Skin Care?

[bananaberrie]

Hello, i was just wondering what some of you use for your face? I have been using Proactive for awhile now and it works well, but every time I stop using it I break out again. Now that I am eating raw I think I might be able to get away from using it, but I have been using it for so long I am wondering what I should use instead. I want to keep it really natural. What do you guys or actually ladies use?

What does your skin care routine look like?

Thanks in advance.

[dime]

Stop using anything and go 100% raw limiting your protein intake (depends on your weight, but in general it shouldn't be more than 30-40 grams per day). Stick to this for 2-3 weeks and I'm sure the acne will start going away and the skin will get much better.

[Arky]

There are many juices (carrot, beet, asparagus, cucumber etc.) foods (radishes, romaine lettuce, beets, avocado), herbs&spices (turmeric), isolates (such as MSM, orthosilicic acid etc.), nutrients (sulphur, vitamin C, silicon, EFAs) which can aid skin health.

In summary, you're looking for various things to consume which contain:

Essential Fatty Acids (Omega 3,6,9 and some saturated etc.)
Silicon
Sulphur
Vitamin A
Vitamin E
Vitamin C
Zinc
WATER

However, if I was to recommend just one thing, to keep it simple and still get very noticeable and excellent results, I'd simply say drink plenty of FRESH wheatgrass juice. In addition to a whole raft of healthy nutrients, it is high in enzymes, antioxidants and even EFAs. If you drink 5 ounces a day for just a week you'll already begin to notice results (even faster if you also externally rub a quarter of an ounce of juice on your skin each time you juice your wheatgrass, but note that this is intended in addition to drinking the 4-5 oz, not instead of drinking it!).

Second best option is probably beet juice (as well as being highly detoxifying and anti-oxidant, beets are reputed to contain lots of zinc sulphate) but I still favour wheatgrass to cover a broader spectrum of nutrients, and because it can be juiced 100% fresh, thus bursting with enzyme activity. Do both if you have time! :)

If you've been using creams for a long time then it may take a while for your skin to become accustomed to having to lubricate itself (and indeed the pores may need to cleanse themselves of some residual gunk from the lotions you've been using). Both these factors can lead to greasy skin and spots for a while, but it'll pass.

[dime]

It is much more effective to cut the bad stuff from the diet than adding certain things like wheatgrass juice (which again sounds like taking a medication to me, except it's natural).
Acne are usually caused by water retention in the skin, which is mostly caused by too much protein (especially cooked protein), salt, spices, and similar stuff.

Stick to fruits and healthy fats for a while and the acne will stop popping up.

[bananaberrie]

So does that mean you guys don't use anything to wash your face except water? Or anything to moisturize?

[dime]

Lately I'm washing just with water. I guess the moisturizing for me would be applying a drop of almond oil after shower in the morning (on still wet skin, this allows to spread it better). Mostly any oil should work (coconut, sesame, etc).

[bananaberrie]

Lately I'm washing just with water. I guess the moisturizing for me would be applying a drop of almond oil after shower in the morning (on still wet skin, this allows to spread it better). Mostly any oil should work (coconut, sesame, etc).

Sounds wonderfully simple! I am going to brave it and try it. Thanks :)

[modernmonkey]

Funny, I was at work thinking, I gotta post about skin care because my facial skin is so creased and dry and I need advice. I think I may try some just water washing and a little almond oil and see where it leads.

[queenkel]

Manuka honey! I swear by it; it has helped me so much. I just wash my face with it in the mornings (I leave right outside the shower so I can reach it), and at night I wash my face well with a face cloth and then do a mask of manuka for 20-30 minutes. I really recommend giving it a try!

[modernmonkey]

HMMMM! If I try the face mask am I allowed to lick my lips?

[Arky]

It is much more effective to cut the bad stuff from the diet than adding certain things like wheatgrass juice (which again sounds like taking a medication to me, except it's natural).

Well, on one level, I take your point, but on another, I disagree ;)

Wheatgrass juice is a fantastic normaliser of cellular metabolism etc., both in terms of nutrient value and in terms of cleansing value - not only that, but it cleanses the liver like very few substances can - cleanse the liver and you're 75% of the way to clearer skin, in my view. Cutting out negative foods can make a huge difference to the skin but if the liver isn't cleansed then the skin is still going to suffer (assuming the liver needs cleansing, which, admittedly, might not necessarily always be the case).

