Can Natural Oils Heal The Effects of Too-Harsh Beauty Treatments—Elle Thinks So!
Mark another one on the chalk board for team oils, girls! In the September issue of Elle there’s a whole feature devoted to revealing to the readers that oils (oils!) can actually reverse the excesses of, you know, excessive skin care.
The piece’s author is one of those product junkies—hey, we can relate—whose multi-layered, supposedly multitasking, 100-step skin care routine has left her skin worse for wear: red, irritated, and congested beyond belief. So she heads to a derm in search of help. From the piece:
She basically goes on a major product detox, replacing her chem-laden crap with gentle, skin-friendly oils instead. And guess what? Her skin calms down. Ahhh.
This article reminded me of some very stupid behavior of my own back when I was a product hound. I must have been 26 or 27 when a very old woman (who’d clearly had several facelifts) working at a fancy beauty store convinced me and my even younger, baby-faced, wrinkle-free friend that we must—MUST—start using glycolic acid NOW. In our twenties. Otherwise, we would be in big trouble. We should also never, ever, under any circumstances go in the sun. And we should change our pillowcases every night and wash them after one use (with toxic laundry detergent, no doubt). Of course, I ate up this advice.
I applied the glycolic acid as instructed, slowly building up my tolerance to several applications a week. My skin looked… dewy, I thought. Definitely my pores were smaller. At any rate it would prevent me from aging, I told myself. Then I went snowboarding one weekend and my skin turned a color of tomato red I’d never seen before on a face. I kept using the glycolic though. Duh, it was making me younger. But before long, I had—rosacea maybe? Hard to say, but my skin was angry and irritated and red and bumpy, and I’m not exaggerating when I say that it took years (and a whole lot of natural oils) to reverse the damage I’d done.
Needless to say I’m thrilled to see Elle telling this skin detox story. The whole article isn’t online, but I did find this link to product recs.
Did any of you engage is these charming burn methods? Were the results fab or frightening?
So glad to see this getting coverage in Elle!
I used to try all sorts of things to lighten my freckles – all of which increased my sensitivity to the sun to the point where I basically couldn’t go outside, and a huge problem growing up in Southern California. I never really saw a huge difference in pigmentation from the using the products, except that if I did get too much sun the increased sensitivity made my freckles *more* noticeable. Sigh.
Ugh, this brings back so many horrible memories. I had never experienced bad skin in my teenage years and early 20’s, but reading the magazines, and listening to what other “experts” touted, I started using anti-agers until, low-and-behold, my skin became acneic and oily. I responded with harsher face cleansers and acids until those stopped working. The next step? Accutane for 3 YEARS, which was hell, but… effective, or so I thought. After I stopped that, my face erupted with eczema, which went misdiagnosed for a year. I was so embarrassed and ashamed by my appearance that I basically became a hermit because I truly could not stand showing my face in public. It was such a horrible few years, and I know it’s because I destroyed the natural balance of my skin, not to mention what I did to the internal health of my body with antibiotics and Accutane. All of that aside, I can now happily say that after a few years, and many applications of oil later, my skin looks better than it ever has.
Oh yes! Who hasn’t? The \advisor\ might have been a diligent beauty expert, quite possible a derm …even ourselves doing what we thought was best (and kicking ourselves afterwards). I’ve been to a very well known derm office(offices in NY & Miami) and followed his advice dutifully ..retinols, rosacea rx’s, capilaries’ zapped, even his own line of products to ensure the ultimate results…(thankfully I did not go any further as seeing other patients around always put me off)… All I got was a permanent red complexion . Only when I read an article on a magazine about a new line of natural products (Tata Harper) and switching to it I started seeing a calmer and happier skin. From Tata’s site I found your blog and then your book…so thank you girls, again and again!
Oh yeah. As a teenager I had a few pimples here and there and lots of blackheads. I used crazy harsh products for acne. In my twenties I still had somewhat troublesome skin and by then was too dry and flakey as well as too oily. I started using alpha hydroxys which took care of the flaking but my skin was just so sensitive. I’ll always have sensitive skin, it’s just me, but with use of oils like argan my skin feels so much stronger. My hormones and lots of food sensitivities make great skin a dream, but things are so much better without harsh products.
