Clarisonic Mia 2 Review

In my last post I promised to share with you my can't-live-without skin care tool. Well folks, here it is: the Clarisonic Mia 2.

Let me tell you.

I would describe my skin as combination, becoming more oily during the humid summer months. While I have predictable, monthly breakouts..ahem..my skin is not really acne prone. That being said, I have had a real problem with clogged pores causing a bumpy texture over my skin. Since I started using the Clarisonic, I have had a marked improvement in my texture. Even my husband noticed my skin looking smoother!

I have had my eye on this bad boy for what seems like forever, but I just couldn't bring myself to pay so much for a face wash brush. So, I tried a "similar" off brand brush and was less than impressed. I didn't feel like my face was any cleaner than it had been just washing with my hands or a wash cloth. After cleansing, I would then apply my usual vitamin E oil + tea tree oil mix on a cotton ball. The cotton ball would always come back brown. I still had makeup all over my face after washing! The first thing I noticed the first time I used the Clarisonic, is that after applying my oil, the cotton ball was still white. No makeup! It was obvious this thing had cleaned my face much better than I ever had before. After about a week, I really started to notice a difference in my skin. Of course, the occasional break out will pop up every now and then, but overall they have been at an all-time low.

Let me say again, this thing is worth it's high dollar price tag. It is a purchase I thank myself for finally making every day I use it. I'll also interject here that Clarisonic has no idea who I am, and I am not being paid to write this review. As a girl with persistent skin frustrations for many years, I finally felt confident in my purchase after reading personal reviews of this product, so that is my intention in writing this post. I want to inform you of how it has worked for me and how it may also help you!

There are a few different brushes made by Clarisonic, and I'm sure each of them is phenomenal, but I chose the Mia 2 after reading raving reviews about it and feeling like it would best suit my skin care needs. The difference between the Mia and the Mia 2 is that the Mia only has one speed setting, universal, and the Mia 2 has two speed settings, universal and delicate, which I like. The description of these brushes states that they make over 300 movements a second and clean 6x better than washing your face with your hands.

My routine: I remove my eye makeup with coconut oil, which you can read about in this post, then splash water on my face…not as glamorously as the commercials, I'm sure. Then I apply my cleanser over my face using my hands. You can either use this method, or you can put your cleanser right on the brush head. I prefer spreading a layer over my face, because I like to know that I'm getting cleanser on every inch. The brush does come with directions, but basically you spend 20 seconds on your forehead, 20 seconds on your nose and chin, then 10 seconds on each cheek. The brush beeps to prompt you to move to different sections of your face, so no worries about spending too much or too little time on each section. After completing the cycle, the brush turns itself off.  Personal tip: If I'm going to break out, it's going to be below or along my jawline, so I like to turn the brush back on for about 10 seconds and run over my jawline and slightly down my neck, but that's just me.

Now, y'all know that I prefer all natural things overall, so I love the fact that this brush gives me that deep clean result without using harsh chemicals and carcinogens. You can use any cleanser with this brush and literally get every bit of makeup off--I'm sure of it! I like to try new cleansers, scrubs, and peels, so these will change, but for now these are the products that make up my cleansing collection.

If you've been a reader so far, you know I love Vitacost.com, so the links to these products are listed below (in order from left to right). If you choose to purchase these or any other natural products through Vitacost.com, please use my referral link and save us both $10! https://www.vitacostrewards.com/jWjZPRD:

http://www.vitacost.com/alba-botanica-good-clean-pore-purifying-mini-peel-4-oz-2
http://www.vitacost.com/earth-science-clarifying-facial-wash-fragrance-free-8-fl-oz
http://www.vitacost.com/alba-botanica-good-clean-daily-detox-foaming-cleanser-6-fl-oz-1
http://www.vitacost.com/alba-botanica-natural-even-advanced-sea-algae-enzyme-scrub

Hopefully this has been a helpful, comprehensive review of what I have found to be my favorite skin care tool!

