Seborrheic Dermatitis, Skin, and updates

As Senya requested, here is an updated routine. 

As an aside - Several readers over the years have written in claiming that SD is caused by only one thing and all you have to do is _____ (whatever they are shilling) to stop your problem.  I disagree.  I think it is pretty obvious from most of my reader responses, that SD can have several different root causes and you have to work it on your own end to find fixes.  My own fix came about from cutting dairy out of my diet.  I encourage you to read back through comments of others struggling (without thoughtful medical help BTW) to find the answer to their own disease state.  Best of luck to us all!


It has now been 3 and one half years since my last Seborrheic Dermatitis outbreak came to a close.  I do not use any Seborrheic Dermatitis medication, neither OTC or prescribed.  I haven't needed them since 2008.

My current care routine closely follows what I originally developed in 2008, with minor tweaks here and there.

Above is a January 2012 skin photograph.   If dryness shows up, it will start at the nasolabial folds, and that is my notice that whatever product combination I am using at the moment is NOT working.

I am still dairy free (I still miss nachos, but I'll smell some of hubbies cheese to get my fix), and have started eating eggs (really only in fried rice, because the smell of just eggs is a bit revolting).  Eggs do not seem to have an impact on my skin issues.

I fell off my workout wagon in 2009/2010 due to "Cubital Tunnel Syndrome", and have only returned to regularly scheduled exercise for the last six or so months.  While I did not see a large skin change with my workout losses, my energy levels were very different, as was my personal outlook.  I am a much happier, and easier going person when I get a regular workout.  :)

Products currently in the lineup:
Soap - All Terrain All Natural Wonder Wash Fragrance Free
(this is also my shampoo, my dog wash, and my occasional clothes wash on vacation)
This is the rare soap that does not dry out my skin, and yet can be used several times a day.  I'm ready to start putting it in pump bottles for handwashing.


Facial Lotions/Creams - this category is always under revision because I've rarely found anything with which I am truly happy.  The La Roche Posay Toleriane and Toleriane Riche works very well for me, but I find their prices ridiculous (about $20/ounce).  And no, I don't think it is R&D I am paying for, but rather "the European mystique" and L'Oreal's advertising budget, since L'Oreal is the parent company of La Roche Posay.

- Almond Oil - this was an amazing discovery last year.  This is pretty much my go to night oil/lotion.  It absorbs fairly quickly.  I use it on my face, neck, chest, hands (especially nails), basically anywhere.  However, it does not absorb immediately, so it is not something for a morning routine unless you like the slicked up skin look.  Totally unscented and rarely, if ever, causing any kind of breakout.

- Giovanni D:tox System Replenishing Facial Moisturizer - this is the morning moisturizer I reach for if I am staying inside all day (or in the evening if I am going out).  My only issue is that it has a fragrance that I dislike, it reads as a light greened floral.  It does dissipate fairly quickly, but I'd still prefer something unscented and unfragranced.  (I don't abhor the fragrance as I do with other products such as The Healing Seed "Facial Cream" or Alaffia "Baobab & Shea Butter Skin Renewal Face Cream".)  This is my replacement for La Roche Posay Toleriane, but I am looking for a replacement for my replacement - unscented please.

- DeVita Protective Moisturizer SPF 30+ - is my morning moisturizer when I'm planning to be outside for any extended length of time (over 15 minutes).  This may be just perfect.  However, it is a recent acquisition and I want a full summer with it before I jump on the bandwagon (it is better than Kimberly Sayer Ultra Light Facial Moisturizer - SPF30, which is simply too drying for winter).  I plan to order more DeVita lotions and creams with my next iHerb order.

Body Lotion - I have a bottle of body lotion in just about every major room of the house.

Beauty without Cruelty Fragrance Free body lotion is in my kitchen.  Not amazing, but not bad.  No scent to interfere with food enjoyment.  Absorbs quickly.

Mode De Vite Shea Butter Body Lotion "unscented" - does smell of the neem in the product.  The scent throws me off, but this is the only lotion I reach for when the skin is really damaged and needs serious relief.  Strangely enough, also the only lotion of which I have a backup.  So while I don't like the scent, its benefits outweigh the negatives.  The scent does dissipate over an hour or so.

Nature's Gate Fragrance Free Moisturizing Lotion for Sensitive Skin - this is the lotion in my bathroom that I use before bed just about every night (after my almond oil application).  Like the BWC lotion it is neither amazing nor bad.  It works, the scent does not distract me while I'm trying to fall asleep.  Absorbs quickly.


Makeup

Lipstick - Reds, Oranges, Plums, and Browns
A small selection of my lip products.  I keep buying, because I can rarely find a great color.  Good, yes, great no.  I have coloring between neutral and super warm, and lipsticks are usually made for the cool and the super warm.  I do not react to any of these lipsticks, which is a major and common concern of mine.  I've reacted to Cover Girl, Almay, and Josie Maran lipsticks and lipglosses.

