My Skin Care Routine

So here is the info you've been waiting for!!!!

I know you have been on the edge of your seat!!!!

All the details of my new skin care regime!

Below are the products I ordered.

They may or may not work out for me.

I am being realistic and open to the fact that my skin may fight back and not like them so we will see!!

I will use the charcoal cleansing bar first for a few days and see how my skin likes it and then move on to the day cream from there.

The worst thing you can do is buy a bunch of new product and put it all on at once, bc if you have flare ups or if your face gets irritated, you won't really know which product is doing it.

I ordered a few different products from Crunchi.

Here they are:

Crunchi Charcoal Facial Bar: $24

Crunchi Daylight Facial Cream: $48

Crunchi NightLight Facial Cream: $54 

Once my goodies arrive, I am going to write down the day I started using them to see how long they will last. I want to know what the cost breaks down is going to be.

Then I ordered a Detoxifying mask from TruSelf Organics.

Here are those details:

TruSelf Organics Detoxifying Mask: $19

I am going to try all of this out for a few weeks to see how my skin likes it all. 

I will definitely keep you all posted and then let you know what I decide as I transition on to changing out my cosmetics, cleaners, and other household and personal items!

xoxoxo,

Brenda

You Care! I Care! Let's Talk ABout Skin Care! -Part 4

In my last post I shared with you all a lot of what I learned when it comes to the toxins and chemicals we should look out for in our skin care and also cosmetics. 

In this post, I want to share with you my top picks for ME for skincare and the line I am going to try first.

I say first because skin care is a VERY personalized thing. One size does NOT fit all.

You can choose a clean organic cruelty free vegan line of skin care and it still may not work on your skin. So it's important to go into a new skin care regime understanding that and knowing that you may need to adjust, switch, and change up items and/or brands, depending on the products work on your skin.

It doesn't mean that if it doesn't work with your skin, that the line sucks - it just means you may have sensitive skin to some of the ingredients, which is ok.

I would recommend NOT ordering a full line from 1 particular company right away.

I would order 1 item, use it for a week, see how it works with your skin and if you like the feel and results, and then if you do, move on to ordering another product from that line. This will help you with refunds/returns and not getting frustrated with spending money.

Also, there is NOTHING wrong with using one product from one line and another product from another line. Just remember to look at the ingredients list.


*Side Note: Something I did look at with all of the lines I researched was to look at their return policy. I found that newer companies and lines are more reluctant to give full refunds simply bc they are NEW and may not be able to absorb the cost. This doesn't mean they suck. It is something all brands I am sure go through when launching so just be aware of what the return policy is.

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My top picks for clean skin care lines are:


1. Crunchi - Crunchi is a toxin free, cruelty free (Leaping Bunny approved) line of cosmetics and skin care. 

Their mission statement straight from their website is "we have set a new standard for cosmetic safety." They are a "revolutionary line of high performance, safe, and toxin-free cosmetics that are redefining beauty."

Their products are made with a "combination of safe, certified-organic, and EcoCert ingredients. and their products contain 70% certified organic ingredients."

Their stance on toxic ingredients is that they simply won't use them. On their website, they even have a Black List of ingredients that they are commmitted to never using in their products.

Their return policy: In store credit ONLY

100% of Crunchi cosmetics are manufactured in the USA.

*They do not use Japanese Honeysuckle - "An antimicrobial preservative used in natural cosmetic products. The Japanese honeysuckle plant naturally contains para-hydroxy benzoic acid (PHBA), which might behave in a very similar way to synthetic parabens (see Parabens) which themselves may mimic estrogen and act as potential hormone (endocrine) system disruptors."

*They do not use Grapefruit Seed Extracts - "An antimicrobial preservative used in cosmetic products. Numerous tests by independent researchers have shown that its antimicrobial properties are due to synthetic preservatives contained in it, not the extract itself. The synthetic preservatives found in GSE include benzalkonium chloride, triclosan, or methylparaben, which are all on our Blacklisted Ingredients list due to toxicity concerns."



2. 100% Pure - 100% Pure is a skin care and cosmetic line that is toxin free and cruelty free (Leaping Bunny approved).

Their mission statement is "We are committed to producing the purest, healthiest products and educating everyone on why being 100% Pure is so important. We strive to live with compassion, kindness, and empathy; to be environmentally sustainable."

