Product Review

The product: Dr. Hauschka Normalizing Day Oil
The verdict: This is good stuff

I'd always been blessed with relatively blemish-free skin, all through high school and my twenties (with a brief blip of weird skin stuff while in Finland, probably from stress and new food). But once I turned 30, things started to change (as they do) and I started getting lots of little red inflamed bumps. Not exactly zits, but it was like my skin was clogged and irritated (inflamed) and nothing I did made any difference. It was maddening. No amount of washing, babying, moisturizing, not moisturizing, exfoliating, masking, etc. changed things for any amount of time. Always the little bumps came back.

When I went in to have my fancy facial on my 32nd birthday last year, they recommended I use a facial oil to balance my skin. The theory is that the oil helps send the message to your skin that you've got plenty of oil, thanks, no need to make more than usual, and that helps to clear up your skin. Well, my skin looked great after the facial, but I didn't buy any of the oil because I already had other stuff at home and I figured I'd use it all up first.

Well, it was back to normal, unfortunately. Leeetle red bumps, annoying me every morning and every night.

So finally I decided to bite the bullet and try something new. A friend recommended using the oil as a moisturizer and then using Bare Minerals (spf 15) makeup as everyday sun protection. So I headed to Sephora and got one bottle of Normalizing Oil and one tin of Bare Minerals.

After a week of sort of experimenting (three drops of oil was too much, one wasn't enough, two was just right) and figuring out how to use the mineral makeup, I have to say, I am pleased. Not only are the red bumps gone, but my skin is looking nicer than it has in years. No shine during the day, either. They recommend something called 'Mineral Veil' to 'finish' your makeup, but I checked the ingredients and it's mostly cornstarch, so I have just been using a very light dusting of plain cornstarch before I leave the house, and that's been working just fine. Maybe I'll try the Veil next time.

So, the oil is a little expensive, between $32 and $40, depending on where you get it. You only use a couple drops at a time, however, and it smells WONDERFUL (and, it's working!). Next time I have some disposable income to spend on skin care, I'm going to get the facial wash and toner. They don't recommend using a night cream (which I was skeptical about, but that's been working as well). Dr. Hauschka has a new customer.

(if anything changes for the worse, I'll let you know!)