I cheated....

.... on the oil cleansing method.

I was faithful for weeks, but earlier this week, frustrated with my break-outs, I got in the shower and scrubbed with my Philosophy microdelivery cleanser.

But oh, how I regret my transgression. Immediately upon exiting the shower, my face felt dry and tight. I had to race to apply moisturizer to make it feel normal again.

So I declare, right now, I will not cheat again.

My skin is broken out right now, which is frustrating. Ever since I delivered my second child (nearly TWO years ago, mind you) my skin has been misbehaving. I had flawless skin for years after taking Accutane (yes, that Accutane - the one with the lawyers telling me to sue them because it gave me Crohn's Disease or some other terrible ailment - but it didn't). I remember buying concealer to have on my wedding day, just in case, because I didn't own any. I guess all my smugness of having flawless skin and never needing more than a swipe of powder and some mascara on my face caught up with me because I currently have the skin of a teenager. Not just any teenager - teenage ME.

I used Proactiv for years after I had my first child and it helped a lot, so I used it through my second pregnancy and afterwards... but the thing is, it's kind of expensive. I have to buy it online or at the mall. Plus, I wanted something more natural, since all I've done is put chemicals on my face (and in my body, in the case of the Accutane) since I started puberty.

I heard the Oil Cleansing Method mentioned on a message board and it linked to a thread on an acne website - sounds promising, right? People claimed their skin felt amazing and they didn't have to use moisturizer (bonus!) Since I have been trying (mostly unsuccessfully) to green our lives for the past year or two, I decided to try it. I went to the organic store (shout-out to Mom's Organic Market of Columbia!) and picked up Castor oil, Jojoba oil, Grapeseed oil, and Tea Tree Oil. I had a small container from a wipes solution, so I cleaned it out and filled it with the oils (yeah, reusing - one of the 3Rs!). I kind of eyeballed it to be honest, but I was going for about 70% Castor oil, 15% Jojoba, and 15% Grapeseed, with a few drops of Tea Tree because it's supposed to help with problem skin.

I shook it up and rubbed it all over my face. It was... greasy. It felt slimy. It just seemed... wrong. I persevered, dampening a towel with hot water and laying it over my face to steam open my pores (I just typed "poors" which is an indication that I shouldn't be making blog posts this late at night). After a couple minutes I wiped the oil off and my skin felt.... normal. It wasn't tight and it wasn't greasy. I wouldn't say it was GLOWING as many people rave, but it felt clean, and smooth, and I didn't have to put any moisturizer on.

So I continued, and I was doing well until the Philosophy Incident. I don't blame Philosophy, it's not their fault they make such a nice, scrubby soap that feels so nice on your skin and kind of wakes you up in the morning. The thing is, after a few days of doing OCM, you get used to your skin feeling balanced when you're done cleaning it, and if you use any "regular" cleansers on your skin, it feels dry because it stripped all the good oils out of your face in the process of cleaning it.

Anyway, my skin has been badly broken out for about a week. I did use the clay mask (see last week's post, with photos!) and that could have brought all this new, under-the-skin type stuff to the surface. This weekend I mixed the clay mask with honey which made a lovely mask that doesn't get nearly as hard on your face - but honey is also designed to cleanse your pores, so who knows. I have been using tea tree oil on my face at night to try and clear up the acne, and I may need to adjust the oils in my OCM to better suit my face. I don't have all the answers yet, but I know that if I don't try OCM for at least 12 weeks, I can't really form an informed opinion on the subject.

So, for a few more weeks at least, I will continue putting oil on my face. No cheating, I promise. I currently do not need a moisturizer. If I wash my face at night, I just splash it with some warm water in the shower in the morning. I do use Philosophy's "The Present" clear make-up to even out my skin tone, so I guess *technically* that's a moisturizer, but I don't need it to make my skin feel balanced, so it doesn't count.... right?

I hope to update in a few weeks that my skin is flawless. Either way, I'll update and post my final decision - will I continue OCM or return to conventional products (which will likely be Proactiv)?

...stay tuned!

All-Natural Skincare - Aztec Indian Healing Clay

Wow, it's been a while since I posted - did you miss me?

Well, I'm back because I'm really excited about all-natural skincare and I had to share. About a month ago I read an article about the Oil Cleansing Method and decided to try it. This opened up a whole new world of homemade skincare products (and quite a few trips to Mom's Organic Market for oils and other fun things).

During my most recent trip I came across Aztec Indian Healing Clay. I have been reading about clay over on Crunchy Betty (an AWESOME blog for natural skincare and cleaning) and the price was right so I picked up a jar, as well as a bottle of Apple Cider Vinegar. The instructions on the clay says to mix equal parts clay + vinegar, put it on your face for 15-20 minutes. Just for fun, I snapped pictures, because what fun is a blog without pictures?


Here I am with my lovely greenish clay face. Hot, right? It gets hard pretty quickly which makes it hard to finish drinking your glass of wine, so I suggest you a) use a straw or b) chug it within the first five minutes of applying the mask.


Anyway, I flipped the TV to a new 16 & Pregnant so I ended up leaving it on a little long. It got really hard and was a little difficult to wipe off, but I soaked a washcloth with hot water, held it to my face for a few seconds, then wiped. The result? I was a little red. Like, I looked like I spent a little too much time in Ocean City without sunscreen.

Don't worry though! The website says that's normal (phew!). My face felt really clean. To moisturize, I coated my face in a thin layer of Jojoba oil, my current favorite oil - it's really smooth on your skin, soaks in quickly, and doesn't feel really greasy. I use it in my oil for my OCM too (more on that in a later post).

I went to bed and when I woke up in the morning, no more red face! If I look tired, it's because I haven't had my coffee yet and my kids probably woke me up at 6 am. (yawn)


The verdict? Well, my skin is broken out right now, so I can't really tell you. Did it pull everything to the surface? I think it definitely did, but now I have to get it cleared up. I'm also in week 4 of OCM which is when it seems people start to break out, so who knows what's causing it. I plan to continue my natural skincare routine for at least another month or two to see if it really works. I LOVE how my face feels with OCM so if I can clear up the break-outs, I'm keeping it for good.

This clay has great reviews on Amazon (and everything on the internet is true, right?). I'm also planning to use it on my arms for my KP (keratosis pilaris) - I'm honestly willing to try anything to clear that up in time for summer!

I'll update in a week or two to let you know how things are going with my face. In the meantime, check out their website for more recipes - I think I might try the honey mask next. I've been doing a weekly honey mask so why not mix it all together?

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year from Reluctantly Green!

I know we have been MIA recently, but I hope you all had a great holiday season. I would like to make a few resolutions for our family this year.

1) Meal Plan
Meal planning is a great way to save money and prevent waste. Typically we go to the grocery store, fill up our cart, and then come home and figure out what to make. It usually involves running back to the store to buy more ingredients, then leaving unused items in the refrigerator to go bad before we can use them. This year, we will try to sit down together once a week, plan our meals, and make a grocery list accordingly. Hopefully this will reduce our waste and our food budget.

2) Be Active
As a family, especially in the winter, we tend to all do our own thing that usually involves sitting around and watching TV or playing video games. This year, I would like us to do something active as a family at least once or twice a week. It's important for me to set a good example for my kids, and my current sedentary lifestyle is not really doing that! Personally, I plan to try to get into an exercise routine by working out 3 days a week.

I think two goals is manageable for our family. My son loves to cook, so I think letting him be involved in making dinner and planning family activities will be a great way to teach him how to live a healthy lifestyle (one that doesn't involve crash dieting and crazy work-outs to lose weight!).

Wishing you a happy, healthy new year!
Rachel