Saturday, February 9, 2013

Aloe Vera Experiment - Day 15

My acne breakout started before the year 2012 ended. 

During that time, I was really getting frustrated with the oiliness of my face! I was using Proactive Acne System then, but time just came when my face stopped responding to its Benzoyl Peroxide content. Sad. :(

So knowing I could return online purchases after 30 days of trial, I experimented on different brands! Clinique, Body Shop's Tea Tree Oil products, Life Cell, Papaya soap, Neutrogena... in the last quarter of the year!

PLUS, some more factors: stress and late nights on graduate studies, the dry and cold weather here in New Mexico and not the usual amount of MILK consumption the last month of the year...

My face rebelled and declared WAR! Lol!

Points to ponder:

1. I think it would have done me good if I experimented on the products and then gave my skin some time to recover before applying another chemical! But then again, now I am giving up on CHEMICALS!!! See related post here! Toxic chemicals to avoid posted here!!! Let's go organic, herbal and natural!

2.  I am not a milk drinker but last December I was feeling lazy, since my husband was having his grand vacation, see post here! I just ate cereals and milk for breakfast and lunch for almost a month!!! It may have been the chemicals given to cows to change its hormones so it will keep on producing milk --- and whatever that is, caused me  ACNE!!! 

Bottom line, an ORGANIC milk may cost a dollar or more, but worth it!!! than buying ordinary milk.

Back to my story,

For some divine intervention, I happened to read through the benefits of ALOE VERA and this company called L'BRI. So I took the risk, AGAIN! (got nothing to lose that time, it has been a month and my face was getting worse!) So, I tried their sample pack, it was free, I just paid for shipping and handling. 

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(I actually bought the actual products even before the sampler pack came in! I just knew I had found my solution! Talk about mind-setting!)

Anyway, here is the result after 15 days of use!!!

I am so loving it!!!

I am still hoping my acne scars will get healed too, it still has the nasty marks but my acne is almost 85% dried up!!!

Let's wait and see some more... I'll post my skin's progress on the 30th day! (Feb. 24, 2013) 

For now, here's me!!!! 

See the skin difference too? My face is getting lighter!!!


Life is good!!!


NAMASTE. 

Related posts:
Aloe Vera Experiment - Day 1
I can heal my ACNE


(check their site here, email Caty and tell her you read my story!.. I'm not getting any here -monetary wise-  just sharing the love :)

You could wait some more though... I'm waiting for the clearer, better, nicer, baby face .. wish? hehehe

Who knows? right?

Happy!!!

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Disclaimer
The information on this site (gemsdaily.blogspot.com) reflects the insights, first-hand experiences and opinions of the owner. Please do not substitute it as medical advise. Be sure to consult your doctor about your individual situation. 

To date, the owner is still researching and experimenting on natural, organic and herbal products that work best for her and maybe could work well for you too! :)
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Tuesday, February 5, 2013

Top 6 CHEMICAL No-nos!!!


If there's one thing I can't live without... it is LOTION!

I just have to put lotion on my feet and hands before sleeping; before putting on my socks; and on my hands whenever I feel like it, which is almost every time!

Just last week, my doctor gave me steroids for the itchiness and red marks I was having and soon found out it was the newly bought Dial Nourishing Body Wash, Yogurt & Vanilla Honey!  that was making my whole body itch!
Related post here.

I was still having second thoughts with the other product I was using, but decided to drop it for the mean time until last night!

While happily reading Galileo's Daughter, I went up and took some of  Suave Vitamin-E Moisturizer applied it on my two feet and guess what happened??? You guessed right! My two feet became all red and itchy, itchy, itchy!!!!

Of course, to the rescue once more was my ever reliant aloe vera.

What did I do next? You guessed right again! I compared the ingredients of Dial Nourishing Body Wash, Yogurt & Vanilla Honey!  and Suave Vitamin-E Moisturizer. The common ingredient/s would be the IT right? 

What was it? Tetrasodium EDTA and DMDM Hydantoin.

Tetrasodium EDTA, just like Disodium EDTA are water softeners and preservatives. A preservative that was made from the known carcinogen, formaldehyde and sodium cyanide. OK!, so what is formaldehyde again?? It is known as the human CARCINOGEN (cancer-causing agent!). 

