Lip Balm for super cheap!

i suppose you know the feeling when you fly - lips start to become dry or crack due to the dry cabin air and you desperately need that tube of lip balm to rescue them?

for years! the same tube of lip balm always follows me whenever I travel.  this time when I was packing, I suddenly wondered if it was a good idea to use the same old lip balm since it probably had zillions of bacteria from the years of slathering it directly on my lips!'

remembering I had a tub shea butter from iherb a couple of months ago, I decided I would use that instead.  so i went rummaging through my cabinets for a small container to hold the shea butter, simply transferred some over with a butter knife and voila! instant 'new' lip balm!

oh, call me shallow, but a nice container helps.  it's a joy to use the lip balm from a pretty pink translucent container with gold screw cap.  Morale of the story?  Keep the pretty containers! only the pretty ones though!  the not-so-nice ones?  I recycle them.

[caption id="attachment_1531" align="aligncenter" width="547"] Shea butter I bought from iherb. Transferred into uber cute estee lauder sampler container gifted to me from mum who received from her friend![/caption]

thing to note is that as it's 100% shea butter, it is fairly solid and harder to apply, but once its on your lips, it glides since the warm of your lips helps to soften it.  Best part - you can use it on any part of your body - your hands / body!   sis tried it and was impressed. ha.

so its good for your skin cos' it doesn't contain any additives, and doesn't cost much (USD 12.24 for 227g!).  I guess why the normal lip balms cost so much is from all the packaging.   You can consider this the next time you run down your lip balm!

SuKin

I came to know about SuKin from a friend who recommended it cos' of its natural ingredients.  While its deodorant didn't work for me, I have been slowly testing some of their other products - some I love, some not so.

The ones I didn't quite like are their deodorant (probably cos' i'm too stinky, but it does work for my friend) and their rosehip renew shampoo (doesn't lather well, and somehow I don't feel that it cleans well, and I saw a lot more hair fall!  it's could be a cycle when we 'shed'. or i rubbed too vigorously - so it could be just me and not the shampoo.   regardless, it's a meh for me).

[caption id="attachment_1495" align="aligncenter" width="163"] Sukin shampoo and deodorant[/caption]

The ones I do love?  Quite a few actually - i particularly like their facial wash and rosehip oil! and their body oil is not too bad!

[caption id="attachment_1494" align="aligncenter" width="595"] SuKin products I love![/caption]

Their foaming Facial Wash smells heavenly (then again, most of their stuff smells quite similar), washes decently - doesn't leave your face dry.   When you need a light refreshing facial wash - this does the job very well.  Very reasonably priced too - esp when you get them on promotion.  I got two bottles at $17 and I reckon they last probably a good 3 - 4 months.   Convinced my sis to change to this cos' it's a healthier and safer wash and she ended up loving the smell too.  Good price and good for your skin too! well, why not?

The other product that seems to work for me is their rosehip oil.  I NEVER ever thought I would use oil as a moisturizer, but it works for me!  it's supposed to be for more mature skin.  I have dry skin and I guess 30+ skin is mature?  and the best part is - it doesn't feel oily AT all!  it's a dry oil - meaning it absorbs really quickly, and I do feel my skin looking better than when i used other moisturizers.  so i'm sticking to this for a while!

I bought their bodyoil when there was a 20% and i was pleasantly surprised to find that it came in a glass bottle! it had a normal cap, and they even provide an extra pump dispenser.  boy - I as superbly impressed by the thoughtfulness.  and it wasn't too expensive - $17.52 after discount - given that other body moisturizers are about the same price too.

the next few I might wanna try?  eye serum and the other shampoos. let me finish my current shampoo first loh!

haul from iherb!

heh!  please indulge me and allow me to blabber on about my loots!  yes, i'm aware it does seem like i'm on a shopping spree recently, though they are generally household items and healthier alternatives to the commercial detergents.

my parent's order from iherb arrived a couple of weeks ago, and take a look at the hauls!

[caption id="attachment_1441" align="aligncenter" width="614"] Hauls from iherb.com![/caption]

[caption id="attachment_1442" align="aligncenter" width="614"] Dr Bronner's Soap! My cousin mentioned that I could open a shop! only 1 bottle is mine - the rest are for my parents and sis.[/caption]

as you already know - I am switching all my hand wash to Dr Bronner's cos' it has less nasty chemicals.  My parents got the Rose Hemp and it smells really nice!  a little bubble gum like smell - in a good way.  Managed to convince my sis to change too and she got the eucalyptus and lavender.