Sources:
http://www.clarisonic.com/shop-our-products/clarisonic-cleansing-devices
http://www.clarisonic.com/shop-our-products/clarisonic-mia-CL11.html?cgid=cleansing-systems&dwvar_CL11_color=White#start=4&cgid=cleansing-systems
http://www.clarisonic.com/shop-our-products/clarisonic-mia-2-CL12.html?dwvar_CL12_color=White

Disclosure: The Gray Poppy Blog is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com. This means, I get a small percentage of items purchased on amazon.com through my links. The reviews and opinions on this site will always be honest, up front, and purely my own, and I am not paid to write these reviews.

Coconut Oil On My Skin and Hair?

So now that we have covered a heap coconut oil uses, let's discover just a few more! If you missed the first two posts of this series, you can find them here and here.

We all want beautiful, smooth, soft, radiant skin, and soft, healthy hair. Well, coconut oil may just help you achieve all of those things! I keep a jar by my sink and use coconut oil in my beauty routine every day.

We've talked a lot about the medium chain fatty acid structure of this oil a lot already, so it probably won't surprise you that this is also why it penetrates your skin and hair so easily.

Most moisturizers, lotions, creams, lip balm, etc on the market today are predominately water (and preservatives and chemicals…but thats another post for another day!) Water is rapidly absorbed by your skin and provides short-lived plumping, as in wrinkle reduction creams, but evaporates quickly leaving your skin as limp and dry as before!

A great deal of these moisturizers also contain refined oils. To understand why this is problematic, let me tell you a little about free radicals.

Our skin is bombarded all day every day with free radicals in our environment. When free radicals enter the body, often through our skin, they begin to wreak havoc by disrupting DNA, causing early signs of aging, and breaking down connective tissue. These tissues inevitably become weaker and less elastic as we age, but free radicals multiply the rate of this degeneration, causing early sagging, wrinkling, dark spots, etc. The products with refined oils are actually prone to cause free radical production. So, when you moisturize with these products, you are not only not protecting your skin against the daily assault from free radicals in our environment, you are potentially introducing more. Thankfully, our body has several members on its free radical clean up crew, including vitamin E, vitamin C, beta carotene, and antioxidants. Coconut oil has a great deal of antioxidants naturally!

So why not moisturize, prevent early signs of aging, and nourish your skin with an antioxidant-rich oil all at the same time! Coconut oil does all of these things. Plus some.

...starting to sound like an infomercial...
     BUT WAIT THERE'S MORE!
Side note: I have found this to be the case with a lot with natural products, actually, and that's why I am writing this blog--to research all the benefits for both you and me! You think it's pretty great at first, then you research more and more and you're like, "holy cow, where have you been all my life?! You multitask all these things I used to buy multiple (expensive) items for?"

This oil does some pretty fantastic cleansing on the skin, too. Like we learned in our last post, it has a boatload of natural antibacterial, antiseptic, antifungal properties, so not surprisingly, when used on the skin it cleans up dirt and bacteria! It also encourages your skin to stay at its normal pH. Good bacteria are happy at this pH level, but if it changes and becomes unbalanced, bad bacteria attempt to move in causing acne and other skin problems.

Now, I know it sounds counterproductive to put OIL on your face if you have OILY or ACNE PRONE skin. Let me just be the first to say, this is what I thought at first as well, but everything I read said do it, and you won't regret it. And I did it and I don't! I used to have to blot my skin within the first hour of putting on my makeup--it was bad. Then, I started moisturizing with coconut oil. Over the course of a couple weeks, I began to notice my skin was not overproducing oil anymore! That is because coconut oil and sebum actually have quite a similar makeup. So, you moisturize with coconut oil, and your skin doesn't' see the need to overreact and help you get all the moisture you took out with your soap cleanser. (I must admit. I do not use this oil as a moisturizer every single day anymore, but it did do wonders to balance my skin! Most of the time I use a vitamin E oil under my makeup, which I will blog about and post a link to soon. Truthfully, I just like that the vitamin E oil is already a liquid, so it is a tad faster to dab on a cotton ball!)

Two things I use coconut oil for on a daily basis: hair conditioning and eye makeup removal.

