Turmeric Facial Mask

I have been battling melasma for a number of years so have done a fair amount of research as to how to deal with the condition.  Successfully treating this hyper-pigmentation skin disorder involves both internal (eg. dietary, dietary supplementation) and external (eg. chemical, skin bleach, chemical peels, natural ingredient masks, natural skin bleaches, sunblocks).  And, they must go hand in hand because while the problem is internal it manifests itself externally.  During my research, I came across using turmeric as a facial mask.  Ideally, turmeric should also be taken as a dietary supplement to help clear the skin, but use caution as turmeric can cause gastointestinal problems, and too much can activate the gene p53 that deactivates damaged cells in the heart.

Turmeric has long been used by Indians (Asia) as part of lightening the skin for wedding ceremonies.  It is combined with one or more ingredients and applied as a mask to even out skin tone while reducing skin blemishes as it brightens and whitens the skin.  Turmeric is one of the best things you can use on your skin!

Turmeric Facial Mask

turmeric powder
fresh lemon juice
plain yogurt
local, unpasteurized honey
graham flour (optional)
aloe vera (optional)
olive oil (optional)

There are no measurements for this facial mask.  What you want is a thick paste that will cling to the face.  I started with about a half tsp of turmeric powder (strong antioxidant, nourishes the skin, neutralizer) then added a little fresh lemon juice (natural skin lightener), about a quarter of tsp of plain yogurt (exfoliate, skin brightener) and about a quarter tsp of honey (humicant, moisturizer, antibacterial agent) .  I simply use the back of the spoon to smooth the paste over my face.  I have had good results both adding aloe vera (moisturizer, antioxidant) to the mixture and alone as a pre-treatment.  Graham flour helps to whiten and exfoliate but I usually don't use it.  Olive oil will slow the drying of the mask while providing Vitamin E that aids in lightening as it moisturizes.  I allow the paste to dry thoroughly on my face for 30 minutes.  Add it to the mask or use it as a post treatment following the mask.  I remove the mask with warm water and wash lightly with goat's milk soap.  It does make a huge difference in evening out skin tone.

Turmeric is very effective as part of your skin management system.  The simple thing is, turmeric works.  The problem with turmeric is, it stains everything a bright orangy yellow.  When you are using a turmeric facial mask, wear old clothes you don't mind getting stained.  Use old face cloths as well as they too will become stained.  Your skin will be stained as well.  You have two choices after removing the mask.  If you rinse with warm water only, the stain will fade in about 3 hours.  If you rinse then wash with goat's milk soap, the stain is removed quickly.

I find that using aloe vera as a pre-treatment to the turmeric facial mask increases the effectiveness.  I also use aloe vera as a post treatment after removing the mask.  I've had good results using an all natural goat's milk soap to remove any skin staining from the mask.  Goat's milk soap provides lactic acid which acts as an exfoliant.  As soon as my skin is dry from washing the mask, I apply aloe vera then sunblock.  The number one rule when doing any kind of skin lightening (eg. melasma patches) is SUNBLOCK.  The area being treated should only be without sunblock during treatment.  It should always be protected with a high SPF sunblock with the exception of the treatment period.

Natural Pain Relief

Our pharmacies are filled with a wide variety of chemical pain relievers.  The problem is chemical pain relievers can be addictive and they can actually increase the risk  of further injury.  The bottom line is, pain is your body's way of telling you there is a problem.  Suppressing pain in that respect really is not in your best interest but at the same time no one wants to endure pain if they don't have to.  Years ago, folks dealt with pain management without resorting to chemical pain relievers.  That is still a good course of action.  Here's a few pain relievers this frugal household uses:

• ammonia -  If applied shortly after being stung by a bee, hornet or other insect liquid ammonia will remove the venom while reducing any reaction to the sting/bite. 
• milk -  Apply milk to any area of skin that has been sun burned.  It will relieve the pain while reducing inflammation and promoting healing.
• apple cider vinegar - Apple cider vinegar is a heal all externally and internally.  It will reduce inflammation while restoring the natural pH to skin promoting healing while reducing any pain associated with acne and psoriasis.  It has anti-fungal properties that will help cure internal and external fungal infections especially gastrointestinal that can cause considerable pain and discomfort.  Apple cider vinegar in warm water is one of the best ways to stop the pain of heart burn.  It will relieve the pain and itching of many skin disorders.
• oatmeal - Oatmeal relieves many minor skin irritations while promoting healing but it is the primary way to treat poison ivy, poison oak and poison sumac.  It dries up the rash while reducing the swelling and the pain.
• yogurt - Yogurt with active bacterial is the natural way to deal with any yeast infection while soothing the pain and promoting healing.  
• ice - Ice packs are the natural way to reduce inflammation and swelling thus relieving pain.  An ice pack is also a great way to relieve headaches.
• heat - Heat packs are the natural way to reduce transient pain, usually alternating between icing and pain for injuries but heat only for other types of pain.  
• epsom salts -  Epsom salts is a very inexpensive and natural way to reduce muscle pain.  Simply add a cup of epsom salts in a tub of hot water then soak for 10 minutes.
• arnica cream -  Arnica cream (available at health food stores) soothes the pain of bruises while promoting healing.  Bruises treated with arnica cream will heal in about a third of the time as those not treated with arnica cream plus the pain is greatly diminished after only one application. 
• walking -  Walking is the number one way to relieve and prevent back pain according to my physiotherapist.  A 30 minute walk daily really does help reduce and prevent pain of many motility problems.  The body is designed for movement and that movement relieves pain.
• steam - Sinuses can become quite painful if congested, inflamed or infected.  The most natural way to treat this problem while relieving the pain is steam.  It opens up the sinus passages, allowing them to drain while reducing the swelling that causes the pain and headache.

Moving Towards Natural Hair Care

Even before I had health problems and well before I was educated, I was adamant about avoiding white sugar, excess salt and food additives.  I really don't know why, just I knew this was ingredients to avoid in our foods.  Those ideals moved into household cleansers not only as a way of being frugal but also as becoming eco-friendly.  We began making our own 100% all natural, vegetable based bar soap for bathing back in 1995.  Within a year, my husband's psoriasis was completely gone and the patches have never returned.  The last stronghold was my beloved Pantene products.

I have waist length hair, worn straight.  It is prone to frizzing in high humidity.   I was told by one hair salon not to use Pantene products as they leave a build-up in your hair but since I don't colour or perm my hair, I wasn't concerned.  The main problem with a lot of hair products is they contain sodium chloride (drying, stripping), sulfates (strips hair of keratin making it prone to frizzing), sodium lauryl suflate (stripping, carcinogenic), alcohol (drying, stripping, increases frizzing), silicon (synthetic) and scents (synthetic, allergenic).  In short, the majority of hair product are not good for you so I decided to take a bit more natural approach.  

I tried the No-Poo method which is washing with a baking soda solution followed by an apple cider vinegar rinse.  This is the ultimate natural approach for hair care if it works for you.  It takes about three weeks for your hair to adjust but after that it is reported to work rather well.  The No-Poo method does work well but my hair really needed something else.  As hair ages, it loses the protein, keratin.  The loss of keratin results in more frizz so it make sense to replace the keratin rather than use a synthetic like silicone to control frizz.  I switched to the Organix line of hair products that are sodium and sulfate free so they aren't stripping my hair of keratin nor are they drying it.  Before blow drying and styling, I use Moroccan argan oil.  This is almost a miracle natural hair treatment that protects the hair from heat styling treatments, UV damage and frizzing while mending split ends as well as giving the hair a gorgeous shine AND it doesn't leave the hair oil feeling.  I use this a couple of times a day just sprayed on my brush then brushed through my hair.  I also use extra virgin olive oil just after styling my hair.  I don't use a lot, just a little rubbed between the palms of my hands then over my hair.  Olive oil is rich in vitamin E, an antioxidant that evens slows the greying of hair while darkening natural hair slightly as it controls frizz.  