Revlon Super Lustrous "Ravish Me Red", Revlon Colorburst "Candy Apple", Fyrrinae Lip Lustre "Hair Dye", Silk Naturals Butter Cream "Mango", Korres Cherry Lip Gloss "Natural Purple 25", Korres Mango Butter Lipstick "Natural Purple 25", Revlon Super Lustrous "Plum Baby", Korres Cherry Oil Lip Gloss "Golden Brown 37", Korres Mango Butter Lipstick "Cinnamon", and Revlon Super Lustrous "Highbeam Tan"

Revlon Colorburst lipsticks, Silk Naturals Butter Cream Lip Glazes, and Korres Cherry Oil Lip Gloss all have scents.  They are faint scents (so faint, apparently that some people cannot smell them, see Scrangie's post on Revlon Colorburst - I don't have that problem) but they dissipate rapidly enough that I still wear them.  Not as often as I would if they were completely unscented (as they should be, in my opinion).

The Silk Naturals Butter Cream in "Mango" is a replacement for the Fyrinnae "Hair Dye" which is apparently discontinued.  However, I will keep searching for a more widely distributed replacement, since smaller companies have a much higher product line turnover than larger companies (some kind of supply and demand nonsense).

Eyeshadow Primer - Too Faced Shadow Insurance
The only primer I have found that works for my skin (and does not cause a reaction).  It keeps my eyeshadow from creasing, which happens within two hours without a primer.

Eyeshadow - In addition to a small collection of Stila and Mac, I have two and a half tubs of loose and mineral eyeshadows.  95% of those shadows come from these six companies:

Aromaleigh "Nocciola",  Fyrinnae "Griffonrider", Korres "Golden Bronze 27S", Meow Cosmetics "Trophy Cat", Morgana Minerals "Emily", and Silk Naturals "Caliber"

Eyeliners - These only get use if I am in a hurry.  Most often, I would prefer to use one of my eyeshadows for liner, but time constraints may push me to use real "eyeliner" instead.  I do not react to any of these products, and they last and do not migrate through a day of work (none of them last without migrating overnight, but during the day I am good).

Too Faced Perfect Eyes Waterproof Eyeliner in Perfect Peacock and Perfect Storm.  They are expensive, but I like the ingredients list better than the Covergirl Liquilineblast Eyeliners.  I do wish they had a much wider range of colors.

Kat von D liquid Tattoo Liner in Maya.  Easy to apply, lasts all day, and has not dried up yet.  A celebrity's personal life does impact my choices and I'm not sure I'll be able to buy anymore KVD stuff.

Cover Girl Liquidlineblast Eyeliner in Brown Blaze and Violet Voltage.  Made in Germany, just like the Too Faced, and sharing a remarkable similarity, the ingredients lists do differ but they both work quite well.  I prefer Cover Girls price and Too Faced inci.

Urban Decay's 24/7 Eyeliner Pencil's are holy grail products for many enthusiasts.  However, they migrate on my lower lid, staying in place only for an hour or two.  So while I do have several UD 24/7 liners, I'll reach for my Too Faced, KVD, or CoverGirl first.

 

Face Primer - Korres Vitamin E Silicon Free Primer
Especially useful in summer, when I know plain moisturizer is not going to keep my makeup on all day.  The sweat defeats primerless application every time.  Korres other primer, Quercetin & Oak, causes a moderate allergic reaction (so glad I never purchased a full size).  So I will stick with the less expensive primer as long as they make it. 

Foundation - Meow Pampered Puss in Frisky Mau color, depth of 2.
One of the few powdered foundations that does not irritate my skin.  Other powders can make me feel as though I am buffing with sand.  Not so this foundation.  Not to mention, it is one of two foundations I've used in my entire life that actually match my skin.  Most foundations are not warm enough.

  

Balms - I have balms spread throughout the house much like (and very close to) the body lotions.  These have to work for two people in the house (unlike most of my other products ... for instance, the hubbie never has asked to use my makeup, so it does not have to agree with him but he does need a lip balm from time to time). 

Aubry Organics Organic Lip Balm "Tangerine" - works, but too much citrus oil

Mode de Vite Karite Lips "Vanilla" - works, but too much vanilla

Dr. Bronner's Magic Organic Lip Balm "Naked" - a favorite, works well all night long

The Merry Hempsters Vegan Hemp Balm "Natural" - a favorite, and I have a backup.  The slightest of scents, perhaps from the rosemary extract, but it does not bother me.

Now Completely Kissable "Vanilla" - it works, but I don't like the scent.

