Pure Nuff Stuff

It's not a programme I normally watch, it's never about happy things is it, so it just gives me new stuff to worry about. But it was quite interesting, it was about the global rise in allergies and asthma and what could be causing this. Apart from establishing that there appears to be a link to one's family history, it seemed to suggest that there's much more evidence than previously thought that it's linked to modern life generally (exposure to car fumes and pollution in general, huge changes in diet, harsh or over-cleaning of the skin etc.). It was also the first time I'd heard a scientist mention that exfoliation might not be a great idea.

When I get a minute (!) I'll check out the trade papers and see if they've picked up on that, but what are your thoughts? Do you think it's actually beneficial or is it just a habit you've got into?

posted by Emily @ 13:31

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Wednesday 10th December 2008

Exfoliation

Hi Emily, Yes, its me again! No I didn't see it but I think that you have raised an important point. I used to exfoliate my face with one of those nasty scrubs that contain all of those awful chemicals. My reason for this was not necesssarily for cleansing purposes but because I have really dry flaky skin on my forehead (the rest of my face is OK), which just brushes off like dandruff if I don't exfoliate twice a week.Then when I became more aware of chemicals in toiletries I came across a pack of facial loofahs. There was a pack of five - just dip them in water and they expand and form a rough surface. They last for ages as long as you rinse them thoroughly after each use and leave them to dry. However, your comments have now got me thinking - would it be better to try and combat the dry skin by a better moisturizing technique - for example, you mentioned in a previous blog that you had started using oils. Maybe, buffing off the dry skin is just telling it to renew itself again - i.e. a vicious circle, and hence more flaky skin to buff off. What do you think? Can you recommend any oils that I could use maybe twice a week and just carry on with my normal daily moisturiser. Its worth a try!

posted by PNS Fan @ 20:04

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Thursday 11th December 2008

I think it's worth a try

When I've got dry patches myself, my first instinct used to be, just like you, to reach for a scrub of some kind. But now (and all this at the risk of sounding like your mother - please forgive me if it's all old news to you) I do a few other things first, the most important being to increase my intake of water, that's the easiest thing to forget and most important factor in healthy skin, adequate hydration. Secondly I'll look at how much oil I'm eating and try conciously ensure I'm eating enough good oils, the importance of a balanced diet can't be overstressed.

If I figure those factors are pretty well covered, then I'll start applying oil at night. Jojoba's my favourite, that or wheatgerm for my face, but do you know what? For a one off blitz on a problem area, you could also try a bit of olive oil, you've likely already got some in the kitchen and it's worth a go. I'm probably oversharing here, but in summer before I cover myself in the Natural Tanning Cream, I'll do a once-over on my legs with olive oil, just to make sure they're super soft (especially knees and ankles) , it seems to do the trick.

posted by Emily @ 13:11

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Wednesday 17th December 2008

dry flaky skin

My dry skin is much improved now that I am taking a teaspoon of flax oil morning and evening. Tastes OK too.

posted by sally @ 07:41

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Tuesday 23rd December 2008

Hi there Sally

That's a great point, making sure you're getting enough oil on the inside is crucial. We've got some flax in the workshop actually, but I've never tasted it, I might give it a go now :)

posted by Emily @ 16:17

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Wednesday 10th December 2008

P.S. ...just remembered...

....did you see my belated comment on the Tuesday 11th November blog - Natural Cleaning? Worth doing if your having a new bathroom - you say your other half is a builder -so he should know about this insulating board.

posted by PNS Fan @ 20:16

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Thursday 11th December 2008

I've seen it now

And replied to it on the same thread - cheers for pointing it out :)

posted by Emily @ 14:42

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Sunday 14th December 2008

Oils,Triclosan and Dettol!

Thanks for your advice on the oils. I didn't have any olive oil - I'm afraid I just bake, grill, steam and boil! So I am going to do a twice weekly application of Shea Souffle instead of exfoliation. I've never used anything as heavy as this on my face before but I will give it a go and let you know how I get on in a few weeks time. Well, I checked out the triclosan on the Skin Deep website - evidence to suggest cancer, developmental / reproductive toxicity, contamination with dioxins and chloroform, skin, eye, lung irritation, endocrine disruption, persistence and bioaccumulation, organ system toxicity and ecotoxicology. I know that you will know all of this Emily, but I have just listed it for anyone reading the blog who is not familiar with its potential hazards. Its so frightening and to think that I used to use it on my face to clear up spot outbreaks a many years ago! Finally, dettol re: green cleaning from ages ago. I checked out the ingredients and managed to find some of their uses. So here it goes: Aqua, C12-C14 Sec Pareth-X (I think this is a surfactant), Decyl Glucoside - well we all know about this - PNS products, and is apparently good for wound cleansing, benzalkonium chloride ( again, I think this is a surfactant BUT Skin Deep site info: human immune and respiratory toxicant - strong evidence especially aerosolized (airborne) products, i.e. dettol, sodium bicarbonate ( I think we will say this is OK), Parfum ( no specification - so could be considered dodgy), sodium carbonate (OK) and tetrasodium EDTA (OKish - could be worse). So is all of this saying that the anti-bacterial agent in dettol is decyl glucoside? If so, why could it not be used without all of the other junk? Could this be a new PNS product? Maybe Helen G could help out on the chemical side of things? PS Can't make paragraphs on this end of the blog. Sorry to have gone on for so long!

posted by PNS Fan @ 17:51

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Monday 15th December 2008

Dettol

I think the antibacterial agent is the benzalkonium chloride...

posted by Heleng @ 10:29

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Monday 15th December 2008

Thanks Helen!

I knew you'd be able to shed some light on the matter! Do you know the mechanism behind how benzalkonium chloride acts as an anti-bacterial? Also, what about the pareth - there seems to be a lot of diiferent ones with different pre- and suffixes - does this have any anti-bacterial properties? Its all so confusing. I am seriously considering binning the dettol spray!

posted by PNS Fan @ 16:15

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Monday 15th December 2008

I am in no way an authority...

I have no idea about the mechanisim of action but I agree with your assumptions about the other ingredients...the pareth thingy sounds like a surfactant to me!??!!!!!

posted by Helen G @ 17:13

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Wednesday 10th December 2008

Exfoliating

Yes I watched horizon too...I think that a weekly exfoliation probably does little harm. I would say if you were using the synthetic chemical laden products it may do more harm but who can say if it is really the exfoliation or the chemicals in them that are causing the problem. However I do indeed agree that it is probably quite likely that overclean houses may not exactly be helping our children develop strong immune systems.

posted by Heleng @ 17:29

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Wednesday 10th December 2008

Over cleaning our environment, too true

We've resisted requests for facial scrubs so far because we've always believed that it's best to keep your skin intact because it keeps the outside world out. But like you say, it's a bit of a chicken and egg scenario. I think having seen that last night though, we'll still err on the side of caution till I've done a lot more research into it. But the over-cleaning of our environment is the really worrying bit isn't it, have you googled triclosan recently by any chance?

posted by Emily @ 17:59

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