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Help needed for super reactive and sensitive skin...

missy

missy

Super_Ideal_Rock
Premium
Joined
Jun 8, 2008
Messages
56,270
Hi guys. I am hoping some of you might be able to recommend a moisturizer and cleanser for my ultra sensitive face. I have rosacea and recently developed perioral dermatitis this past October. It has been challenging finding any products I can tolerate. What used to work is now just causing my face to react, break out and become more red. I have always had dry skin but never this problem of flakiness before PD. I suspect I am having this issue now because of a combination of factors.

One I tried Zero therapy (recommended for perioral dermatitis) in December for a few days and it exacerbated my skin issues and left me with terribly flaky skin. And secondly perhaps the PD itself is part of the cause. Thirdly I am no longer using the heavy moisturizers I did before PD that kept my dry skin at bay. Moisturizers I can no longer use because of all the horrible ingredients in them I was not aware of...Eucerin, Cerave, Vanicream. And my go to cleanser (Eucerin redness relief) is also verboten due to SLS etc. Who knew all those ingredients were not good

I need to stay away from these ingredients (and probably this is not the entire list but just what I know about right now):
SLS, propylene glycol, phenoxyethanol and petrolatum based products, fluoride, cinnamon, peppermint, parabens, sodium hydroxide, disodium EDTA, mineral oils.

To make this more complicated I also have seborrheic dermatitis (also new to me) and therefore need to stay away from certain ingredients that might cause the seb derm to flare. Ingredients that might have helped moisturize my face such as Shea Butter and Coconut oil because the Malassezia of seborrheic dermatitis metabolize these oils unfortunately and feed them so I have to avoid oils that do this. Including Shea butter, Coconut oil, Olive oil, and other oils with very short or very long carbon chains.

My dermatologist has told me I cannot exfoliate due to my skin sensitivity (he has been my derm for over 12 years and knows my skin) however he recommended for me to continue with the modified OCM I am doing (hemp oil on face and then gently remove with Avene water and cotton ball) but I don't think that is helping the flakes at all and in fact my nose is breaking out with small red bumps and not sure if that is from the hemp or the OCM or what.

I am currently back on my Oracea dose since November (40 mg doxy) and finishing up a 5 day dose of Fluconazole. I am unable to tolerate any topical meds. I have probiotics every day so am replenishing the good bacteria and I eat well. Lots of fatty fish and veggies and salads and minimal "bad" foods. For all the good it has done me LOL.

However that brings me to the reason for my post. My current regime is not working out for me. My skin is terribly flaky irritated and dry. And even worse is the level of discomfort it brings me. It hurts. It feels irritated 24/7 and dry and itchy and just uncomfortable. I need help. It's been months of this horrible flakiness and my face looks and feels awful. My skin feels like sandpaper it is so rough from the flakes and the texture is so unlike it has ever been. I have always had baby soft skin but now it is a horror.

I cannot find a commercial moisturizer or cleanser without the above forbidden (for me) ingredients so instead am using Avene thermal water to cleanse my face and the modified OCM and hemp to moisturize. All the other Avene products I have include mineral oils and other ingredients that are not great. I do not know what to do.

As it is now the hemp oil I am currently using is not really moisturizing my face well and I am left without a proper cleanser to remove those stubborn flakes. Even the oatmeal cleanser I bought from Rosacea Care has bad ingredients which I did not realize before I bought it (before I knew these ingredients were not good). I tried ground organic oatmeal in distilled water and applying to my face but it didn't help the flakes at all and I cannot rub it enough or else it would be exfoliating.

I also tried black clay soap for my face from Osmia organics and Dr Bronners baby mild soap (to wash my hands). The Dr Bronners to wash my hands with is fine. Not loving the black soap for my face as it is very drying and also has some questionable ingredients for my face.

I need help and I thought if anyone might be able to offer guidance and advice it would be a PSer. So while I know my problem is a challenging one I would be forever grateful if anyone had any suggestions or advice. Thanks.
 
Can you use aloe vera? It isn't a deep moisturizer, but may help some.
 
