Mamaepps Hemp...WHY USE HEMP OIL SOAPS??

A PROUD HEMP OIL USERS STORY: 

 A bit of back story on my skin condition, I have very oily, very fair skin that breaks out easily with large pores. Although I do get some small blemishes and the dreaded TOTM cysts my main problem is the ever populating blackhead colonies that live ALL over my face, most dense on my T-zone. These are the main issue b/c I tend to obsessively pick at them...daily I must admit. Believe me I know how terrible this is, I can see the damage it has done, mainly on my cheeks and chin...perma-redness and sometimes I'm unable to fully extract them and they turn into a full blown blemish that, surprise-surprise I pick at too, that leaves me a lovely post acne scar that takes months to fade. Its a ugly chain of events. On my decolletage I had a very bad sunburn when I was about 23, despite wearing SS and covering it with a scarf anytime I was out in the sun it was constantly red and blotchy...and had its own colony of blackheads and blemishes. Quite defeating to my self-esteem. 

I have tried everything under the sun to clear my skin, from ProActiv to KH, every scrub and acne treatment. While some did work for a while on one issue, nothing addressed all my problems for any real length of time, most made them worse with long term use. The best I have found is Ayurvedic skin care but I still needed to address my sticky sebum issue. 

I was actually looking for a Omega dietary supplement to try and help heal my various eczema patches and other dry/itchy skin issues when I stumbled upon Hemp oil by accident. I was researching how sebum flow effects blocked pores and what I could use to keep them clear and flowing (other than scrubs and acids) when I decided to take a break and skim through some EDS threads, I have been loosely following the 302 thread b/c I think the idea of a non-acid approach is very interesting when I came across a post by Boski that gave me an idea. She posted this quote from Skintactix " When linoleic acid is not available in the skin, the sebaceous glands produce sebum with oleic acid and this form of sebum is irritating to the skin. It promotes blockage that causes blackheads, whiteheads and acne. Some scientists have suggested that sebum produced with oleic acid is drier, firmer and therefore it promotes blockage within the follicles, such as blackheads and whiteheads. " 

So I thought that if I could find and oil with the correct balance of EFA's and incorporate it into my diet and use it topically that, although I would still be oily, possibly I could cause my sebum to be less sticky and irritating thus resulting in less acne and blackheads. Cue Hemp oil music. From what I have read Hemp oil contains a perfect ratio of EFA's, has anti-aging and anti-inflammatory properties and has superior healing benefits and is very high in the super food chlorophyll. It also supposedly had sun block effects while allowing absorption of Vit D, still doing research on this. I do not claim to be a scientist so I will post some links at the bottom of my review to provide more accurate clear info. *I am also taking this internally, its too soon to comment on that as I need at least 8-12 weeks to see improvement but I will update when I reach that mark with any comments/signs of improvement. If you decide to take it internally be sure to take the appropriate dosage for you body weight as this oil can really get things moving if you know what I mean, while not a negative effect I think that at too high a dosage the effect might become unpleasant. 


I have tried nearly every oil from Emu to Jojoba to sweet almond to EV coconut, while they might have helped a bit they never fully sank in and left my already oily skin even oilier. Living in the humid South these were not a good option for my face. The first time I applied Hemp oil to my face it looked just the same as when I used any other oil...shiny. Then about 3 mins later I went to go put my makeup on and when I looked in the mirror, to my great surprise, my face was totally hydrated and matte. WTH?!? I had not applied anything else. I brushed it off as a fluke and proceeded with my MU (which applied like a friggin dream btw!). However, all night at work people kept commenting on how nice I looked and when I got home and looked in the mirror I still looked fab. I chalked it up to a "good skin day" and washed my face, did my shameful nightly blackhead removal, applied more hemp oil and went to bed. When I woke up in the morning I reached up to rub my face and was again surprised to find that my face felt hydrated (not its usual greasy mess) and soft. When I went to go look in the mirror I was again shocked at how great my skin looked. I don't think my skin has ever been properly moisturized since I hit puberty and it went haywire, and honestly, I had even forgotten what fully hydrated normal skin looked like on my face. Any creepiness was gone and I some how looked airbrushed and best of all my recurring blackheads had not "filled" back up. Now I'm thinking I'm on to something. I have stripped my routine down to let the hemp oil really work, currently I'm using a super mild cleanser or OCM to remove MU at night, then toning with Thayers rose petal witch hazel followed by Hemp oil. In the AM I'm using raw honey as a wash, tone then Hemp oil. Once a week I use a mild scrub, maybe a fruit acid mask and usually a clay based cleansing mask. Results are awe inspiring. 

Now let me be clear, I'm not saying that this miraculously overnight freed me of any and all skin issue but it has from the first application fully moisturized without being greasy and majorly soothed any active flair ups (in fact they seem to be "drying up" and disappearing with no acne spot medication) and any blackheads that I extracted have not formed in the same pore. The skin around my eyes looks particularly fabulous, plump, smooth and firm. And for a smoker like myself that's pretty awesome! (I know, I know, no lectures please!) The redness on my chest is subsiding and really is nearly gone. Any area I apply the oil becomes velvety soft and glows like crazy, I feel like I finally understand what people mean when they say something makes them glowy. Even my EX H kept commenting on how great my skin looked, and that man does not freely pass out compliments to anyone but himself, so I know its not just me. 

Benefits for me: 

-Reduction in blocked pores/blackheads. 
-Active acne soothed and seems to be fading away. 
-Almost immediate redness/inflammation reduction (thinking this would be great for rosacea suffers). 
-Moist, plump, glowy, hydrated skin. 
-No oily residue after applying, it sinks in like a dream. 
-Its affordable. 
-Beautiful airbrushed finish under makeup or alone. 

Cons: 

-Is a green oil, due to the chlorophyll I assume, so if you don't wait for it to fully soak in it will lightly stain lighter colored clothes. 
-Has a grassy scent(no pun intended!), light and non-offensive but it there. 
-Needs to be refrigerated, not sure how I would travel with it. 


http://mamaeppshemp.com/

http://stores.ebay.com/Mamaepps-Hemp

Links to more info: 
Benefits of hemp 
http://www.ecomall.com/greenshopping/plandahemp.htm 

Writer does a good job of explaining EFA's, etc. 
http://www.hairboutique.com/tips/tip091.htm 

Another good overview 
http://www.regenerativenutrition.com/content.asp?id=64