All of 100% Pure products adhere to purity standards and do not contain harsh or toxis ingredients. Their pigments are sourced from vegetables, teas, fruits, and cocoa to avoid toxins and heavy metal dyes.

Their return policy: They have a 100% satisfaction guarantee. You can return products within 45 days, even if it is partially used, for store credit or a full refund.

Most of 100% Pure products are manufactured in the USA. There are a few product categories that they decided to manufacture abroad since they found the production quality and ingredient sourcing for those items are superior at other manufacturers. These products include:

BB Cream - Made in Italy
Pencil Eye Liners - Made in Germany
Multi-Vitamin + Antioxidants Ultra Riche PM Treatment - Made in Canada
Vegetable Cellulose Masks - Made in China (cruelty-free still!)
Sheet Masks- Made in Korea

*They do use Japanese Honeysuckle & Grapefruit seed extract in some of their products

Bonus: They have a rewards program

Another Bonus: For every order that is placed through 100% Pure, they donate meals to dogs in shelters.

3. TruSelf Organics - TruSelf Organics is an Organic, GMO free, cruelty free (Leaping Bunny Certified) line of skin care. 

Their mission is "no bad stuff including no colorants, artificial fragrances, parabens or harmful chemicals. All of our products are vegan or vegetarian and we never test on animals." 

All products are made in the USA.

Refund Policy: You can return your products within 30 days for a full refund

TruSelf Organics are Leaping Bunny Certified

*Bonus - They have a rewards program

A few other brands that peeked my interest were:

-Young Living
-Sabbatical Beauty
-Beauty Counter

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A few websites and pages that REALLY helped me with my research were the following:

1. EWG (Environmental working group)- This page gives average ratings on cosmetics and skin care looking at the ingredients used. It gives a rating of 1-10 (with 10 being the worst). You can plug in a brand or product name and see how it rates.

Thank you Amy Pluth and Wendy Burkhardt for telling me about this page!

https://www.ewg.org/skindeep


2. Empowered Healthy and Beauty - This page is ran by my friend Wendy and she does an excellent job with education about everyday toxins associate with personal care routines, food, and home living. Wendy has helped me so much through this process and living a toxin free lifestyle is a true passion of hers.

Check out her page at: https://www.facebook.com/search/top/?q=empowered%20health%20and%20beauty%F0%9F%8C%B1&epa=SEARCH_BOX

Whatever you decide you are going to do for skin care, I would say that the most important thing to look for are the ingredients and secondly, and maybe just as important, is your commitment to using your products and keeping your skin clean.

We can go to the grocery store and buy the healthiest foods out there but if they just sit in our fridge and cupboards and we never eat them, they are doing us no good.

The same goes for your skin care routine. You have to be committed to it. 

I hope these past few posts have helped you or at least peeked your interest to look into starting a new skin care routine or maybe checking out what is in your line or investigating new lines that work for you.

I will keep you all updated about what I try, how it works, and what works best for me!

Thanks for following along with me on my skin care journey!


xoxoxo,

Brenda

You Care! I Care! Let's Talk About Skin Care! -Part 3

2020 is the year! This is the year I focus on taking care of me.

That doesn't mean Colin and our dog Sammy have to fend for themselves 😂.....

It just means I am going to work on all the things I have pushed to the back burner.

Skin care is #1 on my list! Second on my list is looking at all of our cleaning products and moving towards "clean & toxin free" cleaning agents.

After that, I want to look into personal care items such as deodorant, hair color, shampoo, etc. All things that soak into and affect our bodies.

The other thing I want to focus on this year is my physical health. I want to lose weight that I have been carrying around with me for years (because I love food) but even more than that, I want to get healthy for myself.

I want to improve my gut health bc I know what goes into my body has a lot to do with my skin issues.

Back in 2017 through 2018, my husband and I focused on emotional healing and improving our mental health because we had left a pretty toxic environment from a church so I personally spent a lot of time healing from many things and investing in my mental health and it was a HUGE thing for me! Sometimes you never really know how toxic an environment is for you until you leave it and step back and it can be such a blessing!

So I am taking that same approach now with my skin care and physical health.

I dove right in this month with researching skin care.

The first thing that was important to me was finding cruelty free companies.

I am an animal lover (as if you couldn't already tell) and I don't want to purchase skin care (or cosmetics) from lines that test on animals (yes I eat meat - let's save that debate for another time 😂 )

So I dove in and started researching skin care lines that were cruelty free.

