Darier's White Disorder and wearing COVID-19 face masks

I have been seeing some people talk about how they hate that their new mask wearing routine is making their DWD freak out! I have been having a good reaction to Kiehls Ultra Face Cream and SoonJung creams (as mentioned in a previous blog). It feels nice, no burn, and has really helped create a barrier to the friction of the mask.

Here is more on them:

https://www.etudehouse.com/int/en/index.php/collections/soonjung.html


https://www.kiehls.ca/en/skincare/category/moisturizers/ultra-facial-cream-622.html



And from that time I talked about Black African Soap: http://fightagainstdariersdisease.blogspot.com/2020/02/trying-african-black-soap.html

And that time I talked about trying Korean Beauty Products: http://fightagainstdariersdisease.blogspot.com/2020/01/while-in-korea-beauty-and-skin-products.html

Trying African Black Soap: For acne and Darier's White Disorder

Fun fact: going off pill form birth control and onto a dipped IUD has changed the way my body deals with my hormones and that means my DWD has changed over the past few years, but recently it has changed AGAIN - but it's not exactly the Darier's that's upsetting... it's ACNE?! 

I'm too old for this crap!

I asked my dermatologist what a raw, red, crusted (sounds like DWD!) but with white heads was all about and she confirmed my suspicion: that's not a break out that's acne. GREAT.

So I leaned into some postings in the Darier's White Facebook Group about African Black Soap, this is the one I found and used:

From Mama's Life Product's website:

What it does

Helps remove scars, suitable for all skin types, assists in removing makeup, delays aging of skin, and removes extra oil from skin, excellent for razor bumps and in-grown hairs. Rich in Vitamins A, E & Iron, Revered for having skin nourishing benefits due to an abundance of antioxidants.

How to use it

You can use the Black Soap for showering, bathing, washing your hands, hair and face. Take the Black Soap apart and knead it into a ball to make sure there aren’t any jagged edges, and rub between hands to work into lather.

Key Ingredients & Benefits

100% Unrefined Raw Shea Butter: Shea Butter can be used to treat all of the following skin conditions: Dry Skin, Eczema, Infant Eczema, Stretch Mark Prevention & Minimization, Psoriasis, Arthritis & Rheumatism, Wrinkle Prevention, Diaper Rash, Muscle Fatigue, Scar Minimization & Skin Discolorations, Dry Hair & Scalp and as a natural shaving agent. Shea Butter has been used for centuries for its amazing abilities to renew, repair, and protect the skin. Shea Butter helps to alleviate eczema, soothes sunburn, minimizes stretch marks, long lasting moisturizer, rich in vitamin E, A, and F.

Roasted Plantain Skin: Helps to remove foreign objects and particles from the body. Relieves sunburn, Helps to heal from insect bite, Aids in quicker healing of wounds, Lowers chance of scarring, Treats acne and Rosacea.

Cocoa Pod: Antioxidants, Helps reduce stretch marks, Hydrates skin deeply, Sensitive skin healer.

Coconut Oil: Vitamin E, Assist In Anti-Aging, Rich In Protein, Tissue Repair, Excellent Moisturize For Dry And Hard Skin, Excellent Exfoliant.

Palm Oil: Contains vitamin E, Great anti aging product, Helps skin fight free radicals that damage skin, Deep cleansing, Helps in prevention of skin inflammation.

---

Ingredient List: Roasted Plantain skin, cocoa pod, palm kernel oil, coconut oil, palm oil, Shea butter.

Scent: Unscented

I'm in! So I tried it for a week and I am HOOKED:

It definitely helped my raw irritated facial skin; it dried it out without making it sore and itchy. I found that doing it before bed with the Vitamin A cream worked best (in the morning I used my sensitive astringent and a moisturizer **it could be that it's winter here or just the fact that I'm using soap for the first time in ever on my face like this but my skin is thirsty for a good moisturizer. So far I'm making do with the leftovers from Korea but I will need a replacement soon! Something heavy but not oily or perfumed.... I also still did my used coffee grounds as a scrub 2x this week, and avoided the chin area/went over it lightly as it hurt so much.

