In my final installment of the Beauty during Venus Retrograde series, (see vol.1 and vol.2 here), I’m focusing on Beauty Formula No.9 Rosacea/Sensitive skin and sharing all my supportive beauty tips for the highly sensitive person. Aside from rosacea, No.9 would also be the best remedy for eczema and psoriasis. This formula is all about a cool, calm and regulated nervous system.
BEAUTY FORMULA NO.9
My other Beauty Formulas for acne and anti-aging had done very well over the years, but every time someone wrote to ask which remedy to take for rosacea, I felt I was letting them down. I didn’t have a solution. Rosacea is complicated and notoriously hard to treat. Because there was so little offered to rosacea patients by dermatologists and doctors, I felt inspired to help them. When conventional medicine fails people, I know flower remedies can come to the rescue, so I embarked on a clinical trial and interviewed a number of rosace sufferers to find out what emotions lie beneath the redness. (The approach behind all of my Beauty Formulas is to treat the emotions that inevitably show up on the skin). Once I got my feedback from the trial participants, I was thrilled, because they all reported literally the same emotional picture. If you can name the emotion then you can find the flower and healing is guaranteed.
ROSACEA AND THE HIGHLY SENSITIVE PERSON
I suspected that those who suffer with rosacea are HSP’s (highly sensitive persons) and after I got my questionnaires back, it confirmed it. The list of triggers that could cause a flare up were numerous (sun, alcohol, spicy food, emotions, chocolate, fragrance, skin care, you name it). And there were only two things that soothed these people on the emotional and physical level. Other than avoiding triggers, the things that improved their condition were gentle walks in nature and calming activities like meditation. This told me that these people needed calm. Their nervous systems were dis-regulated and their bodies were on high alert, reacting to everything as a threat.
THE EMOTIONAL STORY OF ROSACEA
If you resonate with No.9, you have likely always been sensitive. You might have noticed when you were young that you were adversely affected by disharmony. Parents fighting or even emotional tension in the air could give you a stomach ache. There is a lot of fire and passion within you, but if you didn’t feel safe expressing your self, you may have learned to bottle up your emotions, blushing when you felt self-conscious. As you grew up, you noticed that you were more bothered than others by little things in the environment, as if you had no protective shield. During your teenage years, you may have become ashamed of your sensitivity, as you just wanted to fit in.
On top of this emotional sensitivity, your red skin seemed to be a walking billboard, revealing your inner state. There was no way to hide it. For so long, you’ve been in a hyper-vigilant state, avoiding all the triggers and pushing down feelings. You have so many talents, so much to offer the world with your acute senses, but you've lost sight of that and focused more on the redness, the imperfection. At times it was all you could see. You became afraid of “showing your face” and felt vulnerable being seen.
BEAUTY FORMULA NO.9 VS. PÁTHOS
Beauty Formula No. 9 shares some themes with Páthos, my formula for empaths. They are both sensitive types, but I would say No.9 people are more fiery and reactive and feel more shame, whereas Pathos people are more passive, watery, dreamy and tend to feel guilt more than shame, as they take on the suffering of others. You don’t need to have rosacea, eczema or sensitive skin to benefit from Beauty Formula No.9. Anyone with sensitivity, who wants support processing suppressed emotions, can feel beautifully calm with this formula.
BEAUTY TIPS FOR THE HSP’S
Spidey sense: You are rare, with an uncanny ability to instantly size up situations, read people, sense energy and see details others can’t. This is the positive side of being an HSP. On the negative side, you’re badly affected by suppression of emotions. The more you bottle it up, the more it will show up on your skin. I encourage you to embrace your Spidey Sense. Don’t push through things that are uncomfortable. If you don’t like being somewhere, just leave. Remember that your super power and best healer is expression and “exteriorizing” (getting things out). Suppression is your kryptonite and weakens you. (I know I’m mixing metaphors. Are you Spider Man or Super Man? You get the gist though, right?). Speak your mind. If you feel pent up anger, go in your car, roll the windows up, play music and then scream at the top of your lungs. Or sing loud. The unblocking of your throat chakra is so good for you. Taking your drops of Beauty Formula No.9 will help you to gently release suppressed emotions and encourage the flow of energy, so you don’t even have to work too hard to change that pattern.
Hista-meanies: Doctors who have studied MCAS (mast cell activation syndrome/histamine sensitivity), have observed that many people with rosacea have histamine intolerance. The fact that they are aggravated by alcohol is a clue to the connection. Try avoiding high histamine foods (wine, chocolate, tomatoes, canned food, aged cheese, fermented anything, yeast or nutritional yeast, which is a common seasoning in vegan food, old leftovers, smoked fish). Avoid MSG and artificial sweeteners like the plague, as they’re neurotoxins. Watch for “glutamate,” a hidden MSG source. Take quercetin, bromelain and nettle to stabilize mast cells. I recommend Solgar Quercetin which contains bromelain (an anti-inflammatory). Drink nettle tea. Put a few palmfuls of dried nettle in a 16 oz. glass jar and pour boiling water over, letting it steep over night. Due to its high mineral content, this herb has a history in old European herbalism as a beauty tonic for glowing skin and hair growth.
