It's not a smoothie.
Or a salad dressing.
Believe it or not, it's my face!
For our 30th birthdays Stacey and I spent the day at a spa getting pampered with massages, manicures, pedicures, and facials. It was fab-u-lous!
The last part of our day was spent with the aesthetician for our facials. Of course the aesthetician wants to know about skin history and products we use. And, of course, mine was horrified to hear that I use Proactiv. For as much as I try to use organic and natural products on (and in) my body, my Proactiv was one thing I just wasn't willing to give up. I explained to her that I tried to quit it once and ended up with the worst acne breakout I have had in my entire life. It hurt so bad that I couldn't even smile. For months. And this wasn't when I was in high school. I was 25, teaching, and thinking about trying to start a family, not thinking I'd be dealing with what felt like a teenage problem. Though I decided I needed to see a dermatologist, I ended up at my regular doctor first because I noticed I had lumps under the skin on my neck- turns out my lymph nodes were swollen from the acne infection. I ended up having to use a strong antibiotic acne ointment to clear it all up. Can you believe I don't have a single picture from that time period...? ;)
Anyone who says that acne and breakouts lead to depression and lack of self-confidence is 100% correct. It didn't help that I taught very young children who often questioned, "what is wrong with your face?" or "why is your face so bumpy?". But after finally getting rid of it, I just couldn't bear the thought of going back to that, so I continued with my "chemical-ridden" facial routine.
But my aesthetician was adamant that I find something else. She listed off the things that, in her opinion, made Proactiv really bad for your face. And she said, "you know Proactiv is a medicine, right? You can't just stop it cold turkey." Well, you know... I didn't actually know that, and that's exactly what I had done. I had found a new product that I was convinced would be better for my skin, and I dropped the Proactiv without a second thought.
So, a bit warily, I decided to give ditching Proactiv another shot, especially since I was running low on it anyway. First I searched for an organic face wash at Publix. I came up empty-handed and found that even the "natural" products contained so many ingredients I didn't recognize. Then it hit me- I bet I could make my own face wash. It's not like I don't do it with other things around my house already. I researched some "recipes", and in the end came up with something super simple- honey. That's it! Just honey. Honey (especially raw honey) supposedly has antimicrobial and antioxidant benefits. I figured it may be enough to do the trick on my tricky face. I use it just like a face wash- I put a small amount on my fingertips, add a little water, massage it into my face, then rinse it off with a washcloth (for a little scrub). I thought it might feel really sticky, but it just feels really smooth.
So once a day I used my Proactiv, and once a day I used the honey, and I slowly phased out the Proactiv, using it once a day every other day, then once every couple days, then not at all. I have now completely switched to just honey and I'm happy to report that my face did not freak, and I'm even happier to report that I started my period yesterday (yes, I know you wanted to know that) but it came by surprise because I didn't get a single "tell-tale" pimple like I usually do, even when I used the Proactiv (and in spite of all the moving stress we've been under).
In addition to the honey I made myself a "toner" of green tea with a few drops of lemon juice. I steeped one green tea bag in 1/4 cup of boiled water and let it sit until completely cool (so it was nice and strong). Then I added a squeeze of lemon juice from a wedge of lemon. I apply it with a cotton ball after washing my face. I only use it in the evening because lemon can make your skin super-sensitive to the sun. (I added the lemon for its skin lightening properties. Yes, I know my skin is already ghostly white. But I have these dark spots above my lip. I thought I was growing a mustache until I got my upper-lip waxed and it didn't go away and I realized it was actually my skin. My aesthetician asked if I'd had kids and said it was probably leftover from pregnancy. Joy.)
In the evening I also follow all of this up with coconut oil. I've actually been using coconut oil as a moisturizer on my face for months now since the Proactiv is quite drying and I love it. It felt a bit strange at first, but it actually absorbs into the skin so quickly it really doesn't leave the oily residue you would think it would. I will admit that in the morning I use a Mary Kay moisturizer with SPF partly because I want the SPF and partly because I already bought it and it was expensive, so that's not really "natural".
I do literally get ready for bed in the kitchen, since I keep the honey there (for my tea) and the green tea toner in the fridge. But it makes me feel good to know that all these ingredients are safe and ingestible. In fact, while washing my face with the honey one night I had my lips pressed together tightly as I normally do while washing my face to prevent getting the face wash on my lips, then I realized, "hey! I can rub this all over my lips!" and I did. I have no proof that anything in Proactiv is harmful, or that honey actually does what it purportedly does, but I don't think you can argue with using real ingredients on your skin.
And I swear my face has never looked better. The wrinkles appear smaller to me already, and as I just hit 30 I'm rather sensitive to my wrinkles. My skin also feels so soft and is so happy and I think it kind of glows. Either way, I'm loving that I'm using no chemicals on my skin and yet my face isn't breaking out! I hesitated to share a picture because I feel like sharing selfies is kind of vain, but then... what kind of point would I be making without a picture? So, as much as I hate to, here's a quick selfie I just snapped...
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| No make up and no editing |
If you'd like a great deal on local organic, raw honey (if you live in Georgia) go to www.bigorganicgarden.com. I'm going to pick up an extra bottle or two before I leave. Did you know honey NEVER spoils? (And, think about it, $11 may seem expensive but it's raw, organic and local, and compare that to $20 for a smaller bottle of Proactiv? I'll happily take that!).
I was trying to find an article about the benefits of honey on skin, but I find it hard to find something I'm willing to share as "reliable". So I'll let you do your own research. But I did find I'm not the only one using honey to treat acne.
