An apology, update with pictures and news about oils

Hi everyone!

So it's been over 2 years since I started this journey and this blog and it's been a while since I posted pictures so I figured it was time. I also wanted to apologize to those that emailed me and I didn't get back to you until recently. I feel HORRIBLE about that but for some reason my email was not forwarding like it was suppose to so I just received a bunch today that I replied to, I'm really sorry. I'm actually going to post my business email below for people to email me that way I am sure to get your questions and messages and I can reply in a timely manner. Again, I'm SO sorry about that. I don't check this page as often as I used to, I'm sorry about that too, but I try to check it every other month or so to answer questions and such.

 I am going to do a updated FAQ post soon and I hope to answer some questions more detailed. If you have a question or think of anything that I should cover in a FAQ post please leave it in the comments or email me. I've also had a lot of people ask if I would be willing to pre-mix oils and sell them or make starter kits with the products I use and it is something I am considering. I have a Etsy page where I sell my handmade jewelry and my oil diffuser jewelry so if I do decide to sell premixed oils or starter kits it will be on there. If you are just curious and want to check out my jewelry (or buy some!) my store is called Formed From Fire and you can find it  HERE! I hand make everything on there and I'm always making and posting new pieces. Spread the word, or buy something, it's really pretty! You can also follow my jewelry business Instagram here ;)
(Sorry for the shameless self promoting, but it's my blog so I'm allowed)

Okay on to the update, far as my face routine, not much has changed, I still use the argan and tea tree oil mixture almost daily. I don't really "wash" my face, I use those makeup remover clothes sometimes or tea tree oil face soap if needed but most of the time just some water and my oils. I don't wear a lot of makeup so I can get away with not using a lot of chemicals to clean my face as I try to put as few chemicals on my skin as possible. I haven't had a pustule or a pimple in a long time now and if I do get a pimple it's usually hormonal related. I now put my oils in a little bottle with a roller on top and I'm able to roll it on my face but other than that it's the same.

I'm not sure if I ever mentioned this (pretty sure I have) but about a year before starting this journey and this blog one of the many things I had tried was laser treatments. While they did nothing to help the p&p and dry skin it did get rid of some of the redness that was due to burst capillaries. When I had it done the dermatologist told me that I would have to have it done every few years and I'm getting close to that time again as I can see the broken capillaries. Unfortunately laser treatments are expensive so that won't be happening for a long time unless I find a fairy godmother wishing to bestow laser treatments to me lol.

 As you can see in the pictures my face is pink and it always will be but I can live with that, light makeup covers it easily. If I get warm face flushes pretty easily and can become pretty red if I'm really hot which is awesome since I live in the hot and humid city of New Orleans. I think a lot of it just has to do with the fact that I have very fair skin and my capillaries are close to the surface. It is what it is. My face is million times better than it once was. It's almost crazy to look back at how bad it was now that I'm here. I battled with my face for about 10 years and if you would have told me I would ever be at a place with a clear, but slightly pink complexion without spending hundreds of dollars a month I would have laughed but here I am.

Sorry, I look kinda rough in these and my septum ring is crooked but I just woke up and hadn't consumed any caffeine yet, or brushed my hair, but all of you have seen me look worse! Someone asked me why I don't really look at the camera, it's because I have an aversion to having my picture taken.I absolutely hate it and I'm much more comfortable behind the lens than in front of it so I just try not to look at it and pretend it's not there while sucking it up and taking a picture for thousands of strangers to see. I know, how I ended up making a blog full of pictures of my naked face I have no idea. One day I'm going to have to post a picture of me with makeup and stuff, I swear, I can look cute. And for some reason just now I realized I didn't take any of the other side of my face. Sorry, it looks the same, I promise, I'm not going back in there and taking more pictures of myself today.

These are the busted capillaries, from a distance they just make my skin look pink but up close you can see the individual burst capillaries. My niece actually asked me why my face was cracked  -_-   kids, ya gotta love em! 

