I've written before about my journey into the land of clean products and just how drastically it changed my perspective on beauty and the kind of products I wanted to use. I've since, painlessly and without breaking the bank, found products that I absolutely, whole heartedly love! I have not, in almost a years time, changed course on any of these products. It's love, folks - the real deal!
Kahina Giving Beauty is a brand that I think it really quite spectacular. I won't get long winded about it (you can read more about the brand here) but I will say that the entire line rocks my world. That being said, I will swear by their Argan Oil which can be used on face, body, and hair - talk about versatile - AND I stand by their Cleanser and Toning Mist. {Some of you may say, "Oil on your face? Insanity!" - and I would say, from one acne prone oily skinned girl to another, that this miracle oil (yes miracle oil!) has never clogged my pores and has done wonders to treat and heal my skin.
Tata Harper is also a really fantastic brand. Her Regenerating Cleanser is gentle enough for every day exfoliating and it smells utterly delectable (I wish she made a perfume that smelled like her products - I would buy it in a heart beat!). It leaves my skin feeling clean, fresh, supple and balanced.
John Masters Organics is a great line all around as well - Though I stick to their hair products. Specifically I use the Honey & Hibiscus Hair Reconstructing Shampoo, and the Lavender & Avocado Intensive Conditioner. Both smell heavenly! It keeps my hair healthy, strong, and has even lengthened the time in between washes!
Dr. Bronner's Castile Soap in Baby Mild is my favorite body cleanser, though you can use it for just about anything which is kind of awesome in my opinion. It's pretty self explanatory - It does the job from top to bottom and won't leave your skin dying for hydration once you're through.
Soapwalla Kitchen's Deodorant Cream - I will never use another deodorant. Free of all harsh chemicals this creamy, frosting-like deodorant is completely effective. It keeps me smelling fresh as a daisy all day long - From sweltering Summers through bulky sweater Winters, this deodorant is tried and true. (If you have an allergy to baking soda, you can ask for her baking soda free version.)
Rose-Marie Swift, the creator of RMS Beauty, created some "can't live without" products. I love her Living Luminizer, which gives skin a healthy, dewy glow; Her "Un" Cover-up, a diffuse and natural looking concealer and/or foundation with added moisturizing power (ladies who like maximum coverage, this may not be for you. It can be built up, but is on the sheerer side of concealers); And last but not least, her Raw Coconut Cream is a total multitask-er. Great for removing makeup, as a water-free face cleanser, and a wonderful all over moisturizer!
Finding a clean mascara was definitely a difficult task. Many left me with raccoon eyes by the end of the day, or would produce lashes that looked less than desirable, but when I tried the combination of Jane Iredale's PureLash Extender & Conditioner and PureLash Lengthening Mascara I was 100% satisfied. My lashes have become fuller and longer with the conditioner and the mascara stays put (essential!), and it is completely build-able without getting chunky or weird if you want more of a glammed-up look.
I'm a huge fan of blush - I think it makes every gal look awake, alert, and vibrant. Vapour Organic Beauty Aura makes a creamy, blend-able, wonderfully textured blush with complete staying power that comes in a broad range of colors.
As for lips - I love Intelligent Nutrients Lip Delivery Nutrition - It's conditioning, non-addictive, naturally fragrant and basically has no taste so it doesn't keep tempting you to lick your lips.
I also love, love, love ILIA Beauty's Tinted Lip Conditioner and Lipsticks. Beautiful colors, both in bold and natural tones, and they are completely non-drying (that's huge in my book!).
And FINALLY - Wee Bee's Naturally Raw Honey. I professed my undying love of honey as a gentle face cleanser in February so I won't get all gushy and repeat myself. You can take a look at the post here if you missed it in Feb.
There it is, folks! The products I live by and love fully. Phew!
What products do you live by?!
