My Eczema Treatment ( Part 2 ): Traditional Chinese Medicine ( TCM )

Picture taken from slinter.com

Suffering from eczema is no fun at all. It comes on and off and it is hard to determine the main source of the problem. Often, we see the culprit mainly from external sources like dust, animal fur, food, pollens or ingredients from skincare products. Very rarely, we pin point the problems to internal reasons. And this is where we need to seek the help from a Traditional Chinese Medicine ( TCM ) practitioner to see what is happening to our body internally. 

After a long battle with my eczema and I've decided to turn to TCM after Western medicine failed on me. I had been popping prescribed medicine by my doctor for months and I personally felt that it only helps to control the eczema, not curing it. I figured that this is not very good for my body in a long term basis. 

My Eczema Treatment ( Part 1 ): Symptoms and Basic Care

Yup...that's my lips!

If you are a avid reader of my blog, you may know that I was suffering from eczema around my lips area ( some may call it perioral dermatitis ) To those who may not know the full story, do read it HERE. In this post, I am going to sum up the symptoms and basic care ( based on my personal experience ), before moving on to my next post which deals with treatments.

Do you experience odd changes during the time of month?

Picture from flowergallery.com

Before the 'time of the month' comes, I usually experience the usual symptoms like any other girls. Breast tenderness and bloating. I know most girls crave for sweet things before their period but for me personally, I would crave for spicy and salty food. My most reached out 'comfort food' is preferably a bag of chips ( MUST be cheese flavor! ) Funny, isn't it?

I thank God that my skin goes through minimal changes before my period, even though I crave for those 'not so skin friendly' foodies. Even if I do, I get occasional zits, especially at my temple area. 

Review: Paul Penders Holy Basil Conditioning Scalp Toner

Paul Penders Holy Basil Conditioning Scalp Toner 180ml AUD 38.50

I have the tendency to invest in quite a number of products for my hair because I do have a history of getting itchy scalp and those annoying dandruff. In my previous post, I reviewed a shampoo that worked pretty well for me to counter the 2 problems. As usual, I like to take a step further to improve the condition of my scalp and this brings me to my purchase of the product above.

I came to know about this when I was trying out some products from Paul Penders and when I was surfing through their site, this looked pretty interesting and lead me to purchase this together with some other products.

Review: Phyto Phytoapaisant Soothing Treatment Shampoo

Phyto Phytoapaisant Soothing Treatment Shampoo 200ml MYR 80.00

I am one that have those 'on off ' dandruff issues and I guess I am not alone in this category. I have tried many shampoos, though I am more reliant to natural based ones. Though I love the Paul Pender's Jasmine Shampoo, I thought it might be a good idea to use it alternately with a treatment shampoo...and this is how I came across this shampoo in one of my shopping days at Sephora.

I am quite familiar with this brand as I have used their dandruff shampoo ages ago. I remembered it gave me good results except that I didn't enjoy it being too 'foam-less'. ( Yes, I was naive then as I did not know that foam-less means it is good for the hair ). 

Dressing Up & Styling

Image source from web

I love dressing up and in fact, it runs in my blood. I remember when I was a child, I love drawing and making dresses for my Barbie dolls. Little that I know, I ended up pursuing into the fashion industry in full fledge and it became my career as well.

Years have passed and currently, I am temporarily taking a break from this hectic industry to focus on something else, yet still being in a creative line. Because of this break, I now work from home.

Now, you might think...what is all this about? Ever since I work at home, I didn't really focus on dressing 'fashionably' but rather comfortably, meaning in simple T-shirt and shorts. Being comfortable also means no makeup. 

Of late, I realised that I have been slacking on that 'dressing' part and I know I need to rejuvenate back that passion. I gathered all my clothes ( old ones included ) and begin to restyle, mix and match the pieces. In the process, it got my adrenalin going and I was so pumped up. And at last, I smelled SUCCESS!

My most used beauty tool.....

Dariya Front Hair Stabilizer ( Fringe Pad ) MYR 4.90/ 2pcs

In my normal routine, I use a headband to secure my fringes whenever I wash my hair, do my makeup or when I mop the floor. I find it troublesome at times, where the headband is not tight enough to hold my front fringe and I would usually get some stubborn ones that would 'fall' in front of my face. 

What seems to be a nuisance has became a norm for me for a couple of years...until I encountered these! I was first 'introduced' to this product when I had my brows done at a cosmetic counter. When the SA put these on my fringes, it was love at first sight for me. I was amazed that it was easy and hold my stubborn fringes in place. I was told that she bought hers from SASA. Wasting no time, I finally went to SASA to get these.

Review: Lip Pure Lip Balm

Lip Pure Lip Balm 4g MYR 11.90

Ever since my eczema case, I would say that I am an avid user of lip balms. Not the ordinary 'petroleum' filled kinda lip balms, but those which are made from natural ingredients. Due to my sensitive condition, I am very careful in finding one that does not further aggravate the sensitivity. I must say that finding one in Malaysia, which only contain 100% natural ones, are hard to find.

Before I chance upon this lip balm, there are many varieties of lip balms, easily available at drugstores. Some are tinted, while some claimed to be completely natural and pure. Unfortunately, the ingredients listed contains loads of synthetic ingredients and the most used ingredient, petroleum or mineral oil.

When I found this one, I was glad that it contained mostly of natural ingredients.

Review: Soapwalla Deodorant Cream

Soapwalla Deodorant Cream 2oz USD 12.00

Good, natural and organic deodorants are hard to find...especially in the country I live in. So, I really thank God for Online Shopping, that makes things easier for me to get what I want.

I was searching high and low for natural based deos ( one that last ) and thanks to Google, I came across Soapwalla's Deodorant Cream in Etsy. This product generally received lots of good reviews and without much hesitation, I quickly place my order because I was desperate...yeah, pits were smelling big time!

Many of you may know, or have read in my blog, that I have trouble finding the 'right' deodorant and many organic or natural based ones that I have used just failed on me. I have read that the majority of natural/ organic based deodorants doesn't work as well as commercial ones and sadly, that is the truth that many claimed. Now, I am really, really hoping that my search will end with this one....

Review: Paul Penders Products

A few months ago, I was given an opportunity to try out some products from Paul Penders. I have heard of Paul Penders two years ago and was rather intrigued but never really gotten the chance to try out their products. Now that these products were sent to me for review purposes, boy, I was glad!

Now, a little background about Paul Penders taken from their site:

Paul Penders skin care solutions combine the purest ingredients from Mother Nature to restore balance, health and vitality to your skin. Each skin care solution contains ourLevensESSENTIE Gold^®, an extract of 22 herbs from the East and West, a traditional recipe passed down from Paul's grandmother. Paul Penders skin care solutions are cold-processed in small batches to preserve the active properties of carefully selected herbal ingredients.

It is safe to know that their products are never tested on animals and their products are made with certified organic ingredients.