[caption id="attachment_1444" align="alignleft" width="205"] Magesium Oil[/caption]

i got magnesium oil for myself -  see link for what it's supposed to help you with. for me, I mainly wanted to improve my sleep quality (cos' i wake up an average of 3 times per night!) and boost my energy level cos' I feel lethargic and sluggish at times.   I rub it to the base of my feet and the 2nd night I did it - I actually slept throught the entire night w/o waking up!!!

While on holiday I didn't bring it but still managed to sleep well.  Back home, I was lazy to apply (cos' I slept well on holiday so figured doesn't hurt to skip it), and the past 2 nights - i woke about 3 -5 times.  Sigh.  Not quite sure if it's cos' I didn't use the magnesium or the late afternoon coffee or the later nights i sleep.  probably a combination of all I suppose.

oh. you might like to know that you can use the magnesium oil as a deodorant!  they say to spray it directly on your arm pits, and smell-be-gone! Haven't tried that yet since I still have my Soapwalla deodorant.

There’s also pet shampoo, dental floss and shaver blades - quite amazed at the range that iherb has!

Now I know why so many people love online shopping.  if done properly and at the right places, it yields a lot of cost savings than from buying retail!

oh.  only thing - this time round, the delivery took 2 whole weeks before it arrived.  maybe cos' it's was during the new year?

the BEST laundry solution for me so far!

a few years ago, my dad bought me a laundry ball.  supposedly you  throw the ball into your laundry sans detergent, and it would well...do your laundry.  only thing? it didn't do it so well.  and i am embrassed to say my sweat's pretty potent especially on hot humid days...which is  320 out of 365 days.

so back to the normal detergent i went.

[caption id="attachment_1425" align="aligncenter" width="360"] This was the exact one my dad passed me.[/caption]

and then recently, my skin started acting up again - the usual itch on my arms.  have no idea what might be causing it since I am already using a milder body soap, don't use too much detergent in my laundry and generally been eating the same.

so in my usual mindless surfing (sometimes the hb asks what I'm doing...and really - it's fb, blog, emails and just mindless surfing...which in my defence, unveils some gems at times!), I chanced upon soapnuts.  so I asked my beloved google search and it said that soapnuts were supposedly better for sensitive skin, reduces your need for fabric softener, environmentally better, economical, and blah blah blah.

since it's good for my skin, the earth and my health. oh what the heck - i went to get some nuts. here, take a look at my nuts!  *yes yes, i AM corny*

[caption id="attachment_1429" align="aligncenter" width="614"] soapnuts![/caption]

I wasn't pinning too much hope on the soapnuts to wash well given the dreadful experience with the laundry balls.  And after trying it for a couple of weeks, they actually turn out to be not too bad!:)  clothes ARE cleaned (no sweat smell), and they really are soft despite not using fabric softener! and pyschologically  i felt better not using the normal chemical detergent!

it's really simple - all i did was pour boiling water and let soapnuts seep (about 5 - 7 soapnuts), and after ten minutes, throw the water into the washing machine, and the bag of soapnuts as well, and just wash as usual.

there is a vinegary smell of the soapnuts.  took me a couple of wash to get used to them but once the clothes are dried - the smell is gone.  so really - only the smell ain't so great.  you could use essential oils, but i think it's such a waste to use EOs on clothes.

oh and my itch?  ney. it's still there.  wonder what's causing it!

Malki Black Mud Mask Soap

It's hard to buy my dad presents cos' the things he loves are gadgets and electronic stuff....and I know nuts about them.  My eyes go a dead blank when my dad enthusiastically tells me the exciting new features of his latest purchase.  i try to listen, but man...it can get hard. probably the same way his eyes go blank when I enthusiastically tell him how i helped cleaned his flat.

So I was pleasantly surprised when my dad loved a small gift that I bought him...and surprise surprise...it's not any electronic stuff.....it's a bar of soap!

I bought a Black Mud Soap for my dad about a year or so ago to try, and he ended up really loving it!