I have two favorite oils to put on my hair: argan oil and coconut oil. I love them both equally, and depending what I have on hand, I use them interchangeably. I only use this oil personally as a leave in conditioner, but there are several other ways it can be used. For instance, if you have dandruff, you may like to apply this oil to your scalp as a pre-shampoo moisturizer, then shampoo and condition as normal.

     To use as a leave in hair conditioner:
Towel dry your hair while you run the jar of coconut oil under a stream of hot water or let it soak in a sink of hot water. The edges of the jar will melt first and then you can pour a small amount on your hand. Let me emphasize: SMALL! Trust me, I've used to much before and had to rewash my hair. It was oily well beyond presentable-in-public-status. So, that said, use about a dime size amount and rub it together between your hands. Then, apply it to your hair mid-shaft and down (I generally don't apply to my bangs). I've made the mistake of putting it all over my hair before, and my scalp was oily! So, imagine putting your hair into a mid ponytail then just put it on the parts of your hair that would make up the ponytail. Then, dry and style as normal. I actually think my hair dries faster with an oil on it, and it is definitely softer!

     To use as an eye makeup remover:
Let my start off by saying, I have not tried this with waterproof mascara, so I am curious to know if it works! If you try it, please let me know in a comment below!
Same as with the leave in conditioner, melt the oil under hot water. Then pour the oil onto your fingers and gently rub the makeup off of your eyes. Once it has all been removed from your eyes, gently wipe away the oil and makeup with a cotton ball. It takes every single bit of makeup off of my eye and, it moisturizes your fragile under eye and eyelashes, too! I literally may never use another eye makeup remover as long as I live.

I've tried cleansing my entire face with the popular oil cleansing method using coconut oil, and I really wanted to like it based on how much others rave about it, but personally, I did not feel like it got all of my foundation off. My skin continued to break out and new breakouts started popping up. I'm just being straight up honest, but just because I did not love it does not mean you won't! There's a ton of people who love it, so give it a try! Also, there are other oils and blends of oils you could try which some people recommend based on skin type, which I did not try, so I am not fully versed in this method of cleansing. Right now, I have my skin clearer than it has ever been, so if it ain't broke, don't fix it! I'll share my secret weapon with you in my next post.

If you have any tried and true favorite coconut oil uses, or if you try any of these and enjoy them, please share your experience in the comments!

Here's the link to my favorite coconut oil if you missed it yesterday, and again, if you choose to purchase this or any other natural product through Vitacost.com, please use my link and save us both $10! https://www.vitacostrewards.com/jWjZPRD:

In my next post, I'll tell you about the one skin care tool I cannot live without and share my routine with you!

Disclaimer: The views of The Gray Poppy Blog are based on my passion for natural health and information provided here is researched from multiple sources prior to publishing. The information provided, however, is for informational purposes only and not intended to serve as, nor be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always consult with your healthcare provider before beginning any treatment regimen, supplement, exercise plan, or dietary change.

Sources:

coconutoil.com/virgin-coconut-oil-for-skin-health/

http://www.coconut-connections.com/skin_care.htm

http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2010/10/22/coconut-oil-and-saturated-fats-can-make-you-healthy.aspx

http://www.rice.edu/~jenky/sports/antiox.html

Health Benefits of Coconut Oil

Health Benefits of Coconut Oil

Continuing on in our coconut oil series, here is post number two! In case you missed post one, you can find it here. Today we will dive into the health benefits it brings to the table!

There are many ways consuming this oil can boost our wellbeing, such as preventing heart disease, boosting thyroid function, raising the metabolism and promoting lean body mass, and supporting the immune system.

There are jars and jars of coconut oil on the shelves, which one should I choose? Organic is ideal, but not a must. Look for these key words though: virgin, unrefined, and expeller or cold pressed. The less processing and modifications the oil goes through, the more true to it’s original composition it will be.

Here's one of my favorites:

Like we talked about in the first post, studies have shown that consuming coconut oil does not have significant effect on your cholesterol levels, both LDL and HDL, and may potentially lower your overall levels. This is a great contribution towards heart health and preventing conditions such as atherosclerosis. Information gathered from a study of a Pacific Island population shows nearly non-existent rates of cardiovascular disease where the population gets 30-60% of their total caloric intake from fully saturated coconut oil.

