Don't ask how I discovered this, but...

I've found a free and semi-green means of blotting away oil during the day. Instead of buying blotting papers, the next time you are using a public restroom (stay with me here...), just use the center bit of paper, the part that normally just hangs down into the bowl, of a disposable toilet seat cover. Yes, you heard me right.

The paper is absorbent and perfect for blotting - it's basically the same material you'd normally buy in the store. Works like a charm!

EOTD: "Montalivet" and "Obscene"

This eye of the day features Fyrinnae's "Polar Bear" dry on the inner corner/tear duct and lower lash line, "Montalivet" foiled on the lid, Pure Luxe's "Harmony" in the crease, "Obscene" on the outer 1/3 of lid, and Everyday Mineral's "Floating Feathers" as a highlight. To complete the look: Physician's Formula Organic Wear "Ultra Black" mascara on my lashes and Organic Wear "Black Woods" eyeliner pencil on upper lash line only.

That's it OCM, we're finished!

Sorry to say, I have given up on the oil cleansing method for now. Even without the castor my forehead has been breaking out (which is about the only part of my face that doesn't normally do that), and I can only attribute it to the sunflower oil I've been using. Oh well, back to the old drawing board!

Natural Preservatives: Fact, or Fiction?

I recently stumbled across this article, which brings up some interesting points about organic skin care products and the concept of "all natural" preservatives. The fact is? They really don't exist. Though vitamin E and rosemary extract may be potent antioxidants and keep oils from going rancid, they do not inhibit the growth of microbes and fungi in water based products (or even oil-based ones if they are left in a germ and bacteria friendly environment). So, in an effort to remain natural, we may be inadvertently exposing ourselves to illness and infection. It's alarming how many products I see from homegrown businesses, usually of the small and unregulated Etsy/eBay varieties, who claim that they do in fact act as broad-spectrum preservatives in their products. But it isn't just the "ma and pa" shops that are perpetuating these myths.

One of the most popular of the "natural" preservatives, grapefruit seed extract, an ingredient widely used by many large-scale "organic" companies such as Jason, is actually about as far as you can get from being naturally derived, or even a preservative for that matter! To produce it, chemical manufacturers take leftover grapefruit pulp, a waste by-product from grapefruit juice production, and in an intensive, multi-step industrial chemical process, change the natural phenolic compounds into synthetic quaternary ammonium compounds. Yes, SYNTHETIC. Even worse, studies done on the extract have found that while some samples did have mild preservative qualities, this was almost entirely due to trace contaminants, including benzethonium chloride (a synthetic antimicrobial commonly used in disinfectants) and methylparaben (just about the worst form of parabens out there). Yuck!

Although I wish I could say that I will be forever free from preservatives, unfortunately I do still use some water-based products that contain Optiphen, a phenoxyethanol-based preservative (it doesn't release formaldehyde or contain petrochemicals/parabens), which the author of the previously mentioned article uses in her products as well. It's not an ideal product, but the fact is, as long as skin care products contain water (unless you don't mind tossing out your toner and lotion every week or so), they will also require some form of preservative to keep the nasties away. What's a chemical-free girl to do?

Once you have been reading labels and scanning the Cosmetics Safety Database for a while, you will learn more and more about the preservatives to avoid, but be careful! Some companies are now using trade names to disguise the more common "red flag" preservatives that consumers are familiar with. Always, always, always research any ingredient that you don't immediately recognize - in my case, for an extra $5 a month I purchase internet access on my phone, and it's been a great tool whenever I'm out shopping and buying new products. If there is anything I cannot identify, I type it in to the Cosmetics Safety Database and decide whether or not it's something I feel comfortable purchasing. Definitely worth the extra 17 cents a day!

Chagrin Valley Soap Haul

Thanks to all the wonderful ladies in the Everyday Minerals message board community, I finally decided to make a purchase with Chagrin Valley Soap & Craft Company, a family-run business that features soaps, body butters, salves and lip products made with pure organic ingredients. I had a really difficult time selecting my first batch, but finally decided on a full size of the following: Rhassoul Clay and Yogurt, Dead Sea Spa, Grapeseed and Shea (all complexion bars) and Chocolate Almond - this one I have no excuse for, except that it sounded yummy! I also purchased sample bars of Apples & Spice (a wonderfully fragrant seasonal soap), Herbal Mist, Cucumber Yogurt and Honey Butter (again, yummy!), along with their Honey Butter lip balm. I haven't even tried them yet and I'm already impressed! Service and shipping was fast, and the products are of high quality and very generous sizes. I will keep you posted!

