Which products can help me and my troubled skin?

Hello Everyone, 

I am sure you are not aware of this, but to let you all know I am addicted to products. I love over the counter goodness as well as anything scripted.  I have gotten Botox but only in the forehead I would not say I have gone crazy as of yet.  I would do plastic surgery, under two conditions; 1) I must have a great surgeon, my definition of great is one in which I have seen their work, and heard testimonials from the patients that they are pleased with the work, 2) Time- recovery time is crucial and it cannot be rushed. You can have a great surgery, go home, and do one little thing and completely ruin what was just done, and yes it is that simple, one wrong move and you can mess it all up.  If you are going to do the surgery make sure you have the time off to do nothing but recover. A good month is needed from personal experience.  I had three brachial plasts but I will tell that story another day. Back to my love of products.

I will admit I am addicted to lotions, potions, creams, soaps etc.. You name it; I will bet I have probbaly tried it and know a great place (lower prices) to get it. There is only one thing I enjoy more than getting new products and that is getting new products for nothing or next to nothing (any good deals I find I will post on here as well).

 Before I get started I would really like for anyone reading this to know what my motivations is for creating this blog and postings and why it is important to me. I have two main reasons the first being personal experience as I grew up struggling with skin issues- Hidradenitis suppurativa (hi-drad-uh-NIE-tis sup-yoo-ruh-TIE-vuh).  Hidradenitis suppurativa  is a chronic skin condition that features pea-sized to marble-sized lumps under the skin. The lumps associated with hidradenitis suppurativa can be extremely painful (THEY ARE VERY PAINFUL) and may break open and drain foul-smelling pus. In many cases, tunnels connecting the lumps will form under the skin. Hidradenitis suppurativa tends to start after puberty, persist for years and worsen over time. Early diagnosis and treatment of hidradenitis suppurativa can help manage the symptoms and prevent new lesions from developing. 
For anyone who suffers from this, I am sure if aware this is not exactly true as I know of no one who has been able to prevent new lesions from forming unless you have your sweat glands removed, and in very rare cases surgeons will agree to do the surgery.

The second reason is because of my sister who has lupus and the issues she is currently struggling with.  I believe my sister is suffering from Morgellons disease. I know very little about this condition but it has caused a lot of damage.  I will discuss this more at a later time, as I want to keep these blogs short. and to the point.  I am aware people lose interests quickly, and unless I am showing nudity on here, or something or similar entertainment value, most people will not make it to the end of this blog.  I will touch on these topics in more detail at a later time. My intent was to explain my motivation. I wanted to be clear on the why, hoping that my openness would demonstrate my motivation and possibly create a little trust when it comes to discussing products and cool stuff like that.

Will be reviewing Burt's Bees, Dr, Woods, Dr. Bonners, Shea Moisture, and Nubian soaps and lotions.  These will actually help with different skin conditions.


What does hidradenitis suppurativa look like? 
Photos from internet giving you different images as it can appear different. I can relate to these people, as I know how bad this is, I had surgery about 13 years ago.

Let's begin with a cleanse Diatomaceous earth

Today will be Day one of beginning the new regiment. Not only will I be trying out a new product line- beautify myself, but before I start I plan to cleanse myself so this should be real good.
I plan to start tonight once I get home, so I am excited.  Some of you may choose to follow up, if you are considering it, then just decide you will, I promise to do something stupid or destructive.
FYI- I will be adding Diatomaceous earth to my cleansing plan.

A little about that mysterious stuff- below-

What is diatomaceous earth?

Diatomaceous earth is made from the fossilized remains of tiny, aquatic organisms called diatoms. Their skeletons are made of a natural substance called silica. Over a long period of time, diatoms accumulated in the sediment of rivers, streams, lakes, and oceans. Today, silica deposits are mined from these areas.

Silica is very common in nature and makes up 26% of the earth's crust by weight. Various forms of silica include sand, emerald, quartz, feldspar, mica, clay, asbestos, and glass. Silicon, a component of silica, does not exist naturally in its pure form. It usually reacts with oxygen and water to form silicon dioxide. Silicon dioxide has two naturally occurring forms: crystalline and amorphous. Most diatomaceous earth is made of amorphous silicon dioxide. However, it can contain very low levels of crystalline silicon dioxide. The first pesticide products containing silicon dioxide (diatomaceous earth) were registered in 1960 to kill insects and mites.

How does diatomaceous earth work?