Terra Firma Cosmetics Chai Tea Lip Moisture - a favorite, it is what I reach for when my lips are damaged.  Unfortunately, they no longer sell this ... and it was the only Terra Firma product I could wear, so not impressed with anything else I bought.  Their "lip balm" has a similar ingredients list, but it is not the same item.

Weleda Everon Lip Balm - another favorite of which I have a backup.  However, it always takes me a couple days to get used to the rose scent again.  It really works well, but I'd prefer one that did not have such a strong scent.

As an aside, I have a young pup to whom I have lost several tubes of lip balm.  They seem to call to him from across the room.  I have found their chewed remains in the strangest places.  So now all my tubes are placed relatively high, because waist height is far too low for my circus pup.

Morgana Cryptoria Lipstick Swatches 2 (the warmer side)

Top Left to Right: Cocoa, Clay Bakin', Apple Plum
Second Left to Right: 24K Pumpkin, Pumpkin Eater

In bright sunlight.

In the shade.

Cocoa is almost a my lip shade color, peachy beige, fairly easy to apply.  But I'm really not looking for a nude lip.

Clay Bakin' is a bit darker and a bit pinker than Cocoa.  Also fairly easy to apply.  

Apple Plum is almost a warmed berry color.  A bit too pink for me to be comfortable.  Not too dark, but not too light.  

24K Pumpkin is a beautiful orange shade that is a bit deeper and more toned down than Pumpkin Eater.  This is one shade I may purchase.  It is a reddened orange.

Pumpkin Eater is the only full size Morgana shade I own, but it is too bright for me to be very comfortable.  It is a metallic red-orange.  The most unusual shade I've ever seen.  And very bright!

Morgana Cryptoria lipstick swatches

I do have far too many lipsticks.  But I wear most of them.  Not that I will ever hit the base of a lipstick, but I'm getting close with a couple of my Korres Mangos.

Korres lipsticks are usually very light, and very natural looking.  But every once in a while, I want a lipstick with more pigment.  I have a couple Laura Mercier, Stila Long Wears, and Primitives.  I'm always on the lookout for my perfect lip color.

So I ordered a bunch of samples from Morgana's last sale, hoping to find a perfect plum, a gorgeous red/orange, and an exceptional peach.  Of course, any browns that work will also be welcome.

And I have finally come to a conclusion.  Morgana Cryptoria has really nice lipsticks that don't make me feel pretty.  And, really, it is not her schtick.  The company is a "goth" brand that makes gorgeously weird colors.  But they are not for me.  All of her lippies scream "look at me" and that in not the person I am.

So I won't purchase any MC lipsticks, and will stick with her pigments.  But don't let my experience deter you.  If you have cool coloring, or want to stick out, check out Morgana Cryptoria.

The sample containers are clam shells with differing amounts of product.  But all contain at least enough for a week's worth of sampling.

First Row (left to right) Goldrush, Peach Daquiri, Sunset Peach
Second Row (left to right) Plum Crazy, Plumeria, Shrieking Violet
Third Row (left and right) Mocha Blast, Guilded Brown


I applied all of these with a lip brush to my bare hand.

Shade was the game for the day.

Though I did catch the occasional ray of sun.

A second sun picture.

First Row (left to right) Goldrush, Peach Daquiri
Second Row (left to right) Plum Crazy, Plumeria
Third Row (left and right) Mocha Blast

First Row (left to right) Peach Daquiri, Sunset Peach
Second Row (left to right) Plumeria, Shrieking Violet
Third Row (left and right) Gilded Brown


Goldrush - A warm gold with red and green microglitter.  It had good coverage with a lip brush.

Peach Daquiri - A very light and warmish pink.  It has red microglitter and good coverage.  This left a day long stain behind on my hand.

Sunset Peach - An orange base, so much warmer than Peach Daquiri, it also has red microglitter.  Less pigmented and patchy coverage, so you need to take greater care with application.

Plum Crazy - This reads mauvey brown to me.  Not much plum.  It also had patchy coverage, so care needs to be taken with application.

Plumeria - A red-violet with blue glitter.  Not as dark as Shrieking Violet, with more red.  It has patchy coverage, take care with application.

Shrieking Violet- This is a medium red-violet creme without any glitter.   It is darker and more blue than Plumeria.  It is extraordinarily patchy, so I would call it a wash of color, but fairly pigmented.  Perhaps a good starter color, though it will read very different depending on the shade of your lips.  On my pale skin and pigmented lips, this turns a dark, cyanotic purple.  It is overwhelming on my pale features.

Mocha Blast - A medium cool brown with red microglitter.  It had fairly nice coverage.

Gilded Brown - This is a deep orange bronze metallic.  It has great coverage, and makes me look like an extra on a sci-fi show.


These lipsticks have a good to great coverage, with some needing more care than others.  They don't overwhelm my sense of smell, although they do have a slight scent.  It is not bothersome.