Phytomer, I heart you!

The stress of rearranging my life after the break-up was mostly visible on my face and neck. I broke out the worse way ever (and that is bad knowin that I have been battling acne most of my late teens and adult life!!) Not only did I look some kind of horrible (honestly if I passed myself on the street I would have sworn I was a junky) it hurt like heylll too!

Sonja, my beautician, who has been doing my brows for the longest time, decided to confront my bad skin and made an appointment with me to clean my pores and put me on facial products that she sweared by. Now I love Sonja caus the woman is a artist with tweezers, she makes you look like you had a mini facelift by just doing the brows, but I just didn't think that anyone could help me ( I am a regular at the dermatoligist and he can't even help me!). My father seeing all the pain (mentally and physically) I was in due to the acne, gave me money to confront my bad skin. I made an appointment with Sonja and she really really really hurt me I was preparing myself to look in the mirror after the treatment and see all kinds of haematoma, wholes and what nots. After 40 min of extreme pain (no itching tho wich is new caus I always break out in a rash from over the counter products) I got up looked in the mirror and was amazed that my face looked much calmer, cleaner and most of the comedones had disappeared, my face felt soft and best of all it wasn't painful or swollen anymore!!! Sonja send me home with a few testers of the products that she used on me and told me to stop using other products and just stick to this line at least till the tester pots where empty.

I was amazed at the result but the pessimist in me told me just wait till you get up in the morning you will have the worse break out ever. I washed my face with the facewash, used the cream and blemishgel and went to bed expecting the worse. Next morning my face had cleared up even more and even the blemishes where fading! I used the line religiously till the testerpots where empty and ran to Sonja to buy the products. I have been using these products for about 2 months now and my face is looking better each day. Sonja promised me that she would help me to get rid of my acne once and for all and it looks like she is keepin her promise.

To help my skin, I try to drink as much mineral water as possible, don't skip my night- and morning routine and try not to touch my face as much.

These are the products I use:

My next appointment with Sonja is in 2 weeks and she sceduled me in for a few make-up lessons as well caus I am in my 30's but have no make-up sense whatsoever! I have to admit that I never liked to see women or girls with acne wearing make-up it just looked like a very bad cover up. I was also afraid that using make-up would just irritate my skin even more. The other thing that made me insecure are my features I am a black girl with green/grey chinese-shaped eyes and I just can't find any tutorials on how to deal with that!!! Hope Sonja will help sort out that insecurity as well!

Love,

Chayil

Frugal skincare

I used to spend way to much on skincare/make-up/bodycare products, 60 euro's a month was not uncommon. I still had breakouts (mostly because I didn't stick to my routine) and was looking for a more simple and definately less expensive option. I started researching how to make my own skincare products. I found an article online called The Oil Cleansing Method and after reading it through I decided that this was something that I could do, however I was scared I would break out because of all the oil. I decided to give it a week and if I had rash or breakouts I would immediately stop. Almost 3 months have passed and I have beautiful skin no rashes no acne and the blemishes of the acne in teens are disappearing, even the lil whole's are filling up!!! All of this without spending one dime! I cook with olive oil and I use castor oil for my locs. I use a mixture of 50/50 for the "oil wash" and rub a lil of that same mixture for skincare.

If you are looking for a frugal working way to take care of your skin, click on the oil cleansing method and read the whole article.

To OP or not to OP

That is the question.

Yesterday I started oil pulling with castoroil mostly for my aching teeth/gums, after 10 minutes of OP I spat out the oil and I repeated this in the afternoon again this time for 15 min. This morning when I woke up I was in tremendous pain and my armpits are totally inflamed and I feel like the inside of my body is on fire! I still OP same effect on teeth and no mucus. I read that OP can make conditions worse and that it is a sign of healing, I am so confused now caus if my body would act up this way despite the antibiotics I would go to the emergency ward straight away caus it would be a sign that the antibiotics are not working and that I probably need an operation or an high dose of antibiotic drip. Now I have no idea what to do is it really possible that the Op would have this kind of effect in 24 hours?? (I posted this on the NP-forum as well caus I really need advise)

I will ask dh to get me some unrefined sunfloweroil today for the OP cause I wonder if it is the Castoroil that is giving me these side effects. I know that castoroil can really trigger skin conditions.

Taking better care of me!