My Oil Cleansing Method Experience: Part One

Ever since my first pre-pubescent pimple popped up on my nose at the ripe old age of 10 or so, I've tried about a gazillion products to get that glowing, smooth and blemish-free complexion so often envied in fashion magazines and films. For most of us it's an impossible goal - heck, even supermodels and actresses have the added benefit of professional makeup artists, designer facials and post production airbrushing, but that doesn't mean that we simple folk don't do our damnedest to reach it as well! So, after reading mixed but generally positive reviews on the oil cleansing method, I decided to give it a try. If you are unfamiliar with the process, the basic premise is this: most products out on the market today, specifically those targeting "troubled" skin that is prone to breakouts, contain ingredients that strip the skin of its natural oils. Oil is viewed in our society as a harbinger of evil, you see, laying waste to our hopes and dreams of flawless skin. But some people are starting to realize that these same products could in fact be one of the contributing factors, if not the primary cause of these same skin outbreaks, since the skin is stripped of its natural defense against bacteria, subjected to synthetic fragrance (which in itself can be an irritant) and becomes a veritable oil well to compensate for what it has lost.

Cue the oil cleansing method. What this hopes to do is in fact battle fire with fire - by massaging the skin with natural oils that simulate the skin's sebum (ahem, oil), proponents of this method claim that it helps to reverse the negative effects of these commercial products, restoring the skin to a natural balance without undue irritation. This goes against everything we've been taught (oil is bad and clogs your pores like a mofo!) and more than likely creeps out the majority of people who read about it, but the promise of a natural remedy to my monthly breakouts was way too alluring for me to pass up. If you would like to read more about this method, please visit this site: http://www.theoilcleansingmethod.com/ - you can read a full list of directions near the bottom of the page.

So, what has my experience been so far? Well, I wish I could say it went well and my skin is the best it's been in years, but unfortunately...well, let's just say that OCM and OCD tendencies do NOT mix. I got so excited about this method that I went a bit overboard, mixing about 30% castor oil to 70% sunflower oil (organic, unrefined and cold-pressed, of course) and massaging like mad for 10 minutes a day. At first I was pleased with the results. My skin glowed (probably due to my overzealous massaging) and felt soft and smooth. The few spots I had on my cheeks and jawline (hooray for hormones!) seemed to get less irritated and angry looking. Then, about a week into the process, I had a very rude awakening. You see, the massaging portion is oddly addictive, as you can actually feel the little sebum plugs in your skin coming out as you massage, so I added a bit more castor and rubbed, and rubbed some more...and once I was done, my skin literally felt like I had been out at the beach all day without sunscreen. It was tight and dry and...well, angry with me.

I woke up the next day to find not only that my skin had not improved since the day before, but that I had broken out with a fresh row of red, inflamed bumps, bumps that I do not normally get even during my worst hormonal moments. And not only were they along my jawline and cheeks, but I also had small raised (red!) bumps all over my forehead and nose. Which then decided to turn to whiteheads. Oh joy.

It's now been three weeks since the unfortunate OCM "incident" and my skin is just now returning to normal thanks to my new Garden of Wisdom routine (I'll be sure to post a review of that soon). I don't want to give up on this method yet, as I do believe it can have some definite benefits for anyone struggling with combination, sensitive or acne-prone skin, but the learning curve is so daunting and there are so many factors involved that can have a direct positive/negative effect that I'm not exactly eager to jump back in to a process that could potentially leave me with worse skin than I started with. So, last night I decided to give my skin a quick massage with pure sunflower oil (no castor this time) to see what happens, but I did follow that immediately with a tea tree oil cleanser to make sure that all oil residue had been removed. I'm not taking any chances from here on out! I'd love to hear if anyone else has had an experience (good or bad) with this method, and I will definitely continue to post my results here as well.

My parting advice is this: if you decide to do this, or any other skin routine for that matter, listen to what your body is telling you. There is no method that works for everyone and your skin will let you know if it likes what you're doing or not. There are no quick fixes, no matter how much we wish they existed. The path to clear skin, especially when using completely natural products, is a long one full of missteps and experimentation. I wish you all the best of luck - I'll certainly be needing it as well!

Prepare to be horrified...

...when you discover what's in some of your makeup, bath and body products! Please do yourself a favor and visit the Cosmetics Database where you can review specific products, brands, or look up individual ingredients to check just how toxic your favorites are. But I warn you - prepare to be shocked! It may seem like information overload at first, but over the past few months of casual perusal I've learned to identify most of the common synthetic and modified ingredients to look out for, as well as the marginal "natural" ingredients that should be avoided. The site lists all the potential dangers of the ingredients, rating them on a 1-10 scale based on their toxicity. If I'm at the store and considering making a purchase that contains an ingredient I'm not familiar with, I simply type the questionable ingredient into my web browser (thank goodness for cell phone internet service!) and I instantly have a full review in front of me.

In my opinion, you should be able to choose the products you use based on what you know, not based on what you don't! Corporations depend on we, the consumers, being and remaining ignorant, so we have to be our own best advocates when it comes to what we put in and on our bodies. I hope this link is as useful to you as it has been for me!