Coconut oil for skin care

Perhaps one of the best, and cheapest tips circulating the internet is to use pure organic coconut oil for skin care. I had a jar in the cupboard for cooking, so I squished some (it is solid but melts with just skin heat) into an unused pill container and put it in the bathroom. This stuff is amazing. I'd had 2 stubborn spots on my face, and after using it for both removing make-up and a moisturizer under make-up, they just disappeared; last night I slathered it on my hands and put on cotton gloves, and this morning my hands feel like summer; and there is no water or alcohol or chemical lab list to worry about. There are lots of new babies in the family and I see it's good for stretch marks http://coconutoilcooking.com/coconut-oil-blog-posts/top-10-uses-of-coconut-oil-for-skincare/

                                    

I've only used it once for cooking, so have a lot on hand. It seems expensive for shortening, but when compared to a mid-price brand of lotion or moisturizer of a few ounces with all the unpronounceables on the label, it's a bargain.

Cocoa Butter Skin Cream

I noticed a close out at Marc’s today for $.89.   I read the label carefully (I don’t eat or put on my skin things made in China, or with only a “distributed by” on the label.)  We pay big bucks for FDA and USDA, and I intend to take advantage of that.  Anyway, seems to check out fine, and it has a wonderful fragrance.  Just a touch will do it—my first try I had to wipe some off.  Made in Canada, and the parent company is in the UK.

“Delon skin cream line products are based upon botanical remedies. Our philosophy derives from combining the decades-old wisdom inherent in botanical, herbal and floral treatments with modern ingredients and formulations. Using natural herbs and pH-balanced, many biodegradable formulas, each product is carefully formulated to deliver all the benefits of each unique blend. All of our products reflect our ongoing efforts to preserve the earth's natural resources by being environmentally friendly and cruelty-free. “

On the internet prices ranged from $4 to $8 for this size.  So I’ll probably never see it again.

Japanese skin care products coming ashore

According to an article in today's WSJ, Japanese women value their skin much more than we do. "Japanese women have long prized ageless, porcelain-white skin . . . [they] are the most sophisticated consumer in the world." It's called bihaku--"beautiful white." I didn't know that Japan's Shiseido Co. had purchased Bare Escentuals for $1.7 billion earlier this year. Japanese women spend 60% of their cosmetic budget on skin care--American women only 30%.
Japanese Makeup Companies Have Trouble Cracking the U.S. Market - WSJ.com
Hmmm. Like those annual soft drink consumption figures in the gallons, someone is obviously buying my share. I wash my face with soap and water once a day; moisturize; apply a small amount of Merle Norman foundation and a brush of coral tone blush. Whatever's still there at 9 p.m., goes to bed with me. My theory is that the less scrubbing, tugging and pulling on delicate facial muscles, the better. But even if my bathroom counter and shelves aren't loaded with expensive products, I do have my favorites--some cheap, some moderate. But ladies, nothing hides the wrinkles like a layer of fat.

The absolutely best thing for your skin is not creams, but avoidance--the sun (or tanning booths) and cigarettes. That way you'll pretty much avoid wrinkles, age spots and skin cancer until old age takes over. If you are 21, you think you'll enjoy that tight, perky look forever, but the next time you look you'll be 41, and then 61. That's when the "shoulda coulda woulda" complaints will be pretty empty. An ounce of prevention is worth a gallon of face cream. And regrets.

About that last 10 pounds

It's apparently good for you, ladies. But not more than that. Combine that with the 60 minutes a day exercise, and all the sunscreen you can slather on, and we're good to go! Today's WSJ in the side bar:

How a Little Fat Can Help
Some new research shows that being a little overweight doesn't increase health risks. And there may be some benefits. Recent findings include


1. Overweight people are no more likely than those of normal weight to die from cancer or cardiovascular disease.
2. During a 10-year time span, there was a reduced risk of dying for people in their 70s who were overweight compared to those of normal weight.
3. Doctors who study osteoporosis say a little extra weight may help strengthen bones.
4. As they age, women who are overweight often look younger than other women.
Why Carrying an Extra 10 Pounds Might Not Hurt - WSJ.com

There was also an article about sunscreen, something I rarely use. I think my last suntan was in 1985 in Hawaii, and my last burn was in college. I just hate to sit in the sun and sweat. I do like Oil of Olay sunscreen however--it's a great moisturizer, too.

Young ladies. Listen up and lighten up. Great-grandma was right! Protect your skin while in the garden, yard or at the beach. Otherwise you end up with wrinkled, blotchy brown leather. Take a Vitamin D supplement.

J.R. Watkins Lemon Cream

At Hokulea's blog, Christmas cancelled, she writes about trying to help customers whose orders have expired. Although I don't understand the procedures or what she does, it sounds like sometimes you can get a caring, kind representative like Hoku at a large company. And it doesn't hurt that she has a very specialized skill (makes jewelry) and knew what to do to expedite a ring. So here's my try--again--to get a cream I like that has been discontinued, only I wrote a paper letter and put it in an envelope with a first class stamp, and hope I get a Hokulea clone:

Dear J. R. Watkins Customer Service, I apparently sent my daughter on a wild goose chase when I asked for your Shea Butter Lemon Cream in a jar (4.6 oz.). This product no longer is available, anywhere, either from your sales staff or local stores like Walgreens. So she purchased Shea Butter Body Cream in a tube (3.3 oz.) which the web site more or less said was the same thing. It isn’t. Read the label. I know ingredients are listed in order of quantity, and although many are the same in the two products, many are different in quantity and type. The first five of the jar product are water, shea butter, glycerol stearate, PEG-100 stearate, and steric acid. The first five in the tube are water, shea butter, glycerol stearate, steric acid and cetearyl alcohol. Both lists are followed by Macadamia seed oil. Both PEG-100 stearate and cetearyl alcohol are an emollient, an emulsifier, and a moisturizer, and the cetearyl alcohol is also an opacifier and a thickener. That’s the difference I see on the label, and probably makes the tube product work. But I don’t like tube products--too much of the product is left inside the tube, plus I just like the jar product. You don’t mention on the label that it is a moisturizer for the face, but I use it on my face, and it doesn’t interact with my cosmetics. Do you still have some in the vault of discontinued products that I could buy? I’m 70, and not to give you a sob story, but I think my skin looks fine for my age, and I don’t want to try something new. Please check around for me, and get back to me soon--I only have 2.5 jars left (plus 2 tubes). The lavender is OK, but I love the Lemon Cream.

Update: Here's something I wouldn't have thought of when thinking Watkins--an architectural tour.

Update 2: I now have 3 more jars of Lemon Cream Shea Butter sent to me by Lynne at Seasons for Success. Excellent service!