[caption id="attachment_1054" align="aligncenter" width="557"] Malki Black Sea Mud Mask[/caption]

I was pretty surprised by his enthusiasm  - he says his skin feels very clean after he uses this soap, and even uses it as a shampoo!

Also got one for the hb to use - to replace the commercial facial wash and when I asked him "how?" - he had the most boring answer "ok lor".  and "ok lor" from the hb is a decent rating.   And surprise surprise - it double ups as a shaving cream too!  I read it online and asked him to try it  just last week and he says it works!  So now he doesn't need to use shaving cream loaded with hard-to-read-and-understand ingredients!  and saves money too from one less unnecessary purchase!

Personally I don't have any personal preference for the soap.  Works alright for me, didn't do anything out-of-the-world for me.  Smell?  I don't like it (it is called mud for a reason) But I guess this soap works well for people with oily skin like my dad and hb.

You can get the bar from Real Foods or Zenxin, but it's really really expensive at $17.80 per bar!   My dad ran out of the soap really fast, so I went to search if there was a cheaper option and I managed to buy it online for about a third of the price!!! and that is even after currency conversion and shipping (then again, I did buy 30 bars to make shipping viable!).   I just checked and the company I ordered from went....bust!  Lucky I got it early!  I guess I will have to start my search again when my dad runs low...which will probably take a while!

Dr Bronner's Magic Soap!

remember a few months ago I was writing about a pretty red dispenser that I bought, but smelt really bad when I poured in the hand soap?

I googled and the only explanation I could find was that the fragrance in the hand soap reacts with the metal, causing the bad smell - so I decided to put the red pump aside until I found some more natural soaps.....and....I DID!:):)

It's Dr Bronner's Magic Soap - seems to be widely known in the US, though not so common in Singapore (though I've been seeing it pop up at NTUC Finest, Watsons and mostly organic or health stores).

[caption id="attachment_936" align="aligncenter" width="371"] dr bronner magic soap[/caption]

what appealed to me was that

1. NO NASTY CHEMICALS

It's going to take too long and you probably be bored by the time I go through each ingredient....so what I linked the nasty stuff in red (possible links to cancer, fertility issues, etc), the neutral stuff in green.  The links in blue - well, it's not bad or good on its own - it depends what goes into it.   Read the articles using your discretion.  And if you are interested, you can further investigate and decide what works for you!

i) Dr Bronner's Tea Tree Liquid Soap 

INGREDIENTS: Water, Organic Coconut Oil*, Potassium Hydroxide**, Organic Olive Oil*, Tea Tree Extract, Organic Hemp Oil, Organic Jojoba Oil, Citric Acid, Tocopherol * CERTIFIED FAIR TRADE INGREDIENTS ** None remains after saponifying oils into soap and glycerin

I like that their ingredients are easy to read and understand.  Personally I have a good experience with using Hemp Oil based products for my eczema.   I think it's not available in Singapore in its pure form cos' it falls under the cannibis family  even though THC - the drug is not present in concentrations that induces a 'high'.  at least that's what I read.  I'm just happy to find out that hemp seed oil heals my skin!:)

on the smelly topic of....deordorants!

ok...i'm gonna share with you something embrassing.... my smelly pits!  sorry to gross you..but it's a real stinky issue that I have to deal with - especially with the warm humid weather here in singapore.  no kidding since average relative humidity level is in the 80+%!  on a positive note - the high humidity has its benefits for people with dry skin - keeps the skin hydrated and looking young!  on the flip side - encourages mouldy food, mould in cupboards, and skin issues like pimples from all the clogged pores (prob from the heat!)....ah well...i'm digressing!

[caption id="attachment_547" align="alignleft" width="225"] i wish I could smell as good as theses lovlies![/caption]

I found myself smelling less than great, and then slowly but surely, progessed to smelling really stinko! Eons ago, I lasered the hair on my pits - and a wonderful side effect was that I stayed stink free for a good 3-4 years (yes, really that long!)! I figured the stink sweat follicles got blasted and got laid to rest for a while!:)

When I started smelling a bit, I used a off-the-shelf deordorant daily, and after a year or so - had a lump under my pits!  I went to see a doctor - the lady doctor checked and even commented my breasts felt lumpy.   She gave me a pill (she said it contained papaya extract) and after a while, the lump went away - of course I stopped the deordorant too.