No makeup in my pictures, and they were taken after washing my face with the soap. The lights are so bright that you don't really get to see how red and raw it was. 

I am going to keep this for a while and I think once my Aveeno sensitive skin wash runs out I may switch to this as an all around body wash too (though I will have to secure a good body lotion as it is drying) any suggestions on what you use for body lotion and facial moisturizer is welcome! Leave me a comment to tell me what works for you! 

While in Korea... Beauty and Skin Products from abroad

SO I recently went on a trip to South Korea and I experienced their OBSESSION with skin care. For those that live in Ontario you will understand when I say: take all the Starbucks and Tim Hortons and change those into makeup and beauty stores = that's Seoul, South Korea. They were EVERYWHERE. My travel partner and I pretty much went into every one of them (she was fascinated with their products and became a little obsessive herself!)

Now people around me know I have a skin disorder so she knew I wouldn't have as much fun playing potions class in every Etude House we came across. But I was willing to try things that were for sensitive skin... and a face mask or two because they just looked lovely! I tried a tea tree oil mask and I have to say it was GREAT! Take a look:

It was super hydrating and cooling and I never had a breakout or irritated skin after. I liked them so much I got a second pack of them to take home. Roberta, my travel buddy and makeup Yoda, recommends doing them every week (or every other week if that sounds too much to someone like me!)

I have also been trying their SoonJung line and so far after a week no bad reactions and no irritation.

I also picked up one of these (well not this exact one, I bought mine for about $3 in a Daiso in Seoul...) 

And it's a great way to not use pad products/something reusable and better for the environment PLUS it just uses warm water to take off your makeup. For me, less is better with my skin, so to just use water or a tiny bit of light soap like Neutrogena Naturals is great. I highly recommend adding this to your arsenal!

I will repost on more of the products I'm using from Korea, but so far I like how light and non-irritating they are. The makeup all include SPF too which is a necessity with me being a ginger (and the DWD). The ones I am looking forward to are: Baking Powder cleanser, more sheet masks, and this Face Blur.

Having DWD means I deal with a lot more redness and spot treatment than most, and sometimes all the products can be overwhelming so I often just... don't do anything. But it's fun to play with makeup again and build confidence around looking "pretty". It's not an everyday thing for me but having healthy skin should be - I am looking forward to learning how to clean and hydrate my skin in a helpful way as I age with DWD.

UPDATE JAN 23 2020 - I have been back for almost two weeks and I LOVE that face pad, it has become a daily ritual and so great. The SoonJung line has been nice but not exactly an improvement, but still nicely hydrating and not irritating me. The Baking Powder foam cleanser stung the first time I tried it so I steered clear of it since. The sheet masks are still my #1 favourite from this trip!

Yes to... carrots?!

In a search to find products that are less irritant - read: less chemicals and more organic/natural - a friend who has been having skin issues since the birth of her son found this:

http://www.yestocarrots.com/ingredients.html

She swears by it now. I have yet to try it but it looks promising (as long as I don't use the ones with actual carrots!)

Have you found something that works for you?

Long time no see!

A follower of my blog contacted me to see what was up! I have been MIA since October 2013.

I wish I could say it was because I had nothing to write about: that I had no flares and no symptoms. The answer is I have been overly focused on two things:

One is my show that I am producing and it has devoured my life. Take a look at the website and reels I created:

www.everythingbutthecat.net

Next, I set out to plan the bestest vacation with my bestest girlfriends. I hadn't been on vacation since 2011. It was time to pack up and get out of town: to Europe!
http://www.tumblr.com/blog/smashingtriotakeseurope


Since Europe disrupted my eating patterns (I am really sensitive to the carrot family and I'm allergic to dairy from cows...) I had one of the worst flare ups ever.

