Washing My Face with Oil

Yep, you read right.  I’m now washing my face with oil.

Image by ReneS

A little while ago, I read over on Caitlin’s blog that Benzoyl Peroxide is toxic if inhaled and facilitates carcinogens.  With more reading, I found that its usage can cause free radicals and that some research states that it’s a “skin tumor promoting agent“.  And if that’s not enough, it also bleaches everything it comes into contact with, including eyebrows, towels, pillows, and shirts, which makes me wonder why I ever thought it was okay for me to be using this every day in the first place!

So I’ve gotten rid of my benzoyl peroxide cleanser and acne gel and am now using the oil cleansing method.  The main idea behind the oil cleansing method is that “like dissolves like” or “oil dissolves oil”.  In other words, the only way to get rid of the bad oil/dirt on your face is to use “good oils” to rinse it away.  So what you’re left with then is soft skin and cleaner pores.  Of course, I had to try it when I read about it!

The thing that made me most want to try the oil cleansing method is that it’s completely natural. You make your own mix of oils (which has to include castor oil since it is the best oil for cleansing, and can actually be drying to the skin — which can be good if you have oily skin!).  I bought castor oil, grapeseed oil , and tea tree oil (which are both supposed to be good for acne-prone skin).  You make  your own mix of oils depending upon your skin type.

I did about 40% castor oil and 60% grapeseed oil with a few drop of tea tree  oil and put it in a plastic flip top bottle. Because you want to make sure your ratio is correct you don’t want to use too much oil when mixing your first batch.

I’ve been doing the oil cleanse each night for four nights and my skin is super soft and smooth! I’ve also noticed that my clogged pores in my chin seem to be closer to the surface, which I hope means they will unclog at some point soon! They don’t seem to aggravated and my skin is not breaking out at all.  However, I’ve read that you usually need to give your skin at least 2 weeks to get used to the method since it can take that long for your skin’s oil production to even itself out after being so dried out from acne medications in the past.

Anyway, if you want to read more about the method, I recommend these two websites which give a good overview of the basics on the oil cleansing method:

http://www.theoilcleansingmethod.com/

http://crunchybetty.com/nitty-gritty-on-the-oil-cleansing-method

In the meantime, I’ll keep experimenting with this method and checking back in every once and while to let you all know how it’s going! Let’s hope it keeps working!

Edited to add:  I wrote this post on Saturday, and I wanted to let you all know that I’m now starting to have some clogged pores/bumps on my forehead and cheeks so I may be decreasing my use of this method to once or twice a week. Perhaps my skin just doesn’t like this method?  I’ll check back in again soon to let you know what I will be doing!

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Tuesday Tunes!

For today’s Tuesday Tunes, I’ve chosen Billy Ocean’s “Get Out of My Dreams”.  For some weird reason, I started singing this to myself this morning while I was fixing my hair and it’s been in my head ever since!  Such a great 80′s song!

 

Enjoy your Tuesday night! I’m off to enjoy some tacos and then watch Pretty Little Liars! :)

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Best Parents Ever!

I have the best parents ever!  Check out this care package!


Thanks Mom and Dad! You just made my day! :)

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Something Different: Sticky Toffee Pudding

Lately, I’ve been sick of the same old, same old desserts:  chocolate chip cookies, brownies, chocolate cake, and cupcakes.  I wanted to try something new, but since my husband doesn’t like bars of any kind (I know, right?!?), I knew it had to be something different.

And this is where David Lebovitz’s Warm Sticky Toffee Pudding comes in.  I’ve written before about how much I like David Lebovitz, especially his vanilla ice cream recipe and his nonfat gingersnaps recipe.  Pretty much every recipe he writes turns out awesomely tasty.  And this toffee pudding definitely didn’t disappoint!

However, it took me around 20 minutes to make the toffee part – not 5 minutes like the recipe states.  Hmmm..here’s a step-by-step color progression!

Even though it took a long time, and it’s not the world’s prettiest dessert – it is still really, really scrumptious!  So scrumptious that I forgot to take a picture before digging in – oops!

And the finished product:  with warm toffee poured over the pudding with vanilla ice cream.  Can you say “YUM!”?

This recipe is definitely a keeper!

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Learning to Truly Honor my Hunger

After starting to reread “Intuitive Eating” again, I’ve discovered that even though I’ve come a LONG way from where I was before (having multiple episodes of binging a week in high school to maybe 3-4 smaller binges every year), I was really only using Intuitive Eating as another diet.

Photo by gaelx

I haven’t been truly honoring my hunger and giving myself full permission to eat when hungry.  I’ve been placing my own boundaries on my eating, which I think is why I still feel deprived despite allowing myself to eat whatever I want. For example, if I felt that I already ate “too much” earlier in the day (calorie-wise not in terms of fullness),  I would hold back my eating later regardless of how hungry I was.  And on that same note, I’ve been calculating calorie counts in my head without even realizing what I’m doing and making myself feel either good or bad (usually bad) depending on the day’s intake.

Rereading the book made me realize all of the things that have been holding me back from becoming a true intuitive eater.  I think in the past, I’ve read the book with only a slightly open heart.  I think my mind was ready to read the material but my heart wasn’t ready to accept that I would NEVER diet again. After trying my hand at dieting again, I think I’ve truly come to the end of my rope and I’m finally ready to accept that dieting will never work for me.  Sure, it may work in the short term (I lost a few pounds in May by counting calories)  but the pounds I’ll lose will be short-lived (I’ve already put those few pounds back on).

Image by Brad Gillette

And not only that, just by half-heartedly following Intuitive Eating’s principles, I’ve almost completely stopped the full blown binges that used to occur.  But when I started to count calories again, I was starting to get the urge to binge again.  That alone shows me that dieting is not good for my physical or mental health!