I really have to start taking better care of me. Specially the "outside" of me. My eyebrows are in desperate need of plucking and my beautician is dealing with a sudden death of a beloved familymember so she is not up to working. I am going to call around to see if I can make an appointment at another beautician for tomorrow morning when the lil one is at the daycare. I have been rubbing nivea on my body for the last 3 days but I still haven't established a morning routine and tend to walk around in my robe till at least 11 o'clock.

Today I tried oil pulling, my gums and my front teeth are hurting horribly and I will do anything to avoid going to my dentist right now, still trying to get over the shock of my last 400 euro dental bill for reconstructing a molar. I op-ed with castor oil caus that was the only oil in my bedroom ;-) and managed to do it for 10 minutes not bad for a first timer I thought. I did it around 7 and since I spat it out (it was totally milky I know TMI) I have a stuffed sinus. I have been blowing my nose and running to the toilet every 5 minutes! Wasn't expecting that but I guess it's a sign that it's working (right??!!) I am going to try and find unrefined sunflower or sesameoil today caus castoroil is not sold in the netherlands so my parents send it from Surinam for me to use in my hair. Don't want to "waste" it on oilpulling. I also need to find a toothpaste for sensitive teeth my teeth are really the illtreated stepchildren of my body they suffer from all the antibiotics I have to take and from all the vomiting when I am sick. Poor babies I will nurse them back to health. They are good to me other than the hurting right now I have only one filling/reconstruction on the molar the rest of my teeth and molars are all in good health.

While OP I used a Cuticle & Nailremedy caus my hands and nails really needs some attention. I always had my nails done with acrylic by a nailstylist. It was the easiest way to have beautiful hands and nails without having to fuss with it myself. But a few months ago I had a horrible experience I had to have an operation and the surgeon told me that he rather have me take the nails off for the operation. That was pure hell! My nails had to be soaked in some kind of chemical bath a few minutes every day and i was left with damaged extremely thin nails. It took about 4 months to completely heal! Needless to say I refuse to go through that again so I have been keeping my nails short ever since. I don't like the look of short nails it looks uncared for and neglected so I want to start growing them out again. I just have a problem with growing nails once they all get to a good length one always has to break or tear!!! I am going to do the Cuticle & Nailremedy along with using a nailhardner for a week or 2 and when my nails grow out I will go to a nailstylist to file my nails and give me a manicure (yes you guessed right, clumsy me can't file or polish nails).

Well that is it for now it's almost 10 and I have a list of errands that I need to run today.

So proud of me...

Today I finally did what I promised myself weeks ago! I got up and headed straight for the bathroom! Took a shower, brushed my teeth and fixed my hair. I feel so energized! Wich was really necessary being in pain and having my bouncy pre-schooler at home! Right now I am going to fix myself a orange and grapefruit juice and a slice of toasted wholewheat and cheese. I hope I can keep this new found energy and perhaps even go for a walk with the lil one.

Well that's it really just wanted to share my lil moment of victory ;-)

Skin and bodycare

I am lazy and I am not ashamed to admit it lol :-P Every time I buy new face or body products I use the religiously for a week and after that it just get's less and less and less. This year I made a promise to myself to go to the beatician every 6 weeks to get pampered! My skin is really benefitting from this, but I could have been totally cleared up and blemish free by now if I stuck to my routine!

It's 8:18 now and I am still in my pj's no shower, no combing, no nada! From this day on I promise myself that I will take better care of me! Right now my excuse is that I am way to tired and sick to take care of me. But I know that taking care of me always helps me feel a lil better so hat just does not make sense does it?! Don't get me wrong I am sick I am anemic and I have an H.S. outburst! So yeah I am allowed to feel dreadful but I don't have to look it right!

I would love the innerstrenght to stick to this daytime routine:

Get out of bed and shower immediately!

-Rub some e.v. olive oil or cocaobutter on my skin

-Brush teeth

-put in hairproducts and comb/fix hair

-Cleanse with Clarins one step facial cleaner

-Slap on some Multi-active Day cream-gel from Clarins

-Get dressed in something other than sweatsuits

-Put on a lil lipstick and mascara

(3x a week use @home microdermabrasia set)

Not much but still I skip out on this almost daily!! There are days that I just put some good ole shea in my braids or twist, brush my teeth and take a shower at night! Shamefull I know!

Nightroutine

-Take shower and Brush teeth

-Cleanse with Clarins one step facial cleaner
-Slap on some Multi-active Day cream-gel from Clarins

-Put on nightie

Again not much! Still I skip out on this! There are days that I am so tired and in pain that I even jump in bed without brushing my teeth! I know I know I disgust myself!