Hello ladies!
I'm writing a book about skin and hair care options - what works and what doesn't, etc. for those of us over 40 and would love to hear from you all!
What have you found that works for you?
The book will cover mostly natural options, but that doesn't mean that I don't want to hear about your favorite Oil of Olay - Thanks!

I cleanse twice weekly with a castor oil/olive oil mix to deep cleanse my pores.Kept on for a short time then using a face cloth rinsed in warm water I wash.
I mix this often and keep it in a little travel bottle.

Oat meal can be used as a mask
Epsom salts used sparingly livens up the skin.Just a little massaged in and again the warm cloth method...( watch out for your eyes.)I use this maybe once a month,

at other times I use a gentle face wash .

Several years ago, I had such terrible problems with my face...I still don't know if it was rosacea or acne or both, but my cheeks were covered in itchy red postules that would sometimes ooze. I was so embarrassed that I wouldn't even go out. I tried everything...many of the women here offered various solutions, but nothing worked, including prescription pills and creams prescribed by the dermatologist. It was horrible and I was quite distraught.

Then my brother (Gary, the one who died five years ago) went out and bought me the Pro-Active cleaning kit. I was so skeptical, but he had paid a lot of money for it so I felt obligated to try it out. It really stung, and I almost decided to not use it. But I loved my brother and his thoughtfulness, so continued. Slowly but surely my face started to clear up and within 2 weeks all of the red pustules were completely gone. I stayed with the Pro Active for a few months.

Then (because it was so expensive) I decided to try and switch to a very gentle aloe-based cleanser and face cream from The Body Shop and use the PA stuff only as needed. Nothing else touches my face. Every other morning I only use plain warm water and then apply a wee bit of Aloe face cream; on the other days I use the aloe cleanser and face cream. And about once a month I use the entire ProActive Regime. Usually once a month is enough now, but when I get a big flareup I'll use it for a few days until it clears up.

It took me years of suffering to finally find a regime that would work with my sensitive skin. This system now works so well that I won't allow anything else to ever touch my face. I do notice that I almost always have a flare-up after a dentist appt, so suspect that the rubber gloves are an irritant (they use latex-free, so it's not latex).

Hello Mountain Ash,

Never heard of using castor oil before, although olive oil does make a great cleanser. Sounds like the perfect travel kit- Thanks so much for sharing. Do you know where you first heard of this mixture? Is it something your mom used?
Yes, Epsom salts or clay work great to remove toxins from our body. I take a weekly bath in lavender scented epsom salts and I feel so good afterward!

Sorry for all that you had to go through, Eagle Heart, but glad that you did find something that worked for you.
One of the things that I'm finding is that there is not one solution that works for everyone. Pro Active is great, my daughter uses it similarly to you and it keeps her skin looking young and free of outbreaks, but I tried it once on my face for a dry skin issue and it didn't work at all.
Thanks so much for sharing your story. I appreciate you!

There is much written both on the web and in holistic books about castor oil.
The reason two oils are used.....castor oil goes in deep and the lighter oil either olive or another light oil brings the debris to the surface.Another good point...this combination smooths out any surface blemish.

one great tip for hands...most girls in my youth did this before a dance...one spoon olive oil followed by a teaspoon sugar massaged into hands...rinse well of course.
try it!!

I use a line of products from Real Purity - their makeup is wonderful with no toxic ingredients. I use only pure soap (from New Mexico Soap, of course!) for my face and the Real Purity toner and moisturizers. For my hair, I use Desert Essence organic green apple and ginger shampoo and conditioner - it gives my thin, fine, hair, body. And I use Desert Essence body wash and moisturizers. I sometimes use New Mexico Soap's Shea Butter, but my skin is still oily so I use it sparingly.

As proprietor of New Mexico Soap, we have found that Unrefined Shea Butter (ours with added Avocado Oil) is the best topical for skin... ANY skin issue. Granted, as yonuh mentioned above, some folks have oily skin. They just use it sparingly.

