Moisturising Empties

Hello!
I hope you are enjoying your weekend.  I have had a long relaxing bath so I am feeling well and truly chilled out.  As someone who suffers from bouts of eczema I get through a lot of moisturisers.  Even when your skin is clear of it you are supposed to keep the skin frequently moisturised to prevent an outbreak from occurring again.  This stash is a selection of items I have recently used up over the last 6 months or so.  I thought I would share my thoughts on them all with you.

The Body Shop Body Butter in Coconut
This body butter I bought the mini version of specifically to keep in my handbag.  The texture of it was creamy but slightly waxier than some of their other body butters I have used in the past.  The smell was delicious but this did seem to irritate my eczema when it was flared up which other Body Shop body butters haven't in the past.  It was great to use though on areas of skin that weren't sensitive and even my sensitive skin when the flare ups had calmed down.

Burt's Bees Fragrance Free Shea Butter and Vitamin E Body Lotion
This Body Lotion is perfect for my eczema prone skin.  It is the perfect consistency, not too thin or too thick, just a soothing creamy lotion.  There's no waxyness to it which means it completely absorbs in to the skin and I can even use it during a flare up without irritation.  I have also nearly finished the Aloe and Buttermilk version which absorbs even more easily in to my skin than this one.  Both I've repurchased in the past and I probably will do again.

The Body Shop Vitamin C Daily Moisturiser
Fav, fav, fav day cream for my face!  Smells great, paraben free, SPF 30 and doesn't irritate my sensitive skin.  I feel like my skin looks fresh and glowy when I use this.

The Body Shop Sweet Lemon Beautifying Oil
I feel like I have a lot of Body Shop products on here but that's because they are usually in my price range, especially as I only usually shop if there's a sale on.  I don't think they do this version of their oils any more which is a shame because I loved it.  I took it on holiday with me and could not get enough.  It felt so moisturising and my skin drank it up after long hot days at the beach.  Such a nice fresh lemon-y scent which went down a treat on my sensitive skin.  I tried the Olive scented one and could not get on with it at all.  It seemed far more strongly perfumed and maybe because of that it irritated my skin.  I hope they bring the lemon one back!

Joik Moisturising Body Oil with Lemon and Bergamot Essential Oils
Initially I compared this unfavourably with the Body Shop Beautifying Oil, because I preferred the stronger lemon scent and the thicker, silkier texture of the Body Shop Oil.  Coming back to this Joik oil later on though I appreciated the slightly thinner texture  more because it seemed to be quickly absorbed by my skin, which is good when you're pressed for time.  The scent is light but not artificial and the product is 100% natural, bonus!

NSpa Shea Butter Body Butter
This has a very thick and slightly waxy texture.  The scent is strong and very sweet but not unpleasant if you like sweet scents.  My skin found this irritating during a flare up but when my skin was calm this was nice to use.  The cream is very moisturising and long lasting because of the thick texture.  It feels like it forms a protective layer over the skin.  Really good for dry skin that needs protecting from the elements but maybe not suitable for very sensitive skin.

Quite a collection.  There are actually a couple more but I think I'll save them for another time to prevent this post from getting any longer!  I hope you have a lovely evening

Twirlybirdie :)

Winter Facial Skin Care Routine for Dry Skin

Hello!

This is a follow up to my previous post about how I look after the skin on my body during winter time.  I also change up my facial skin care routine a little.  Last winter I bought The Body Shop's Vitamin C Skin Reviver.  I was looking primarily for a serum and came across this on my search.  It has the consistency more similar to a primer in my opinion but with a very silky feel to it.  It is also quite shimmery looking but once it's spread out over the skin you can't really see the shimmer.  I was originally using this for the the glow effect it claims to have but I started to realise that when I was putting this on and then going out in the cold my skin felt much more protected than usual and less dried out by the cold weather.

Where I live temperatures can get down to -30 degrees celcius in the winter so when I say cold weather I really mean cold!  I have to take extra special care of the skin on my face because it can get dry very easily and the dry patches can turn in to eczema.  The Skin Reviver serum had the most noticeable protective effect when the temperatures were below zero.  This was actually what gave me the idea of using two different moisturisers on my skin elsewhere in the winter weather.  One to sink in to the skin and a heavier one on top to seal in the moisture.
Now that the weather is getting colder again I'm re-introducing this product back in to my make-up routine.  Every morning I use The Body Shop's Vitamin C Daily Moisturiser which is my favourite, particularly because it has SPF 30.  Then putting the Skin Reviver serum on top locks in the moisturiser and prevents the cold winds from reaching my sensitive skin underneath.  It's my perfect winter duo.
When I use the Skin Reviver I do feel the need to step up my face washing routine as well as the extra product on my skin can clog a few pores if I'm not careful.  I will use a face wash with salicylic acid in it and make sure my skin is properly clean and has a chance to breathe over night.
Do you step up your skin care in winter?