On top of that, although wheatgrass can legitimately be viewed as 'medicine', it's not really medicine to any greater extent than food is (other than it's potency), is it?
I don't personally draw any distinction between wheatgrass and other foods on any level other than potency. Ulitmately, aren't all natural foods medicinal in some way? They're all organic chemical cocktails of some sort...

Whatever the case, I'm male and I've never particularly chased after clearer skin - I've simply observed how my complexion responds to the periods of my life when I've regularly consumed wheatgrass. Truly, people have told me, within days of resuming it, that my complexion looks better, and I've never told any of them that I've stopped or started the wheatgrass shots - they've never heard of the stuff and would think me crazy (which, of course, I obviously am :D ) if I told them!

[queenkel]

Lol! I always do, monkey!:drool:

[bananaberrie]

Funny, I was at work thinking, I gotta post about skin care because my facial skin is so creased and dry and I need advice. I think I may try some just water washing and a little almond oil and see where it leads.

Ha, great minds think alike :) I have been meaning to post this question for awhile.

I used water on my face this morning and then put a drop of lavender in my hand with some water and put that on my face. I must say my face feels GREAT! It feels alive! I had no idea what the proactive was making my face feel like.

The honey mask sound great! But it has me thinking. There is a posh little bath and body store over on the beach and a local women makes honey sugar scrub for this shop. She uses sugar in the raw in the honey as an exfoliant. So I'm wondering what could be used instead of sugar, because I know my face could probably use an exfoliant from time to time...any ideas?

[queenkel]

I just use the face cloth as an exfoliant, but I'm open to suggestions! I just scrub my face gently with a face cloth each night and it seems to be doing a pretty good job.

I've also heard of using cooked oatmeal as an exfoliant but I've never tried; it just seemed like to much prep time.

[dime]

Whatever the case, I'm male and I've never particularly chased after clearer skin - I've simply observed how my complexion responds to the periods of my life when I've regularly consumed wheatgrass. Truly, people have told me, within days of resuming it, that my complexion looks better, and I've never told any of them that I've stopped or started the wheatgrass shots - they've never heard of the stuff and would think me crazy (which, of course, I obviously am :D ) if I told them!
Do you know what exactly in wheatgrass makes you look better? I mean could you explain more scientifically how it works?

Interesting rant on wheatgrass: http://skeptoid.com/episodes/4006

[Arky]

Do you know what exactly in wheatgrass makes you look better? I mean could you explain more scientifically how it works?

Interesting rant on wheatgrass: http://skeptoid.com/episodes/4006

Hehe - thanks for the awkward question, Dime! ;)

...Without becoming a nerd about the stuff, I suspect it has a great deal to do with the various antioxidants in wheatgrass, the cleansing effects, and the broad spectrum of micronutrients. Whilst wheatgrass may not necessarily contain large amounts of individual nutrients, what amounts it does contain are about as assimilable as one could hope to ingest from any possible source. Therefore, with regard to potential effects upon skin complexion, it is reasonable to observe the vitamin A and vitamin C content, just for starters :). Vitamin C plays a part in collagen synthesis, for example.

I know from my own body that wheatgrass improves skin complexion, so whether or not I know the precise mechanisms underlying the effectiveness, doesn't alter this fact (though I respect you for calling me on my assertion).

My stated views on wheatgrass relate primarily to my own experience - for example, I once consumed just over a quart of wheatgrass juice in a day and let me tell you - whilst I wouldn't particularly recommend overdoing it like this, I was astonished at what it cleansed out of my body (including parasite segments), in spite of the regular other juices I consume, along with various cleansing and anthelmintic herbs and foods. Only firsthand experience of that day was sufficient to teach me what wheatgrass is capable of - I wouldn't have read it in a book and fully believed it.







The improvements in my skin complexion have occurred each and every time I've resumed moderate consumption of the wheatgrass juice, these effects, as I said, become apparent within a week to ten days.

The skin effects just happen. They just do. That's not really a matter of subjective opinion - all it takes is for one to actually walk the walk and the results speak for themselves; no dogmatism required; no evangelism required, no reading of books or forum posts such as this. Just try it and see for yourself.

