Having shared some personal bits and bobs over the last few posts, I’m thinking its time to tackle something a little more positive and productive. Skincare is one of my favourite hobbies. Now I know it sounds weird but its something that has helped me over the last few years. From about the age of 15, I suffered with teenage acne. Like most teens will know, its brutal in so many ways and effects your confidence and your ability to feel good about yourself. Back in my day (I know I'm old) we didn’t have influencers making this sort of thing feel normal or dare I say, even beautiful. Today there is a multitude of gorgeous people embracing and showcasing acne in a much more positive light , one of the great things that came from the internet! There is also a lot more on offer in the way of treatment and understanding about the cause and effect. As you would have probably already guessed, I didn’t have a nurturing mother who jumped in to help with skincare problems either, so I did what many did back then and covered it up with as much makeup I could afford. Yes, before you say it... it made it much worse but I wasn’t to know back then. As I matured, my skin didn’t get much better. Hormonal breakouts, boils and pitting still plagued me. It wasn’t until I hit my 30s and started watching tutorials on the internet that I started getting interested in trying to repair my skin. It quickly became a obsession. Any spare money I had went on creams and ointments and I wanted to try them all. I also started washing my face and removing makeup every night without fail. My skin was improving and because of this, I became even more obsessed. In order to try some of the more expensive options, I would buy samples then if I liked the results, I would save to buy the bigger versions. Problem was, I was buying so much I never got to the end of a bottle. So many skin products were being released and I wanted to keep up, I had to have the new ones because they promised to be better then the last. All my Facebook and Instagram feed was adverts for ground-breaking skin care, guaranteed to make you feel incredible and when you have hated your skin for as long as I have, that was irresistible. Looking back now, I’m actually horrified at myself. Blindly believing in all the promises made in adverts. I never once looked up the ingredients, studies or side effects. It also never crossed my mind that my improvement could possibly just be down to the fact I was washing my face religiously and moisturising regularly. I was still experiencing breakouts but they weren’t as bad and didn’t last as long. Last year I was scrolling through tiktok and a lady called Barbara O’Neil popped up talking about the benefits of caster oil on the skin. One of the problems I have suffered with is milia (small white bumps on the skin) and Barbara was explaining that caster oil is great at breaking down lumps under the skin. Given that caster oil is about £10 a bottle it was an affordable option to try and the fact it was a natural product interested me. I wasn’t hopeful, I had tried creams that cost £200+ a jar (it was gifted it by someone who worked for Estee lauder) and I have an oily skin type so didn’t think that it was the best idea id ever had. Even after being warned on the internet not to jump right in with caster oil as it can have side effects itself, I smothered my face in it every night. Luckily I had no side effects but after about day 3 I started to see a difference in my skin texture and how makeup sat on my skin. A week later and some of the milia had gone and my skin was looking really hydrated. This wasn’t actually working right? I told myself I was just having a good skin moment. When it came to my time of the month, I normally knew a few days beforehand because my skin would breakout and look super dry (even though I have oily skin 99% of the time) but not one breakout. Straight onto google and surprised myself at how much information there was on using all natural products on the skin. The more I read, the more shocked at some of the ingredients in the products I had been using and how many people were now converting to natural products because of the horrific side effects. Formaldehyde, a known carcinogen, paraformaldehyde, a type of formaldehyde, methylene glycol, a type of formaldehyde, quaternium 15, which releases formaldehyde, mercury, which can damage the kidneys and nervous system, dibutyl and diethylhexyl phthalates, which disrupt hormones and damage the reproductive system, isobutyl and isopropyl parabens, which disrupt hormones and harm the reproductive system to name a few! I spent the next few weeks looking for social media users who were doing the same thing and there were many. Of course I wanted to try more, caster oil was great but its sticky, didn’t smell nice and not the most sexy look for an evening. There were other options and people online were making there own so that’s exactly what I did. Looking up carrier oils, herbs and essential oils as I went. It was so simple and cost loads less then the brands I had been using. The effect it was having on my skin was amazing and I even started making some for the family too. No cream I have ever tried has ever made my skin feel this healthy and considering I turn 38 this year and have had a significant weight loss recently, that’s not bad.
Its been nearly a year since I started on my natural skin journey and I can safely say, I will never buy another skin care products from a brand in my life. My bathroom cupboards are filled with natural products like rose water, aloe vera gel, shea butter and jars of home made, toxic free concoctions. Its changed the game for us in regards to skin care. My wife Ally has psoriasis and super sensitive skin and vitamin e oil has been a blessing. We also now use oils on my younger daughter who also suffers with sensitive skin and due to her additional needs, makes her face sore with repetitive touching on her face. I wish we had known sooner of all the benefits of using natural products and what sort of chemicals were allowed to be put into branded products (even in the children’s). It has led me to question other important areas in our life like pharmaceuticals, cleaning products and food. I am now looking into natural alternatives for almost everything (ill save this for another time). My eyes are being opened to the conditioning we have been subjected to in the media and online. Something is shifting in the world and people are waking up and realising what’s on offer from mother nature.
Massive thank you to @yourmategingerkate on instagram and Tiktok for all the guidance and giggles along the way. If your looking for inspiration, she is your lady!
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