Since then, I found that there are some pretty horrible substances in the usual deordorants and antiperspirants which are bad for our health!   Here are some quick info so that you can take note and avoid them if you can!

1. aluminum

there are deodorants, and antiperspirants.  antiperspirants usually contain aluminum-based compounds are used as the active ingredient in antiperspirants. These compounds form a temporary plug within the sweat duct that stops the flow of sweat to the skin's surface.

there's quite a bit written about aluminum - from causing breast cancer due to antiperspirants to alzhimers by ingesting it.  of course, it's up to the individual to decide whether to believe it or not - and I choose to - simply because avoiding aluminum is something I'm more than willing to do, as compared to the possibility of damaging my health.  cancer? alzhimers? ney.  no thanks. It's not worth risking my health.

that's why I don't cook anything in aluminum directly, avoid carbonated drinks in aluminum cans, etc. You might be amazed to know that they are even present in some medicines (antacids!) and vaccines!  gosh.

2. parabens.

parabens are usually used to preserve in cosmetics - to prevent bacterial and fungi in our cosmetics and lotions...and sometimes even food!!!  they are used essentially cos' they are effective and cheap.  but apparently they disrupt your hormones, and are linked to cancers.

The alumiunum and parabens freaked me out so much scary - for a while, I even went without deordorant!  *gasp* true story.  During that time I felt horrible!  after a short time out of the house, I already smelt bad, and it was horrible!  I was conscious not to raise my arms as I sure as hell didn't want to assualt someone's poor nose!

So in my zealous quest to become stink free and at the same time make sure I take care of my health - here are the deordorants I have tried!

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.

.

.

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1.  Khiels

[caption id="attachment_659" align="alignleft" width="140"] khiel deodorant[/caption]

I can't exactly remember what was on the ingredient list that made me throw it away after I got my Su Kin deordorant, but i think there was some aluminum in it (I threw it away already - so am unable to check the ingredient list). I recalled I bought it cos' it stated "Orange, Lemon and Linseed Extract" - so I naturally assumed it was all natural.  Not so.  Still have to read the ingredients list.  Other than that - it worked decently, though a little wet upon application.

Ingredient list:  I threw it away.  can't exactly remember what was on the ingredient list that made me do it - so it's a fail for me.

Smell control:  7.5/10.  not bad.  kept me from smelling too bad.  medium control.  not for heavy duty sweating!  

dry factor: 5/10.  a slight wet sticky feeling upon application...and throughout the day - slight dampness or a grosser term - slimy.  

2. Su Kin

[caption id="attachment_660" align="alignleft" width="178"] Sukin deodorant[/caption]

 

When I first used it - the thing I note was the nice pleasant smell.  and it was really easy to use - just spray and it dries pretty fast.

down side?   NOT effective - at least not for me! to be fair, my friend says it works for her. so maybe I just smell wayyy too bad.   In fact, I thought it made me even SMELLIER!  cos' you know - my stinko sweat PLUS other stuff = SMELLIER than ever pits.

Smell control:  1/10. gosh. dont' stand near me on a hot humid day! or after I've been baking! you will faint. 

dry factor: 7.0/10.  dries pretty quicky upon application, and doesn't have a slimy after feel compared to Khiels.   

 

 

 

 

 

3. Honey Tree

[caption id="attachment_661" align="alignleft" width="186"] Honeybee deodorant powder[/caption]

 

initially I didn't quite like it - it was too jasminely for my liking and well...not my cup of tea.  after a while, I got used to the smell, and it was okay.

It's a powder form.  texture's a little coarse but acceptable.

smell control:   4/10 . better than Su Kin but I still stank after a while or if the weather's too hot. 

dry factor: 7.5/10.  

 

 

 

 

 

4. Soapwalla!

[caption id="attachment_665" align="aligncenter" width="570"] soapwalla deodorant cream[/caption]

i heard so many raves about soapwalla's deordorant and in my desperate attempt to not smell so bad, I wanted to ship in from the US, but shipping was a killer!  luckily Rachel, the owner directed me to a online shop in Singapore! Poppibleu!