Oh the shame… I recall going through a period of using a scrub (totally harsh, grains of sand kind of scrub) followed by – yes, followed by! – another exfoliator, one of those AHA/BHA masks. I thought it was really diligent of me to basically rip / strip off the top four layers of skin in one go… Needless to say my skin was unhappy with me and retaliated by producing all sorts of ugly splotches, but I still thought I was being thorough. This sort of torture was de rigeur for me for a number of years, so that as well as a super duper terrible burn one year which left the skin around my chin a completely different texture were the challenges for my oils to prove their worth. I’ve only been using the Kahina argan oil for a few months now and my skin is nothing like when I started. Softer, smoother, clearer – you wouldn’t know how abusive I have been for the past 15-odd years. I am totally converted to my oils!!!
I was getting a facial about 10 years ago and was told that I needed to stop all glycolic products, that along with an eyebrow waxing, you could actually rip the skin right off, because they weakened the skin so much. I was also told to stop using products with alcohol, including perfume, that you skin absorbs it just as your body does, resulting in redness and broken capillaries.
Question: Do you just use these oils on your face to replace everything else? If so, what do you recommend cleansing your face with at the end of the day? I am embarrassed to ask this, but I’ll admit that I am not a product junky and I’ve never heard of face oils before today.
@comagirl — I use an all organic cleanser at night. You can pick them up at any whole foods or natural foods store. The one I’m using right now is dessert essence tea tree. My night time routine goes like this: use any oils I have to remove my makeup (you could use EVOO, grapeseed, jojoba, the list goes on and on!), use the dessert essence to clean my face, then moisturize with the same oil I used to take off my makeup with. Right now I’ve been using grapeseed oil, but I have used Extra Virgin Olive Oil before and it works like a charm!
I’m so excited to see this coverage!! But I wonder…will chem-y beauty brands jump on the bandwagon and start putting crap oils into products, then marketing them as natural/soothing, etc? I can totally see them putting bottom of the barrel olive oil along with lots of synthetic fragrance into a bottle and selling it as body or facial oil. Right?? Let’s hope the continued media coverage of naturals points out these differences too!
I love seeing stories like this being covered in magazines. So awesome! I, too, was a product junkie after I developed acne as a teen. I used EVERYTHING and the majority of products gave me a burning, red complexion. Finally, I went the au natural route and my acne cleared up beautifully. My skin has never been better. Thank goodness for oils! I only wish more women knew the power of simplicity.
Great post ladies! Your blog is my absolute favorite. <3
After using several Aveda products that I just didn’t think were working for me, I was inspired to do some research, and discovered that some of the ingredients used in their (and other) eye creams are actually detrimental to people with my skin tone. I was really dismayed. How did the woman doing my facial not know something like that? I guess not every product comes with a “half-Asian” disclaimer, but still. This was the same visit where I expressed my hesitation to use a product when the women at the salon tried to convince me the salicylic acid in their products was “green” but couldn’t tell me what that meant. One thing this blog has done for me is teach me to advocate for myself, especially when I feel out of my element …anyway, I ditched the fancy eye creams, bought some fancy argan oil and haven’t looked back. I cannot speak to how effective the argan oil is going to be, but I haven’t had a *single person* as me if I was tired/had been crying since I started using it: an almost daily occurrence when I started using the eye cream. And seriously, I’m 29 years old, I am almost ashamed to admit that I let myself be talked into that expensive purchase, among others.
As a teen I tried the harsh masks and salicylic acid treatments, which caused my skin to become red & raw, then hard with a tough layer that blocked my pores and caused me to have bumps underneath the hardened skin.
My mother tried warning me against all of the harsh treatments, and soap, but I didn’t listen (and couldn’t afford the Orlane products she used).
By my late teens/early 20s, I tried retin-a & glycolic acid, which burned my skin and also made it raw.
When I moved to Germany in 1994 (age 21), I used baking soda as a mask/scrub in the shower, followed by cold water and sunblock, then makeup that didn’t irritate, and discovered vitamin E oil as a moisturizer & vitamin (nature’s bounty).
I have always had sensitive skin, so it irks me when every magazine tells me to use retin-A or glycolic acid. I don’t need to have raw skin. Seriously–I don’t believe that skincare needs to be painful. My routine is gentler now than it was, as I no longer have regular breakouts and now use only edible products, but there’s something wrong with believing that you have to torture your skin. I don’t believe in suffering for beauty, and doubt that it helps in the short or long term anyway.
I’ve got a *sort of* off-topic question…as far as swimming goes, how bad is chlorine for your skin (I know it’s terrible for hair…)? I’ve been getting pressure to start swimming (for exercise) from my swimmer friends, but I’m reluctant to change my land lubber ways!
