Today is day 2 of using my new Rosehip oil that I posted about here. I'm really loving not only what it is doing for my neck area, but I am noticing that it may be beginning to reduce the broken capillaries that I have on my nose and cheeks. HOORAY!
I have rosacea and it's really a pain in the butt to find something that helps to make it better. I will say immediately after I put the oil on, my rosacea gets bad. But, after a good night's sleep, My face looks so much better - especially the little broken veins I have.
I love my oil, but the shelf life is 6 months (12 months if you keep it in the fridge). I don't think there's any way I'll use it all in 12 months - it's a huge bottle! So that prompted me to go online and search for a solution.
Can you freeze carrier oils?
The answer is YES! You can freeze carrier oils and then unfreeze them for use. Then...simply refreeze them again. You can also do this with butters - really anything except things that have water in them that will crystalize.
So, I'm going to get myself some little blue 2oz bottles with droppers in them. I'll put my oil in there and keep it on my bathroom counter and freeze the rest until I need it again. It is going to be so much more convenient than going down to the kitchen every time I want to use my rosehip seed oil.
It is also going to allow me to buy more oils without fear they will go bad before I use them all. I have been wanting to make some serums for myself, but fearful that I'd be wasting too much money having to buy fresh oils all the time.
I'm excited to learn more about formulations that not only fight aging, but that help keep my rosacea under control. I'll make sure to share the information here with you anytime I learn something new.
Wednesday, January 28, 2015
Tuesday, January 27, 2015
Rosehip Seed Oil - it's HERE!
I was so excited when I pulled up the tracking number for my shipment coming in from Mountain Rose Herbs and it showed that my rosehip seed oil was in my mailbox! I drove home from work and immediately opened it.
It's got an orangey-red color to it and no real smell to speak of. I put it in the fridge (where it needs to be kept...cold & dark) until I was going to get ready for bed.
After taking off my makeup with Purity by philosophy, I went downstairs and opened my bottle of rosehip seed oil. That's when I came across a problem. It doesn't have a dropper in it. So, I had to carefully drip a few drops into my hands and put it onto dampened skin.
It felt amazing! Very hydrating and non-greasy. I waiting an hour and then put on my CeraVe nighttime moisturizer and went to bed.
Woke up this morning to supple, hydrated skin that was soft and springy to the touch. So, I did it again this morning before applying my moisturizer. Skin still feels amazing. I'm going to continue to use this everyday - especially in the winter when my skin is parched.
I need to order some 2oz bottles with droppers in them so I can have my oil ready to go without spoiling the rest of the bottle. These dropper bottles will come in handy when I start creating my own serums and eye treatments.
I'm becoming a regular chemist :)
Eating today has been good so far. Sticking to my plan and I'm excited to see what happens at the end of the week. Would be amazing to be under 300 again.
It's got an orangey-red color to it and no real smell to speak of. I put it in the fridge (where it needs to be kept...cold & dark) until I was going to get ready for bed.
After taking off my makeup with Purity by philosophy, I went downstairs and opened my bottle of rosehip seed oil. That's when I came across a problem. It doesn't have a dropper in it. So, I had to carefully drip a few drops into my hands and put it onto dampened skin.
It felt amazing! Very hydrating and non-greasy. I waiting an hour and then put on my CeraVe nighttime moisturizer and went to bed.
Woke up this morning to supple, hydrated skin that was soft and springy to the touch. So, I did it again this morning before applying my moisturizer. Skin still feels amazing. I'm going to continue to use this everyday - especially in the winter when my skin is parched.
I need to order some 2oz bottles with droppers in them so I can have my oil ready to go without spoiling the rest of the bottle. These dropper bottles will come in handy when I start creating my own serums and eye treatments.
I'm becoming a regular chemist :)
Eating today has been good so far. Sticking to my plan and I'm excited to see what happens at the end of the week. Would be amazing to be under 300 again.
Monday, January 26, 2015
Starting the Journey
Today I'm starting my journey down to my goal weight of 165. Today when I weighed myself, I was at 303 - my highest EVER. So...I'm formulating a plan to succeed.
I had a scary incident last night. I woke up and the left side of my body was numb - just arm and leg. I wasn't having a stroke, but it sure scared me. Also, my husband told me my breathing has gotten VERY labored when I sleep. Not good...so let's change that.
My BMR (basal metabolic rate) is 2100 calories. This means that if I just stayed in bed all day long I'd need 2100 calories to maintain my current weight of 303. Looking at that number it sounds like a LOT of calories, doesn't it? So, I must be eating WAY over that 2100 in order to have gotten to where I am - cause God knows I'm not in bed all day. Although...I'd be willing to give it a try :)
Okay...so BMR is 2100 calories. Since I don't lay in bed all day, I have to figure out my daily caloric needs based on a formula by Harris Benedict. Because I don't have any formal exercise program, my lifestyle is considered sedentary. To figure out my daily caloric need, I now need to multiply my BMR of 2100 by 1.2 which is the modifier for a sedentary lifestyle.