The only brand of moisturizer that seems to work and not freak my skin out is the Alba Botanica brand, their Very Emollient body lotions. I've used a few different types in this line. Currently I'm using the SPF 15 Daily Shade one, and the ingredient list may match your requirements. (ETA: Doh! Shea butter is one of the ingredients. A few other oils, but different ones. I am not sure if the other formulas vary, may be worth a look.)

I usually use it for my hands but in the winter my face gets dry, so I use a light amount of it on my face when needed and I haven't had any problems.

I've also used olive oil in a pinch. But then I smell like olive oil and it takes a while to absorb. The Alba is better.

ETA: Just re-read and saw you need a cleanser too. I use Cetaphil Daily Facial Cleanser but I don't think those ingredients will work for you. :nono: Maybe Alba has a cleanser that would be suitable, but I have no personal experience with their cleansers.

I really hope you find what works for you soon to end this discomfort. Dry skin is uncomfortable at best, and I can understand your frustration in trying different products to find what works.
 
I don't know if you've already checked out Maracuja Oil? I first received Tarte Cosmetics's Maracula Oil as a sample from Sephora - I found it worked wonders for the several extremely dry/flaking patches of skin I have. I've since purchased full size of the maracula oil (the one with the eye dropper) - http://tartecosmetics.com/tarte-item-pure-maracuja-oil#, http://www.sephora.com/pure-maracuj...ja Oil P376726&skuId=1468438&_requestid=41790 - I googled to see if I could find out the carbon chain length of this oil (pressed from passionflower) but did not find a straight answer.

I've also tried Argan Oil by Josie Maran, both the regular and light versions, but personally did not care for either - also unknown is the carbon chain length of this oil - but perhaps this oil would work for you? http://www.josiemarancosmetics.com/shop/pure-argan-oil/, http://www.sephora.com/100-percent-pure-argan-oil-P218700

I did find this kit at Sephora - http://www.sephora.com/dare-to-oil-P389038?icid2=SephoraFavorites_SkuGrid_P389038_link - but if it were me, I'd probably just stop by Sephora and request a (free) samples of the Maracuja Oil and the Argan Oil (both the regular and light versions, if available).

As to washing, has your derm discussed whether you can use natural exfoliants? Like warm-ish water with a 1/2 teaspoon of sugar or baking soda applied to your wet face and softly circulated and rinsed immediately?
 
When I am highly reactive, I use Pevonia's sensitive line. It looks as though it has forbidden ingredients in it.

Have you seen an allergist or a naturopath? Instinct tells me that you need to eliminate something from your environment or diet. My skin is always extremely inflamed when I eat dairy or gluten, but that is common. My oldest son is allergic to every kind of tree pollen in the area and has the worst problems in the fall. This is when he needs the most care with his skin.

I am sure you have already gone this route, but if you haven't,'it might be something to think about.


Also, have you tried cleansing with coconut oil or any of the oils used with the oil cleansing method? If you were to use olive oil or grape seed oil, you would be left moisturized and clean, without harsh chemicals.

Just thinking out loud...
 
SO has highly reactive dry skin too, though admittedly not as severe as yours. Even water makes her skin break into a crazy rash. She uses only hemp oil soaps, and Kiehls moisturizers

http://www.kiehls.com/Moisturizers/face-moisturizers,default,sc.html

I dont know if they contain any of your forbidden ingredients, but there is one that is ultra hydrating and oil free.
 
I don't think you gave the Zero-therapy long enough. Many times these things get worse for a bit before they get better. I am so sorry you are having to deal with this on top of everything else. Skin issues are such a pain. I hope you find some relief---soon!
 
I get monthly facials at Hand and Stone and they use Clarity skin products. You can check them out online www.clarityclinicalskincare.com... You might find the stuff they use at medspas do not have a lot of ingredients in them and may be a good choice as well as finding a great esthetician who could help your skin get better and find the right products for you. Hope everything improves soon for you.

Wanted to add that my nephew's wife uses a product by Mustela? called Stelaprotect ot Stelapedia, I am not exactly sure of the product name. You could perhaps google it. She uses it on her two kids, one who had pretty bad skin problems and it is the only thing that works. It is an otc and from what I understand my niece uses/ used it on her own skin.
 