Till next time

Twirlybirdie :)

Taking care of my eczema prone skin in the colder weather

Hi there!
I hope you guys are having a nice day!  I've been trying to rest up after quite a busy period at work.  After sleeping for 11 hours on Sunday night I'm feeling much better though!
As the weather has turned colder I've had to step up my skin care routine a notch or two.  The cold weather can exasperate my eczema if I'm not careful enough.  It's a combination of the icy-chill outside and the drying heating inside which seems to strip every last bit moisture from parts of my skin.  When I was 20 I finally discovered just how important moisturising my skin was in order to keep my eczema at bay although I'm sure this kind of routine could help anyone suffering from really dry skin.  Finding the right kind of moisturiser was also really important as the wrong kind can make the eczema worse.  I find something with natural ingredients (ideally 100%) and not heavily scented works best for me.  Sometimes this is just a case of trial and error, trying to find one that works for you and doesn't irritate/sting your skin.  I've been surprised by some 'sensitive' skin care brands that really stung my skin compared with ones that weren't advertising themselves as sensitive which have been fine.

Recently I've been getting in to a kind of three step routine.  After a bath or shower I pat myself dry with a towel and then as soon as possible (within the next 2 minutes) I apply my first layer of moisturiser.  It's usually a thinner one that absorbs well.  At the moment I'm using the Organic Shop's Organic Strawberry & Milk Body Mousse.  I apply it in a layer on the skin and then leave it to absorb whilst I apply it to the other areas.  For me the most important parts of my skin where I will get eczema if I'm not careful are the insides of my elbows, upper arms and lower back.
Once that has absorbed I'll gently rub in any excess and then follow up with a medium thickeness moisturiser such as Burt's Bees Sensitive Aloe and Buttermilk Lotion.  Once that has sunk in if I feel more is necessary I will cover the skin with a layer of something thicker like a rich body butter or a body oil. Right now I'm using Primavera Organic Sweet Almond Oil.
I only use this routine on the areas of my skin that are the driest/ most sensitive.  Every where else I will just apply one layer of moisturiser.  I've been finding this really helps as since the weather changed one layer of moisturiser just wasn't doing the trick.  Also sealing it all in with the thickest moisturiser or oil you have helps the effect of the moisturisers to last longer.
I still have to top up those areas of my skin with moisturiser during the day but I've noticed a real improvement to the skin since doing this.  It may seem crazy to people with normal skin but with sensitive skin prone to eczema prevention is better than cure and if I don't keep it under control it can very quickly escalate to a situation where a steroid cream is the only answer.  I hate having to use strong medication so I do everything I can to avoid letting my skin get to this stage.
This is just one of a few things I do to keep my eczema under control but it is a huge essential part of it.  If you suffer from eczema too I hope this may have been some use to you!

Till next time :)

Twirlybirdie

Extra foamy coconut soap

As my skin can be very sensitive I'm always on the lookout for non irritating but still lovely things to use on it.  I tried out a couple of soaps by the brand Nurme and they were lovely to use.  They smell amazing and are really softening for the skin.  I liked them so much I bought the Juniper scented one for a friend for her birthday and both her and her boyfriend couldn't get over how amazing the soap smelled.
I also picked up a new one for myself, the 'very foamy unscented coconut soap'.  It's 100% natural and the only ingredients listed are coconut fat and water.

I was using the chocolate and goats milk one before and it was gorgeous but a bit messy in the bathroom, thanks to the chocolate!  I've only used this once so far but it seemed pretty good.  I had doubts as to how it could foam with only coconut fat and water in the ingredients but it did manage to foam up just enough!

I'm looking forward to using this!  I'm always happy to find nice products to use with no crap listed in the ingredients :)

Natural Moisturisers, Burt's Bees Body Lotion and Pure Shea Oil

Hello!

I hope your week has started well.  Mine has started with a new apartment to move in to.  We have the keys to the new place and are in the process of moving.  It is a lovely but much smaller flat so we have a lot of sorting and figuring out what to do with our things.