All About Argan Oil

   So, I decided to write a post about my favorite carrier oil, argan oil. When I mention this oil to most people they have never heard of it so I figured I would shed some light on this amazing oil. I know that I mostly talk about tea tree oil and how amazing it is and how it has changed my life and face but I never really give any credit to argan oil. Also, I have had a few people write me and tell me that they have had success with the tto but their face seems oily, or greasy, or they have good results but not as

dramatic results as I have and the one difference between them and I is always the use of argan oil.

   Sure you can use coconut oil, olive oil, jojoba oil, grape-seed oil, I even stared with coconut oil because of all of the great things we know about it being anti-fungal, antibacterial and over all a wonder oil, but it just didn't work for me, not on my face. I still use coconut oil for other areas of my body and even in my hair at times, but for my face it was just to greasy and never fully absorbed and I had to blot most of it off and it left my face really shiny so I decided to try to find another oil. Truthfully I don't even remember when I heard about or how I heard about argan oil, but I ordered a tiny .5oz bottle of Josie Maran argan oil for $20 bucks, yes 20, and I loved it! It is what I call a "dry" oil if that makes any sense, when I use it my skin sucks it up in seconds and it isn't greasy at all and I can put makeup on pretty much immediately. The one issue I had with the Josie Maran argan oil that I had was price. I started doing research on argan oil and what makes a good argan oil and the main thing you want is a 100% pure COLD PRESSED argan oil. You don't want argan oil that has been diluted, and you don't want one that has used chemicals or heat to extract the oils because those will break down the healing properties of the argan oil. So after comparison shopping and started ordering my argan oil from Mt. Rose Herbs. I already used them for my herbs, I knew their products were organic, fair trade and I knew they were a good, honest, small company and I wasn't going to get ripped off. Plus I liked their prices better, 4oz for $25.00. You can find them HERE, I highly recommend them for a multitude of products from oils, to herbs, teas, tinctures, bath products, cooking stuff, containers, and much, much more.Back to the argan oil!

   I have has people ask what exactly is argan oil? Argan oil is a plant oil made from the kernels of the fruit of the argan tree that is found in Morocco. In Morocco they use argan oil for various things such as cooking, medicinal uses, and as a beauty treatment for their hair, skin and nails. It's pretty much their go to oil. Now most places when they have a product that becomes popular in western culture it tends to be detrimental to the environment and to the people in that area because people see dollar signs and don't really care about the impact of something as long as it makes money. Argan oil and argan trees are actually very different, the more popular it becomes the more positive impact it has on the land and they economy, especially for women. The Argan tree provides food, shelter and protection from desertification. The tree's deep roots help prevent desert encroachment and the canopy provides shade for other agricultural products and leaves and fruit provide food for animals. It helps landscape stability, prevents soil erosion and producing argan oil has helped protect the argan trees from being cut down. Plus goats LOVE them and I love goats. They climb into the trees to eat the fruit so you basically have goat trees. Who doesn't want goat trees?!





   Not only are argan trees good for the environment (and the goats and my amusement) it is also very good for the economy. The production of argan oil has also has has a positive socio-economic function. At present, argan oil production supports approximately 2.2 million people in the main argan oil producing region. Much of the argan oil produced today is made by a number of women's co-operatives. Employment in the co-operatives provides women with an income, which many have used to fund education for themselves or their children. It has also provided them with a degree of autonomy in a traditionally male-dominated society and has helped many become more aware of their rights. So basically my feminist side cheers with Grrl Power for argan oil! Also most argan oil, at least the good argan oil is all hand collected, cleaned, processed and pressed. No big machines, no chemicals.

Add caption

   Now lets get down to why I love this particular oil that has been called "Liquid Gold" and why I think it's more than just a carrier oil for tea tree oil. Argan oil is very high in omega-6 fatty acids and linoleic acid which can provide anti-inflammatory, anti-aging, antioxidant and moisturizing properties for the skin. It also contains omega-9 unsaturated fatty acids and vitamin A which provide high doses of antioxidants. It also contains 620mg of trocopeherols which have the same activity as vitamin E. This is twice the amount of this chemical compared to the more common olive oil. The trocopherol content of argan oil makes it a powerful antioxidant that can help to protect soft tissue by neutralizing the effects of free radicals. When applied externally it cures everything from scars, infections, split ends, acne, eczema, chicken poxs, burns and stretch marks. If you are wondering about it's internal use it's really helpful there too. Research has shown that culinary use of argan oil can help lower cholesterol, improve circulation, stabilize blood sugar, ease arthritis pain, strengthen the immune system, prevent various cancers, reduce the bodies resistance to insulin, help treat diabetes, and protect the body from cardiovascular and inflammatory disease.