What happens in Vagus: The vagus nerve, which runs down the side of both sides of the neck, is the nerve that regulates the nervous system. Vagus nerve stimulation can calm the whole being, as well as the skin. Massage up and down the neck from ear to collar bone with oil. I love Vagus Nerve Oil by OSEA, which has beautifully calming chamomile. Another one of my formulas for Vagus nerve is Safe and Sound. This may be an option for you if you have panic attacks level of anxiety.
Diet: If you’ve been living with rosacea, it’s likely that you already know all the foods that aggravate you, but you may feel lost about having a good system to follow. I am a big believer in both Ayurveda (the ancient Indian system of using food to heal) and Eating Right For Your Blood Type. I like these tools for you because they are all about focusing on the individual. As an HSP, it’s good for you to start tailoring things to your individual needs and celebrating your uniqueness. Ayurveda treats patients according to their “dosha.” There are three doshas and if you have rosacea, you would most likely be Pitta dosha, the fire element. Heaven’s Banquet is my favorite Ayurvedic cookbook to learn more about the foods that cool the fire of Pitta (like yogurt and cucumber). Finding out your blood type and which foods are most healing for you will change your life and your skin. You may be eating something your whole life that may be “good for you,” but if it’s not right for your blood type it could be causing redness/inflammation. Read more here.
Water filters: HSP’s are extra sensitive to chemicals, including the ones in tap water. Getting a filter on your shower will improve your skin so much. Even better, I recommend getting a whole house filter, so that your contact with chlorine and other harsh chemicals is removed. And for those who love baths, it’s so great to have filtered water coming right out of the faucet. I have an Aquasana whole house filter with additional UV treatment, which kills viruses and parasites. You could add an under sink fluoride filter in your kitchen if you want drinking water too.
No fluoride: Removing fluoride is life changing for rosacea, dermatitis and everything else. Use non-fluoride toothpaste as getting fluoride around your mouth from brushing can cause perioral dermatitis (that tell-tale rash around the muzzle area). I love Auromere Ayurvedic toothpaste.
Skincare: Less is more when you have reactive skin. Opt for non-toxic products that are not too exfoliating or stimulating. Think CALM. AM: Take four drops of Beauty Formula No.9 under your tongue. Splash with cool (not hot or cold) water. Pat dry and and follow with a generous spray of GARA Rose Geranium Hydrosol. Rose geranium has several antioxidants that have soothing properties, calming skin irritations. While skin is still damp, press (rather than rub) a few drops of Living Libations Best Skin Ever Seabuckthorn oil into the skin. Seabuckthorn is very healing and anti-inflammatory. Follow with a chemical-free sunscreen. I love Le Prunier Plumscreen, as it is also a skin treatment. It’s not waterproof though, so if you’re going to be out all day at the beach use Zoca Lotion’s lotion or stick. PM: Take four drops of Beauty Formula No.9 under your tongue. Oil cleanse. This will ensure that after cleansing you’re not dry and irritated, but moisturized and dewy. Press a few drops of Best Skin Ever onto your face and press in a warm (not hot) washcloth. Hold on the skin for a minute, as the heat will press the oils into the skin. Then gently wipe. Follow with sprays of GARA Rose Geranium Hydrosol. If you have access to an aloe vera plant, it’s the absolute best thing for cooling and moisturizing rosacea skin. Open the leaf and rub the gel directly on your skin as a last step in your skincare routine. If you can’t get a live plant, look for a gel with no other additives.
Makeup: I asked my makeup artist friend, Katey Denno, who has touched the faces of Quannah Chasinghorse, Olivia Wilde, Erin Foster, and yours truly, for her rosacea tips. I love her light and natural touch with makeup and her absolutely encyclopedic knowledge of green beauty products proves she was the OG in this department. Check her out here. Katey says: “Avoid any vigorous skin rubbing (during washing + application of product). Press skincare and makeup in, rather than swiping. For those who want to cover redness, using a mineral foundation can be easier and less irritating than a liquid. I suggest Jane Iredale mineral foundation or the beautiful new blurring powder foundation from Sweed- but that has a bit of luminosity, so for those who are really oily, stick to the Jane Iredale. Keep brushes clean- wash brushes in the shower weekly with your shampoo, and dry fully on their side, brush head hanging off an edge, so that bacteria has less chance to grow in wet hairs. Change your pillow case, use red light therapy, talk using your headphones or on speaker, rather than holding the hot phone up to your face.* Most people with rosacea are so intent on removing the red from their skin that once they do so with foundation, they avoid blush like the plague. But if they avoid blush, they wind up looking too flat /dead without any color. So, I suggest using a blush that’s a different tone from their rosacea or choosing a bronzer instead. Some people have rosacea around their mouths, so playing up the eyes is a great way to draw attention upward.”
*I agree with Katey about using wired headphones because I am SUPER against the wireless earbuds/bluetooth due to the high EMF output and the connection to brain cancer. Sorry, I know, this is a skin newsletter, keep it light, right?
I’m kind of sad to say goodbye to this series. Venus has gone direct (April 7) and now it’s time to put our glass slippers back on and glide into the ballroom. But I’ll always talk about beauty. It’s everywhere and it’s in all of you. Shine on you crazy diamonds!
Love,
Alexis