Hi Missy,
I am very fair skinned which is sensitive and reactive. I too have rosacea but am fortunate I do not have other issues other than reacting to certain sunscreen ingredients. I was having a very difficult time finding any skin cleanser that didn't make my skin itch and become sore until I switched to VivierSkin Hexam cleanser. It may not work for you but I thought I'd mention it. I also use VivierSkin Lexxel moisturizer. Both are recommended for people with rosacea. The ingredients are as follows:

Hexam: Citric Acid, Cocamidopropyl PG-Dimonium Chloride Phosphate, Decyl Glucoside, Disodium Cocoamphodiacetate, DMDM Hydantoin, Ethoxydiglycol, Fragrance, Hexamidine Diisethionate, PEG-120 Methyl Glucose Dioleate, Water/Eau.

Lexxel: Allantoin, Butylparaben, C13-14 Isoparaffin, Calendula Officinalis Flower Extract, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Cyclopentasiloxane, Dimethiconol, Ethoxydiglycol, Ethylparaben, Glyceryl Dilaurate, Glyceryl Stearate, Glycine Soja (Soybean) Oil, Hexamidine Diisethionate, Laureth-7, Methyl Glucose Sesquistearate, Methylparaben, PEG 100 Stearate, Persea Gratissima (Avocado) Oil, Phenoxyethanol, Polyacrylamide, Propylparaben, Stearic Acid, Tocopherol, Tocopheryl Acetate, Water/Eau.
 
Hi Missy,

So sorry you're going through this.

My son had a lot of issues with rosacea and keratosis pilaris from age 1-4. None of the natural remedies we tried made a huge difference and I was unwilling to give him drugs to handle the issues as they were relatively minor and did not cause discomfort whereas the drugs offered had many side effects that are worse than the conditions. Then we learned about NAET and found a local practitioner and went through that with him for a few months (1x a week). (At the same time we also changed our diets to mostly organic unprocessed as well which I'm sure helped.) We're all done with NAET and as of today it's fully handled - no skin problems whatsoever. I read a lot of skeptical comments online about NAET but I saw it work first hand.

Also, we use these skin products and I think they are fabulous:

http://fiddlebumps.com/skin-food-problem-formula/

Good luck!!
 
Hi Missy!

Have you looked into jojoba at all? It is the closest in composition to our own esters. I have sensitive skin, and have had a difficult time finding cleansers and moisturizers that 'work' for me (to qualify, I don't have the complications you have, though). All the usuals recommended for sensitive skin or with limited ingredients haven't worked for me, they leave me dry or irritate my skin more.

So, lately I have just been cleansing with jojoba by smoothing it over my face with my fingertips and then gently wiping away with a facecloth. I do like a little exfoliation from the facecloth, but I don't see why removing with cotton balls as you have been doing wouldn't work. Whatever remains on my face I just leave for moisturizing. This is at night - in the morning I may press a little onto my drier areas, avoiding my eyes as it will slip in. It doesn't hurt if it gets in, but it can leave a little film that is annoying. I don't always wear makeup, and when I do, it's not a lot, but it takes that off easily. I doubt that's an issue for your right now, but it gives you an idea of how well it works.

Here is where I buy it from, and they have some great reading on it:
https://www.jojobacompany.com/what-jojoba

An excerpt from the site:
Of more than 350,000 identified plant species, jojoba is the only one which produces significant quantities of liquid wax esters akin to the natural restorative esters human sebaceous glands produce. Jojoba esters, of high molecular weight, are composed almost entirely of straight-chain acids and alcohols.

Good luck! Skin issues are no picnic, that's for sure. And wading through all the products and ingredients is :shock: !
 
Thank you so much for your replies. Lots of great info and I am going to research each suggestion.

Kgizo, the short answer is I am not sure. Last time I was preconditioning my hair with aloe 2 drops fell on my arm and 2 hives immediately appeared. So if I do try aloe at some point again I will definitely do a patch test first. Thanks for the suggestion.


Wednesday, I don't know the brand but have seen it at Whole Foods and my local health food store so will check it out next time I am there. Thanks so much.