It is a 'penetration enhancer’,meaning, it ‘alters the skin structure’ to ‘allow other chemicals to penetrate deeper into the skin’; into our bloodstream!!! A persistent environmental pollutant. TOXIC and HARMFUL!

Deeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeep BREATH!!!

NEXT! - DMDM Hydantoin is an antimicrobial formaldehyde releaser preservative with the trade name Glydant.  The word formaldehyde again!!!

According to my research!!!! It is a strong skin, eye, and lung irritant. It has also been known to trigger an immune response that can include burning, itching, blistering, or scaling of skin. A cause of immunotoxicity and skin and sense toxicity!!! This chemical is actually banned in Japan!!!

PLEASEEEEEEE READ THE LABELS!!!!

I took out all the products containing those two ingredients; including those with PARABENS; anything with UREA; Propelyne Glycol and the ever famous --- Sodium Lauryl Sulfate (SLS)!!! and RETURNED THEM all to WALMART! (where I bought it!) Great thing about Walmart, is that they would give refunds and satisfaction is really guaranteed!!! 

SAD, SAD, SAD to say though, BUT many of the products OUT in the market (from all the leading companies and corporations), even BABY!!! products have almost all of these ingredients!!!! 

From the back of my mind, I've read about these stuffs yearsss ago, but have really just let it go! My thinking was, well, we will all die anyway. Those products are cheap, those are what I can afford, so be it!!!

The point now, (after experiencing all these itchiness is) are we going to WAIT for MORE BAD THINGS to happen to our BODIES before we FINALLY WAKE UP and MAKE BETTER DECISIONS for ourselves, our families and our loved ones???

TRULY, in the long run, it is better to go NATURAL, or at least TRY TO, than in the END, spend so much more to doctors, clinics, hospitals, shots and medicines!!!

PLEASEEEEEEE READ THE LABELS!!!!

Let us be informed and make better choices with the products that we are allowing to touch our SKINS!

Well, (it is just like me I know), but, I've called DIAL and SUAVE customer service and I've informed them of what I've experienced with the ingredients of their products. They were very apologizing and GUESS WHAT??? They will be sending me COUPONS to get me MORE FREE OF THEIR PRODUCTS! Nice gesture, huh?

No thanks!

I won't rest my case and I will keep you informed of what good I could find.

NAMASTE.

P.S. As per my lotion tonight, I've found Aveeno Baby Daily Moisture Lotion- the only lotion I was able to find at WALMART with none of the toxic chemicals mentioned. I'd have to research on its contents still but for the meantime, my feet are happy with it. :)

Friday, February 1, 2013

Itchy Hands: Curse or Blessing?

I woke up with very itchy hands last Monday! Both my hands have red patches on it and it was really itchy! 

A part of me was saying I’ll be receiving lots of money! (Remember, how elders would relate itchy hands with incoming wealth?) Lol!

The other part of me was saying something was wrong with me!

From itchy hands, it would calm down and another part of me would be itchy! Legs, head, arms, back… something was definitely wrong!!! 

I called my personal doctor and told him what was happening. He said to take antihistamines. I didn’t really take him seriously at first since I was relating the itching, maybe, to the antibiotic I took for my acne. 

That night, it was weird seeing red itchy patch of blood from the inside of my skin moving from one part of my body to the next. I stopped the antibiotic thinking it was the cause, and was afraid it could get worse. It has been 20 days of it already so that should be ok, right? (My doctor didn’t know, am not telling, lol!) 

I browsed the net and got the answer! Hives!!! I’ve got hives! 

I recalled what I ate the night before… mmmm, maybe it was the not very well cooked burger we had before, but then I know it was cooked pretty well, Lol! my husband begged to disagree. 

I had to calm myself that night so I could sleep peacefully, thank God I did, but when I woke up came my red itchy under the skin patches again. 

I took a bath and lo and behold, it got worst! my whole body was itching real bad!!!

Patches everywhere!! 

A part of me was blaming the Dial Nourishing Body Wash, Yogurt & Vanilla Honey I bought just 3 days ago. 

