I don’t get where the time goes!   I am still catching up with e-mails - long overdue replies which I feel really bad about, domestic matters and basically myself!

I got over my flu quite quickly but then found I had the driest skin ever.  I wrote an entire long and self obsessed post about it which I have scrapped due to embarresment!

Long and short of it - nothing was moisturising my skin effectively.  It soaked up my homemade creams & balms and butters and 2 hours later was feeling tight again. This despite plenty of internal fatty acids and the like.

I have had to face my disgustingly low water intake,  which has been a mission!

It never ceases to amaze me how adaptive I am. I think that since I got back to the UK I have lived with a subliminal dehydration. Not enough to prompt desperate thirst, but enough to wreak fair havoc on my skin as a warning.

I drank a lot of water in Africa as the weather was hot, but once I got back to chilly climes this stopped.  On the very day I arrived! :oops:

So for over a week I have been drinking plenty extra (with great difficulty & much forcing ) and my skin is back to it’s normal happy self.

Made me realise in a very real way just how important water intake is.  Thing with me is I always have to actually experience a crisis to take action. Unfortunately. :roll:

Intellectual knowing is kind of vague - like something out there. But the dry skin from hell that itches and feels taught, has been a real motivator for action. I have had to revisit the old wisdom that what is put into the body is vitally important and that unless ‘inside’ issues are addressed, one can do what one wants by applying creams etc. They might help but they can’t be optimal.

I’m looking into ordering some of this to help with keeping myself well hydrated:

(This link will open in a new window).

http://www.eletewater.co.uk/index.php

I do take something similar - but have only used it for leg cramps before and it is nearly finished. Now I am thinking of using something like this a little more frequently. I read the research pages on the site & found it very interesting.

That aside I am still playing about with diy cosmetics making.  Someone asked me the other day why I do this. It was hard to answer.

My reasons are multiple.  Firstly it horrifies me to see the abundant chemicals used  in commercial manufacturing. I had developed several allergic type reactions to most commercial products - nothing severe - but most things stressed my skin & hair rather than helping it.  I often felt itchy after applying face creams for example.

I’m not a full blown organic girl … not every chemical is a disaster - some are quite safe and work to make a product optimal - but I wanted to understand all this better.  Making my own stuff has put me on a broad learning curve where I decide what I put on my body.

I have seen some pretty amazing things happen using only natural oils and infusions. My dog regrew all his hair (blogged about this before)…my mum was able to resolve her rosacea, my sons girlfriend had severe ringworm that a prescribed cream was not doing anything for (it was getting worse) & after 4 days of using appropriate essential oils in a salve it has cleared up by 99% already.  I don’t want to sound like I’m a green hippy in jesus sandals (…maybe I am! :-?  ) But one has to see these things to believe them really. And I have.

Once one does, it engenders a strong respect for the healing abilities of carefully researched and formulated oils & herbs.

Also,  I need more than most mainstream cosmetics give me.  I malabsorb and as my DS years have passed so my skin needs extra nourishment.  I am my own best guinea pig.

Aside from the recent dehydration which I had neatly overlooked as a major cause of my dry skin, overall my hair & skin have dramatically improved since I embarked on this.  I’ve never had a truly great skin - it is scarred with old acne pits and is sensitive. So I am not seeking a miracle cure - just an improvement…and so far so good!

Since sorting out my fluid intake I’m moving forward again on the skin front and today I made a gentle face mask to slough away the last traces of dry skin build up. I didn’t want to use anything strong like clays as my skin has just come right. So I chose almonds & oats instead. The oats has beta glucans in it which soothe the skin even as it’s being exfoliated.

I was pleased to see my skin resuming a nice glow again. I just used kitchen ingredients to cobble it together but it had a lovely clarifying yet softening effect.

And on our hapless postie it also had a ’surprise effect’!  8-O

Typical that I get a delivery just when I am looking my very best! Nothing as glam as standing at the door with oats paste sliding off ones cheekbone!  ;-) lol.

Here’s my recipe:

Clarifying Face Mask Remedy:

Couple of slices of cucumber washed with skin on

(If no cucu available, I think a peeled apple would work as well!)

A handful of raw peeled almonds

Teaspoon of yogurt

Blitz the above in a blender

Then add oats cereal to make it tacky but spreadable

Add 1 teaspoon of honey. Manuka if you have it.

I added 1/2 teaspoon of coconut oil as my skin still needs oils - but omit this if your skin

is oily by nature. ( If you have no coconut - virgin olive oil is fine.)

Leave on the face for about 15 mins

Use a bit of water and rub it around a bit to exfoliate gently. Rinse off.

Viola! Much better skin! :-)

This will keep in the fridge for another day or two…or you could try freezing any excess. Not sure if this would work but might be worth a try.  Don’t use it after 48 hours as nothing is worse than smearing bug infested matter on ones skin!

So this is yet another reason. I adapt my cosmetics to my & my families needs.

And more than that -  well it is just good fun cooking up something different in the kitchen!   :-)