If you would like to read more about it you can check out more information here, here, here, here, and here or just google. Well I hope that was informative and spreads some light on why I chose to use a pretty much unheard of argan oil and stick with it instead of going with olive or coconut oil.

Update, new oils and a few more questions answered!

   So, it's been a while but things have changed so I thought I would give update! I am still using the tea tree oil or as I now call it Melaleuca (Sounds way more impressive doesn't it) once, sometimes twice a day. If I stop using it, like if I forget it home for a week when I go out of town my face will start to regress and I will start to get break outs again and I can feel the creepy crawlies again. So basically this is a life long treatment but it's so easy and so cheap I'm okay with that.

   So now to the changes, when I first started using the tto (Melaleuca) I had just gotten some random cheap brand because I wasn't sure it if would work or not and I didn't know much about oils. Yes, it worked, if you have been following this blog or go look through it you will see that but not as well as it could have it turns out. It turns out where you get your oils, and the quality of the oils does matter.

   After I ran out of the first bottle of tto I ordered another one and I don't know what happened but it wasn't the same and didn't have the same results and my face started to break out again. I don't know if it was a different supplier, or old oil or what but it wasn't good. When that happened I started looking into how oils are made, where they come from, how they are harvested everything and I started to look for the best oils I could find and I found Young Living Essential Oils. Let me tell you they have changed my life.

   My face was good before, I was still having some breakouts but it was nothing compared to before so I was happy, my face now is flawless. I can't even believe I can say that so I am going to write it again. My face is FLAWLESS. I get comments daily now on my face but it's how beautiful my complexion in. IT'S CRAZY! I can't help but laugh a little and think in my head "If you only knew what it looked like before!"

   As I have looked more and more into Young Living oils I have started using more and more of their oils and I have started really cleaning out my medicine cabinet and replacing everything with oils. I use them for migraines, I use them to help me sleep, if I feel a cold coming on I use them and it knocks them out, I even use the lemon oil in my water after I read a article on all of the gross crap that comes with that slice of lemon in your water. If you want you can read it here, gross. I have become and oil junkie and I choose Young Living because I know that it is quality oils from seed to seal, I know where the plants are grown, how they are cared for, how they are harvested, tested, and packaged. I trust Young Living. You can purchase directly from their website but please let them know that you found them from me by entering my member number when it asks for your Sponsor ID and Enroller ID by putting in my member number which is 1365808. I'm not going to lie, if you use my number I get points that I can then use to get free oils and who doesn't like free oils. Also if you sign up as a wholesale distributor YOU a discount and instead of paying $34.00 you will pay $26.00 and get 24% discount on all products. If you sign up as a wholesale distributor you have no obligation to sell anything at all, it just provides you with the discount and the option to sell if you would like to. There are two Melaleucas on their site, I use the Melaleuca Alterifolia Essential oil.

  Okay onto a few questions that I have gotten. Yes I still use the oils, just a better brand with better results. I do not use any lotions or creams or anything else on my face. Nothing. I don't wear much makeup so at night I can just splash some water on my face and it gets rid of most of it and the oils remove the rest.

I mix my oils with another oil and not a lotion because I want to use as few things on my face as possible and I especially don't want to use chemicals I can not pronounce. So I keep it simple, Melaleuca oil (tea tree) and Argan, that's it.