It was the only new “thing” I used that week. It was also a first for me to use DIAL. Maybe, one of its ingredients irritated my skin. Sensitive, soft and supple! Lol! But I don't know!

I then went to the pharmacy and bought Claritin, so I won’t be drowsy. No effect! The next day, I used Dial Nourishing Body Wash, Yogurt & Vanilla Honey (my 5th day of using it) and my body was all red again!!! 

I just had to go to the doctor and he told me to look outside of the box. 

He said, it couldn’t be the antibiotic that caused it since it has been 20 days already. It must have been, he said, your bath soap, Dial, for example, I am allergic to it. Not the DIAL itself, but one of the ingredients on it. 

Rings a bell! Jackpot!!!

He gave me steroids.
Today, I used Original Likas Papaya Skin Whitening Herbal Soap and no more red patches and itchiness!  

Oh, that Monday, I received cash money, Tuesday; I received the document for tax refund; Wednesday, another for paper for tax refund and last night I computed my tax refund, nice generous amount!

Mmmm, I wonder if the elders were right too, itchy hands could really mean having lots of money, or was it just a coincidence? Lol!

Take away: Be careful with changing bath soaps, facial soaps, detergents, shampoo, conditioners, cleaners! Different companies would formulate different products using different chemicals, and usually they won't complement each other.  These chemicals could trigger allergic skin reactions!

I suggest, we all try a sample at the back of our hands first and check for 3 days if it will develop a rash. If not then we can go ahead and use it.

If it does, we know what to do. NOT USE IT!

NAMASTE.

Note: I reported the incident to DIAL, Henkel Corp. Customer Service. They were very apologizing and has even promised to give me free coupons!!! Mmmm, maybe I would giveaway the coupons? Lol!
  

I can heal my ACNE!


I looked up ACNE in the book You Can Heal Your Life by Louise Hay,
in the book she said there is a correlation between diseases we may have had or having now and our mental or emotional state. 

She suggested that we always look up the mental cause; see if it could be true. If not, sit quietly and ask "What could be the thoughts in me that created this?" Then repeat "I am willing to release the pattern in my consciousness that has created this condition." Repeat the new thought pattern several times and assume the process of healing already.

For ACNE, she listed probably cause "Not accepting the self. Dislike of the self."; New thought pattern "I am a Divine expression of life. I love and accept myself where I am right now."

It will take a lot of courage to accept Louise Hay's assumption that acne could really be manifesting in people's lives because of lack of love and acceptance of one self.

Looking back, I could have been in a chaotic circumstance that I chose to pamper myself with a lot of cosmetics and beauty products because I was hating my face's oiliness! or it could really be deeper than that...

Now, understanding where it was coming from. It's time to move on and face it!

I love and accept my face, with its too many acne! Lol! 

I know something good will come out of this... a deeper knowing that I am a Divine expression of life and I bring peace to every corner of my life.

Healing is happening now :)

Day 5

Now here's Day 5 update... I have stopped using the oral antibiotic, Doxycycline, after 20 days of usage. I continued on more water, more fiber (oatmeal for breakfast); Less or no rice diet for lunch and dinner; more veggies and fruits; and still working on less junk foods or it should be no junk at all, huh?

Good news!!! Aloe Vera is doing me really well!!! 

5 days ago, I started using L'BRI Pure n' Natural products. I ordered the free samples and only paid $6.75 for shipping and handling. 


All there products have Aloe Vera as their 1st ingredient. They are all natural and non-chemical based!

I will be showing my acne's healing progress on Day 10. (Positive of a better looking face! :))

All is well.

NAMASTE.

The Aloe Vera Experiment - Day 1

Day 1

Tonight is the first night of my NON-CHEMICAL, ALL-NATURAL ALOE VERA EXPERIMENT!  You see I was using Fruit of the Earth Aloe Vera, and it did soothe my itchy face, and dried some of my stubborn acne. See my photos here.

But if you will look at the label. It has the following chemicals! Scary!!! Trithanolamine; Tocopheryl Acetate; Carbomer; Tetrasodium Edta; DMDM Hydantoin and Diazolidinyl Urea.


Still benefiting from it's soothing effect, I continued to use it (for a total of 9 days!) but searched for more natural aloe vera product in the market.