The liver takes care of digesting coconut oil without the gallbladder or pancreas, so there is no need for bile or insulin. This is fantastic because this means there is immediate energy to your body (think carbs) but without the insulin spike (unlike carbs)! This also makes coconut oil a particularly great option for people that have had gallbladder issues or removal, sensitive digestive systems, diabetics, and dieters. Meals including medium chain triglycerides, like coconut oil, can help burn even more calories than one including longer chain oils. A higher metabolic rate promotes fat burning, leaner body mass, and improved thyroid function. Fat-soluble vitamins and minerals are also more readily absorbed when eaten in conjunction with coconut oil because of its saturated fat content.

Now to my favorite of the coconut oil bragging rights: immune support!

Scientists first discovered lauric acid when they studied human breastmilk to determine what sort of antimicrobial substances were present to protect infants from infections. Coconut oil is the highest naturally-found source of lauric acid, after breastmilk, making up nearly 50% of the fatty acids! Lauric acid is converted to the immune-booster, disease-fighter, monolaurin, in the body. Monolaurin is anti-viral, anti-bacterial, anti-fungal, and anti-protozoal. Its medium chain triglyceride structure allows the acid to readily cross and infiltrate the membranes of microbes, disintegrating them so they are unable to reproduce and replicate. I first became intrigued to study monolaurin after my sister had remarkable results using it to treat mono, the Epstein-Barr Virus. Unlike prescribed antibiotic medications, monolaurin does not appear to affect good bacteria, only targeting the disease-causing microorganisms.

Monolaurin continues to be researched, but has currently been shown to be effective against staphylococcus aureas, multiple strains of streptococcus, measles, bronchitis, RSV, Epstein-Barr Virus, influenza, pneumonia, several strains of herpes, Candida albicans, ringworm, Giardia lamblia, Listeria, H. pylori, and is more thoroughly being researched after having positive results in treating AIDS/HIV--just to name a few!

There are several brands that make a capsule-form. Here is the one my sister used:

Lauricidin is also very popular!

If you choose to purchase this or any other natural product through Vitacost.com, please use my link and save us both $10! https://www.vitacostrewards.com/jWjZPRD

Stay tuned, because in the next post of this series I'll cover some cosmetic uses!

Disclaimer: The views of The Gray Poppy Blog are based on my passion for natural health and information provided here is researched from multiple sources prior to publishing. The information provided, however, is for informational purposes only and not intended to serve as, nor be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always consult with your healthcare provider before beginning any treatment regimen, supplement, exercise plan, or dietary change.

Sources:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/dr-mercola/coconut-oil-benefits_b_821453.html

http://wellnessmama.com/2072/

http://coconutoil.com

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/dr-mercola/coconut-oil-benefits_b_821453.html

http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2001/07/28/coconut-health.aspx

http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2013/11/18/coconut-oil-uses.aspx?

http://www.easihealth.co.za/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/downloads/2011/02/trials/Monolaurin.pdf

http://health.universityofcalifornia.edu/2012/06/03/can-coconut-oil-treat-alzheimers/

http://livewell.jillianmichaels.com/much-coconut-oil-weight-loss-5344.html
http://www.killzrx.com/monolaurin.html

Coconut Oil: Fad or Fabulous?

This is the first post in my series covering just a handful of uses and benefits of coconut oil.

Lately, coconut oil has become increasingly popular, not just in the natural community, but nearly everywhere due to its thousands of uses. Just when you think you’ve discovered them all, there’s another one waiting for you right around the corner! So what’s so great about it anyway?

I’m glad you asked.

Coconut oil is derived from coconuts imagine that and has been used worldwide for cooking, its medicinal properties, and in beauty products for years. The first time I found this oil, I was surprised this oil is actually a solid at room temperature. It has a sort of butter-like consistency at room temperature and has a melting point of 76F. When I cook with it, stir-fry for instance, I just scrape a little off the top and spread it around the pan to melt it, like I would butter. When I want it to be liquid to start with, like when moisturizing my face, I use a tip my friend shared with me and warm it by holding the jar under hot water.