I have had some people ask if I have seen a dermatologist or tell me I should see one so let me clear that up. I did, I have been to 6 different ones in 3 different states. They each put me on different expensive medications. I have taken oral medications, daily antibiotics (that can't be good), gels, creams, one doctor had his own concoction that he hand made and mixed of all of this crazy stuff I don't remember what was in it besides sulfur (It smelled) several rounds of laser treatments that cost a fortune and none if it worked, and it was all outrageously expensive. Well it worked to and extent, my face was better on it than off but never completely clear of blemishes and never not flaming red and they left me with lizard skin which was just as unattractive. So I didn't just jump into this because I didn't feel like seeing a doctor, I started doing this because what they were doing wasn't working and I could no longer afford it.

With that all being said, I will post some new pictures! Oh and I dyed my hair red, which I had done before but it never really looked that great when it matched my face ;) Also I made a flyer, feel free to share it but please don't remove my information from it.

Answering a few popular questions.

 Look out two post in one night! So I have had a couple of people wanting to know what I am doing now face wise, what my routine is and ask if I can just put it all in a nutshell so they don't have to read all of these post. So here you go, the highlights:

I use a tea tree oil shampoo and conditioner by Natures Gate that I get a Whole Foods (it's also sulfate free)

I use Dr. Bronner's tea tree bar soap for my body and sometimes my face if it's feeling extra gross (I work with dogs now so that is pretty much every day).

I no longer use the wash that I did in the beginning of this journey.

I still use the 50/50 agran oil/tea tree oil mixture. I don't use it every day, I use it about every other day and my face is still good. It is the only moisturizer I use so if my face feels dry I use it. I'm not nearly as fanatical about it as I was in the beginning, I use to carry it with me and apply it several times a day now I am really lax about it.

I didn't start out with a 50/50 mix and I don't recommend anyone do so. I started with just a little tto to a lot of argan oil. I think it was like 5 parts argan to 1 part tto and slowly upped the tto. I took me about 2 weeks to get up to the 50/50 ratio. It was strong at first and tingled but now I don't feel it, I guess your face gets use to it. I would say if your face is really burning or dry you are using to much tea tree oil and you should dilute it more. More is not always better, especially if it is causing other issues. Just because my face could handle it that quick doesn't mean everyone's can and I would hate for you to give up just because you tried to rush it.

Yes I used my oil on my lashes and eyelids but I DO NOT recommend it to anyone. It BURNS and it could cause DAMAGE to your eyes. I didn't drench my eyes in it or anything, I would rub the oil all over my face and then just brush my fingers over my eyelids and lashes. Even just that tiny leftover oil BURNED. IT BURNS your eyes. I don't want to be responsible for anyone going blind or damaging their eyes.

I ran out of the tea tree oil for about 2 weeks and my face didn't freak out or anything. I did get 1, yes 1, pustule but that was it. I'm sure if I really quit using it all together my mites would begin to over populate and my face would return to it's former glory.

When I had really dry, flaky, lizard skin (it was bad) I used raw shea butter on it and it helped a lot. I am now a huge fan of shea butter and I slather it on my whole body. I made a bunch of shea butter body butters for friends and family for Christmas and they all loved them and apparently so did anyone they shared them with and I now sell my homemade body butters. I believe in the healing powers and moisturizing powers of shea butter. lol.

I still drink coke.

Highlights of the highlights. I still use my oil mixture just not as strict about it, I use tea tree oil shampoo, conditioner and soap. Start with a very diluted tea tree oil and work your way up, if it burns or is causing other issues it's to strong. There is no need to rush it to a certain ratio. I believe even just a little tto oil is still very effective. Shea butter is amazing for dry skin.

Thanks for all the positive feedback! It's nice to know that I'm not alone and that people actually get use out of my ramblings.

No Makeup Selfie Facebook trend.

   So I guess there is some new trend on Facebook where women are suppose to take a selfie with no makeup and post it for cancer awareness. (I personally preferred the cock in a sock trend but that's just me.) I have no idea what that has to do with cancer but I was tagged in a post and....I did it! Yep, I posted a makeup free picture of myself to my facebook! Now I know I have posted a ton of makeup free pictures here so it shouldn't be a big deal, but it was for me. No one in my personal life knows about this blog...no one. So when I type these post or put up these pictures I know people are seeing them, blogger tells me over 12,000 people have seen them (CRAZY!!), but it's all strangers. I can pretend that no one is really seeing them and I won't meet anyone who does anyways and not freak out so much about posting them. But now, now I have built up the confidence to actually show the world, or my world any ways, my face makeup free. I think a lot of it has to do with having "cured" my face (it will never be cured) and part of it is having posted other pictures of my face looking horrible out there for the world to see. I think having sucked it up and posting them on here has kinda ripped off that bandaid. So thanks!