It is a cream that you apply - and was slightly surprised that it was coarse - similar to Honey Tree.  it is acceptable, but was a little surprised as I expected a smooth cream.  easy to apply.

smell control: 9.5/10!!!! went cycling and there was no smell!!!! no kidding!  oh my gosh, I sooooo happy to finally find something that will let me stay stink free!  thank you thank you thank you!

dry factor:  9/10!  strangely even though it's a cream - i think there is some clay or something in the cream - when you apply - it's not wet, and throughout my cycling - didn't feel any wetness! 

So TA DA - MY LOVE!!!!! SOOOOOoooo happy to have found this deodorant!

 

5. Magnesium oil 

Read from somewhere that magnesium oil spray thing is able to double up as a deodorant so I will just try that the next time I get my hands on some!:)

Pimples! My way of tackling them!

this will be one of my rambles on skin care - one of my favourite topics!

I have been blessed with a relatively pimple/acne free complexion (save for a recent memory of a horrible terrible HUGE pimple years ago - almost 1 cm diameter at the bottom of my nose!  morbidly I snapped a photo of the scar - maybe to remind me that it was really THAT huge! *shudder* and no, i shall not gross any of you out by posting it here. kekeke...that would be funny though!).

However in the past year - I had a period where pimples kept popping around my nose and I was a tad upset cos' it left faint albeit visible marks on my nose and it looked well...distracting.  and before the mark completely fades - POP! another comes along.  I was trying hard to pin point what caused the pimple outbreak and I can only weakly assume it's either

1. hot humid environment - when I used to bake frequently for orders


2. loose powder  - i was using to reduce the shine of applying sunblock.


3. some other reason - but i just haven't figured it out...maybe getting older? hmm...

So I tried clay masks, dead sea mud mask soap, exfoliating 2-3 times a week, and the pimples still popped!  boy....was it really annoying.  Then I started using Estee Lauder's Advanced Night Repair serum, and much as I'm a cynic at times (normally I don't buy the major cosmetics products as I feel that I am paying more for the marketing and advertising costs than the product itself) - it really really worked!  at least for me!  the marks went away quicker and the pimples stopped for a period!  plus it feels good - to be trying to protect my skin from aging!

[caption id="attachment_214" align="alignnone" width="460"] Estee Lauder Advanced Night Repair Serum - thank you to the people who created this wonderful product![/caption]

Though I have to disclaim - the pimples unfortunately came back for a little while - i suspect it's because I changed my loose powder and maybe maybe the new powder included micro/nano particles and with the heat of the kitchen, probably clogged my pores. I think.   The nano particles really gave a smoother finish - but ney - not worth the pimples, and to think about it - being nano sized means it's easier to go into my blood stream huh?  Okay - to the dustbin!  Note to self:  Please remember to look at ingredients list!

[caption id="attachment_219" align="alignnone" width="300"] Love the packaging and the finish it gave - but i suspect it caused my pimples. The sales lady said it contained nano particles, hence the smooth finish - but couldn't find much information on the ingredients / packaging.  It was also an impluse buy and i didn't read the ingredient list until much later and i vaguely remember being horrified. then again....i suspect most commercial products contain less than desired ingredients.[/caption]

Still, i do get pimples - albeit a lot less now.   You know when a pimple is about to erupt - that small but painful bump under your skin, you may wanna try what my sister recommended - Neutrogena On-the-Spot Acne Treatment and it works!  I generously dot the area with the cream before the pimple even has a chance to appear, and instead of an angry red burst of pimple erupting - a small red dot appears.  It's a drying cream - so dab it only on the pimple area - else your skin will flake.

Body Soap!

a couple of months ago, i had a persistent albeit mild itch on my arms, and though i had an allergy to something I've eaten (I have an averse reaction to peanuts....more on that in future!), and my mum asked if it was the detergent I was using. I figured it can't be cos' I've always used the same detergent (though allergies do sometimes react to something you commonly used. probably the chemicals build up to a point where your skin starts reacting - so you may still want to consider that) and also, I use very little detergent in my washing.