As I was researching, I didn't really know what else I was looking for in my skin care (besides being cruelty free) so I was very open to suggestions from friends and others. I created a post on FB to see what everyone else was using and then I googled "Best Skin Care Lines 2019", hoping to find a few to pick from.

The more research I did (which holy crap, there is so much to research and look at when it comes to skin care) I started realizing that I needed to narrow down my scope besides being cruelty free bc there are so so many skin care lines out there and it was starting to get seriously overwhelming let alone this process would take me forever.

I started asking myself what was important to me and I knew that getting rid of toxins in make-up and our household cleaners has been a goal of mine.

Also, this past year, Max's cancer diagnosis had opened my eyes to the toxins in our foods and I made a big effort to switch us over to organic foods. Also, the past few years I had done so much work with getting rid of toxic people in my life, so why not go further with getting rid of toxins that I put on my skin, that get absorbed into my bloodstream, and that can affect my health and my family's health?

So I started researching clean skin care lines.

Side note: I am listening to "World News Tonight with David Miur" right now while I am working on this blog and he just had a story on about the toxins in sunscreen 😳

As I started researching clean skin care lines these are a few things that I questioned bc I had no idea where to start. I learned a ton and I thought it would be easier for you if I just wrote down what some of my questions were and the answers I got from my research.

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Questions I asked and things I learned:

What makes a skin care line "clean"? This question can go pretty deept but I would summarize a clean skin care line being one that avoids using toxic ingredients, that sources ingredients responsibly, and that keeps the environment in mind.

What toxins should you avoid in skin care? Oh boy. There are so many. If I had to take the top ingredients you should avoid it would be these. I call them the dirty dozen:

Parabens (Methyl, Butyl, Ethyl, Propyl): Parabens are preservatives. If paraben is in the word, you should avoid it. Parabens may contribute to hormonal imbalance and in some studies, research shows that some breast cancer tumors contained 99% parabens.

Phthalates: This is a chemical that is used to increase flexibility and strength of plastics. Names to look for on the ingredient list are: DPB, DEP, or DEHP. Like parabens, phthalates are endocrine disruptors and can cause hormonal and reproductive problems and birth defects.

Polyethylene Glycol or PEG: This ingredient is used as a thickner. The problem with this ingredient is  the process to create PEGs involves using ethylene oxide and 1.4-dioxane; both which are substances that are strong pollutants.  

Formaldehyde: This is a preservative and known carcinogen. It is used in buiding materials and is used in many household products. It has been linked to asthma, neurotoxicity, and developmental toxicity.

Mineral Oil: A petroleum by-product that coats the skin like plastic and clogs pores. This ingredient is very harmful bc it doesn't allow the skin to eliminate toxins. There is sufficient evidence in humans for the carcinogenicity of untreated mineral oils. Untreated mineral oils (or even mildly treated mineral oil) can cause skin cancer.   

Siloxanes: It is used to soften, moisten, and smooth. Look for words ending in "siloxane" or "methicone". It's an endocrine disruptor and reproductive toxin. It is harmful to fish and wildlife so why would it not be harmful to us.

Propylene Glycol (PG): This is found in thousands of cosmetics and in processed foods. It is also a common ingredient in E-Cigs and is an ingredient in anti-freeze and paint. The FDA says it is "generally safe". Research shows if exposed to the eyes and facial areas, PG can cause irritation and cause mild conjunctivitis. It is also potentially toxis to our kidneys and liver. It is not safe for infants or pregnant women.

Triclosan: This is a synthetic anti-bacterial agent once used in anti-bacterial soap. In 2016, it was banned from soap using in health-care settings but it is still used in skin care and cosmetics. This is an endocrine disruptor and studies show it contributes to gut inflammation. In studies with mice it has also promoted tumor growth. It may disrupt thyroid function as well.

Sodium Lauryl Sulfate (SLS) or Sodium Laureth Sulfate (SLES): These are foaming agents used in a ton of products. They are surfactants that can cause skin irritation or trigger allergies.

Artificial or Synthetic Frangrance: Companies and manufacturers are not required to revea what is in their fragrances so a lot of times you will just see "Fragrance" on the ingredient list. There could be hundreds of different ingredients and toxins that fall under "Fragrance" which could be full of carcinogens, allergens, endocrine disruptors and other irritants.

I decided to add in one more ingredient to my list (which makes this more of a Baker's Dozen List!) because it is bad bad bad.