My Aggressive Melasma Treatment

A couple of days ago I wrote about battling melasma, a skin disorder marked by patches of hyper pigmentation affecting mainly the face.  As a result, those affected end up spending a horrendous amount of money trying to correct or cover up the patches.  At the same time, they can become very self conscious of their facial appearance which can lead to anxiety, depression and low self esteem.  The good thing is, melasma can be treated aggressively using mainly all natural, non-toxic foods combined with a high SPF sunblock.  It is very important to use a high SPF sunblock to prevent hyper-pigmentation from reoccurring.  I honestly tried a lot of treatments, some painful and others that physically made me sick while costing me thousands of dollars before I finally went to a natural way of treating my melasma.

The key vitamins to focus on when treating melasma are E, C and A.  It is very important to treat melasma internally and externally as it is often related to a hormone imbalance in females, sun or skin damage, liver problems or pregnancy.  At any rate, the treatment must involve the whole body.    I am treating my melasma rather aggressively and so far successfully.  Here's my routine in the order I perform it twice daily:

• goat milk soap - wash face well then rinse with clear water, vitamin A, lactic acid, cleanser
• apple cider vinegar - apply with a cotton pad, let dry, repeat, anti-fungal and pH restorer
• lemon juice - apply with a cotton pad, let dry, repeat, vitamin C and natural skin bleach
• aloe vera - apply a generous layer of organic pure aloe vera gel, corrects sun damage and moisturizes
• extra virgin olive oil - apply a thick layer of extra virgin olive oil, let sit 5 minutes then wipe off excess with cotton pad, vitamin E and moisturizer with anti-oxidant properties
• sunblock - apply a generous layer of Neutrogena UltraSheer dry-touch sunscreen SPF 110

How I'm Successfully Treating My Melasma

A few days ago, I shared tips on beauty from the kitchen.  Essentially this is using natural foods like cucumber, milk, lemon juice and oatmeal in place of chemically laden beauty products that can have a toxic effect on your body.  I have been battling melasma for about 15 years now and let me tell you it is a costly battle.  Melasma is a skin disorder that results in large patches of hyper-pigmentation similar to freckles or age spots but a lot larger.  It can be in the epidermis giving a brownish look to the patches or in the deeper dermis resulting in blueish-black patches.  By far, melasma in the epidermis is easier to treat.  The problem is, many of the treatments used to correct melasma are not only toxic to the body but they can actually make the condition worse.  Here are some I tried that were somewhat successful but had negative results:

• hydroquinone -  Hydroquinone is a chemical skin bleach available as a cream or gel.  It costs about $12 for a small tube so overall can become rather costly for long term treatment of melasma.  While hydroquinone can be rather effective after using for several months, one of the side effects is developing melasma in the dermis so even though your brownish patches are gone or considerably lighter, the blueish-black patches appear.  I used hydroquinone on and off during the early stages but never would have if I had known it could make my melasma worse.  The biggest problem I had with hydroquinone was constant diarrhea, a clear indication it was a toxin for my body.  I won't use it or any product with hydroquinone in it again!
• the mask - My dermatologist used a mask to treat the melasma.  It went on clear then turned a horrible brownish yellow and had to be left on for 8 hours.  When I removed the mask, my face was a bright red (inflammation) and remained that way for 4 days.  I was physically sick the entire time (toxic).  Then it was onto special creams to stop my melasma from reverting.  They made me sick and the melasma obviously didn't read the book.
• laser treatment -  Laser treatment for melasma is performed by a dermatologist as an outpatient.  The treatment is painful and the blotches form small scabs that fall off.  The patches are not fully eliminated but rather there is more clear spots in the patches.  Repeated treatments result in additional clearing.  It is costly.  I paid about $2,000 over the course of a year. The problems with laser treatment are not only does it damage hair cells it damages skin cells so the melasma actually gets worse.
• alpha-hydroxy peels - An alpha-hydroxy peel brightens your skin by removing the top layer of the epidermis making melasma appear to be lighter.  Using an alpha-hydroxy peel becomes part of the weekly routine for combating melasma.  Continued use can be costly.  The biggest problem with alpha-hydroxy peels is they make you skin more susceptible to sun damage and skin cancer
• MSM (methylsufonylmethane) - MSM in high doses has been reported to reduce the effects of melasma.  The problem is you have to take it in high doses which for me really affected my stomach as in vomiting shortly after taking a dose and I tried everything including eating before taking it.  I found I could work my way up to 1,000 mg a day but after that I got the ill effects.  It was nowhere near the suggested 20,000 mg a day for dealing with melasma.  