As far as Cetaphil goes though I don't think it is a safe cleanser (or moisturizer) as it has the following harmful ingredients. Propylene Glycol, Sodium Lauryl Sulfate, Methylparaben, Propylparaben, Butylparaben. Now I know it works for you but parabens, sulfates, etc are harmful. In fact the link LA Love posted explains why. Here it is:
http://fiddlebumps.com/ingredients/ingredients-to-avoid/

And I hope you don't mind me sharing my thoughts with you on this. You were kind enough to take the time to help me and I really appreciate that and want you to use the safest/healthiest products you can.

In fact the products I was using most of my adult life which I thought were safe are not at all! I guess I owe finding that out to developing POD because I had no idea. My go to moisturizers and cleansers-CeraVe,Vanicream, Eucerin...all contain harmful ingredients. I had no clue.


marymm, thank you! I just ordered maracuja oil but not from Tarte as when I read the reviews it was mentioned they recently changed their ingredient from pure maracuja to maracuja and an added ingredient. So I ordered from Sheaterra Organics. The price is great too. Just an FYI when you are ready to reorder you might be interested. https://www.sheaterraorganics.com/Rwandan-Maracuja-Oil-cold-pressed_p_666.html

Argan oil made me break out the few times I tried it. But it really feels nice on my hands and feet.


Housecat, thanks for those suggestions. I do have an allergist and in fact my dermatologist does allergy testing too but when I asked him about that he said I am not ready for that yet. Not sure why but truthfully I was feeling so overwhelmed at that point I did not pursue it. As for the naturopath I did see one years back when my rosacea flushing had just started and while I found it somewhat useful it did nothing to relieve my symptoms and I eat healthfully. I avoid dairy and gluten and processed foods and simple carbs etc. and try to maintain a healthy lifestyle and control what I can control with regards to that.

I have tons of allergies though so absolutely that can have something to do with it. I have Dermatographic Uticaria, PLE, and of course as you know rosacea, eczema, allergic asthma (just naming the allergy related conditions or we would be here all day LOL. So I feel this is autoimmune related but the million dollar question is so now what do I do. ::)

Thanks for the oil cleansing rec. I am currently doing a modified OCM with hemp oil and not sure how my skin is liking it. I have a few bumps on my cheeks (not part of the perioral dermatitis) and that is not my usual MO as I don't get pimples or bumps there. I will continue doing the modified OCM with hemp oil until my skin adjusts or worsens in which case I will stop.


VapidLapid, thanks so much for chiming in. How is your SO doing?
I am going to check out those Kiehls products you suggested, thank you.
About water making her break out that does not surprise me at all. There is so much yukky stuff in tap water you wouldn't believe it. However if you are healthy and not sensitive to it there is no issue but for those of us who are that's when it becomes a problem. Hope she is doing well now!


Swingirl, I tried the Zero Therapy for about 4-5 days at the end of December and I can tell you I had no choice but to stop. My derm told me to stop. My skin was a flaky agony mess and it just kept getting worse and more painful and I am still not recovered from that zero therapy that I tried weeks ago. My derm told me I had to start moisturizing so I did but I am still employing minimal care. I washed with just avene thermal water for weeks and then added the modified OCM because my skin was just not getting clean/healthy turnover and the flakes just kept getting worse.

Thanks for your good wishes. I appreciate that.

soocool, thanks for those recommendations. I will check out both sites. The Mustela site looks very interesting. Thanks for your good wishes too.

Poodles4Me,thank you for taking the time to post all those ingredients. The Hexam looks OK (I still have to go through the ingredient list more thoroughly I feel like I need a degree in molecular biology LOL) except it has added fragrance. Why do all these companies do that :( but the Lexxel has parabens that aren't good for us IMO. However I might try the Hexam and see if I react at all.

Thanks so much for these recs and I am sorry you are dealing with rosacea but glad it is under control. Have you found a sunscreen you can tolerate? I like Vanicream for sensitive skin and Cotz face for sensitive skin. Both are physical sunblocks (I cannot tolerate the chemical sunscreens) and have zinc oxide and titanium dioxide as the ingredients.


