayers’ Witch Hazel: not all of it is alcohol-free. Some of it (as with most solutions of witch hazel) contains “SD Alcohol 40-B (Natural Grain)10%”[per their own website], so reading those labels is a must.
All that notwithstanding, I really appreciate your recommendations (and those from your readers as well)! There is just no way most of us can try everything & I love reading about all these wonderful products from people who have actually used them.
Thank you. Of course, you are correct. Not all human made products are dangerous, and not all natural products are safe. Knowlege is power.
When my doctor told me I should use coconut oil as a moisturizer, I literally thought he wanted me to use the product I bought at the grocery store to cook with on my skin! Thank you, Susan, for making me aware that coconut oil is also available as a beauty product. I have never heard of these product lines before.
I have used the same coconut oil you buy in the grocery many times. I am now learning about some very safe coconut oil based products that are much easier to use. I’ll tell you more about them soon.
RMS Beauty is coconut oil based.
I use coconut oil every night too. I put it on my face, neck, hands, feet and rub the residual through my hair. Once a week I mix castor oil and coconut oil 50-50. Rub that on my scalp to keep my thin hair as thick as possible. If I could manage it, I’d get a vat of, the stuff and bathe in it. After decades of buying high priced designer creams, I find organic coconut oil does a better job and I’m not taking in a lot of chemicals.
As always Susan, your comments and advise make a lot of sense. Thank you for continuing to Blog.
Thanks for sharing this Susan. I’ve been contemplating changing to some all natural body products but didn’t want to spend a lot of dollars trying various products that don’t work, I didn’t like, etc. Based on your recommendation and reading the reviews from the site, I think I’ll try a couple of the products. I have never heard of this company before so again, thanks for sharing.
I now make my own soap and deodorant and have used Olive Oil and Coconut Oil on my skin for years! Glad to see the Bend Soap is popular in the East! I have lived in Bend, OR twice. I do wear foundation most of the year, but refresh the oil before I apply, and use on my earring posts before wearing.
Susan,
My skin is always dry now, no matter the season, and my daughter suggested using oil on my arms and legs. After a week, I am so delighted with the results from 2x daily use! No lotions have made a difference, but coconut oil is my new friend!
Thank you, so VERY much. I too have been using coconut oil on my face for a few years. It has made a huge difference! I have not read anyplace that has recommended such a great moisturizer. Thanks for mentioning it.
I live in Colorado where it’s quite dry and we all require sunscreen. How do you handle sunscreen on this regime?
I limit my time outside as much as possible during the middle part of the day so that I do not have to wear sunscreen. Do your research on whatever sunscreen you decide to use. They are not all safe, I am learning. There are toxic ingredients in a great many of the items available in your local drug store. Knowledge, not advertisement is the key to determining what is best for us.
I absolutely love coconut oil as a moisturizer, but unfortunately after several months I discovered it was clogging my pores. It’s a 4 on the comedogenic scale and I find that’s too high for me. So sad to have to give it up on my face, but I still enjoy it as a body moisturizer.
Great website and informative