It’s funny that I actually used Clarin’s Blue Orchid oil for years before making my own.
I’m not sure if my last message went through or is still being moderated, but after burning my skin enough times with salicylic acid, retin-A, and glycolic acid during my teens and early 20s, I realised that there were no benefits to having permanently irritated and painful skin.
have not trashed my skin with harsh products BUT i do know that using precious antioxidant oils -i hate to plug my products but we do make a GREAT serum for sensitized skin – will begin to heal the skin almost immediately by simply offering a protective barrier; the first thing to go when you use treatments and products like the ones mentioned. Without a protective barrier not only is your skin trashed from the products but now your skin is taking a beating every second with wind, heat, dust, pollution and every other external element. Whether or not these elements are good or bad, the skin, stripped to the core, cannot handle a thing and it just gets more and more distressed. Even to the touch (ouch!)
The second thing that happens when using quality antioxidant oils is one begins feeding the skin immediately so after that protective barrier gets going, the rest of those oils can seep in and nourish fatty tissue below, stimulating regeneration and circulation. Aaaaah to be alive again! Wooohooo!
It interests me when you talk about reversing damage. I’m nearly 22 and I have considerable acne scarring on my temples and cheekbones.
I still have crap skin (though it is getting much better since I quit all forms of sugar) but it would give me alot of motivation and hope to think that I could heal this thing that make me SO SAD.
Does anyone have any ideas for me? xoxo
@comagirl – I like using oils to cleanse suring the winter but in the summer it’s just my preference to switch to something else, and I use Kahina cleanser or the Evan Healy Blue cleanser. I use oils after cleansing throughout the year – I had originally thought it would be too heavy in the summer but my skin has responded really well to them.
@Brittany: Pai Rosehip BioRegenerate Oil has helped to clear up my scarring. I still have acne, but the scars heal more quickly (the new scars go away more quickly than older scars). It doesn’t happen overnight, but over time I’ve definitely noticed a significant improvement…also, it’s pretty inexpensive. :)
Thanks for all of the good advice Naomi and Brittany.
@jen I know this is a little bit late to respond but I used to be a competative swimmer, even through college. From time to time I miss it and want to start swimming again for exercise but I don’t because of the chlorine. My skin was constantly itchy and dry and I always had a cough. I just knew the chlorine wasn’t good for me. I always smelled like bleach and my hair was a mess to say the least. What is really alarming however, is that I went to a new dentist one day and he knew I was a swimmer right away because my teeth were a faint, distinct, yellow. No one notcied my teeth being yellow including myself but the dentist did. With all that said, swimming is such great exercise so I don’t want to discourage you. And when I was swimming, I was practicing twice a day for years so I’m sure the chlorine was built up in me. I don’t think going a couple of days a week would be bad so maybe you should try it out and see how it works out for you. And really, I might even start swimming again!
I, like Brittany, also suffer from bad acne scarring/pocking on my lower checks and am now getting scarring on my chin area. It seems like I scar easy. Even if I don’t “pick” at the darn things! I would like to hear suggestions from others who have seem results in getting these to go away. Seriously thinking of dermabrasion or laser treatments. Way harsh I know, but it is really hard to like what I see in the mirror every day :o( I will look into the Pai Rosehip oil and see what that is. Any other suggestions???
I know this post is probably old news by now, but figured I’d try for a response. Thanks to genetics I’ve always had bad skin (cystic acne), but was usually able to control it with birth control pills and topical prescriptions. Since I went off the pill, started fertility treatment and am now 7 months pregnant my skin is FINALLY clearing up (minus the hyperpigmentation and a few little pits on my chin). I started using Kahina argan oil at exactly the same time I started with the fertility drugs so I stopped using it on my face after a couple of months on the outside chance it made it worse. Now that it’s better I’m scared to try it again. I also have been using a prescription from my derm (Financea) but I would love to get off of that now, too. I think I’m going to need something stronger than oil, though. I was thinking of trying tea tree oil in the argan oil once I have the baby (if you can use it while breastfeeding – my dr. said not to during pregnancy, just to be safe, although was fine with a cleanser that contains TTO). Anyone with cystic acne have a personal natural product recommendation? I feel like no one’s skin is as bad as mine so I don’t feel like rosehip oil is good for the deep, painful zits I tend to get when my hormones are pissed off! Thanks!