So yes, I’ve put on 13 pounds since I got married four years ago.  It may not sound like much, but I’m only 5′ 3″.  But I’d take those 13 pounds any day over being obsessed with every morsel of food that goes into my mouth.  I think I’m finally starting to accept that the weight I’m currently at is probably right around where I’m meant to be since it’s always the weight my body seems to return to when I’m not dieting and not binging.  I’m learning to be okay with that.  And that acceptance is the best thing that could ever happen, and I’m so very happy for it.  I’m not “letting myself go”, I’m “letting myself be”…me.

Image by Marc Falardeau

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Filed under Body Image, Health at Every Size, Intuitive Eating

Happy 4th of July!

Yes…I started my day with S’mores oatmeal to honor the occasion!

 

There’s nothing better than rolled oats with semisweet chocolate chips, raw almond butter, marshmallows, and almonds in the morning!

For those of you near a Trader Joe’s – go get this raw almond butter now!

It’s super yummy and WAY cheaper than I’ve seen it anywhere else ($5 vs. $15)!

I’m off to get ready for a day of fun and fireworks in NYC! Happy July 4th!

Photo by andycox93.

 

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Dieting Sucks

This is a prime example of why dieting sucks and does not work.

I found this article for a diet plan in a women’s health magazine that gave the reader a 1500 calorie meal plan and then included this little “Indulge Without Bulge” blurb which “allowed” the reader to drink 4 oz. of white wine but in order to so, they had to subtract different ingredients from the day’s meals (1/4 cup of edamame, 1 tsp of sunflower seeds, etc.).

And THAT is why diets don’t work! Who wants to have to subtract and add in and figure out whether they’re “on track” each day.  It’s exhausting just thinking about it!!  I’d much rather eat in response to my hunger signals and stop when I’m full.  It just makes so much more sense listening to my own body than following someone else’s plan every single day for the rest of my life.  And if I’m a little bit curvier because of that, then so be it! Better than being a slave to the calculator!

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Filed under Body Image, Health at Every Size, Intuitive Eating

Adventurous Weekend

This past weekend we checked out Coney Island for the first time.

 

I really wanted a photo with one of these snakes – but you had to pay, of course!

But we did go on the Wonder Wheel!

Check out that view!

The husband went on the Cyclone with some friends.  I sat that one out. I’m not much of a roller coaster person – I get motion sick just from riding in a car!!

And no trip to Coney Island would be complete without a hot dog from Nathan’s!

They’ve been at Coney Island since 1916!  I got a cheesy dog.  Yum!

It was such a nice day!

On Saturday, I went to a cooking class at Garden of Eve organic farm on Long Island.

 

We were able to go out into the farm and gather the ingredients for our lunch and then we watched a cooking demonstration using our ingredients.

Gathering Kale:

Gathering Swiss Chard:

I had a really great time, especially because we saw baby frogs when we went out into the farm! I love frogs! :)

We also got to visit with two very cute bunnies and one very large turkey.

That’s really all I need to be happy – getting to see some cute animals! :)

The farm also has a really pretty lavender labyrinth.

 

It was a beautiful day and I had a great time learning more about organic farming and new ways to cook with veggies.  If you live nearby, you should check them out since they have all kinds of different events for the public.

All in all, last weekend was busy, but so much fun! Definitely the way weekends are supposed to be in the summer!

 

 

 

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Filed under Long Island, NYC

Summer Monday

Hey everyone! Sorry it’s been so long since I’ve updated.  I’ve been feeling a little “blah” about this blog and I’ve been wondering what direction I want to take with it.  Basically, I’ve been taking some time to sort out my issues.

However, I do have a really fun post for tomorrow about my weekend trip to Coney Island and Garden of Eve Organic Farm, so make sure you check back soon!

In the meantime, I’m leaving you with one of my favorite songs ever from one of my favorite movies ever, Empire Records.  For some reason, the movie and the song make me think of summers past, back when I was able to spend my summers doing whatever I wanted.  Oh, how I miss those days!

Enjoy your Monday!!

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Small Batch Healthy PB Chocolate Chip Cookies

I’ve been making these cookies for the past couple of weeks when I’m in need of a cookie fix.  I adapted the recipe to be a little bit healthier by subbing in whole wheat flour, lowering the sugar a bit, and lowering/switching out the butter for peanut butter.  And it still makes a good cookie! :)

Here’s my adaptation of the recipe:

Ingredients:

1 tablespoons butter or butter substitute

1 tablespoon peanut butter

2 tablespoons granulated sugar

3 tablespoons packed brown sugar

2 tablespoons Egg beaters

1/4 teaspoon vanilla

3/4 cup whole wheat flour

¼ teaspoon salt (scant)

1/8 teaspoon plus 1/16 teaspoon baking powder (eyeball)

1/8 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 cup of chocolate chips, I used a mixture of dark chocolate chips and mini semi-sweet chips

Small handful whole almonds

Directions:

Preheat your oven to 350*.

Using a hand mixer, cream together the butter, pb, and sugars.

Then add in the Egg Beaters and the vanilla and mix in.

Because I’m lazy, I put the flour, baking soda and powder, and salt all in with the butter/sugar mixture and beat it again until it somewhat comes together.

Then I added in the chocolate chips and almonds and mixed briefly until incorporated.

I got 7 cookies out the dough that I put on a baking sheet lined with aluminum foil (you could just spray the pan with nonstick cooking spray).

Bake for 17-21 minutes until done (I like to underbake them so that they’re nice and doughy in the middle – mmmm!).

The best thing about this recipe — you can eat the dough without any worry of salmonella! Yay! :)

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