LALove, thank you so much for that site. It has amazing info that is very helpful. I am not sure I can use their products which look wonderful because most of them have shea butter in them but I am leaning towards experimenting and see if using some shea butter would cause my seborrheic dermatitis to explode which I certainly hope not. It seems most of the healing products have shea or coconut and I wonder if just some of those ingredients in addition to other ingredients would cause a reaction for me. IDK but I am keeping this site bookmarked and am definitely considering experimenting.

Thank you also for the NAET recommendation. I never heard of that but have it bookmarked too. I hope there is a practitioner in my area because that is definitely something I would do.

I hope your son is doing well!

rainydaze, thank you for the jojoba recommendation. I cannot use that because it would flare my seb derm unfortunately. However everything you wrote is true and jojoba is a great moisturizer for sensitive skin in general. I am doing something similar re cleansing with hemp oil and not sure what I think yet. I will see how it continues to progress.

I am sorry you are dealing with sensitive skin but glad you found what works well for you. You are so right in that wading through all this is like wading through a minefield. Not fun and I feel out of my league if you kwim. But then again the dermatologists don't seem like they have that much better of a handle on this than we do LOL.

Oh I just ordered this to wash my face. Not sure I will be able to tolerate it but hoping it might not irritate me and remove some of those dead skin cells too.
https://janeiredale.com/us/en/mineral-makeup/makeup-removal/magic-mitt.htm
 
Oh I was afraid of that, when I read about what happens when you use Coconut Oil and Olive Oil and the like. That's a bummer. I sure hope you can find something that offers you relief!
 
Hi Missy,

Thanks for the sunscreen recommendations. It is the chemical sunscreens I react to - I get little white bumps under my skin which seem to take forever to go away. I do best with zinc oxide and titanium dioxide but they do make my skin quite oily and have to be careful with breakouts. I find the biggest challenge is finding a foundation in the correct shade that doesn't contain a chemical sunscreen.

I have to be honest, I never noticed that the Hexam contained fragrance. I am super scent sensitive to the point where I'll develop an instant migraine and start throwing up within an hour if I'm in contact with certain scents and fragrances (natural or chemical). Needless to say I actively seek out products that are fragrance free. I wonder if the fragrance in the Hexam is a masking fragrance? I'm sure you won't notice any smell from it but your skin might react to that particular ingredient if you're extremely reactive. I'm with you on the fragrance - no idea why companies feel the need to add fragrance in so many products.
 
Have you looked at any Liz Earle products? I think they are available in the US as they are owned by Avon now. Lots of natural, non irritant ingredients, I have used several and love the Superskin range. Hope you find something that helps.
 
Thanks rainydaze. I will update this thread when I find relief.

Cluless, thank you for that link. I just took a look and I like their philosophy. I will check it out further and see if there is anything that I can use. I appreciate your input.

Poodles4Me, Same with me. It's the chemical sunscreens I cannot tolerate. However my skin is dry so not sure my recommendations in the above post will be helpful for you but the Cotz is not oily at all and goes on super smooth and you can easily apply makeup over it. Does your foundation need to have SPF in it? In the past I always applied physical sunscreen under any makeup I was wearing so I could avoid the ingredients they put in makeup that has spf. So I would apply a zinc oxide/titanium dioxide sunscreen and then over that apply whatever makeup (spf free) I was going to wear.

I feel like I am becoming more of a skin care expert than I ever wanted to be lol. And the more I learn the more I realize that there is an underserved niche but since those of us who are super reactive are such a tiny percentage of the population I can understand why there just aren't any commercial products available.

In fact, many of these products marketed for super sensitive skin contain ingredients that are just not safe. Even the "greenest" of products have them. Ingredients like Phenoxyethanol. It's in so many of the above products (as a preservative) I cannot believe it. Then there's the petrochemicals-petrolatum, mineral oil, paraffin, and propylene glycol and I can go on but won't.