Diatomaceous earth is not poisonous; it does not have to be eaten in order to be effective. Diatomaceous earth causes insects to dry out and die by absorbing the oils and fats from the cuticle of the insect's exoskeleton. Its sharp edges are abrasive, speeding up the process. It remains effective as long as it is kept dry and undisturbed.

How might I be exposed to diatomaceous earth?

People can be exposed to diatomaceous earth if they breathe in the dust, eat it, get it on their skin, or get it in their eyes. For example, when applying the dust or when entering a treated area before the dust has settled. Exposures can also occur if products are accessible to children or pets. Exposure can be limited by reading and following label directions.

What are some signs and symptoms from a brief exposure to diatomaceous earth?

If breathed in, diatomaceous earth can irritate the nose and nasal passages. If an extremely large amount is inhaled, people may cough and have shortness of breath. On skin, it can cause irritation and dryness. Diatomaceous earth may also irritate the eyes, due to its abrasive nature. Any dust, including silica, can be irritating to the eyes.

What happens to diatomaceous earth when it enters the body?

When diatomaceous earth is eaten, very little is absorbed into the body. The remaining portion is rapidly excreted. Small amounts of silica are normally present in all body tissues, and it is normal to find silicon dioxide in urine. In one study, people ate a few grams of diatomaceous earth. The amount of silicon dioxide in their urine was unchanged.

After inhalation of amorphous diatomaceous earth, it is rapidly eliminated from lung tissue. However, crystalline diatomaceous earth is much smaller, and it may accumulate in lung tissue and lymph nodes. Very low levels of crystalline diatomaceous earth may be found in pesticide products.

I really need to site the images and information above as I totally stole it from this site.

Reference

Bunch, T. R.; Bond, C.; Buhl, K.; Stone, D. 2013. Diatomaceous Earth General Fact 

Sheet; National Pesticide Information Center, Oregon State University Extension Services. http://npic.orst.edu/factsheets/degen.html.

Burt's Bees, just a bunch of Buzz? Buzz, Buzz, Buzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

Burt's Bees, just a bunch of Buzz? Buzz, Buzz, Buzzzzzzzzzzzzzz 

Facial care

Burt's Bees offers several different beauty care products; their collections range from lip and facial care to body creams. This company has seen great success going from Organic food stores and farmer's markets to mainstream markets. What can we relate this shift to? Lips and facial care are not the only thing these these bees have gotten themselves into; the buzz is now focusing on hair, baby and a targeted facial care line focusing on improving one's overall facial and beauty care needs. 

I will admit the company has sparked my interest...and in general I am a very curious person so as always when something gets my attention I need to check it out!  I do not like taking one;s word for it as I am a skeptic. I have the tendency to believe a lot of these reviews on the internet are some paid promotional marketing B.S. and I usually disregard the majority of them. Then I started thinking " I try a lot of products" I spend a lot og money on items, some I purchase again, and some I get so mad I even wasted my money the first time, the only thing I can think about is saving someone from making my same mistake.  I do realize products work different for different people, but some products work for no one, and its those products I am hoping to save at least someone from. There is a  positive here as well, if I find a "super cool" product then of course I want to tell you about it. You may be thinking why.....well here is my reasons I have troubled skin and have had issues for years. I know what I have gone through so helping someone does actually make me feel good, so I guess these are selfish reasons why, but hey if you benefit then even better, right! Second I am mommy and mu kids have had skin issues, so if I can help another mommy who is struggling with issues for herself or her child then great.  Again a selfish reason for me to do this, it makes me feel good, and maybe will give me some "good Karma points", who knows?

Burt's Bees lets get on it.  Here are the lines I am going to review; Renewal, Brightening, Intense hydration and Radiance.  They are part of the facial care line,  I place photos below.  My goal is to use the product, check in and document the effects, or whatever one would call it, but I will report on if I think it works or is it a bunch of bunk, and we (the public) are getting ripped off with this whole bee and honey concept.

Review Items: I will review the Brightening, Intense Hydration, Radiance and Sensitive collections.  The specific items will are below.  I will post the entire collection below that in case you have used one of the items in the past or happen to come across one.  

I am sure I will need to update as we go along. Please if you have questions let me know.  I will give you the truth,well my truth as it pertains to me.

Here are the entire collections below. I will also report on their lips balm. I have several of their lip balms.

Intense Hydration above 

Renewal

 Brightening

 Sensitive 

Radiance

Lip care