However, it made me consider that the liquid body soap I use might be a possible culprit - so I resumed using the Ergo QV liquid soap which is supposed to be very gentle to the skin and the itch really started to ease!  But at $30 for 1 litre (more than 3 times the usual price of a normal liquid soap for the same amount!) - i was certainly not loving the price!  Also it contains  SLS and parabens (bad bad BAD for us - but it's so commonly used in many of the products we use daily - so while I can't eliminate them, i try to reduce them as far as possible), so i started seeing what could be a longer term sustainable solution to preventing the itch!

[caption id="attachment_62" align="alignnone" width="340"] a body wash that is indeed gentle but pretty expensive.[/caption]

i stumbled upon my stash of L'Occitane bar soaps I had stashed for YEARS!  5 years to be exact - cos' they came in the hotel we stayed in for our wedding!  so i started using it, and yes! it works just as well - still no itch, and psychologically i felt better cos' the ingredients didn't contain all those weird chemicals. and also, another important point - it lasts pretty long!

Over the past couple of months - i tried quite a number of soaps and here's a rundown!

L'Occitane 

didn't pay for this but think it's less than $10 per 100g bar.

[caption id="attachment_64" align="alignnone" width="225"] gentle bar soap[/caption]

pros:

• gentle mild soap

cons:

• slightly waxy after feel which i didn't quite like


• didn't manage to scrub me as clean as I like at the armpits! (i suppose I could use a hand scrubby thingy - but i'm lazy).

Dr Bronner's Organic Soap (I used the Citrus Orange Bar Soap)

$7+ per 140g bar (bought at NTUC Finest Marine Parade - organic section near the escalator)

[caption id="attachment_65" align="alignnone" width="274"] I LOVE the smells - even better when I know they are natural oils![/caption]

pros:

• made from organic oils


• smells darn good


• lathers well

cons

• somehow the soap seems to run down quite fast.  or maybe i love it sooo much that i happily used it so often.

Mount Sapola  (I have only used the Lemon Gingergrass)

$8.20 per 120g bar

[caption id="attachment_67" align="alignnone" width="609"] my stash of Mount Sapola bar soaps which i bought from Bangkok! this is only half of what I actually have! sufficient to last me a good year I think![/caption]

pros:

• smells great


• natural ingredients


• scrubs really well!

cons:

• a tad expensive ($8.20 per 120g bar)

VERDICT

My favourites are Dr Bronner's and Mount Sapola.

I would love to try more of Dr Bronner's soap, but managed to get Mount Sapola's soap cheaper in my recent holiday to Bangkok - and after conversion it's about $5 per bar - so now i have no worries for a good year!

Also, I like the 'scrubbing' effect that the ginger has in the bar soap - makes me pits smell good. :)

So if you do have sensitive / dry skins - you can try soaps that do not contain the normal chemicals and see how your skin reacts (I'm pretty sure it will turn out all the better). I'm sure there are good liquid soaps (you could try Su Kin - a huge bottle at $30 and sans nasty chemicals).  The reason why i use bar soaps? cos' economically it's more value for money - cos' liquids generally are more expensive and run down pretty fast.  The bar soaps generally lasts me 1 - 1.5 months.

I heard that Lush body soaps are pretty good too - made from natural ingredients as well.  I would try it if it's convenient, but meanwhile, I will happily soap up with my bar soap.

Skin! Ecezma.

Did you know that our skin is the largest organ in our body?

I have to admit that I am one lucky gal - I have been blessed with good (face) skin for most of my life - but i also have my fair share of skin problems (mostly on the rest of the body!).

I know how terrible it is to have skin problems cos' it is downright uncomfortable or even painful!  So I'm going to share my skin issues with you - and if you have something similar - I hope you are able to figure out a solution - just as i have figured out mine!    Today's topic?  Eczema!

 

When I was young - I suffered from pretty bad eczema on my feet. It was dry and cracked so bad that my skin spilt apart and started to bleed - serious. no kidding. I resorted to walking only on my heels when my toes and upper half of my feet were bleeding - and then well....my heels started cracking and bleeding too.  It was a miserable and painful and I really didn't know what to do.  My mum bought me to the doctor, and they prescribe some medicated cream, but it didn't help much (not that i recalled) and something as simple as walking that most people can take for granted - hurt alot for me. 

