5/28/2023 0 Comments My addiction skin careIt was like my skin had soaked up the products. I looked at myself in the mirror and my skin looked shiny, but miraculously, within minutes the combo had settled and I was simply… glowy. It already felt like a much more caring approach to hydration. Then I rubbed my palms together to emulsify the oil and mist, and applied to my face. She instructed me to use Nourish & Replenish Oil ($33) by squirting six drops (to start, then after a day I was to lower it to five) into the palm of my hand and then spraying that same palm with Sense & Sensitivity Mineral Mist ($34). The treatment made my mouth feel a little tight and tingly but it was certainly no big deal (nor was it worse than having dry, gotta-put-on-chapstick-NOW lips).Įmma also wanted me to address my face in general, by super-saturating my skin and getting a proper oil balance. In other words, to give my body a nudge, to send a message: step up your game. The first step was using Vita-C 10 Day Wild Berry Treatment ($57, Between You & the Moon), which was meant to make my lips “a little bit nervous, a little bit excited,” said Emma. To start, Emma told me we were going “uncontrol my lips” and do a reset. Hence, Emma’s skin care line, Between You and the Moon, is holistic and provides support, not a substitute. But those things shouldn’t be subbing for what my body can actually do itself. In other words, by constantly applying lip balm, I’ve been trying to control my lips instead of allowing my body to self-nourish (which it is totally capable of).Īfter all, why should my skin perform its own natural magic when I’ve been slapping on substitutes that are supposed to do the job instead? Which isn’t to say I can’t use balm as a barrier during harsh weather, or lip color. “Control is never truly healthy or beautiful - it’s just under control,” she explained. First, Emma helped me understand what’s going on not just with my lip balm addiction but with a lot of skin care products in general, which focus on controlling the skin. And it turns out there is light at the end of the tube - I mean, tunnel. I visited the incredibly beautiful Brooklyn Herborium storefront to seek help for my lip balm addiction and spoke with co-owner (and creator of the holistic skin care line Between You and the Moon) Emma Graves. But it’s not completely about the drying agents, it’s also about having Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) - mix the two together, and you’ve got the perfect recipe for chapstick addiction. Sounds about right to me!Ĭhapstick and lip balm companies will vehemently deny that their products are addictive, but the truth is that some of them contain drying agents, a key link in a vicious cycle: My lips are dry. After all, as LBA points out, one of the definitions of “addict” is “To devote or surrender (oneself) to something habitually or obsessively” as per Webster’s Dictionary. So is chapstick (or lip balm, or what-have-you) addiction real? If you look at a site like Lip Balm Anonymous (or if you watch your friend determinedly scraping remnants of chapstick out of an old tube), the answer is a resounding yes, even if it’s not a clinically recognized addiction. My friends watch me do this and giggle and tease me about how I need my fix. If lack of foresight leads me to run out, I will use my longest fingernail to scrape whatever residue is left in the tube. If by some chance I leave the house without it, I have to obtain more in order to have a normal day. I have back-up tubes at home, at my desk and in my bedside drawer. Whatever you're struggling with, whether it's alcohol, tobacco, or drugs, if you've tried and failed on your own, then it's time to get help.I carry Carmex with me all the time. In recovery, I've regained those things I gave up in my addiction – faith, family, health, and career. Waking up every day to realize I don't have to spend my day finding, consuming, and hiding my pills is such a relief. Having found recovery though, I can promise you that it's worth it and I can't believe I didn't do it sooner. "I can't go to treatment, and I can't bear the thought of everyone knowing what I truly am." The addiction shames us and our shame keeps us enslaved. I'll get divorced and probably get fired." The addiction tells us that it will be too painful to quit and that we'd be better off just remaining where we're at. "I don't know how I could cope without my pills if I quit." The addiction tells us that we cannot let anyone know. The addiction protects itself, telling us that we cannot live without it.
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