Talc: Talc or Talcum powder is in the same family as asbestos. Research has linked talc to ovarian cancer and is believed to be a lung irritant and carcinogen.


The scary thing is I only named 13 and there are so many more!! 


Heavy Metals to avoid: Lead, Mercury, Arsenic, and Aluminum (just to name a few).


What terms or phrases are regulated? Lack of regulation is a huge issue in cosmetics and skin care. There is close to zero federal regulation on cosmetics and skin care in the U.S. and the FDA only regulates certain things like false advertising or branding. One study I found said that there are over 1,300 chemicals banned in Eurpoean countries due to being unsafe and in the U.S. only 11 of those chemicals are banned. 😳

Another SHOCKING fact about no regulation: The word "Natural" means NOTHING when it comes to cosmetics or skin care. It is a marketing ploy to make you think it is good for you. The word "Natural" in skin care or cosmetics is not regulated at all which means a product that says "Natural" on it can have as many toxins in it as it wants. There are no regulations.

When it comes to cosmetics and skin care, the ONLY way for you to know that you are using a toxin free line is by doing research yourself and reading ingredients (but don't be fooled bc companies can pull the wool over your eyes here, too. Some companies only list "key ingredients" so they don't have to tell you all the other crap they are putting in your skin care. Other companies may list "fragrance" in their ingredients but they could be using hundreds (literally hundreds) of toxic ingredients and shove it under the term "frangrance". You would never know.

So as I was doing my research and coming across all of these toxins and ingredients I should avoid, I started coming across skin care lines that I liked.

When looking at skin care lines I looked at:

-Ingredients first and foremost
-Where they source their ingredients from
-Organic ingredients (this was not a MUST have for me but I prefer it)
-Consistency with ingredients
-Cruelty Free (Leaping Bunny Approved is even better for me)
-Packaging (whether they are green)
-The "Our Story" part of the company. Who are they? What is their mission? The why.
-I looked at pricing but honestly it was the last thing on my list


Again, there is so much research to do and I probably have over 60 hours of research done on both ingredients and lines so I am hoping I can help you through this blog.

Remember, knowing the dirt will help you stay away from the dirt. 

In my next post I will share a few of my top skin care lines with you all and let you know a FB page that has really helped me along with what I am going to use.


Thanks for joining me on this skin care journey!

xoxoxo,
Brenda

You Care! I Care! Let's Talk About Skin Care! ~Part 2

So if you know me, you know I research EVERYTHING!

When our dog, Max, got cancer, I spent months researching everything possible about canine cancer, food regimes, supplements, treatments, etc.

For me, when I educate myself in something I can make better choices for my family, do better for them and be a better version of me.

So, after spending most of 2019 taking care of my family and my sweet Max, I decided 2020 was going to be an investment in me, because honestly, it needs to be.

I have always been the person that does so much for others but I tend to neglect myself.

I am the person you want around if you are in the middle of the ocean with only 1 life vest bc I will give it to you.

It was in 2019,  that things really hit home for my husband and I.

My husband, Colin, found out he needed to have heart surgery. He had a condition called Wolff Parkinson White and he needed to have a procedure done where a doctor went in through an artery with a burning hot wand and cauterized the extra electrical pathways in his heart. 😳

What the heck!

Then, our beloved fur boy, Max, was diagnosed with prostate cancer.

So, needless to say, my year was VERY focused on taking care of them, spending the time we had left with our fur boy, and then seeing Colin through his procedure.

I cancelled all of my doctor appts, an appt I had made with a dermatologist to try and get some answers about my changing skin issues, I put off my mammogram, a vein procedure I had been waiting to have, physicals etc.

There were so many other needs that came before mine and that included my dreaded oily dry crappy big pore ever growing skin issues.

In 2019, time was my friend in regards to spending quality time with my family but it was NOT my friend when it came to taking care of myself.

Once Max passed away at the end of October, I looked at the next 2 months and filled in every single day with things that NEEDED to get done. It was a race against the clock - LITERALLY.

Since Colin had his heart surgery, our deductible was met for the year so all of those appts I had brushed off needed to get scheduled and done if I wanted to take advantage of our deductible being met.

I had to schedule 2 physicals, a liver specialist appt, a mammogram, and try to get 2 vein procedures approved through my insurance (which we all know can be near impossible) and SCHEDULE both vein procedures and have them DONE by 12/31/19.