I enjoy cooking—actually I don’t enjoy cooking, but I’ve been known to stir-fry veggies every once in a while!—with coconut oil because it is heat stable, not reaching its smoking point until 350F. The smoke point of oils is important to pay attention to because once they begin to smoke, they release toxins and free radicals. While I was researching more about this oil, I came across some studies where eating coconut oil was even associated with lowering HDL and LDL levels. This stuff is chocked full of awesome natural healing properties we will dive into soon!

Speaking of cholesterol, there’s actually been a little controversy since coconut oil is high (91%) in saturated fat. The concern is that in general, saturated fat has been shown to cause a rise in LDL, the bad cholesterol, but it appears that not all saturated fats are created equal! The saturated fats in organic virgin coconut oil are medium chain fatty acids, and actually don’t appear to have the negative effects on cholesterol (and potentially lower overall levels) that long chain fatty acids can, such as causing plaque build up in arteries.

*Note, the structure is not the same in refined coconut oil. Make sure you get organic unrefined virgin coconut oil!

The fatty acids found in coconut oil are loaded with natural disinfecting, anti-microbial, anti-viral, anti-nearly-everything-nasty-we-usually-treat-with-medicine-or-clean-with-chemicals. It is packed with a potent immune-boosting, disease-fighting acid called lauric acid. More on this crazy amazing natural healing acid to come.

It is also phenomenal for your skin and hair, toting anti-aging benefits, acne fighting abilities, and intense hair repair just to name a few!

Safe to say, I think it is fabulous!

In the next post in this series, we’ll dive into the health and medicinal benefits of coconut oil. You don’t want to miss it!

Disclaimer: The views of The Gray Poppy Blog are based on my passion for natural health and information provided here is researched from multiple sources prior to publishing. The information provided, however, is for informational purposes only and not intended to serve as, nor be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always consult with your healthcare provider before beginning any treatment regimen, supplement, exercise plan, or dietary change.

Sources:

http://www.scopemed.org/?mno=46271

http://www.naturalnews.com/036156_Coconut_oil_superfood_healing.html

http://www.naturalnews.com/022313_fat_oil_coconut.html

http://www.naturalnews.com/026808_oil_coconut.html

http://www.naturalnews.com/033718_food_miracles.html

What is The Gray Poppy Blog about?

Hi! Welcome to The Gray Poppy Blog.

I have decided to begin a blog as I am on a mission to find the cleanest, yet high quality, beauty products and to share any other research I do. I imagine this blog will best fall into the category of lifestyle blog with most posts coming from a "crunchy" perspective. I sort of consider myself mostly granola as I think I have a fairly happy medium--with a touch of passion--when it comes to the products we use.

Ok, maybe more than a touch sometimes!

I'm not a die hard never-touch-anything-non-organic, never-use-a-department-store-make-up, never-shop-at-a-"regular"-grocery-store girl, but I do believe in knowing what is in our products and highly reducing toxins wherever and whenever possible.  If that is your goal as well, I'm here to help you in that quest! We are on this quest together. I am slowly but surely transforming my life and home into an as much as possible toxin-free environment, and as I do so, I will review for you products I love!

As a paramedic, one of my passions is obviously healthcare. And I love women's health! I am quite the birth nerd, I’ll have you know. If I’m not on Pinterest or Etsy, I’m probably reading a birth story. I believe in full informed consent in all areas of healthcare, but primarily women's health and birth. I’ll also share with you a few natural remedies!

So, I plan to write several informative opinion posts based on research I've done and continue to do. While I am passionate about a handful of subjects, I read both sides of every story and form my own educated opinion based on my research, as should you. Don’t take my word for it! I will share what I learn to aid your research, as I enjoy reading other blogs to glean information from their research. Everyone’s story is different and unique, and no matter how much research you do, your ultimate decision should be whatever it is that gives you peace. Don’t let anyone tell you you’re silly or wrong if you’ve done thorough un-biased research and have peace!

I'm no professional writer, journalist, scientist, or expert by any means, but I'd love to share with you what I have learned and will learn along the way!

So, stick around, and grab yourself a cup of coffee while you're at it!