Great post my dear..like it
ReplyDeleteGreat products and I love your blog! Vapour's got to be my favorite clean foundation to date and I've tried a bunch. I actually noticed your comment about PD on no more dirty looks. I had it years ago and I'm pretty sure I've gotten rid of it (hope I'm not jinxing myself) by going natural with my products. I did use antibiotics and an antibiotic gel on it for a few months but and that seemed to take care of it, but it's been 2.5 years since I stopped them and from the looks of it I'm perioral derm-free; the thing though is the effects of the antibiotics would have long since worn off by now so I'm almost certain going natural is what has prevented the rash form coming back. I'm thinking it's a cosmetic allergy that is suddenly and randomly brought on by an overload of stress, environmental toxins and a less-than-perfect diet pretty similar to I imagine how celiac’s disease or ibs might start. But going with this it also seems to be something fungal/bacterial in the gut which might, I suppose, reach the skin which is why antibiotics, apple cider vinegar and lessening excess candida seem to work so well for people. Another reason I'm hard set on the idea that it's first caused by a cosmetic allergy is because of where it shows up on the face; pd always shows up around the areas of the skin that are thinnest, most sensitive, and usually most heavily abused by cosmetic products: the mouth area, the nasal folds and occasionally the eyes. Even though it can spread to the cheeks and the forehead for some people it would never just show up on the forehead or the cheeks. Ultimately I think a healthy diet high in fresh fruits and vegetables can get rid of the excess candida and the general toxicity which is likely contributing to the development of the hypersensitive nature of the skin to products applied to it. Even though I think a healthy diet is important for overall health I believe that you could get rid of the PD even without drastically changing your diet. Here are two tips that I hope can help you with it: even though from the looks of it your products are totally clean and safe, it looks like the john master's conditioner of yours could possibly be the culprit. I was reading through the ingredients and behentrimonium methosulfate keeps showing up in the conditioners(I've also noticed sulfates in dr.hauschka lotions and foundations). Even though it's not sls, I'll bet it still could be irritating your skin because the issue with sodium lauryl and laureth sulfates is not so much the sodium or the lauryl, but the sulfates. Sulfates in the chemical concoctions are made with sulfuric acid which burns at and deteriorates the skin; this is something that a lot of people understandably don't realize about other forms of sulfates. So I'd recommend you first try and eliminate that from your routine for a couple weeks and see if it makes a difference while also making sure there's not any other product that might be lurking in your routine that contains any obvious petroleum or other questionable chemicals and sulfates such as in lip liner or even the hand moisturizer you use since when touching your face it could transfer. If this doesn't get rid of it for you still don't use the john master's conditioner but also try discontinuing use of all skin products until it hopefully goes away. I think this step is important if going natural doesn't seem to help because even though I think the actual development of the rash is as a result of a cosmetic allergy, the rash is also bacterial. Even when
ReplyDeleteusing clean cosmetics that wouldn't be lending to the rash some people's skin *might* not be able to get rid of the bacteria or whatever it is in the rash as quickly because they are using oils and makeup on the area which can trap it in the skin. Although since it looks like other than the conditioner you've been using everything's been pd-safe so I think after several months the rash should have been gone but it's possible that it could have taken your skin longer to eliminate the bacteria. It seems like a bit of a stretch but I'm almost certain that the rash is brought on by cosmetics and I think the reason that there's such a divide with people in the perioral dermatitis world saying cosmetics either matter or don't matter in treating it is that they either haven't been totally going natural or it's possible that they haven't allowed their skin a chance to breathe and completely eliminate the bacteria within the PD that's feeding the rash. I hope this helps you because I definitely know how frustrating it can be. I noticed that you mentioned somewhere using yogurt and honey. I'm sure that you could still use those while trying to kick pd to the curb if just stopping the conditioner doesn't help, but other than that just try not using anything on your skin for a few weeks and see how it goes. If all else fails try strengthening your body by eating strictly low fat with mainly fruits, vegetables, and maybe a few grains and see how it helps. So that you are able to pinpoint exactly what helps the rash I'd suggest that you take each step separately for a couple weeks and see what works, so first eliminate the conditioner but if that doesn't help still try staying away from it but also try not using anything on your face for a while. If those don't kick it, look at your diet. Best of luck!
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For some reason I couldn't get my google account to work on here so this is my email and feel free to ask questions:) suzmer@rtelco.net