   Another interesting thing I found with the no makeup selfie trend is how many women WILL NOT DO IT. Some of the most gorgeous women I know, will not do it. There are 2 women that refuse that I have never seen without makeup and I have known them for YEARS. And the thing is they are two of the prettiest women I know. I mean it's not like they are going to wash off the makeup and suddenly become Hoggle from the Labyrinth. I know makeup can hide a lot but it's not going to change you so drastically that people will now run and hide from you if you don't wear it. As a woman who has wanted to lock herself in her house I should be more understanding, I know, but I had a reason to want to hide, I had a medical condition that effected my appearance (I didn't get to hide anyways). These women have simply been told or taught somewhere along the line that they are not pretty enough or good enough just the way they are. They feel some kind of shame or embarrassment just for someone to see them. I wish I could say that they are the exception, but in fact they are the majority of women. Most women I know would never, ever, leave their house without makeup. Ever.

   I don't know, it really made me sad how many women are not comfortable in their own skin, and with their own beauty to go bare faced. Maybe I have always had a little more confidence than I realized, but more than likely it was more of a "I don't give a F**k" than confidence lol. I was raised by women who were all about natural beauty and didn't wear a lot of makeup. Pretty wasn't pushed on me, education was. I was also lucky to date guys who always told me I looked prettier without makeup.

 I just wish more women would realize how pretty they really are and that they don't need to hide behind a mask of makeup. I hope we can instill these thoughts in generations to come. We need to raise our daughters with the confidence we instill in our sons. I mean we told men to get naked with just a sock on their cock and they all jumped on board regardless of how big, small, hairy or whatever they are. You never have a hard time talking a guy into showing off his body and getting naked no matter what he looks like, they all have an amazing amount of self confidence that more women should have. I could walk into just about any bar and tell the guys to get naked and 99% would and have no problem doing it no matter what they look like. If I was to walk into a bar and tell all the women to wash their faces probably only about 10 % would. It's sad.

   Be proud women! You are beautiful... blemishes, red faced, flushes and all! The most attractive thing a woman can wear is self confidence.

Here is my Facebook no makeup selfie in case anyone was curious.

.

Super quick update!

   So I am just going to give a super quick update. My face has been really great. I haven't had a mite pustule in forever thank god, I do occasionally get a pimple, like a real pimple but that is just life. I do still have some mild redness on my face but the only thing that will help that will be lasers, I had my face zapped a few years ago and it helped and I need to do it again but it's not super bad so I am not really worrying about it yet. If I get hot or sick my face turns REALLY red, but other than that it's just a little flushed all the time. I got a job working at a doggy daycare which I love, I am still working on being a midwife. Other than that things are the same. I do plan on starting to work on other areas of myself like my weight. I'm not miserable with my body, I don't hate it, but I would like to be healthier and live a healthier life (I say this as I plan to stop at the store and grab a coke on my way to work -_-) I just really need to be healthier and losing weight wouldn't be a bad thing. I am FAR from skinny, but I'm okay with being fat, yes I said it I'm fat. So I would like to lost around 50 lbs even though according to BMI I need to lose like 70 to be on the high end. I am thinking about starting a blog to help me be accountable but we will see. Anyways back to the face, here are some pictures I just took. Still doing argan and tea tree oil, and occasionally if I get a zit a friend had some proactive stuff she didn't use anymore and I will use it as a spot treatment and it helps clear it up faster. It's still wierd to run my hands across my face and for it to be smooth. Especially since my nervous tick use to be picking (gross, I know). Okay off to the pictures! And yes I know for some reason I am giving major duck face, I have no excuse for it, I didn't even realize I was doing it. You can see I had a pimple right below the corner of my mouth but it's gone and healing now. At this moment I don't have a single pimple or bump, just healing remains. It blows my mind still.

