hey guys,

my skin has really been getting bad lately...dry from showers and itchy from moisturizers and sunscreen. i have to wear sunscreen because of my fair skin. does anyone have a natural moisturizer that they make or know of that is for faces and a natural sunscreen. i have super sensitive skin and its getting really bad and not sure why. usually my skin is great and i have been so lucky. any ideas?

ive tried dove, neutrogena, aveno, alba, dessert essence organics and i havent found a successful one yet

raw coconut oil. it's the best. i wash my face with it, too and i use it as a whole body moisture.

How's your essential fatty acid intake? Are you getting enough omega3s? Do you use a humidifier in the house? Both will help.

I can't use moisturizers, or any fat on my face for that matter. They break me out.

I'd stick with a great non "natural" sunscreen, though, the synthetic filters used in the better sunscreens use molecules that are too large to penetrate the skin--meroxyl sx, meroxyl xl, and the tinosorbs. These new filters were specifically designed to be to big to penetrate the skin.

Some of the older synthetics could be called "natural" because they occur naturally in plants. But they are not better, not by a long shot.

go to a hardware store and put a chlorine shower filter on your shower head

otherwise the chlorine will do a number on you

but hey, that's just one thing

Hemp Seed oil

I suppose if your gonna ask me about smell. I think I smell like a plant
(not hemp LOL)
It's fantastic as a sunscreen
I DON'T BURN!

Trust me I know what burning is like. I've the nightmare come alive when it was painful to wear clothing because i forgot to put Hemp Seed Oil on UGH!
The sun isn't what it used to be. No one is safe without protection. Not even the darkest complexions.

and keep yourself hydrated .. lots of water .. we tend not to drink much water in the winter and that adds to dryness

...Jodi, the banana eating buddhist

Eat plenty of high fiber foods so that your body dosn't have to push the toxins out through the skin.

I agree that keeping hydrated and moisturized on your insides helps, but as insurance I make a face moisturizer out of extra virgin coconut & olive oils, and filtered water, that I emulsify in a blender. I use a small amount, warmed 'til melting in my hand, and gently rub it into my skin. I wait 15 minutes or so, until it has started to be absorbed, and dab at my face with a towel to blot up the excess. It's noncomedogenic and works well.

Could whatever you are using to wash your face be aggravating it? If you are eating grains or any other excitotoxin, that might be aggravating your skin. I have very sensitive skin too and since getting rid of grains and most other excitotoxinx (onions, spices, excessive fats, etc) my skin has settled down. I have been using Burt's Bees skin products for now.

Good luck.

Patty

Ok here's what you do - while your face is still wet, apply olive oil as your moisturizer. The layer of water will keep the oil from greasing up your face, while the olive oil makes your skin silky smooth.

I've tried this with other oils as well such as coconut and shea butter but even with the water layer, they make my face greasy (however perhaps these are ideal for darker skin tones?)

I'm blond and really fair too, I don't tan and have to use sunscreen too so I know where you are coming from. I use coconut oil as a moisturizer everyday before sunscreen and if my face is really dry I use a night time moisturizer from origins but that is really expensive and full of chemicals I think.

When I first switched to the coconut oil I think It took my face a week or so to adjust a far as blemishes go, but I would use just a tiny amount and wipe off any excess. Staying hydrated is key for your skin so drink tons of water. Maybe try not washing your face with harsh soaps or do it less frequently? Not wearing face makeup, if you do might help too.

Rosa mosqueta oil. Awesome stuff. It hydrates the dry parts without making other parts oily. Also can be used on stretchmarks and wrinkles.

for an oil free moisterizer that REALLY works and is TOTALLY AWESOME for sensitive skin:

Rose water with glycerin.

It is in liquid form, you buy it in a spray bottle. You can probably get it at a natural food store. Ask around.

The glycerin acts as a humectant...which holds water molecules to the skin.

I used to break out ALL the time using anything with oil...and I have rosacea, so my skin is SUPER sensitivo!

This is the ONLY stuff I can use, besides some fresh aloe, straight from the leaf....sometimes I use both.

Hope this helps!
-*m*

thanks everyone for all of the great suggestions. yes, im eating whole grains in my diet and that could be a cause. im going to try to do 100% raw tomorrow and continue that for the rest of my life. i didnt realize how much what i eat could effect everything about me. my skin, my energy, the way i feel, my depression, my headaches, on and on. i was going into this raw thing slow so i didnt relapse to my SAD diet as i have done so in the past, but i think its time to just do it hard core. thanks everyone for the suggestions. i think i have egsima or something else. i have always been able to control and ignore the itching, but its just so persistant now. i had a couple of cheat meals and of course that made it worse. thanks for everyone suggestions, it really opens my eyes of the many options i can use.

i made a face wash in the past of avocado, olive oil, agave nectar, and sea salt. it worked great but then i started thinking to myself "wont this make my face oily eventually and make me break out?" after reading the posts from you guys, i looked up if they were noncomedogenic and they were. feel free to try this face scrub if you want, it works great. i think ill try it again after i try something a little more calm for my face.

i wonder too if it has to do with me not getting the right oils, because in the past i have had dry skin around my mouth. i had to drink a tablespoon of flax oil and it went away.

im not sure what it is really. im so confused, i have had clear skin all my life and in the past two or three weeks its been going crazy. i have dry spots, dry extremely itchy, did i mention super itchy, and other breakouts that are kinda sore after i squeeze them. the really itchy stuff is on my neck and under my chin and the main breakouts/skin irritation is on my forehead, top of nose, and right below each ear.

constantly stripping your face of its natural oils makes it produce more oil , it can be a nasty cycle lol

unless i am exposed to alot of dirt or pollutants i often just dry brush my face then give it a once over with a hot steamy face cloth followed by a icy cold cloth

...Jodi, the banana eating buddhist

yeah, i usually wash my face every day. if i dont i wipe of with some witch hazel. i tried some rose hip in some face cream and it seemed to help out alot. i tried putting of some sunscreen for a day to give my face a break. it didnt really work. it was suppose to rain and was mostly overcast. today i put some olay face cream with 30 spf and my face got red and kinda puffy. im not sure if i got a sunburn from yesterday or if im allergic to this sunscreen as well. usually, i switch sunscreen when it burns after i put it on my face. this olay stuff didnt burn and im not sure if that is what is making my face red.

when i looked for hemp seed oil for sunscreen, it was hemp mixed into the sunscreen already.

i dont get it, my face is reacting totally diff than last year when trying to use the same products. im so tired of buying sunscreens and having like 6 or 7 bottles that i just cant use. my skin has always been so sensitive and now it seems like it has just intensified.

i think it all started when i died my hair with hemp hair dye. i got one with no metallic salts and no ppd (i think that is the abbreviation) and no synthetics. when i used it, it was really coarse. i think rubbing the unfine henna into my scalp irritated it. i tried another that was more expensive but still irritated my scalp. i have never had dandruff or anything irritate my head. since i dyed my hair, my scalp itches and hurts when i brush it. i have tried to comb it and not brush it in the morning. then i tried brushing it again when i thought the irritation was gone and i guess i didnt wait long enough.

could my scalp and face/neck be related. could reactions last this long- havent died my hair in around three months or so. im so puzzled