My skin has calmed down loads since my eczema flared up and the eczema is pretty much gone now although the skin still looks a bit red.  I was in such discomfort and such a panic about it when it was bad that I threw money at plenty of different products in the hope that something would calm it down.  I discovered some great moisturisers and some that really didn't work for me in the process so now it's all calmed down I'm going to blog about some of my experiences.

Two moisturisers that really were great were these ones by Burt's Bees .  The first one I bought was the fragrance free body lotion with Shea Butter and Vitamin E.  It was great to use because it was the first moisturiser I bought which didn't sting my inflamed skin when I put it on.  It is a lotion so it was lighter than a body butter but it still left a bit of a waxy covering on the skin after I used it which is a good thing when you have to try to keep skin constantly moist.
The second one I bought was the soothingly sensitive lotion with Aloe and Buttermilk.  I bought this because I read someone's review on-line which said it was good for their eczema.  It was a milkier consistency than the fragrance free one but seemed to absorb in to the skin faster without leaving a greasy coating.  I really enjoy using this as well.  My skin seemed to soak it up.  I found the milky fragrance quite pleasant as well.
These moisturisers were more expensive than I would normally pay for body lotion but I've really enjoyed using them and they were very good for my skin when it was so sensitised.
I did also feel like I needed something heavier than a lotion to use when I was at home or during the night.  Anything less than 100% natural seemed to sting my skin like crazy so I was excited to come across this 100% natural Shea oil in the shops.

I was right to be excited.  This pure oil felt amazing to use on my skin.  I felt absolutely no irritation what so ever.  I wanted to use it on everything and reading up on it on the company website it sounds like it can be used for anything.  It was slightly thicker than normal oil which made it slightly hard to get out of the pump but it was worth the effort.  After using this it made me want to try everything else from this brands range of 100% natural products.  I'm not sure this brand is readily available abroad but I'm sure any range of 100% natural products would be the same.

Now I wonder why I would pay money to use anything else when the product in it's pure natural form seems to be so effective.  I don't have to worry about parabens or any other irritants hidden within.  I want to try out other pure oils such as jojoba and sweet almond oil on my skin.  It reminds me of the Body Shop's sweet lemon body oil which I loved using in the summer but was put off buying again because it was so expensive.  I loved that you could use it on body, face and hair and I feel the same way about the natural Shea oil I bought.  I want to use it everywhere!
This inspired me to buy the Virgin Coconut Oil that recently went on sale in the food stores here and I plan to review it soon.

As promised here is a clearer picture of the Lumene Lip Sorbet I reviewed earlier this week in action.

Nice and bright for winter!

It's time to get back to my herbal tea.  I need to try to get to bed a bit earlier these days as I feel I'm looking a bit tired!

Till next time :)

Twirlybirdie

The Body Shop Rainforest Shine Shampoo review

Like most of my skin my scalp can sometimes be sensitive to certain shampoos.  It's really hit and miss as most shampoos are absolutely fine and then suddenly after maybe even years I'll try a new one and find that it's irritating.  I recently had just such a problem with a shampoo from a more expensive brand that I decided to treat myself too (!) so decided to try out a shampoo that has as natural sounding ingredients as possible.  This Body Shop Rainforest Shine Shampoo sounded just the ticket with it's ingredients containing no parabens, sulphates, silicones or collorants.

I'd used sulphate free shampoo before and found it really difficult to get out of my hair.  I also found it doesn't lather up well and I end up needing to use quite a lot of it as I have long hair.  I decided that my scalp needing some time off from any unnatural ingredients though so decided to give this shampoo a try.

The instructions say you should add a few drops of water and lather it up in your palm before you apply to your hair.  I did this but I still needed to use quite a lot of it to cover all my hair and I paid special attention to rinsing it all out.  After using it a few times I would say that I still struggle to get it all out of my hair.  Even if I feel like I'm rinsing it under the shower for five minutes I can still feel it on some of the roots when it's dried.  The rest of the hair does seem really nice, healthy and shiny though so I plan to persevere with it and maybe turn the shower up to it's highest setting to try and make sure I get it all out!  I've found that adding a small amount of shampoo with a sulphate in it helps to get it to lather up and rinse out.   Then I don't have to use so much of the natural shampoo which is good as it is expensive.

All in all I think it's worth trying but bear in mind that you have to try a lot harder to get it all out of your hair than with your average shampoo.  If you can manage this you just might love it!