I was happy being blissfully unaware because even with my previously sensitive skin I was able to use my "sensitive skin" moisturizers and cleansers without a problem. Till this past October when I developed POD. Weird but I guess my body is trying to tell me something so I am doing all I can to avoid harmful ingredients (with obvious limitations because I mean the air we breathe and all that jazz) and I am doing the best I can. I might order the Hexam and just take a chance on the fragrance. My skin however has a mind of its own and lately it has been impossible to quiet it. It is behaving like a teenager with a bad attitude and frankly looking like the blotchy bumpy skin of a teenager dealing with bad skin. I guess I should be thankful I am dealing with this now and never had any issues when I was a teenager. :wall:


Snowdrop13, thanks for your recommendation. I have their website up on my computer now and am going to check it out. Ugh, already I see that dreaded Phenoxyethanol in their Superskin Moisturiser unfragranced for sensitive skin. OK not giving up and will check out the rest of their products. Thank you Snowdrop.

I appreciate all your input dear PSers because you guys know so much about so many topics and I knew I would get some great suggestions and advice here. Thank you and I will keep you posted if I have any updates to report. And if anybody has any other suggestions I am grateful to hear them. I feel as if I am navigating a skin care minefield with basically no training except for what I am learning now.
 
I know this is going to sound gross but I use this stuff and it is great. It smells a little but for only a few minutes and it so so healthy for your skin. I have skin that breaks out easily and this does not make me break out and I use it every night. The price is very nice as well.

http://livesuperfoods.com/blue-ice-beauty-balm.html
 
lknvrb4|1421584713|3818368 said:
I know this is going to sound gross but I use this stuff and it is great. It smells a little but for only a few minutes and it so so healthy for your skin. I have skin that breaks out easily and this does not make me break out and I use it every night. The price is very nice as well.

http://livesuperfoods.com/blue-ice-beauty-balm.html
Click to expand...

Hi lknvrb4, thanks for this link. I am not in the position to turn any recommendations down based on if it sounds gross LOL. In fact I will try anything within reason that might help my face so thank you! Going to check it out now.
 
Missy -sorry to hear your having skin issues! Have you tried Weleda products?

I too have very sensitive skin-I have had good luck with Weleda products. Right now I am using the Calendula baby face cream at night, my skin soaks it up and by morning it is super soft. They have so many other products I have used with really good luck.

Also, one other thing that has helped my skin was adding in a high quality fish oil supplement and flax seed oil into my daily supplements.

Good luck!
 
Thank you stepcutnut. I checked out the Weleda Calendula cream at whole foods but they had some iffy ingredients so I ended up purchasing Calendula Gel by Boiron. But it is just not moisturizing as it is a gel I guess. I have heard so many good things about Weleda Calendula cream though from many others so maybe I should just try it despite some of the ingredients. I am starting to feel a bit desperate.

That's the main reason I am just using straight unrefined cold pressed hemp oil as there are no additives or other ingredients in the mix. If that was working completely I would be content but my skin still needs something more for moisture I think and also for cleansing because I *think* the OCM method might be causing my face to get hives but again not sure. I feel like I need to be a super sleuth to figure out this complex maze that is my face and its reactions.

I am very tempted to add pure shea butter as I have heard so many great things about that but again Shea is supposedly bad for seborrheic dermatitis....something has to give though so I might just have to give something a try that I wasn't keen on trying before. I am just so afraid of making my face even worse and that is the only thing holding me back. That it can get worse believe it or not.

Thanks very much for your suggestion.
 
I forgot to add that Calendula is said to be anti inflammatory and anti bacterial-that is why I began using that face cream. I also use the calendula body and body oil with great results.
 
I had another thought last night as I was moisturizing my hands for bedtime. What about pure Vitamin E? It's very thick and shiny, but boy does it moisturize. So I am wondering if you could tolerate that for moisture - putting it on by gently pressing it in before bed. I have never tried it on my face because I am afraid its thickness would clog pores and cause breakouts, but I have never researched this. Since you're looking at all possibilities I thought I would throw that out there.

It's so maddening when you become aware of all the needless dangers the cosmetics - and food - industries expose us to. All so they can sell more, make more. In both areas, I find it is such a struggle to make healthy choices and weed out the good from the bad. I find simpler is better, like pure Vit E and coconut oil (which I know you can't use) for moisture, but it's been a slow process getting my family back to the 1800s, lol. And even with all the little steps I have taken, there's always yet more things I discover we're exposed to that I hadn't thought twice about before.
 