Me blabbering about ....

      So I started to write this as a response to someone who has read my blog and thanked me and told me they were to shy to put up pictures. I have actually had a lot of people thanking me for the pictures and well, your welcome. When I was starting out I use to try to look at every picture I could find and try to compare my face to theirs, is mine worse, is their's worse, is their treatment working things like that. The frustrating part is we are all so ashamed of our faces none of us post pictures! I didn't find a whole lot of pictures besides the ones that doctors had taken or grainy pictures people took of their face in a current state asking for advice but not a whole lot. So when I decided to keep a journal taking those pictures wasn't easy...at all. At first I was just going to do it so I can see my progress and then I decided to post them so maybe I can help others. So once I decided I was going to post pictures on here, I wasn't going to show my whole face in case someone might know me or because I was embarrassed that's why my first pictures only show the bottom half of my face. Then I just said forget it, you know what it is what it is, maybe if the people in my life see what my face REALLY looks like they will understand it a little better. So that is where I am at today. This is my face, it's the only one I have, so deal with it and if my pictures help someone else great, I'm not going to lie it was and is really hard to put a picture of myself barefaced into the world but it's to late now! Sometimes it's just nice to see another face like yours and know that you are not the only person dealing with this. Well with that being said no one in my personal life knows about my blog... at all. To me pictures are everything, I get hope from visualization so when I was having a bad day I could look back and be like, well it could be worse.

           The hardest part of having rosacea for me is trying to explain rosacea to people that don't have it. They just don't get it! First they don't understand that it is physically painful, they just think you have pink rosy cheeks, it HURTS. Your face feels swollen and tight and it throbs and it feels like it has been in a meat grinder and it's hot, it's just miserable. I would put cold wet wash clothes on my face and it would feel soooo good. Also they don't get that it's your FACE. It's the first thing people see when they great you and meet you, it's the first impression you give, you can't hide it. You can try to hide it with makeup but you know that heavy makeup is just going to leave you in physical pain later because it's so harsh. It's just as much as an emotional/mental disease as it is physical and other people don't get it. The only people that will get it is others who are going through the same things. When I would get upset and not want to leave my house or cancel plans with friends I would get unsympathetic response of "It's just your face...get over it" I got tired of hearing that. It's easy for others to say because their insecurities can be hidden, their flaws are not on display. So that is where the blog name came from. Every single day, EVERY day, at least one (usually more) person would tell me I look flush or like I got sun or how rosy my cheeks are or ask if I was feeling ok or if I had a fever. I was so sick of it I wanted to just wear a shirt that said "yes my face is red, thanks for pointing it out I would have never known". If someone is really fat people don't point it out, if they are going bald they don't point it out but people have no problem pointing out your face. It is just plain rude.

      So basically that whole rant was to say this. Thank you for reading my blog, thank you for the support and encouragement and all the kind words. I hope if you find this and feel like you are all alone and don't plan on leaving your house ever again you can realize you are not! There are other people out their suffering and hurting physically and emotionally and it can get better! Sorry about typos and shit not making sense, I never re-read before posting (I should) or spell check. I basically have used this as a journal and just let things spill out as they come. Probably explains why things are so all over the place. So yeah, that's it for tonight! I think I will post again tomorrow.

Oh yeah

    So when I did my update I forgot to mention that not only has my skin been looking great but I have also been putting it through hell. Living in New Orleans we have a lot of social clubs and krewes and groups and I joined one! I am a member of a bone krewe called Skinz N Bonez. Anyways, we dress up as dia de los muertos or day of the dead for events and parades and such, and being in New Orleans we have a bunch of these types of events. So what does this have to do with my face? I have been putting it through hell with all of the makeup and glue and glitter and it has been staying pretty consistent. I get a pimple every now and then but who wouldn't with all of this. So here is a few pictures of the things I have been putting my face through.

Long over due update.

