LacyDecay

I'm going to be using the olive oil to moisturize my skin on my face.
I'm looking for a 100% natural/ pure olive oil brand. I have a few questions though on how I could tell whether the olive oil is 100% natural and unrefined. Does the colour of the Oil have to be green? I've seen olive oil brands where they are sorta yellow in colour. The olive oils that say it's extra virgin that I have found don't state the ingredient's. is that trustworthy? Are all olive oils in plastic bottles considered unnatural/ refined? I think I might purchase the Bertolli extra virgin oil oil, does anyone know whether they make 100% unrefined olive oil?

Could anyone recommend me an olive oil brand that is 100% natural/ unrefined?
Thanks a lot in advance!

Any olive oil should do the trick providing its extra virgin. buying organic extra virgin  would be even better. That would mean that the olives it's made from is free of any pesticide spray etc. I'm not sure how available they are in stores but you can  buy them from loads of websites.

The colour doesn't have much relevance, I read that the colour depends on when the olives were picked. They're darker green if picked early in the season and more of a golden-green when picked later on.

Hi Secret. Yep, you're certainly not alone with the hiding away thing. I haven't been out AT ALL in three years. I refuse to even go out into the garden incase the neighbours happen to get an eye-full of my horrible skin. I even close the curtains in the lounge (or whatever room I'm in) so that no one can see me properly. I realise it must get really depressing and annoying for my family to constantly have to sit in darkness because of my insecurities. It's really sad that we feel the need to have to hide ourselves away we're worth more than this, it's just finding that inner confidence to realise it. So I really can relate to you on this.

3 years ?
Damm

Yup. F**king sucks balls. I'll get a life one day, I swear I will, lol.

Hello LacyDecay!

I too suffer with Body Dysmorphic Disorder

after a bout of abuse during my childhood,

so I totally get where you're coming from.

I started to obsess over my appearance at the age of 13,

smothering my face with cosmetics and treatments I didn't need,

further injuring my relatively flawless face.

I couldn't look at myself in the mirror or look anyone in the eye

or even reach out for help, cause I was in such denial.

It wasn't until three years ago that I recognized this about myself

and began to seek answers for my disease.

But not before I had ravaged my skin with scars

and triggered rosacea (semi-permanant redness).

The thing about chemical and natural irritant abuse is that they

sensitize your skin after prolonged usage so that you can no longer

even use gentle products without pain or breakouts,

thus depressing the hell out of someone with now evident injury.

I feel for you and to tell someone with this disorder to just buck up and deal with it

is as ridiculous as telling an anorexic to put some meat on their bones.

BDD is the sister of OCD and there are treatments for it,

but I've found that counseling can be very effective;

just knowing that somebody knows your pain can drive you forward.

I hope you can find help for the damage done!

~Bone't

Hi veiled.

Glad someone here understands my pain !

My BDD started the same way yours did. From childhood abuse. It's not normal for a small child to hate the way they look. It gets so annoying when people tell me to 'just grow up' when they know nothing about WHY I'm like this. My father spent 8 years in prison for the abuse that he did. I was beaten so bad that I had to kept off school all the time because of my bruises , I was raped at the age of 5 and so much other stuff that I won't go into. It is more than just what's on the surface.  But the surface damage certainly hasn't helped ! If that got better then I think I could work on bettering my life but that's not an option given that my skin issue is permanent. That only leaves me with the option to do things the other way round and get mental help first, maybe that will help me see my skin in a different way and help me learn to accept it as it is.

I'm so glad you've found something that has helped you   That gives me hope too.

Hi Evergreen.

Personally, Chlorine is a HUGE problem for me. (my facial skin is extremely damaged and hypersensitive so I react to pretty much everything). I only cleanse my face with bottled or distilled water, and that stops the burning, tight feeling that I get from tap water.  Everyone's skin is different though obviously so has different reactions to things. but 2-3 hours of chlorine per day can't be great though. It's a very strong chemical after all.

I wonder if applying an oily balm on your face while swimming would help ? I'm thinking that would create a water and chlorine resistant barrier until washed off properly, but I'm not sure

Also I really don't like the amount of chemicals that are in the Cetaphil Daily Cleanser. I don't see how something with SLS and Perfume can be accepted as a product for sensitive skin. Those 2 things are up there on the list of the top 5 ingredients to avoid.

The Evian Spray looks like a good idea. It's useful to take with you to the pool etc. But for when you're at home, I'd just buy a big bottle of Evian water from your local store and use that. The bottled water and the spray contains exactly the same ingredient: just pure Evian mineral water.

Hi Secret. Yep, you're certainly not alone with the hiding away thing. I haven't been out AT ALL in three years. I refuse to even go out into the garden incase the neighbours happen to get an eye-full of my horrible skin. I even close the curtains in the lounge (or whatever room I'm in) so that no one can see me properly. I realise it must get really depressing and annoying for my family to constantly have to sit in darkness because of my insecurities. It's really sad that we feel the need to have to hide ourselves away we're worth more than this, it's just finding that inner confidence to realise it. So I really can relate to you on this.