Saturday 3 November 2012

Ah, the joy of having sensitive skin…Not.


For some of my readers, this won’t come as news, but to some it might come as a surprise: I don’t actually find hair very interesting.
It’s true, I really don’t.

For instance, “free and loose” shots, I see as something to check overall health of hair, not something that is pretty and admirable. Updos however, this is one of the top reasons I like long hair and maybe the top reason I’ve grown my hair as long as it is.
Updos are cool, creative and fun. Loose hair is like an untreated piece of wood and updos are the multiple things you can create out of it.

I’ve never really understood the appeal of a “hair cut”. Even the most fancy and expensive cut will eventually grow boring if all you can do to it is to drown it in various products.
For instance, I always thought Jennifer Aniston’s famous “do” was painfully boring. She so rarely do anything to it at all and most of the time it just hangs there as a big boring blanket covering her face. Seriously, that sent millions of women running for their stylists? Yawn.

Another thing about hair is that it’s fairly simple. There is only so much you “need” to learn to successfully grown your hair long and/or healthy. Sure, there is much more theory to learn if you want to, but it’s not necessary to function. And even then, if you decide to look into oil and henna-theory, its still not string theory. (Or insert whatever field you find difficult to understand. Personally I’ve never felt I “get” poems. If they’re not funny or dirty, my mind just switches off in boredom. But maybe it’s just me)

Yet, after all I decided to blog about hair anyways.

From the first time I encountered long hair forums, I felt I was capable of processing knowledge and presenting it to people.
And providing inspiration both for actually doing something to hair and spark the thought of “Hey, if she can grow that long from being bald, so can I!”

I like when I make people think that. It makes me very happy.


It’s actually my second-most favourite compliment. (“Kind of compliment” I guess, since I heard that quite a lot over the years)

My favourite compliments ever, are when people tell me my thoughts on skincare have been useful.

I’ve always had sensitive, easily irritated skin. I grew up with it and probably will always have it. I’ve experienced the ridiculous attitudes people have towards people with “bad” skin: You’re probably just completely unhygienic anyways. You’re probably just too stupid to wash, tone and moisturise. It’s just that you use some really stupid product. Why don’t you use Acme product instead, haven’t you seen that sweet new commercial promising supermodel skin in a week?

Ugh.

If you think you encounter a lot of bullshit from stupid people with bad hair when you have long hair, try having “bad” skin. It’s ridiculous how much bullshit advice you will get from people who have naturally “good”, trouble free skin.

Because, it’s not that their skin could be naturally easygoing, of course it’s their overpriced, over perfumed, over hyped products that does wonders and of course they can project their results onto someone with a skintype that is polar opposite of theirs, right? And of course it is that they are so fantastically smart and know everything about skin (From commercials and packaging on their fantastic product) that they should lecture you on correct skincare, right?

Barf.

I know how annoying it is. So the compliments I’ve received on my (Few, but still…) posts on skincare are extremely dear to me.

I’m sure some of you reading this are wondering why I wandered into rant-land. Well, this is why:

Yesterday when I shaved, I nicked my left armpit. (Hm, been shaving for almost 20 years or so and I still manage to injure myself?) Naturally, I covered it with a band-aid (“For sensitive skin!” and “No irritation!” it bragged.)

I had noticed that it was really sore, but didn’t think too much of it. I mean, a skinless area in your armpit has to hurt, right? But today when I wanted to change it, I found that it wasn’t the cut that hurt, but my skin having a reaction to the band-aid itself. A perfect imprint of the band-aid printed in red, itchy hurt.


Sigh. Having sensitive skin sucks.

Ow. 

10 comments:

  1. Ow indeed. I have allergies myself, so I'm careful about what I use on my skin, beyond good ol' H2O.

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  2. I often hurt myself with the razor as well (usually when the blade is old and needs a change) and never thought of using a bandaid on it. Was it a deep cut?
    Hope it gets better soon!

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  3. I don't "get" poetry, either.

    Owie! Nothing like your razor zigging when you are trying to make it zag when shaving. Especially in your pits. Do you have a sensitivity to latex? A lot of bandages contain latex.

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  4. I get poetry, but it's basically self expression. so, if you like words and like to organize them in a way that makes you feel something, it works. Scientists can do their own poetry--it's just how you see things ;)

    I love long hair for many reasons myself--I actually found updos, while fun, a shame of hiding such gorgeous hair. Isn't that funny? I love my hair loose because I love how it feels, and lets face it--easiest style to manage :None ;) hahahha.