I've read that old skeptoid webpage before - it is painfully obvious to most people reading it that the guy is so skewed to the negative that any credibility he might have in (justifiably - I don't dispute that) questioning the sometimes-obsessive following wheatgrass has, goes right out of the window. His negative zeal is, I would contend, more inversely proportional to his credibility than an individual dogmatically evangelising wheatgrass juice as the fountain of youth. He's right to question some of the claims made for wheatgrass juice, and I applaud him for that, but he swings too far the other way and trips on his own sword - he hasn't walked the walk, so until he has, he should perhaps consider having a little more respect for those who have...and I'm not clear on why he believes zinc to be a negative thing for the body? If he wishes to eliminate all sources of zinc from his diet, then, potential biological transmutations aside, let's hope he never wishes to start a family, because he's going to find it rather difficult.

I neither support negative zeal or dogmatic evangelism (you might notice this in a small proportion of my posts, even in regard to veganist dogma/zeal...:) ). All I'm interested in is can I personally experience unmistakable results, of whatever kind, by trying this stuff in/on my own body? Having actually done this, it has become evident to me that anyone who is actually willing to use wheatgrass juice (not necessarily entirely orally) in sufficient quantity, for a moderately extended period of time, will discover, for themselves, that the stuff has infinitely more positive effects than negative and, regardless of one's standpoint, does have effects on the body which can not reasonably be overlooked. Like you, I would be somewhat interested in knowing the numerous underlying mechanisms of how wheatgrass exerts it's effects but, let's face it, life is simply too short to learn everything - Yoshihide Hagiwara spent almost his entire life, and millions of dollars, seeking these answers. I'm happy enough with this topic to simply know from personal experience that the stuff does work!



if you want to look a little deeper, then a good place to start might be Dr Chris Reynolds (http://www.drwheatgrass.com/drchris/index.htm), who's done lots of work with wheatgrass extracts in relation to skin conditions such as psoriasis and eczema (even leprosy ulcers) - http://tinyurl.com/66w8kwk


"I pulled a test on myself to make sure the wheatgrass was actually helping me. I quit taking it. In two months time, I can tell you that physically it made a difference. People have even noticed a difference in my skin and eyes." - Ron Siebold

[changeisgood]

I used to grind mungbeans and use that to wash with, feels great during and after.

Is the frozen wheatgrass any good? There's one by Evergreen at the HFS. Sometimes it is not convenient to get to the HFS.

[dime]

Arky, I don't doubt it has worked for you, I was just curious about why it works :)

Somehow I have a feeling it's good while taking it, but bad long term. Probably you know this: "the brighter it burns, the shorter it lasts". Something like that, but you get my point. If it really has such impact on the skin, I doubt it's just cleansing but that it also has some powerful pro-oxidative properties, i.e. it makes the skin cells divide more than normal, so the skin is all young cells and looks much better of course. You stop taking it and the skin goes back to normal functioning. The cells can divide only a limited number of times, so this way they will reach the end sooner.

I'm just guessing here, probably it's not so easy to scientifically check this. Maybe try it topically on the skin (although I'm not sure whether it will reach the dermis this way), make a mask from wheatgrass juice. If it has the same/similar effect than my reasoning could be true.

[WanderRA]

dont use any chemical junk on your face.

avocado fat is a great moisterizer.

[Raw Angel Mom]

My first year, i would use only coconut oil on winter and nothing the rest of the year.

Now that i do skin brushing, i apply a olive oil everywhere in my body. I find it healing and wonderful for my skin.

[The Sproutarian (Mr Raw)]

l wanna start putting wheatgrass juice on my face in the evenings for an experiment. :dance:

[MysticTree]

You are going to be my inspiration for a speculative fiction piece about someone turning into a field of wheat :heart

[The Sproutarian (Mr Raw)]

You are going to be my inspiration for a speculative fiction piece about someone turning into a field of wheat :heart
l am not looking too pretty right now. l look quite scarey actually. ;)

[manker]

My sister won't go raw but she's had acne problems for years and proactiv just made it worse. I got her to try burts bees acne/blemish stuff (depends which country your in it could say either but it's the same stuff) it smells fine and works good but I want to try that manuka honey for my dry skin! Can you get it at most health food stores?

[Tguch]

Hello! I started using raw honey as my face wash about 9 months ago, and while I was nervous to make the switch, it has been great and I love it. Three times a week I mix whole cane sugar ground fine in with the honey for an exfoliant. I use a drop of coconut oil for moisturizer. This works well for me, except I still do get the occasional breakout and there seems to be nothing I can do about that. The breakouts are less angry though and shorter lasting. Perhaps in the future those will disappear too, let the journey continue!

[GlimR]

The pulp from making almond milk is a soothing and excellent exfoliant.