I started a thread a week or so ago titled "Massive allergy (?) rash." The allergy rash has resolved itself, thanks to a five day course of prednisone. I REALLY HOPE it doesn't come back, because it really, really was dreadful. (thank you SO much to everyone who replied too...it really helped me to not feel so lonely and dreadful as I went through what was really a painful experience!)

A new question though...is anyone aware of micronutrients that contribute to healthy skin? My skin is still REALLY dry, and hypersensitive. I'm wondering if there is something I could include in my diet to improve the health of my skin. I eat a paleo/primal diet, with a little bit of dairy (butter and cream....drool....we need an icon for drooling....)

If anyone has a favourite moisturizer (or other body product) I'd love to hear about that too!

Do you take essential fatty acids? Do a search on them and see what comes up. I take fish oil and also a combination of 3-6-9 called Udo's Choice but there are others out there.

i have dry skin anyway, made worse by this way of eating.
That said its got slightly better with taking 1 tablesppon of flax seed oil each morning, this has omega 3-6+9 in, but taste is disgusting.
I have coconut oil as well and this is also an excellent mosituriser which is use at night which is a great help, better than any night creams i have tried.

I second the coconut oil!!! Magic stuff!!! Maybe take it "internally" and see if it works from both sides, so to speak...

amanda

So I should just take the coconut oil I have in the cupboard and rub it on my body? Sounds kinky! No, really, all kidding aside, it's the coconut oil we use for cooking that you're referring to, right?

Yup, the very same stuff. Not in the least bit kinky, really. Before the saturated fat paranoia began, coconut oil was a "normal" fat/oil, used for baking and as a suntan lotion. It got a mention on "Mad Men" even!!! So it was definitely normal in the 1960s to use it as a body lotion.

I "repotted" some into a little glass jar and use it as a face lotion, body lotion after showering etc etc.

Great for athlete's foot, too. I smear it between my toes in particular, as I have a problem with recurring athlete's foot, unfortunately. That seems to keep it at bay.

My teenage daughter - bless the little angel - uses it, too, and she hardly ever gets spots!!! She uses it every evening, that I know, what she does in the morning for her toilette, I don't know, as I don't get up as early as her - not so vain or stupid...

I buy some fancy FairTrade stuff and it's great. I buy it online here in Germany, so it won't be any good me recommending the brand I use. But any good - maybe organic, if you can afford it??? - kind should be fine for your skin.

And you could try making yourself some coconut bark, or some kind of coconut oil sweetie to get it working on the inside. I made some using silicone muffin moulds:

1) I put a 10g square of 70% cocoa chocolate, 2 dessert spoons of dessicated coconut and 1 dsp of coconut oil into each mould.

2) I popped the whole thing in the oven at about 100°C (i.e. not very hot, for an oven, at least) and let the concoction melt.

3) Then, using a silicone spatula, I scraped down the melted chocolate and mixed it all up.

4) Next I popped the whole mould into the fridge for maybe an hour or so, till they were all set again.

5) Final step was to pop them out of the mould and put them in a plastic bag at the back of the fridge!!!

If I fancy a between-meals something, these can be a life-saver!!! I take them out of the fridge a while beforehand so they're not rock-solid. And I only eat ONE!!!

I haven't worked out the carb count, to be honest, but it can't be that high. The "sweeties" taste great and not at all like pure coconut oil. I love the taste of coconut, though, so they're fine for me.

The other thing you could be low on could be retinol, i.e. vitamin A. But I think these sweeties beat eating cod liver oil off a spoon!!!

I would try them first and see if it helps. You can also use coconut oil as a hand-cream.

amanda

Coconut oil.
Lanolin.

Try using soap only on the armpits, groin, soles of the feet and hands. Try to avoid using much soap on the backs of the hands. Water and a little scrubbing gets rid of most dirt without soap. I work on a construction site and have no problem getting dirt off with just water. It's much nicer to the skin.

Coconut oil gets my vote too. I cook with coconut oil and put it in my coffee with cream and it's delicious. I also use it as a moisturizer on my arms and elbows. I don't see any reason why you couldn't put it all over your body. (Don't think I'd put it on my face though)

Make sure you're buying a high quality coconut oil.

I've also heard avocado oil is good for the skin but that's a bit pricier for use as a beauty product. I have read where avocado oil is good for putting on your face...I might buy and try some just for that.

I second what Warren said - stop using soap in any form (ie bars, shower gels, bath soaps etc). This will really go a long way in helping your skin.

If you can get one of those soap substitutes like Aqueous Cream, Dermol 500 etc that would be great as these will moisturise your skin otherwise just use water.

Keep using a good moisturiser the rest of the time too.

Eating the way you are is great (unless you're sensitive or allergic to something like dairy but I think you'd probably have figured that out by now).

Did you see a dermatologist? Do they have any idea what it might have been?

Hi Patina,

I must admit, sometimes it is a little difficult to gauge the amount you need. If I use too much and my skin looks oily, I just get a piece of kitchen roll and mop off the excess.

When I used to use a "normal" face cream, I used to get spots in that crevice between my nose and cheeks. With the coconut oil - although it is so oily - I don't get this problem.

Plus, my teenage daughter uses it, too, and she has hardly any spots - which is quite a feat if I compare her to schoolmates. Somehow it seems to prevent spots, despite it being an oil!!! It has - apparently - all sorts of cleansing qualities, so I suppose that would explain it.

Give it a try: you might be pleasantly surprised! It's certainly more natural than any of the "regular" creams on the market which contain loads and loads of man-made chemicals.

amanda

My daughter makes bath oil by infusing olive oil with lavender. It works pretty well.

That's why I haven't tried it on my face because it seems too oily but I could certainly give it a try as a night time moisturizer for my face. Thanks for the info!

I started using coconut oil on my face because I had some sort of rash on the sides of my nose where my glasses fit.

Really works great! The rash and redness is disappearing so now I am using it as an allover body oil.

Can't stand it in coffee so I don't eat it but, I do love the fragrance.

I've read that coconut oil has antibiotic properties so maybe that is why it is working so well for my skin.