updated photo

This photo is of me about 6 months ago. I'm 57 1/2 years now.

What have I been doing for my facial skin?
Wearing 70 - 90 factor sunscreen;
Avoiding sun exposure from 11am - 2pm;
Wearing a visor or hat when in direct sunlight for lengthy periods of time
Always wear good sunglasses

I use translucent glycerine soap and don't pamper my face.
I only wear a little blush makeup or a little lipstick but no other makeup.

I use a clay facial mask about once every 2 weeks to tighten my facial skin and reduce enlarged pores.
I use Pascalite Clay which is mined in the Bighorn mountains right here west of where I live.
It is purified and splendid.  it can be purchased at:

http://www.pascalite.com

Update & Horsetail Extract Butter

I turned 56 years as of early December.  This is a photo I took of myself around that time.  Actually I have a little make-up on my face, which is a rare thing for me. 

Here is how I looked a month before that, in early November.  I just had blush on my cheeks, and some lipgloss.

I've been using some cream on my skin which is made with the horsetail herb - one of the best wild herbs that is highly beneficial for the skin.  The product I purchased is made by Crafter's Choice and is called Horsetail Butter Blend.  The company makes batches only when you order it, so it is fresh.  It has a vegetable oil base so has no mineral oil in it.    The product has a pleasant natural scent, no chemicals added, and it lasts a long time. 

The description of the product is:

"Proprietary blend that contains horsetail extract which is thought to contain the building blocks needed for collagen and elastin synthesis in the skin. Also thought to help rebuild and regenerate damaged skin cells."

and

"Contains Horsetail Extract, believed to contain the building blocks needed for collagen and elastin synthesis in the skin. Also thought to help rebuild and regenerate damaged skin cells. Contains Sweet Almond Oil, a natural moisturizer that is thought to relieve (among other things) itching. All Natural."

The company has many other butter blends.

Here is the link to the horsetail blend butter and other butters at their wesbite:

Crafters Choice 

 

About Me . . .

For those reading my blog who would like to know a little bi about me...

I am a woman who turned age 55 in early December, 2011.
I don't always look this serious.

Actually, most of the time I look like this (with my trifocals!!)

I try hard to keep my sense of humor but yes do have a serious side.

Perhaps many of my wrinkles are from me laughing!

And this..........is my sensual side.... !!

 

 

I was 29 when this photo was taken.  

Just a year and a half later, my smile wrinkles were already getting more pronounced.

What causes changes in a face?

This was me several years ago (around age 52).  I finished menopause at that age, so then my hormones changed, which surely contributed to the beginning of more wrinkles in my face.

I was about age 45 in this photo (with makeup), and I still had all my hormones!

I went through a phase after turning 52 using Pascalite clay facial masks.

The clay helps tighten one's skin.  However, it can also remove moisture from one's skin.  Perhaps that contributed to my wrinkling?

So here is pretty much what I look like today.

They say wrinkles give a face character.

I think I look like quite a character already!!

 

New approach: Horse Tail Herb and Rose Hips Seed Oil

This is me a few weeks ago.

Well I gave up on the synthetic snake peptide with aloe vera powder and the other stuff I made into a lotion. It was all a waste of money!

So now I've discovered two new products I'm trying.

I picked up some pure Rose Hips Seed oil at the health food store in a town over the mountains last weekend.  Rose Hips Seed Oil helps minimize the appearance of wrinkles and damage to the skin.  It also is used to treat dry skin, scars, and hyper pigmented tissue.  The oil contains high concentrations of Vitamins A, C and E.

Applying the oil directly on my face results in no stinging or burning whatsoever.  I can leave it on my face all day and it leaves no redness and causes no irritation.

I have gathered wild rose hips every Autumn here in the mountains but the seeds are so tiny, you would have to somehow pulverize those tiny seeds to extract the oil from them, and you would need a LOT of rose hips to produce enough seeds to get an ounce of oil!  So for $6.25 an ounce, I think I got a good deal, considering I've seen it cost more on the internet.