   Sorry for anyone that has been waiting for an update, life has been super busy with school and trying to find steady work and apprenticeship and well....just life. So I have just been using the tea tree soap to bathe with and the tea tree oil/argan oil mixture once a day before bed. My redness has DRASTICALLY reduced, I don't really get pustules anymore, I actually can't think of the last time I got one. I do get pimples now and then and actually just had two right next to each other on my lip so it looked like one GIGANTIC zit. Just in time for the holidays! So that is basically been it, my face has been such a none issue lately it's amazing, especially since it had been a battle for YEARS and was ruining my life. It still blows my mind that a bottle of oil I bought for 10 dollars months ago was the answer all along. Okay on to the pictures. You will see that I have the large double decker pimple healing on my lip, it's going away now, but other than that no blemishes.

Finally an update!

So sorry I haven't done an update in a while. Life has been insane to say the least. I got laid off from work, and been trying to get money for school and life has just been crazy stressful. The one thing that hasn't been stressful is my face. It hasn't been perfect but it is soooo much better than it once was. I still get a pimple  or two and every once and a while I can feel a mite crawling around but my face looks just as good now as it ever did on prescription meds. It's a lot less red but if you look close at my face the red is little spider veins that need to be zapped again. I tried to take a picture up close so you can see. So I am still not "washing" my face, just rinsing with water and putting the Argan oil/Tea Tree Oil on before bed at night. My face isn't dry at all anymore it feels soft and it's not dry or flaky at all and it's not oily either. No more lizard skin. I know it sounds crazy to NOT wash your face but I think the oils are strong enough to cleanse it and my pores have shrunk a lot on my nose. If I am wearing makeup I will use Clinique makeup remover for heavy makeup (I have been doing trial runs for Halloween) or just those little disposable wipes you can get and I just use those on my eyes, the oil takes of the rest of my makeup. I'm really surprised that my face has stayed so happy because I have been being kind of harsh to it the last week. I have been practicing Halloween makeup and doing trial runs to see what will work. With all of that make up on and off I thought for sure I was going to have a face freak out, especially with all the stress, but nope. So I am going to load a bunch of pictures on here. My face today, a kind of journey collage and a side by side of what I think is my lowest point and now and just for fun some of the makeup stuff I have been doing so you can see how I am putting my skin to the test. I have not given up my coke or gone gluten free but I have been eating MUCH healthier and a mostly plant based diet, I have meat here and there, mostly seafood. Anyways on to the pictures

Day....I lost count, since June 2013.

Worst and now side by side

Day 49, looking good!

   Sorry again about not really keeping up with this like I should. I have been working 12 hour shifts for the last 5 days. I'm exhausted. Anyways, my face is looking really good, redness is minimal, no new pustules or pimples and the old ones are gone and healing. I'm sure they would heal faster if I would just leave them alone and quick picking at my face. I need to put a rubber band on my wrist and snap myself every time I catch myself doing it. Oh, all of the dry skin is gone, it is all soft and smooth again.

   So as of now I am not washing my face with anything, I use the oils to remove makeup and everything but I try not to wear makeup which I can do once again and not hide my face in shame. I put on the TTO/Agran mixture each night before work and I bring a little bottle with me and if I feel any creepy crawly I put more one. I haven't felt any in about two days so that is good. I drink the borax when I think about it, it's not something I do religiously or anything. I am about to attempt a 10 day juice fast starting on August 2nd. That will be interesting. After that I plan on maintaining a mostly plant based diet. Okay on to the pictures. God these look like prison mugshots. I swear I have not taken a decent picture, or maybe I really do just look this bad. LOL. Anyways, soon I am going to do another side by side so you can see how far my face has come just using tto.

Day 49

Day 44.

   Sorry I have been really busy with work and clinical for school so I haven't had much time to write. Not to much has changed with my face, it's not as nice as it once was but I am still in that second outbreak period so I hope once this is over, it's over for good. My face isn't nearly as red but I do still get some breakouts but not nearly as bad. I have been feeling the creepy little suckers move again so they are definitely hatching and making a return, then dying hence the breakouts. As long as they keep dying that is all that matters. I am still using just the tea tree/argan oil mixture on my face and nothing else. My skin is finally getting over being dry again and is soft and smooth once more. That is really nice, I think I hate the dry flaky skin more than the break out. So that is about all right now. Starting August 2nd I will be doing a juice fast and then returning to my mostly plant based diet and I am hoping it will have a positive effect on not just my body and health but also my skin. Ok now I will shut up and post some pictures.