Oh and also..... we volunteered to host our family for Thanksgiving, Christmas, and NYE this year.

Hi. My name is Brenda..... and I can do this!

But, did you notice the one thing I left off my list?

My skin care needs.

I was putting that off again!

I worked feverishly through November and December to get all of those appts made, scheduled and done bc I was a woman racing the clock!

Well.....

Are you wondering if I made it?!

I did!

I managed to get all of those appts scheduled and made - even my TWO vein procedures - one which was 3 days before Thanksgiving and the other 2 days before Christmas. 

And yes... we still hosted for the holidays and yes I cooked. :) 

I promised myself that once 2020 hit, one of the FIRST things I was going to do was my skin care research.

I promised that it was time to take control of this dry flaky and oily skin and make a change and invest in my body! 

So, that's exactly what I did. 

2020 is the year of change for me. 

In 2020 I will stop putting off the things that I have wanted to do for myself and my family and make it happen.

And it all starts with skin care.

Continue on with me to see where my research has taken me ......

Come on.... Let's GO!

xoxo,

Brenda

You Care! I Care! Let's Talk About Skin Care! -Part 1

I am old.

Well ok. That is being a bit dramatic.

Let me start over.

I am old. 😂

This picture is the last time my skin looked good.

(can you find me?) :)

Ok. Ok. I am being dramatic.

I have actually never really struggled with my skin except for a freak breakout on my forehead in the 7th grade most likely from using too much Aussie hair spray to make my bangs sky high. My forehead looked like a map of constellations for about half the year. Thank goodness for all those bangs.

Life went on and so did I with my very intense skin care regime of ..... Dove soap.

Yep.

Dove. Soap.

I didn't have any issues in my 20's or even 30's. My skin was bright. My pores were small to insignificant and I never had tired looking eyes.

Then I got married.

LOL! Just kidding!

Nothing changed with my skin then either.

All was still good!

The picture above was in -6 degree weather when Colin and I were in Flint, Mi passing out water to Flint residents days after news broke of lead in the water. See.... no dry areas and no pores.

Beautiful skin.

Then, in my late 30's, I started noticing dry spots around my mouth and nose area.

When I was out and about, if I'd see dry areas on my face, I would just do the lick and stick.

Ya know.

The lick and stick.

Yep. I would lick my finger, wipe my spit on those dry areas and VOILA! No more dry patches! Easy peezy! (insert eye roll here)

Oh boy.

Then, when I hit 40, I decided that I needed to stop the lick and stick and get control of this dryness.

So, I went to Sephora and talked with one of their amazing hourly employees (no offense intended) who directed me to Korres products. So I bought Korres Yoghurt face moisturizer and VOILA! It worked!

No more dry areas!

Of course, I had to use it daily bc I would always wake up with dryness every morning but at least I wasn't using my own spit anymore.

So I continued to use Korres.

Little did I know I was only masking the problems instead of the actual issue.

It is like taking cough medicine to lessen cold symptoms rather than taking vitamins and supplements BEFORE you actually get sick.

I wasn't helping my skin issues. I was masking my issues.

And I continued to for several more years.

I went from dry skin around my mouth so this weird dry patch on my right eye lid and then when I turned 42, my skin went from dry patches to a combination of oily skin.

Oily skin!

I will never forget when the oily skin issue started.

My husband and I were driving home from a Jim Gaffigan show (he's an amazing comedian) and I was driving and I remember asking Colin to pass me a tissue or napkin or ANYTHING that I could use to wipe my face off.

I could feel the oil seeping from my skin and I didn't understand it but I knew my face needed cleaned STAT.

While all of this was happening, I started seeing my pores enlarge and now I joke that I have pores large enough to serve dip out of.

I realized that I needed to stop trying to mask my symptoms and take care of the reason it is happening in the first place.

There are a few different sides to skin care.

#1 What you are actually putting on your face and your skin care regime itself

and

#2 Gut health and what you are putting in your body.

I am diving into both this year so I can have better skin and be a healthier me.

It won't happen over night.

I can't stop aging. None of us can.

But I can be a healthier version of me and I can make changes that will help.

I already have more than 60 hours of research in and I am not gonna stop.

You are busy so hopefully reading my blog will help you, too.

Stay tuned for my skin care picks and to hear what I am learning.

Thanks for coming along on this ride with me!

xoxo,
Brenda