Why I stopped using lotion

I have never been a fan of perfume. I find it over-bearing. But I have always loved lotions. They leave you smelling nice--and at least temporarily--make your skin feel soft. So why did I stop using them?

A few years ago I started having some hormone issues (as women in their 40's tend to have). One of the bio-identical hormone specialists I went to gave me a progesterone cream to use. It's not like I had never used a topical medication before. Believe me, I have had some wicked encounters with poison ivy and other allergies. But for some reason, I just thought of them as topical--treating the surface of my skin--not soaking into the skin. With the hormone cream it really hit me--this cream soaks through my skin and into my blood stream (so that the change in hormone levels shows up in blood work). In fact, warnings on the medication caution you to be careful not to get it on towels, furniture, kids, spouses and pets because they don't need progesterone.

If a hormone is soaking through your skin and into your blood stream, what else is? My guess would be all the bizarre chemicals in the lotions I've been piling on my skin every day.

Here's the list of ingredients in a bottle of lotion I found left in the house:

Look at all the ingredients! I realize it's a bit blurred, so I typed in the first several ingredient below. You get the idea. I don't know what these things are--and I don't want them soaking into my skin--and therefore my body.

water, cyclopentasiloxane, butylene glycol, c12-15 alkyl benzoate, stearic acid, isocetyl stearate, trimethylsiloxysilicate/dimethiconol crosspolymer, dimethicone, isopropyl palmitate, fragrance, glyceryl stearate SE... 

So you ask, "Do you just walk around with itchy, flaky, ugly dry skin all the time?"

I do not. But when it comes to skin care I have turned to Mother Nature for help. First, for prevention, I do dry skin brushing.

And as a moisturizing I use these:

The ingredients:

Coconut oil--coconut.
Grapeseed oil: grapeseed oil and vitamin E

If I want to treat myself to a little aromatherapy, I add a few drops of essential oil.

I have no fear of any of these ingredients soaking into my skin.

I even use the coconut oil on my face. My skin has never looked better, and it never causes a breakout. Plus, I've read that coconut oil has a natural SPF of 7. This is an extra value add for me because I am allergic to every sunscreen I have tried (plus, I worry about the chemicals in them too).

Our skin is the largest organ in our body. It constantly takes in and expels (sweat) toxins.

Shouldn't we worry about the toxins we put on our bodies just as much as the ones we put in our bodies?

Kombucha At Last!

Finally, after a lot of patience--and one do-over--my Kombucha is ready! I will actually leave it at room temperature for a few days to increase fermentation before I refrigerate it. For a great energy drink, I added a few teaspoons of chia seeds to half the jars. Chia seeds are a natural energy booster.

Brewing Kombucha has been a learning experience. My first batch molded because I didn't keep it warm enough. The current batch has been sitting on a heating pad always set on low. It worked like a charm!

And, if anyone is interested, I have some very healthy SCOBY (the live culture used to grow Kombucha) if anyone (local) would like a piece to start their own Kombucha.

This batch was made from jasmine tea with organic sugar (the SCOBY feeds on the sugar). And now I am starting a new batch using coconut water (my thought is that natural fruit sugar will be healthier--even though the SCOBY consumes most of the sugar if you let it ferment long enough). This batch fermented for about a month before I was happy with the taste.

After coconut water, I believe I will try a natural fruit juice--or maybe a mix of fruit juice and tea.

Kombucha has many health benefits: cancer prevention, body detoxification, joint health and strengthening the immune system to name a few.

Read this blog to learn more.

The Kombucha drink pictured in the blog is one I use to buy frequently from Eathfare. And while I love it, it runs over $3 a bottle. Now I can make my own for practically nothing. It just takes some patience!