In 2017, I started getting hives and rashes on my cheeks. It would come at times when I was stressed out or when I was in the sun for a long period of time. I started working on my stress management and wearing hats if I went outside. Nothing changed. I even tried cutting out gluten, thinking it was a food allergy reaction.
Then, one night as I was getting ready to go to bed early because I had a photoshoot in the morning, I had a full face freak out. The rash was over both of my cheeks and nothing I did would make it better. I remember texting my mom a photo of it. I wish I still had that photo but I deleted it because I was so EMBARRASSED ? I didn’t cancel the shoot and went to bed hoping it was better in the morning. Thankfully when I got up, the rash had calmed down, but now I was determined to figure this out.
I finally took a food allergy test and found out I was allergic to dairy; something I was consuming daily. So, obviously, I cut that out! My skin started to make a little improvement around my chin but there were still little bumps on my cheeks. That’s when I decided it had to be the products I was using and from that point on I was only going to put natural and clean products on my skin. I switched to homemade skincare products that my mom crafted from beeswax and essential oils. This seemed to provide a temporary fix for my skin conditions.
Over time, I still would see the little red dots on my cheeks. They weren’t breakouts. They were something else. I was getting a facial with an esthetician friend when she asked about my rosacea. My rosacea? What is she talking about? That’s when it all hit me. I had rosacea on my cheeks, which makes sense as I am very fair skinned. From that point on, I’ve been working through emptying the products I have (that’s the eco-friendly way) and switching to natural and clean products.
I’ve now been on this journey for 4 years, and I have found some amazing products and brands that have truly helped my skin. If I’m being honest, the breakouts didn’t stop until I met MadeWith. I was introduced to Janis at the end of 2020, and we immediately connected. It was like an alarm went off in my head! Everything she said about MadeWith was what I had been searching for over the last few years. ? I needed someone to help me figure out what brands were really clean and what brands were greenwashing. I knew, because of my condition, I needed to have the best and cleanest products on my skin. I had heard there were harsh ingredients that are banned in countries like France, but we still use them in ours. I couldn’t risk putting these ingredients on my skin.
Before setting up my first order, I was asked if I wanted to try an oil cleanser… I hadn’t really ever thought about it. But I took the plunge because Janis suggested it would be good for my sensitive skin; and it really was. I don’t know if this really is the one product that saved my skin; but, since I stopped using harsh washes, exfoliators, etc. and switched fully to the products MadeWith suggested, I haven’t had any skin issues.
For me this isn’t a trend. Living a clean and healthy lifestyle is just that: a lifestyle. Clean beauty has been brought to the forefront in my life because I truly believe if skincare products were more regulated as far as ingredients go, a lot more people would feel better in their everyday lives. ?
