A Chicken and Egg Question

Because of my allergies and chemical sensitivity, I have totally given up on makeup. I wear lipstick and that is all.

This was a gradual process. I used to wear foundation, powder, blush, eyeshadow, mascara, the whole thing. The problems started with foundation. First, I never found it comfortable. It felt like my skin couldn’t breathe. The same as the feeling I get when I wear polyester. As my allergies got worse, most of them caused me to itch, and created red splotches. That was if I could find fragrance free makeup. Mascara was next, then eyeshadow. There’s nothing worse than when your eyes are itching. Eventually, I decided not to buy anymore more makeup, period. Lipstick is all I buy. It’s amazing how much faster I can get dressed now!

And it really fits in with my over all nature. I’ve always gone for natural in most things - If I wore makeup, I went for a more natural look, I rarely do much to my hair, I love natural fabrics, etc.

More than once in recent years, I’ve had people say to me “You have such a nice complexion. You’re lucky, you don’t need makeup.” And I’ve wondered, “Which came first? Do I not need makeup b/c I have a nice complexion? Or do I have a nice complexion b/c I don’t wear makeup?” I’ve thought about this quite a bit and I suspect that the cosmetics industry may have women believing that they need makeup when they really don’t.

My cleansing routine is very simple. I was my face while in the shower. I use the same soap that I use for the rest of my body - Kiss My Face Olive Oil Soap. That’s all. No special cleansers. No astringents. No special creams. Maybe a little moisturizer during the winter.

I had someone tell me this past week about my nice complexion. I mentioned that my allergies sort of forced the no makeup thing. She proceeded to tell me that she had allergies too. And that she had real problems with her eyes. She even admitted that her makeup was probably part of the problem. But she was too vain to give it up. (Her words, not mine.)

The cosmetic industry really has a hook in women, doesn’t it? They play on our vanity. And the fact that we all have to look young. Which means no wrinkles, no gray hair, etc. So they sell us more and more creams and lotions and makeup. They convince us we need to dye our hair to cover our gray. They even convince some of us to have Botox injections.

All for what? Who are we fooling anyway? It’s pretty easy to tell most of the time that a person (even a man) has dyed their hair. For one thing, people don’t always keep it up as often as they should. Plus, the colors never look natural and often look harsh.

So many Americans spend far too much effort trying to change how they look. Too much time, energy and money goes into trying to look younger. Yet you can’t really fight your age, and you look less natural when you try. But the biggest thing to me is that we believe all the hype from the cosmetics industry. So we wind up with a not-so-nice complexion that is probably caused by all the stuff we put on our face to begin with.

If you dare, try going without all that makeup for a while. Take some time off from it. It will probably take a while for your skin to recover. But you just might find that you have a nice complexion too!

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Cold Weather And Holidays

If you’re someone who still likes to wear fragrance, something you could do to help those with fragrance issues is to consider wearing less fragrance during cold weather. Our houses and buildings are more closed up with cold weather so fragrances will be more concentrated. Try to go a little lighter.

Also true for holidays. Perhaps you like to wear fragrance for holidays and special occasions? Consider not doing it though. It will be a help to a lot of other people.

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Quick Fix To Get Rid of Fragrance

This seems simple, and perhaps most of you have heard this. But it bears telling. We’ve found that a quick way to rid something of fragrance - such as clothing or pillows - is to give it fresh air and sunshine. The sunshine probably does the most good to get rid of the odors. Of course, this assumes there’s not any air pollution. Generally, a few hours in the sun will take care of many fragrance odors.

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Modern Chemicals

Recently, I was chatting with MamaGrizzly regarding chemicals in our modern world. She’s been reading my blog for some time and is becoming more aware of the fragrances and chemicals that are everywhere in our world. I always like to hear this since the primary goal of this blog is to make more people aware of the problem.

She said:

The hardest part of all of this is that absolutely everything contains chemicals - everything. The only way to escape them all is to live in the wilderness and live off the land.

That is so true. And, sadly, there are people with MCS who are seeking that place in the wilderness. Out of necessity. See the article No Safe Haven for stories of some MCS sufferers. It’s sad that there are so many chemicals in our world that create these problems.

She also said:

But there is certainly a balance and certainly more we can do to protect ourselves.

That is also true. And I’m somewhat encouraged to see more and more products that are fragrance free. Myself, I’m increasingly aware of what’s in all the products and foods I buy. Knowing what I know today, I wish I could have started this years ago.

One more quote:

But, I’ve really become aware (through you) how much everything seems to be scented - and most things unnecessarily. But isn’t it interesting that products with no fragrances or fewer toxic chemicals cost more?

It is puzzling that we have to pay more. For me, I have no choice. Since I’ve made my home totally fragrance free, I may pay more for the various products I use, but my medical expenses are down. I guess, there’s always a price to pay.

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Fragrances, Respiratory Problems and COPD

Will being fragrance free help if you have COPD, asthma or other respiratory problems?

Yes, it will. Even avoiding ‘natural fragrances’ or essential oils will help. Here’s why:

Anything ‘extra’ that is put into the air will be taken in each time you breathe. When you smell a fragrance, it is because you inhaled it. It’s the same as if you inhaled smoke or ashes. Or the coal dust that miners inhale. You breathe it in, it gets into your lungs and can clog your airways. If your system is already compromised, it will make it worse.

My husband says that I am the best thing to happen to his asthma. (Before me, he dated a woman who bathed in fragrances.) In the 14 years we’ve been together, his asthma has been well controlled. Why? Because I don’t allow fragrances into my home.

If you have COPD, asthma or another respiratory problem, I invite you to take the Fragrance Free Thirty Day Challenge. It could be the best thing to happen to your health issue too!

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Fragrance Free Deodorant

I may have mentioned previously that I have not been successful in finding a “good” fragrance free deodorant. I’ve tried a couple by Kiss My Face. One didn’t work well at all for me, the other is “OK”.

KMF’s products are all natural and organic. I’ve seen them change their products in the past few years in an effort to be natural. For example, I once used their Active Enzyme Fragrance Free Stick Deodorant with great success. But then they took out the Parabens and the Propylene Glycol and it no longer worked for me.

My husband has used Old Spice for years. It has a fragrance, but it doesn’t last for long. Although who knows how long the VOCs remain in the house. I’ve noticed lately that the scent from his deodorant travels all the way downstairs soon after he uses it. He’s told me “If you find another deodorant, I’ll try it.”

So, I had this unopened KMF stick deodorant and thought “Why Not?” It didn’t work for me, but who can say it won’t work for someone else? So, he tried it yesterday and it worked very well. Clearly a body chemisty issue, perhaps it’s hormonal? Who knows?

Now all I need is a deodorant that really works for me… Any suggestions?

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