But here in the Southwest where weather is not of the "norm", neither is skin care of the "norm". Since 2001, I have used nothing else on my skin but our Unrefined Shea Butter. No lip balm (wax clogs pores), hair conditioners (same thing has fabric softener...coats with wax), nor bath oils (Shea melts in bath water!) or lotions (made with chemicals or "whipped" with air).

Our former head honcha, Dotsie, has her diabetic husband use our shea butter for his feet. His doctor was very pleased with the condition of them since diabetics have to take good pedi-care.

Locally, many, many kids and adults alike have eczema. They come back with tears that our Shea Butter has helped when doctors have not.

Other testimonials include: Cracked feet and fingers, razor irritation, itchiness, dry cuticles, after sunburn care, bug bites, burns, even applied in nostrils for those dry spells of summer heat/wind.

We believe and use what we sell!!

Hi Yonuh!
I use some of the Desert Essence products as well, but not all of them are available in my local stores.
I have just ordered some samples from Real Purity to try - will keep you posted!
Thanks for your input.

Hi Di!
Nice to e-meet you. I must say, though that I have tried a few different Shea butters - all of them natural and unrefined. One was pure with nothing added and is hard to use as well as it did not help a dry skin patch that I had. Another also natural with no waxes or chemicals but added oils also did nothing to help my dry skin so I am curious about yours. As a child I had eczema and I'm quite sure that when I get these dry patches it's related. Do you offer a sample that I could test?
Thanks for your information.

Hi Kathi,

I am another fan of Di's Shea butter. I had never tried a pure Shea before I bought some from her, and I was a bit disconcerted when it first arrived, as it initially did not as easy to use as lotions or other creams I had tried.

Di sends along an applicator -- looks like a popsicle stick -- with your purchase, and I used it to "dig" the butter out of my jar.

She advises users to place a small piece in your hand and massage it around until it warms up and "melts" a bit, making application easier.

However, last winter Di started selling a little electric warmer, her "Shea Butter Station" which allows the Shea to be dispensed as an oil.

Serendipitiously, at about the same time she did this, my Shea "tub" accidentally fell off my bedside table and landed on the floor board heat register in my bedroom.

When it found it, the heat had been on, and my Shea Butter had also turned itself to an oil.

So: while I have not purchased a "Shea Station," I HAVE enjoyed warmed Shea butter, and it is a true skin treat.

Just my "two cents worth," for the record.

Yes Anne.......Shea Butter, being something "real" and not chemical laden, does take getting used to. If we all want to get back to the "real" thing, it can take some education.

Well, as we've all discovered Di, DuPont's "better living through chemistry" slogan was memorable, but not always true. Just as so many of us are now seeking out organics in our food, we're also turning to "real" products for our whole lives.

Skin, being our largest organ, certainly deserves treatment with healthy organics and botanicals. I'm so glad you make your "skin treats" available to the world.

Interesting about your "get real" comment.....I've used that lately...our new mantra for our business! To me "lotions" are for a prosthesis! They sure can shine them up!

Recently I saw a video about "getting real" for food as well. That we are starving our brains by purchasing processed foods...and trying our best to stick to the outside aisles of grocery stores.

This body has not had any "lotion" applied to it for over 12 years. My skin does not hurt, no cracked cuticle area, wrinkles are not so pronounced, hair is not dry and I can talk about what we use comfortably.

I have to say, Di, that the Shea Butter has worked wonders for my partner. He's a carpenter and often works outside. The winter cold and the dry air in summer make the skin on his fingers crack. I started making him apply the Shea Butter every night and no more cracks (except when he forgets to use it in spite of my reminders!) I can't use it on my face but use it on my hands and lips and weekly on my hair.

And Kathi, I think you can order directly from the Desert Essence web site.

We just received this fabulous testimony from a long-time customer and thought I'd share a portion...

I love this!! Now what we need to do is add a reminder bell on our jars for the guys!!