Found one, and it came in the mail today.



I'll be experimenting on L'BRI Pure N' Natural products for 30 days. These are actually free samples, I just paid $6.75 for shipping and handling. 

It says all L'BRI Pure N' Natural body, hair and skin care products:
  • Aloe Barbadensis Miller, instead of water, is the first ingredient
  • Natural, pharmaceutical-grade ingredients are used
  • Advanced Alpha Hydroxy fruit acids (10%) are released in a special, slow delivery system, which is proven to reduce wrinkles and improve skin clarity
  • An abundance of deep ocean seaweed and other anti-oxidants protect the skin from free radical damage
  • A blend of natural essential oils and synergistic herbal extracts are significant ingredients

L'BRI Pure n' Natural hair, body and skin care products:
  • Are paraben free
  • Never use (SLS) sodium lauryl sulfate or propylene glycol
  • Never use mineral oil, lanolins, or waxes
  • Never use artificial colors or fragrances
  • Are never tested on animals
  • Effective for all skin types: normal, oily, dry, men, and women.
  • Backed by the L'BRI Pure n' Natural 100% Satisfaction Guarantee

Let's see if it will work!

So here's my first application.



I hope my gut feeling is correct that this time, after experimenting on all the brand names - ProActive, Clinique, Body Shop's Tea Tree Oil, Neutrogena, among others- NATURAL, NON-CHEMICAL skin care product is the best way to go for me!

I am keeping my fingers crossed!
 
NAMASTE.

P.S. I'll post progress every 5 days :)

My face full acne!!!

You want the truth? Here’s the truth!!!
This is me right now!!!



What happened??????!!!!!

Well, I just turned 16 years old and thus, the acne! Lol!

I have an oily face, obviously. Well, for months, I was using PROACTIVE but for some reason, my face started to break out again! So the need to look for a new skin care!

The last quarter of 2012, I used BODY SHOP’s TEA TREE OIL products, CLINIQUE’s ACNE SOLUTIONS, I used LIFE CELL South Beach Skin Care, Likas Papaya soap, Neutrogena!

With graduate studies deadlines, upcoming holiday stress, late nights, very dry and cold weather, chocolates, junk foods and lots of milk consumption!!! My face became confused and rebelled!!!

The chemicals used in all the products that I tried may not have synergistically worked together and my very face was the target of this chemical warfare! Lucky me and my decisions, huh?!

Happily I sent back all the products I used, and they returned the monies as well. The companies just weren’t able to return my old face though! Sad, sad, sad :(

It was actually worst 15 days ago, look!


The last I remember getting acne, all over my face, was when I was pregnant to my youngest son! Well, I am not pregnant!!!

just stopped eating oily foods, stopped drinking milk and consuming dairy products. I also gave up on eating rice (just to start my diet too! lol!) and am drinking lots of water now!

Aloe vera, seemed to work too! While waiting for the natural aloe vera products I just bought online, I am currently using CETAPHIL and FRUIT OF THE EARTH ALOE VERA to soothe my itchy and full of acne skin!

The doctor also gave me oral antibiotics to fight the bacteria! I haven’t contacted any dermatologist yet, (I heard, it will take 3-6 months to have a schedule!) and as much as possible am avoiding some more chemicals!

To date, I am still hopeful aloe vera could heal me! 

Yes! Lesson learned!!! No to chemicals anymore!!! 

What about you?? How do you combat acne???

Tuesday, May 29, 2012

Summer Siesta!

Do you know what I like about summer time?
1. It's being able to sleep late, 
wake up late, and sleep after lunch time - "siesta".
2. It's being able to choose not to do anything!
I just love it!

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Taking SIESTA or POWER NAPPING after lunch is beneficial too!

S - strengthens our heart
I - ignites our learning
E - energizes our body
S - sparks our brain
T - tames our tongue (lol)
A - antidote to stress


Sad thing is we can't do this while at work 
(unless you lock yourself in a room, or rest room, and 
make sure nobody sees you!).

Great thing is now I have the whole summer to do it! :))

Yay for summer!

NAMASTE.
Hay House, Inc.
Health to Happiness