Have you tried pure Cocoa butter?

I have tried using the OCM on several occasions with different oils each time and have always ended up with my face in a dry itchy broken out mess-so maybe that is contributing to some irritation?
 
Missy, you seem like such a kind person and you are clearly going through a lot. Best of all you are persevering and staying positive, which I admire. So like it or not you get credit for my first post ever.

Have you tried Paula's Choice products.? I haven't tried this particular one but at first glance the Resist Hydrating Cleanser looks promising. Also look through Beautypedia on Paula's website. It might help you find a product in a different brand altogether.

I sincerely hope you find something that works for you.
 
One other thought I had was using honey as a face mask-really good quality raw honey,or Manuka honey as it is a humectant, is anti-inflammatory, anti-bacterial. It feels great on(very soothing)and smells great too :)
 
LOL rainydaze, that is priceless. " it's been a slow process getting my family back to the 1800s" LOVE that. And there is much truth to that. Simple and pure is better much of (most of?) the time.

stepcutnut, that is sort of what I am thinking now. I have a few new big bumps on my cheeks where I never had a reaction before. Near the temporal areas of my cheek. So I am thinking due to OCM but just don't know. Frustrating because I don't want to make it worse but I cannot tell what is making it worse and what might help.

Not sure about cocoa butter but I will look into that as well. Thank you for that recommendation. I did do honey masks for a month or more in October/November when we thought it was just seborrheic dermatitis but for some reason the honey did not help and I think might have worsened it a bit. I used raw unfiltered manuka honey. It could be I am sensitive to the honey? Wouldn't surprise me given the number of allergies I have ATM. Thanks.


Elania said:
Missy, you seem like such a kind person and you are clearly going through a lot. Best of all you are persevering and staying positive, which I admire. So like it or not you get credit for my first post ever.

Have you tried Paula's Choice products.? I haven't tried this particular one but at first glance the Resist Hydrating Cleanser looks promising. Also look through Beautypedia on Paula's website. It might help you find a product in a different brand altogether.

I sincerely hope you find something that works for you.
Click to expand...

Elania, that is such a lovely thing to say. Thank you so much. LOL I guess I will accept that honor of credit for your first post and hope you stick around and post a lot more on PS.

Thanks for the Paula's Choice recommendation. I looked briefly around her website and at her reviews and it definitely is worth me taking another closer look. I appreciate you taking the time and energy to post here. Thank you and welcome to PS.
 
Missy - How frustrating for you! I can't offer any suggestions from personal experience, but... you might try contacting the folks at skinactives.com and see whether they have any suggestions for you. Skinactives is a small family-run business that sells natural components for make-it-yourself cosmetics. The owners test and come up with various formulations and from perusing their forum, it seems they're very knowledgable. Another aspect of this company is that you can buy pure(er?) ingredients that you can try without carriers, added fragrance etc.

Another possibility I've been reading about lately is people using castor oil as a facial cleanser, usually mixed with some other, lighter oil. This is a real long shot since a lot of oils seem to cause problems, but I thought I'd throw it out there.
 
VRBeauty|1421597612|3818431 said:
Missy - How frustrating for you! I can't offer any suggestions from personal experience, but... you might try contacting the folks at skinactives.com and see whether they have any suggestions for you. Skinactives is a small family-run business that sells natural components for make-it-yourself cosmetics. The owners test and come up with various formulations and from perusing their forum, it seems they're very knowledgable. Another aspect of this company is that you can buy pure(er?) ingredients that you can try without carriers, added fragrance etc.

Another possibility I've been reading about lately is people using castor oil as a facial cleanser, usually mixed with some other, lighter oil. This is a real long shot since a lot of oils seem to cause problems, but I thought I'd throw it out there.
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re bolded: this is what I came to after my last bout of skin issues that lasted for years.

also, avoid the ingredient EDTA in any and/or all its forms.....

argan oil: I found it to be way to drying/irritating for my skin.

re calendula: there are some companies that make it with oils only.
 
How do you use the castor oil, MZ?
 
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