2100 x 1.2 = 2520 calories
So - I finally have the answer that in order to maintain my 303# weight, I must eat at least 2520 calories. Okay....this is depressing. I thought looking at the 2100 was bad...this makes me want to cry. I've been eating over 2520 calories a day in order to get to where I'm at.
That's what I'm changing - and I'm starting today.
I know that 1 pound of fat = 3500 calories. So in order to lose weight, I need to eat less than my 2520 calorie daily need. How much below that 2520 I go will determine how fast the weight should come off.
Of course, I want it all off yesterday. But eating 1200 calories is not in the cards right now. In fact, it could push my body into starvation mode where I would begin storing calories - stopping any weight loss.
I am shooting for 1800 calories a day. This is reasonably doable for me and would give me the expectation to lose about
2520 (daily caloric need) -1800 (calories in) = 720 less calories than my daily caloric need
This means that if I stick to 1800 calories a day, I should have eaten 5040 LESS calories that my body needs resulting in an estimated weight loss of 1.44 pounds. If I incorporate exercise into my day, the rate that I lose will rise. But for now, I'm content just losing that 1.44 pounds a week.
So I'm going to limit my intake to 1800 calories a day. I plan to eat 4 meals a day (B, L, D & a snack). This means that each meal I have, I get to eat a whopping 450 calories! This is something I think I can easily do :)
What kind of calories do I want? Ultimately, I want nutrient dense, calorically low foods like veggies and fruit. But, I am not a rabbit, never have been. So, I'm going to do my best to incorporate a protein and carb at each meal while also adding in fruits, veggies and nuts.
For example, my breakfast today was a bowl of cereal with milk. While it's not a bad breakfast, the cereal I ate could have been healthier. Also, I was using 2% milk which is higher in fat and calories. Tomorrow I'll have some oatmeal with walnuts and honey.
Oatmeal = 158 calories per cup
Honey = 64 calories a tablespoon
Walnuts = 185 calories an ounce
Going with this, I can have 1 cup of cooked oatmeal with 2T. of honey and 1oz of walnuts and this will equal 413 calories. I have 37 calories to spare!
How about a sample lunch?
Baked boneless-skinless chicken breast = 30 calories per ounce
Green Beans steamed = 17 calories per 10 beans
Baby Spinach = 12.5 calories per cup
Poppyseed Dressing = 65 calories per tablespoon
Croutons = 58 calories per 0.5 ounce
Sweet Baby Rays BBQ sauce = 35 calories per tablespoon
This means I can have 8 oz of bbq chicken (240), a 1c. spinach salad w/ 1T. of dressing and 0.5 oz of croutons and 20 green beans for 444.5 calories. Again, still under the 450 I am allowing myself to have!
Okay...feeling WAY more confident about this now.
How about a snack example?
Walnuts = 185 calories and ounce
Chobani yogurt = 100 calories a container
Large Apple = 116 calories
Add them together and I'm at a snack of 401 calories - almost 50 calories less than I planned for!
My plan is to keep up this schedule as long as it takes to lose the weight I need. I'll add in exercise later, but this is enough for me to concentrate on for now.
I had a scary incident last night. I woke up and the left side of my body was numb - just arm and leg. I wasn't having a stroke, but it sure scared me. Also, my husband told me my breathing has gotten VERY labored when I sleep. Not good...so let's change that.
My BMR (basal metabolic rate) is 2100 calories. This means that if I just stayed in bed all day long I'd need 2100 calories to maintain my current weight of 303. Looking at that number it sounds like a LOT of calories, doesn't it? So, I must be eating WAY over that 2100 in order to have gotten to where I am - cause God knows I'm not in bed all day. Although...I'd be willing to give it a try :)
Okay...so BMR is 2100 calories. Since I don't lay in bed all day, I have to figure out my daily caloric needs based on a formula by Harris Benedict. Because I don't have any formal exercise program, my lifestyle is considered sedentary. To figure out my daily caloric need, I now need to multiply my BMR of 2100 by 1.2 which is the modifier for a sedentary lifestyle.
2100 x 1.2 = 2520 calories
So - I finally have the answer that in order to maintain my 303# weight, I must eat at least 2520 calories. Okay....this is depressing. I thought looking at the 2100 was bad...this makes me want to cry. I've been eating over 2520 calories a day in order to get to where I'm at.
That's what I'm changing - and I'm starting today.
I know that 1 pound of fat = 3500 calories. So in order to lose weight, I need to eat less than my 2520 calorie daily need. How much below that 2520 I go will determine how fast the weight should come off.
Of course, I want it all off yesterday. But eating 1200 calories is not in the cards right now. In fact, it could push my body into starvation mode where I would begin storing calories - stopping any weight loss.
I am shooting for 1800 calories a day. This is reasonably doable for me and would give me the expectation to lose about
2520 (daily caloric need) -1800 (calories in) = 720 less calories than my daily caloric need
This means that if I stick to 1800 calories a day, I should have eaten 5040 LESS calories that my body needs resulting in an estimated weight loss of 1.44 pounds. If I incorporate exercise into my day, the rate that I lose will rise. But for now, I'm content just losing that 1.44 pounds a week.