[caption id="attachment_45" align="alignnone" width="598"] okay, i figured, a photo of a pretty feet is wayyyy better than one that is cracking/peeling and bleeding huh?[/caption]

Doctors do what they can to help diagnose your problem, but from experience I realise it is also up to ourselves to figure out what our triggers are and what works. most of the time - it is after much head scratching and trying out different methods that I found what was causing me pain, and from there - find some solutions.  

So if you are suffering from eczema, your triggers may not be the same as mine, but I hope in sharing - you might be able to start figuring out what is causing your pain.  

 

Essentially - my skin is sensitive to dirt.  and I didn't know I was subjecting my poor feet to loads of stress by walking barefooted in the house.  and when it couldn't take the stress from the dirt - it retaliated in the only way it knew how to - mild peeling at first, and then cracking and then bleeding...  

 

so what helped?   

 

1. Wearing Slippers. 

[caption id="attachment_46" align="alignnone" width="300"] yup, i wore these plain unassuming plastic slippers and they saved me from much pain![/caption]

 

Ha! so simple right!  But boy oh boy - i dunno why - but I only wore slippers after years of suffering.  Probably only when it hurt sooo much and became pretty unbearable that I somehow started wearing slippers - my skin improved and bleed less.  but they still bleed cos it was dry! so i started....

 

2. Moisturising my feet. 

 

another really simple and straight forward solution.  I used normal off-the-shelf moisturisers (hey! i was only 10+ so i just used whatever was in the house), and they helped alleviate the dryness - but still my feet were still awfully dry and a huge mess.  I was embarrassed if anyone ever had to see my feet cos' they were just in terrible form from all the cracking and skin peeling and bleeding. 

 

Then I found the PERFECT moisturiser!  okay - it was my mum :)  She (or we....i can't rem) was on holiday and bought Body Shop's HEMP FOOT PROTECTOR!    Initially when she bought the moisturiser - i was skeptical whether it would work cos' the cream is so liquidly!  I still remember thinking 'huh. so liquid ah.  absorb so fast - sure or not.  maybe like the other mositurizers - sure don't work one' (they changed the formulae over the years and it's thicker consistency now).  

and lo and behold - to my utter amazement, my skin on my feet improved TREMENDOUSLY within the week!  after daily usage and in a couple of months - my feet was transformed from a cracking, peeling, bleeding mess - to a normal looking feet.  it worked like a MIRACLE!  I'm not kidding nor exaggerating - the transformation was huge.  and for someone to have 'normal' feet after years of suffering is such an unbelievable relief!  I think by allowing the skin to retain its mositure - it helped in the healing of poor feet.  

 

so here it is - the first of my SUPER LOVE. I have been using it for 10 years already and I haven't not stopped - simply cos' it works for me.  It's not available in Singapore where I live - cos' it contains cannabis or something - so i get my stash from relatives who visit Australia. or well there is always online shopping!

 

[caption id="attachment_47" align="alignnone" width="870"] Body Shop Hemp Foot Protector! if you suffer from very dry skin - this is a miracle!  for being such a amazing product in my life - it deserves a HUGE photo space! yay!![/caption]

 

Hello world!

woot!  finally I got myself down to creating a (new) blog - to write about things and stuff I love!

I am always excited whenever I find a good product or gadget or well anything that works fabulously - and can go on and on and on about how great something i used is!  of course - different people have different interests and so much as I would lloooooovvvvveee to go on about say - some skin care product that I just found - I have to be mindful not to bore my dear friends cos' well - they may not have the same interests.  one of my friends label my 'obsession' with skin care 'bimbo talk'.  haha.  yes yes. a little bimbo, but hey! must take care of skin mah! besides, who wouldn't want to get rid of white heads and pimples and keep our skin in decent shape?

still I gotta find an outlet to rave about what I love ....so here it is - I decided it shall be my personal blog. ha!  I am a fairly geeky gal, so bear with me if i rant.  Oh yes, of cos - it's not limited to just things, but also living breathing creatures - like my darling cats and my family dog.

so what would I be gushing about?  I have loads of things I love and maybe in these categories...

• Skin care


• Gadgets for home


• Accessories for home


• Cleaning (crazy as it sounds - I LOVE cleaning as I find it super therapeutic!)


• Blogs I love


• blah blah blah...for all the things I haven't thought about yet.

okay! that's it for now!  can't wait to start gushing in the next few days!