Not All Products are Equal (Pt 3: Best Skin Ever - Seabuckthorn)

Credit: Botticelli Venus

I haven't spent a lifetime looking for the best facial care, rather in the last few years (when I've merely scratched the surface of what is possible for health and beauty) I've experimented with several increasingly natural organic facial products.  I quite like Tonya Zavasta's green clay mask and moisturizing cream.  I used these products exclusively on my first Juice Feast. All things considered, my facial skin was beautiful. I especially like that she adds in the techniques of dry skin brushing before the mask and using a separate brush to remove the mask--this makes a huge difference.

I am still using up some of her products. I have also been using up some highly fragrant, chemical-free, beautiful moisturizing creams from Mountain Rose Herbs. The Cucumber Skin Cream had an amazingly calm effect on my skin. I liked to use it at night for an extra oomph. Mountain Rose Herbs offer a variety of different creams to target different needs. These are organic, pure and unbelievably low priced.

For roughly the last two months I've used Nadine Artemis's Best Skin Ever --Seabuckthorn as a moisturizer as well a cleanser. My skin has become soft, the tone has evened out and I have been (nearly) blemish free. Since I've started using it I no longer want to wear even minimal amounts of mineral makeup (I still wear a dusting to work but as it makes me look worse! I suspect I will stop altogether in the near future). On the weekend I never wear makeup up and may apply two or three additional squirts of the oil throughout the day and rub gently in my face while reciting my mantra.

As I prepare for a Spring cleanse next week I thought to brush up on Annie Padden Jubb and David Jubbs' suggestions for a blended fast in their awesome book  LifeFood Recipe Book: Living on Life Force. What struck me as interesting was how they talk about a "dead oil test". The test consists of pouring some oil from the grocery store on your finger. Then rinse your finger in water. Finally try and wash it off with soap. How long does the oil stay on your skin?

I saw similar advice in David Wolfe's  book Eating for Beauty. He invokes the image of a used bottle of saturated oil. Try and wipe off the drippings that have over spilled and sat on the outside of the bottle.  He articulates the use of dead oil on skin and its consequences.  The results of organic, cold-pressed oils are regenerative and healing.

Not only do I do my very best to consume only organic, living oils in my diet but now I demand the same for external benefits to my skin.

35 Hours: An Experiment with a Far Infrared Sauna

My first sauna

During my first Juice Feast I discovered the benefits of profuse sweating. More recently I've discovered the benefits of profusely sweating in a healthy, more strategic way. My first portable sauna was an exploration. I was hesitant and skeptical it would provide me any health benefits worth my time and money.

I kept it and used it regularly for 2 years. At that point it smelled terribly of concentrated sweat and I was ready to get rid of it. I went several months without using anything when I began to reconsider a new sauna. I heard about the new low EMF FIR saunas and how other saunas may be doing damage with high EMF output. After a lot of deliberation I decided to buy a Clearlight portable dome sauna.

I have used it for 35 hours and it is an amazing healing tool. I cannot wait to try it when I am fasting. In general it has helped me detox and I have felt great from it, although it's hard to give an overall assessment. For instance on my first use my belly button was red and sore afterwards, just like when I had my amalgam fillings removed. I am not able to articulate why this happened--although I speculate it is a healing reaction to stored toxins in my belly button (I had a ruptured belly button as a child). My skin looks much better, but it is still very dry. I have noticed after a session many dead skin cells scrape off easily. To enhance this process I try to do a dry brushing before the sauna and I use a rough exfoliating cloth in the shower afterwards. I prefer to use a detoxing soap with charcoal in it to absorb any toxins on the surface.

I have had an unusual healing experience with my ear. I pierced my ears several times as a child and I often had infections in them. To date I have had a healing incident in two holes of the left ear. On one a stubborn sore stayed for weeks and after digging it out several times, it finally expelled some old debris and has healed nicely. On a milder note it happened on a second hole, which is still scabbed over.

I lay towels down on the heating mat on the floor and I have adopted the advice I saw on a Daniel Vitalis video to wash the towels in zeolites. I use my usual mild detergent as well. Another best practice I am going to use for the sessions beyond today are a grounding mat. I heard this practice from Len Foley in a Longevity Conference video. A further addition I have used and will continue to use is an ionic air purifier.   I am still learning what works best, but I must say this is one of the best healing tools for me.