So I'm going to limit my intake to 1800 calories a day. I plan to eat 4 meals a day (B, L, D & a snack). This means that each meal I have, I get to eat a whopping 450 calories! This is something I think I can easily do :)
What kind of calories do I want? Ultimately, I want nutrient dense, calorically low foods like veggies and fruit. But, I am not a rabbit, never have been. So, I'm going to do my best to incorporate a protein and carb at each meal while also adding in fruits, veggies and nuts.
For example, my breakfast today was a bowl of cereal with milk. While it's not a bad breakfast, the cereal I ate could have been healthier. Also, I was using 2% milk which is higher in fat and calories. Tomorrow I'll have some oatmeal with walnuts and honey.
Oatmeal = 158 calories per cup
Honey = 64 calories a tablespoon
Walnuts = 185 calories an ounce
Going with this, I can have 1 cup of cooked oatmeal with 2T. of honey and 1oz of walnuts and this will equal 413 calories. I have 37 calories to spare!
How about a sample lunch?
Baked boneless-skinless chicken breast = 30 calories per ounce
Green Beans steamed = 17 calories per 10 beans
Baby Spinach = 12.5 calories per cup
Poppyseed Dressing = 65 calories per tablespoon
Croutons = 58 calories per 0.5 ounce
Sweet Baby Rays BBQ sauce = 35 calories per tablespoon
This means I can have 8 oz of bbq chicken (240), a 1c. spinach salad w/ 1T. of dressing and 0.5 oz of croutons and 20 green beans for 444.5 calories. Again, still under the 450 I am allowing myself to have!
Okay...feeling WAY more confident about this now.
How about a snack example?
Walnuts = 185 calories and ounce
Chobani yogurt = 100 calories a container
Large Apple = 116 calories
Add them together and I'm at a snack of 401 calories - almost 50 calories less than I planned for!
My plan is to keep up this schedule as long as it takes to lose the weight I need. I'll add in exercise later, but this is enough for me to concentrate on for now.
Wednesday, January 21, 2015
Trying something new...Rosehip Oil
Hi guys, welcome back! I've been doing a LOT of research lately on the best ways to get some moisture back into my dry, rosacea covered face. What I am leaning towards more and more is creating my own facial scrubs, serums and creams.
I keep hearing more and more about certain ingredients that you don't want to be in your products like parabens that are being shown to be causing cancer. So, while I may like what the product is doing for my face, I don't like running the risk of putting something on my skin that is going to be harmful to me.
This prompted me to start doing some research on creating my own products. The chemist in my likes the idea of mixing and formulating while the woman in me likes the idea of getting formulas specifically created for ME and my skin's needs.
Wouldn't we all love this? Skincare that is specifically formulated for our specific issues and not some 'one-size-fits-all' solution? You bet :)
One of the first things I've finding is that you are going to have to throw some money at the problem first in order to gather the ingredients you'll need in order to make your own products at home. This includes not only the oils and essential ingredients, but it also means the tools you'll need too like dark blue dropper bottles, mixing utensils used only for making your products, etc...
I am going to have to build up a little at a time because I don't have $100-200 to shell out right now. So, what is my first purchase? Rosehip Seed Oil.
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| RoseHip Seed Oil from Mountain Rose Herbs |
Rosehip Seed oil is extracted from pressing the seeds from a wild rose bush. It is light amber in color and is considered a "dry" oil which means it easily soaks into the skin and won't leave you feeling greasy. It contains vitamin A which helps rejuvenate healthy skin cells and vitamin C which helps to reduce the appearance of age spots and hyper-pigmentation.
But what really got me excited is it's moisturizing and anti-ageing benefits! This is not recommended for acne prone or oily skin. This is for people like me who are super-dry, almost to the point of eczema which, by the way, this is also excellent for. It minimizes the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles as well as any scars you might have. It also makes an excellent nail oil too - which I'm sure to use it for as well.
While it can be mixed with creams and lotions, it also is safe to use directly on the skin undiluted. So, for now, this is what I'll be doing with it. One negative about this oil is that it's pretty fragile and will break down at room temperatures so it needs to be stored in the fridge until use. It also has a shelf-life of about 6 months. So if you go out and get this, don't go crazy and buy the bigger one because it's a better deal...stick with the small one to start with until you know how much you use on a regular basis.
I ordered an 8oz bottle from mountainroseherbs.com. I think this will be my go-to place for oils because it looks like they carry every one under the sun! The Rosehip Seed Oil came highly recommended by a video blogger that I've been watching named Tammy. Although she's currently on hiatus when it comes to putting out new videos, I would really encourage you to check out the videos she has up - especially if you are 40 and above. She has a great fresh vitamin C serum that I'm itching to try!
Until my shipment comes in, I'm going to be doing more research about what things I can use this oil for in my beauty regimen.
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