I finally got tired of dealing with the melasma - mainly the constant trips to the dermatologist, painful treatments and toxic effects on my body.  I decided to go as natural as possible treating both internally and externally.  The end result has been a marked improvement in my melasma plus I have extra space in the vanity cabinet and more money in my pocket.  My melasma is to the point of being barely noticeable.  Here's what I'm doing that is working for me:

• hydration - Keeping the body hydrated is one of the primary ways to have healthy, glowing skin.  It lessens the appearance of melasma as well as help remove toxins from your body that can promote melasma.  I drink a lot of water to keep my body well hydrated as well as 
• sun exposure - I avoid sun exposure other than to get enough daily for healthy Vitamin D production.  I always apply a high SPF (110) sunblock to my face even on cloudy day and most day three or four times.  But, I am also very conscious about getting in a daily walk.
• Vitamin C -  Vitamin C is a water soluble vitamin so you can't over dose.  It is an anti-oxidant that is commonly found in OTC creams for dealing with blotchy skin.  I mega dose on Vitamin C at 2,000 mg three times a day (6,000 mg total daily).  I know you can easily go higher by my stomach gets irritated when I take more that 6,000 mg daily.  Externally, I use Vitamin C in the form of lemon juice that has long been used for removing age spots.  I just squeeze the juice from a lemon then apply at least once daily.  Lemon juice can give a temporary tingling sensation and make your face feel a bit tighter but other than that it does work well with no other side effects.
• Vitamin A - Vitamin A is found in the retinol products for skin peels as retinoid acid.  I use a dietary supplement for Vitamin A.  Externally, I use milk on my face to promote the production of new skin cells.  I've also used yogurt as a mask that works just as nicely plus I eat yogurt daily.
• Vitamin E - Vitamin E is a rather powerful anti-oxidant.  I feel I get enough Vitamin E through my diet so don't use a dietary supplement but I do use olive oil that is rich in Vitamin E on my face nightly.  It eliminates the dryness of lemon juice yet helps to reduce the melasma.
• aloe vera - Aloe vera is a wonderful moisturizer that erases the effects of sun exposure.  I was told in Aruba that aloe vera actually fades any tan you get during the day.  I use it morning and night.  While I do have an aloe vera plant that is regularly harvested, I use so much of it I have to buy the gel.  Some aloe vera gels contain colourants and alcohol so it is very important to buy a certified organic aloe vera gel with no parabens, artificial colours or synthetic fragrances.  
• avoid food additives -  I really haven't seen this mentioned on a lot of sites but I avoid any food additives that I can.  I am convinced that food additives can affect hormones in women that will lead to the development of melasma.  We rely on home canned foods, home frozen foods and foods cooked from scratch using whole ingredients.
• the cover-ups - Many with melasma resort to cover-up make-up and there are a lot of good brands out there.  I don't unless it is a special occasion and even then go very minimal.  Cover-ups make your face look great and block UV penetration but they have a lot of toxins in them.  I use Vichy Dermablend ultra-corrective foundation cream stick for those times I really want to hide the melasma.  This is an amazing product that really does hide melasma and other skin blemishes nicely.  It is on the expensive side at about $40 per tube but you don't need much of it.   The Vichy Dermablend does work and it protects against sun exposure as well.  I got a colour matched to my natural skin colour then apply with a make-up brush to just the blotches and blend in the edges with a make-up sponge.
• sunblock - I wear a high SPF sunblock 24/7 and reapply every 2 hours when I know I will be outdoors.  Even indoors you can be exposed to UV through windows and lighting so with melasma it is very important to keep that sunblock on the patches.  It is hard to find a good sunblock that doesn't make your face look greasy.  The best I have come up with to date is Neutrogena Ultra Sheer Dry-touch Sunscreen SPF 110 with helioplex.  This sunblock is waterproof, sweatproof, non-comedogenic, oil free and PABA free but more importantly is works well.  As sunblocks go it is a bit more expensive somewhere around $12 for a 3 oz tube but if using only on the face, that tube lasts a fair length of time.   