@Amy: I have the same problem as you do. I’ve been on Accutane twice and my acne continues to be deep, painful, and scarring. The Pai oil does indeed help, as does Tea Tree Oil and Geranium Oil. The most difference, however, came when I stopped eating dairy and gluten, then soy (because I am allergic to all three of them). I started to see a Naturopathic doctor for it, which ultimately led to these changes. Nothing topical worked until I began to heal the rest of my body from years of antibiotic use and paid attention to allergens. My skin is getting better, but spots are still in transition and if I accidently (or on purpose…I wanted nachos) eat an allergen, I know from how my face reacts. Products won’t really help until the rest of your body is in balance. That being said, the Pai line, argan oil (it really did help – not immediately, but over time), and HGillerman Organics HGO Lab Skin Care also calmed my skin down (the cleanser and the Neroli oil). Good luck!
Thanks Aileen, Jill and Amy for your replies :)
Aileen, I think I have a gluten allergy. I have had pretty bad eczema on my hands for about 8 years and when I stopped gluten only for a few days it cleared up a bit. It may sound silly but I don’t want to go around saying “no thanks, I can’t eat gluten” then actually not react to it and sound like a flake. So I kinda want to be TOLD I shouldn’t eat it. (I got tested for celiac and haven’t heard anything back from my doctor so assume I’m not?)
Anyway, bit rambly sorry.
Would the lovely Siobhan and Alexandra consider doing some posts on how people have healed their truly troubled skin?
@Brittany I never got the diagnosis but I did an elimination diet years ago, many years ago now, on the recommendation of my doctor and it completely changed my life, and my skin. There was no question at all how much better I felt when I wasn’t eating it, and how truly terrible I felt when I reintroduced it at the end of the elimination experiment. (I quickly re-eliminated it, obviously) Don’t worry about being a flake, or seeming like a pain in the butt. The big thing for me was that I love eating and I hated being the person who was like “Oh I cant eat that” or asking all kinds of questions at restaurants. It bothered me to do it–I felt like I was being annoying. Needless to say, get over that :) This is your health and wellbeing youre talking about. Gluten allergies, and even serious intolerances, are kind of a big deal in my opinion, and based on my reading it can cause longterm problems as well. This is not medical advice, and I’m not a doctor, but I would encourage you to be proactive about it and work with yours, and also not to take the first answer you get from a doctor as the final word. My understanding of gluten allergies is that some tests produce a lot of false negatives. Anyway, that’s my take on that.
For more acne advice: Do a search on this site, please, for posts I have written about acne. I used to have really troubled, temperamental skin and it has basically 180ed. A combination of great products, never eating processed food, not eating meat and other foods that are packed with hormones, like dairy, stress reduction (taking this especially seriously) and omega 3s/folic acid were the thing for me. Also, I’m not sure if youve read the book but there is a lot of good stuff in there about acne, too. Good luck! You can feel better!
@Brittany, On the gluten thing, the blood tests only tell certain things, and celiac disease is only one sort of gluten issue. If you really want to know if you are sensitive, you do an elimination as Siobhan says. If you feel better without it, then introduce it back and have problems, that’s the true way to know. And as far as seeming like a flake or annoying or whatever, that can be difficult sometimes, but I’ve gotten over it. Sometimes other people get really weird about your personal food choices, as if it’s a judgement of their own eating habits (which it totally is not). If someone half-accusingly asks how I know I can’t eat gluten, a simple mention of “horrible diarrhea” usually shuts them up quick! If I want to be more polite I can break out the “unpleasant digestive symptoms” line. And really, what do I worry about more, upsetting/annoying people, or my own health and well-being?? Anyone who chooses not to get that can kiss my gluten-free butt. : )
And for scarring/discoloration I recommend argan oil and Pai bioregenerate. I use argan morning and night, mixed with a couple drops of the Pai at night. And I add some actives to the argan for skin lightening, I posted the recipe a while back.
Siobhan, thank you SO much for your long reply. I do have your book which I love, and I’m in the process of reading your entire archives.
What you said about stress levels hits home too so maybe its more relevant to me than I had thought (working 7 days/week, family etc.).
And I’m only writing this because I think its related health-wise, but I have totally screwed hormones too. I have PCOS and to my limited understanding this is adrenal related, and the adrenals can be affected by a gluten allergy. Am i way off? (I remember you writing in the blog or book about how much your endocrinologist helped you. Should I see one?)
Your comment totally reinforces my belief that everything is connected and that I can take control of my wellbeing.
So lots of thanks and blessings to you :D
Thank you Rebecca :)