Hi All,

I've had part of my septic system collapse, 2 major flooded floors to clean up, had to snake the kitchen drains 3X, and then the furnace needed $400 worth of repairs. This was in a 3 week period. My skin went into super stress mode -- everything was burning. Even the Shu Oil didn't seem heavy enough. Soooo, I went back to basics and just used plain ol' EVOO from the kitchen cupboard to cleanse with this a.m. It has a heavier texture than the facial oils. Ohmygosh! I think I discovered my holy grail!
Soooo soothing, and no added fragrance or botanicals. I had to spray and towel off 2X to make sure I got rid of the oil, but that was no bigee.
No redness, no stinging!

Elsewhere in the news: got my Periostat and Differin today. I started the oral med today and will start the Differin tomorrow p.m., since that is a retinoid day. I'm using retinoids every 3rd night over moisturizer. Differin is made by the folks at Galderma Labs, makers of Cetaphil. The ingredient list on the tube didn't look like it would have anything that would bother my skin, so I'm keeping my fingers crossed that I'll be able to tolerate it. The instuctions say to expect the skin to look worse before you see improvement -- in about 8 weeks! <gulp!> Best of all, since I was diagnosed with rosacea, my insurance is paying the biggest chunk of the bill.

So, I have put all my lighter-weight cleansers away for the winter, and will use strictly oils. I figure I can mix a pump of Shu or LaVitton with a pump of the heavier EVOO and be able to use them up that way. Think of the cost savings! I am still rinsing with distilled water spray, by the way. Just refilled my spray bottle this morning. Now if only my house would stay repair-free for awhile.... Inky