Tea Tree Oil

I first learned about tea tree oil way back when our kids were little.  We had a bought of the flu go through the house and the recommendation to  help control the bacteria was tea tree oil added to the wash.  Tea tree (Melaleuca alternifolia) oil has been a staple in our medicine cabinet ever since.  It has anti-bacterial and anti-fungal properties making it a very versatile product plus a little goes a long way.  I buy mine at the health food store for about $11 per 1 fluid oz (30 ml).  Don't let that size fool you because a little goes a long way.  Here's some of the ways I use tea tree oil around our home:

• as a beauty aid - Tea tree oil is wonderful for getting rid of blackheads as well as bacterial and fungal infections around the nasal flares.  Seriously, those little almost pimples around your nasal flares are actually a fungal infection according to my dermatologist.  I put a couple of drops on a cotton swab then apply where needed.  Usually only one or two treatments are required to clear the problem.  Athlete's foot can be cured by soaking your feet in warm water with two or three drops of tea tree oil and it also gets rid of the more common foot fungus, oncomycosis.  
• as a mouth wash - Tea tree oil is a must have when it comes to good oral hygiene.  It doesn't taste all that pleasant but it works and works well!  Rinse daily with a warm solution made from a half cup of water and two drops of tea tree oil to keep your mouth healthy and happy.  If you have a plaque build-up, you will notice it falling off within the first couple of weeks of using this rinse.  If you use steroidal inhalers that can cause thrush, this is a must use rinse.  I have an impacted tooth that for other medical reasons cannot be removed at this time.  It became infected once requiring antibiotics something I detest taking.  I switched to using tea tree oil rinses and have not had a problem since.
• as a purifying room blend -  A drop of tea tree oil added to grapefruit oil and 10 drops of lemon oil then placed into a diffuser makes a wonderful room purifier, killing off harmful bacteria without harming your lungs.
• in the wash - If a gastrointestinal illness is going through the house, I add about 5 drops of tea tree oil into my HE extra capacity washer.  Tea tree oil will kill off any bacteria that escapes the laundry soap and cold water washes.  
• tea tree oil spray - I mix 3 to 4 drops of tea tree oil in a litre of water then pour into a spray bottle.  This is an effective spray that kills fungus and bacteria on hard surfaces.  It is particularly useful on surfaces that will not tolerate a 50% ethanol solution that wipes 99% of all biologicals (eg. virus, fungus, bacteria).  It works nicely for germ control in vehicles as well.  
• in the dish water - If there is an illness going through our household, I add a drop or two of tea tree oil to the water for any hand washing.  It doesn't make the dishes oily feeling even though it is an oil but it does kill germs pronto.  Now, soap will kill about 95% of all germs anyway but the tea tree oil just gets the rest.