The other product I am using on my arms, backs of my hands, neck, legs, etc. is a cream I purchased on the internet in bulk.  The Crafter's ChoiceTM

butter blend contains extract from the Horse Tail herb plant.  I'm excited to find this product because I have not seen any other cream or lotion or other extract of Horse Tail made into a skin care product.

This stuff smells amazing and does a great job of moisturizing your skin!!

And I have dry skin living in Wyoming with our semi-arid climate, plus working in a hot office environment where the air is dry and ruthless to one's skin.

I've gathered horse tail in the mountains and dehydrated it for making tea; also made tinctures from it.  It is fabulous if you get any rashes and the extract can be applied directly on the skin without any burning or irritation.

I purchased it from Wholesale Supplies Plus.  Their website is:

http://www.wholesalesuppliesplus.com 

Here is link to the Horse Tail Cream of theirs:

http://www.wholesalesuppliesplus.comProductDetail.aspx?CategoryID=1387&ProductID=6965&ProductName=Crafters+Choice%E2%84%A2+Horsetail+Butter+Blend

It is a company in Cleveland, Ohio of all places.  They sell products in bulk for people who make their own soaps, lotions and cosmetics.

Shipping was well packaged and the product arrived quickly.  I also purchased some Sweet Almond Oil for a decent price, which is also wonderful for the skin and serves as a superb massage oil or carrier oil for massage and hydrating one's skin.

The Horsetail Butter Blend cream comes in 1 pound jars!!  The container says "safe for use on the skin at 100%". It contains Almond Oil (#1 ingredient), then Equisetum Arvense Extract (Horse Tail herb extract) (#2 ingredient), and lastly, Hydrogenated Vegetable Oil.  It comes in a clear jar so you can see how much contents are left.  It is kept in a dark, cool place (I keep mine in the refrigerator).  The product is good for one year.  Amazingly, it appears the made up the batch of butter blend for me right after I ordered it!!

I paid $28.70 for 3 pounds!!! Not a bad deal at all, considering so many hydrating creams cost that much for just 6 to 8 ounces!

The company describes this product below:

Proprietary blend that contains horsetail extract which is thought to contain the building blocks needed for collagen and elastin synthesis in the skin. Also thought to help rebuild and regenerate damaged skin cells.

Common Uses: Cold & Hot Process Soap. Lotions. Lip Products.

Points of Interest: Contains Horsetail Extract, believed to contain the building blocks needed for collagen and elastin synthesis in the skin. Also thought to help rebuild and regenerate damaged skin cells. Contains Sweet Almond Oil, a natural moisturizer that is thought to relieve (among other things) itching. All Natural.  

One reviewer who tried it said:

"This butter is silky smooth and penetrates rather quickly, avoiding the greasy feel you'll have with most butters. "

I find that the product does have a very slight greasy feel to it but that quickly goes away so its not a problem if you don't slather globs of it onto your skin.

It is light pistacho-nut green in color and is just plain wonderful stuff!

As far as the face experiment goes:

Other than putting on the Rose Hips Seed Oil on my face, and the Horse Tail herb Cream on the rest of my body, I do not expect miracles.  What I want to do is keep my skin hydrated. I realize wrinkles are inevitable as one ages.

However, on the backburner of my mind, this is my thought:  I think in another two or three years, I'm going to have laser treatments done on my face.  I think that is the best route to take to treat serious wrinkles on the face.  And if that doesn't cut it, then I guess I'll just wear a bag over my head or a scarf over my face, heh heh heh!!!

Stay tuned!  I'll post more pics as time goes on here.

After all --  I still don't think I look all that bad, considering I'm 55 1/2.

This photo is me without makeup a few weeks ago.

Now, I need to dig out the chin exerciser I bought where it tightens the chin and do face massage -- these are easy to do and can't hurt, but only help!!

 

 

 

 

well...

folks, haven't really seen too much improvement so new new photos thus far ... stay tuned!

My face 6-7-11

Last night on 6-7-11 this is what my face looked like.

I've been faithfully applying the cream to my face, neck and ears now ever since about May 6th - so it is about a month now.  The claims of the synthetic snake peptide say after this period of time, wrinkles on my face may be reduced up to 50%.
This is a webcam photo so it doesn't reveal finer wrinkles.

Lower Face

                        May 6th, 2011