To combat this I had to make sure the SPF was at 50, drink plenty of water, and of course try for a normal diet as per my stomach.

I'm trying to find new ways to be gentle to my insides and outsides, as a recent trip to my dermatologist (an annual check-in because they know nothing to help me except for those terrible overly expensive creams that only irritate my skin) I realized I have been eliminating chemicals from my beauty regime.

You can look back to old posts, but basically I have been doing baking soda and used coffee grounds as a cleanser and exfoliate. Yes I use scent and fragrance free Aveeno and Garnier cleansers too, in rotation, but I want to lessen that too.

Check this out: http://www.ewg.org/skindeep/   you can find your beauty products on the Environmental Working Group to see how hazardous it is to you and the earth. Hidden lead in your lipstick? Chemicals you didn't think existed in your foundation? This will help you find what is triggering your flare ups!

This will be an endeavor, I know. But the research and due diligence you do now will be worth years of flare-up free skin :)

Let me know what gems you find and what are you using to combat and soothe your skin.

Natural Face Scrubs

I am sick of buying tiny tubes for a ba-jillion dollars only to have my sensitive skin hate me for doing so in the long run. For a while I was making do with Neutragena Face Scrub for sensitive skin - but it wasn't exactly helping, but it wasn't exactly making me break out so I was okay with using it. Once it ran out last week I made a vow to start trying some of the DIY face scrubs I keep seeing on Pinterest (follow me if you like!)

So I tried the olive oil + sugar (at the bottom of that info-graphic) scrub and it left me very sad... The olive oil is so thick and unforgiving that it was clogging my pores instantly. It's supposed to be nurturing and make you silky smooth! Not for me! I broke out on my nose and cheek bones after that for days! NEVER AGAIN!

Next I wanted to try something without oil in it. I came upon this website: http://voices.yahoo.com/homemade-coffee-face-mask-scrub-8051090.html 

It had just coffee grinds and honey as the ingredients. Well well well - I just happen to have that in my pantry every day! Like it says on the website: if you drink coffee in the morning, you then have the perfect grinds to use for a scrub! I cheated as I only had a bit of grinds in my french press (and the espresso grind was a good bet so its not too big and coarse for your skin) and so I may have cheated a bit on the ratio but the results were still fab...

The scrub on ma face

After the scrub: a lil pink is okay!

     

The coffee grounds and honey
A lil wet but it made no difference and the Vitamin A post-scrub cream (top)

I used 1 tbsp of unpasteurized honey  + left overs from one cup of coffee espresso grind  ----->
(**note - they were German Chocolate Cake Dark Roast and left my skin smelling like CAKE! LOVE!)

I rubbed for a minute or two then left it on for another 5 minutes (the website says leave it up to 15 minutes but I'm always wary of length due to sensitivity...)

Then splash it away, dab the water, and MAN did it feel GLORIOUS! 
Then I added my Vitamin A cream all over my face and neck after.

My face feels so GOOD. It doesn't feel ouchy or burnt or gross (like with the olive oil) 
Now to see if I break out over the next few days...

Anything working for you?

I want to try oatmeal and coconut oil in some sort of scrub - I hear both are very good for our sensitive skin!

**note post-posting this: talking to a friend and she swears by coffee scrubs. She says she can keep her scrub a week (no refrigeration required) if it's kept in an airtight container (ziplock or jar) for about a week. But I like the idea of making it on demand. A lil FYI for your DIY ;)

2018 UPDATE: I have been using JUST used coffee grinds, no honey or oil, just the grinds every time I have a shower (ies easier to get it off my face and not all over the bathroom that way) I found the added oil or honey was just too much for my skin. I keep my used coffee grinds in a tiny mason jar sealed tight on my shower caddy between uses. Works like a charm! And yes, German Chocolate Cake is still my favourite :)