Day 44

Day 37. Looking good.

   So my face is looking better and better. I still have some dry spots left from the nu-stock but they are getting smaller and smaller and my soft skin is coming back. My face is getting less red by the day. I am almost back to the point of being okay to leave my house without makeup again. I mean my skin is leaps and bounds better than it was.

   So I am still not using soap on my face or any face cleansing products, just oil to clean it. I think the tto is strong enough and it removes make up really well. I have noticed that all of the blackheads and large pores on my nose that I have had since puberty started are really shrinking, some I can't even see. It's pretty amazing. I am still putting honey on my face is it feels really tight and dry and I have been putting shea butter on my face when I think about it and I am at home.

   Okay as for pictures, I took a few in the car when I was waiting for the ferry this morning on my way home from work. They lighting was good but I am wearing some makeup but it's 12 hours old and mostly worn off. I took a few more when I got home and took off the makeup and I took a few close ups of the dry scaly skin so you can see what I am talking about. It is almost gone now, it was a lot worse. I think in a few more days it will be all gone. Sorry the close ups are gross but everything about mites living in your skin and rosacea is kinda gross.

Day 37

Day 35. Getting better

   Sorry it has been a busy few days. My face is getting better, I did have a few pustules pop back up but they are already going away. The hives from the nu-stock are going away too which is awesome. My face doesn't itch anymore which is the biggest relief. My face is still a little sunburned looking but that is getting better and I can cover it with makeup but I am hoping it will go away like it did eventually after I used it the first time. Right now I am back in lizard mode with the flaky scaly skin. It is really annoying because it feels like a coat of armor that nothing can penetrate and no matter what I put in it never feels hydrated and when I do have makeup on to cover the redness you can literally see dry scales on my face. I am hoping like along with the redness this to shall go away like it did the last time I used nu-stock.

   Other than that my face looks pretty decent. I have a few little blemishes but even those are healing and going away. Crossing my fingers that my face goes back to how it was a week ago soon. It was so nice. I really have no reason to think that it won't especially since I KNOW it is possible. Okay on to the pictures. Sorry for the dead look, I had just woken up and was running late. I swear I really need to take a decent picture of me one of these days and post it.

Day 35

Sorry everyone.

   So I am still sick, I think it's mostly severe allergies but I haven't really dragged myself out of bed much. Stuffy nose, head congestion, clogged ears the works. When I start feeling better I will keep updating. Right now everything is still looking good. I still look like the last pictures, no p&p, face is not perfectly pale but as close to it as my face gets due to broken blood vessels on my cheeks, only lasers will help that. Still just doing the tea tree/argan oil at night and the internal borax once a day. My face is really soft and smooth and not dry at all which is amazing. Even when my face was clear on the oreacea it was still really dry. My face feels so soft I just want to rub all the time and my mom will be like "was does your face feel like now? can I touch it?" LOL. She knows how bumpy and dry and gross it felt before, sometimes like sandpaper. I think she is pretty surprised by it all too. Okay, I am going back to bed. I will hopefully feel better and update soon. 

Day 27, Happy 4th of July!

Okay, sorry I haven't updated, still sick but getting better. I was actually able to get out of bed and take a few pictures to post today. Still doing just the 50/50 argan oil/ tea tree oil at night before bed but that is all I have been doing the last few days. I was a little scared my skin was going to revolt but it hasn't. I keep waiting for it to explode on me, like a ticking time bomb but it just keeps getting better. I almost feel like if I talk about how good my skin is looking that it will explode on me. That and I am still having a hard time wrapping my head around the face that cheap over the counter stuff has made my face look better than it ever has. Ever. My texture is looking great, it's smoothing out. Not a single pustule and my pimples are healing and I don't have any new ones, my face is slightly pink by with a little makeup it's normal. It's pretty fucking amazing. Okay I am going to post picture and go back to bed. Full face and close ups. Happy 4th of July.

Day 27