    Most people love getting a hair cut because, for them, their hair is an accessory--to make them look good. Pretty hair = they are pretty (in their eyes). I used to feel this way. Jennifer aniston's hair was styled that way to make her look good on TV, nothing more. Hair for models and actresses are all about making shadows and contours to hide flaws and accentuate other features. Aniston has a very heart shaped face and apparently a large nose during the 'friend's' season. If you noticed, she ALWAYS had hair in her face to make it appear slender. I think I saw her with a few up-dos, but she always had pieces of hair in her face---its all about how you look on tv shows/in movies.

    I feel your pain with the bandaid. My story: I bought hypo-allergenic, latex FREE bandaids, and within 2 minutes, my skin where the adhesive was was red, raised and itching/burning like mad!! Worse than the cut it was covering. Another time, my hair dresser was testing a hair color with a patch test at the back of my neck. Apply a tiny amount of color and let it stay on for about an hour--covered with a band aid. It started to itch and I was worried until I realized the bandaid had caused a huge allergic reaction--it was red/raised all AROUND the color! HAHHAAHH.

    So, I feel your pain. I'm not quite a bad in regards to product use as you are (meaning skin reactions to the severity you get), but clothing buying is brutal. MUST be cotton--can't wear polyester, silk, wool(I break out at the thought of wool), linen...the list goes on....

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  5. Wow... I wish you a fast recovery from all of that.

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  6. I have a ton of allergies, including bandaids and surgical tape. I think it is the adhesive as I can use paper tape, which isn't as sticky and feels like it uses different glue.

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  7. Hello, love your blog. I was wondering if you could talk about your wash routine. I know you said you use conditioner only, but I was wondering the details if you don't mind.
    Thank you!


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  8. I'm a huge fan of your thoughts on skincare as I'm sure I've already posted before. I just find it hugely interesting to hear other people's thoughts about skincare; not just your mainstream female magazines sort of opinion.
    For example, I remember very vividly reading one of your entries where you said you didn't believe in nightcream and that you thought skin should breathe at night. I found that really interesting somehow because I'd never heard anyone say this before. (Hope I'm remembering this right and not misrepresenting!)

    The other reason why I am always curious in your posts about skincare is that I do have fairly sensitive skin too. I actually have a sort of skin illness (which I got from my dad, thanks dad!) called dermographism - I think that's what it's called in English.
    Basically anything that touches my skin makes it get red and raised. I have to take antihistamines constantly (as in I take 1 every other day) to keep it under control. If I try to leave it an extra day I get so itchy and miserable I cannot function. It is really sucky.

    But because of my constant use of antihistamines, I thankfully don't have bad reactions that often. One of the worst I had recently-ish was when I shaved my armpits this summer the day before my wedding. I then wore a deodorant (from Toms of Maine which is supposed to be natural-ish) and got a huge allergic reaction which made my wedding slightly uncomfortable (bright red burning pits aren't necessarily the best)

    I also react pretty poorly to water, so last year when I was living in the countryside I was only shaving about every other day. But now I've moved to a city and I feel like I have to do it every day and it just feels awful.

    It's not easy with products either, I spent all of last year with these weird little bumps all over my cheeks. I then did a crazy detox of cheapo beauty products, old make-up, made sure I kept all my make-up brushes clean as can be. The bumps are mostly gone now. I'm not entirely sure what caused it, the main thing I stopped using was this Garnier BB Cream.

    I find the products I get on the best with are REN products, but they are so expensive.

    I was wondering if you've ever tried making some beauty products? Specifically skincare or bodycare ones.

    PS: Sorry for the lack of commenting on my behalf in the past few months, I still read you religiously (my husband thinks I'm fan-girling you a bit too much really) but between a crazy move and now doing NaNoWriMo (this thing where you try and write a novel in a month), my internet time has been curtailed greatly!

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  9. I have sensitive, irritable skin and rosacea. Yeah I hear you about all those phrases said to people with 'bad' skin. I have heard them all. And I have been suckered in to buying this product and that product.

    The only range that's done me any good is Avene, and my doctor's own homeopathic/herbal cream. My body likes REN also, and I can get on with Liz Earle.

    Theodora, I think that Garnier BB cream caused problems for me too. It is super highly perfumed, which I always find is a problem.

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  10. I really hope you feel better soon. i have some issues with sensitive skin and as I've entered my twenties they've really started to become irritating. I'm just hoping my skin stops breaking out soon because I seem to have developed a sensitivity to acne fighting products. Yet I can soak a cotton ball in rubbing alcohol and its no problemo as long as I moisterize... Skin is so weird. I'm allergic to something in the plasticy bandaids. I've developed a bit of an adversion to bandaids honestly because I didn't know what was causing the reaction and wasn't inclined to test theories snd be itchy and peely until I figured it out.

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