The one in which I product rave and long for the good ol' days

When I was in high school I was blessed enough to not suffer from much acne. A few pimples here and there was about as bad as it got. I never really thought much of it because it wasn't an issue for me. In my late 20s and early 30s and after major surgery, however, I started to have these weird break outs. It's like my hormones decided to finally show up and give me a run for my money. It wasn't terrible, but it was enough to annoy me and make me feel a little self-conscious about my looks. 

A little while ago we realized Le Dog (aka The Bear) had an ear infection that was yeast based. I did a ton of research trying to figure out how to "cure" his infection naturally because we'd already had him to the vet three times, each with a round of treatment and/or steroids, and nothing was touching this infection. Over $400 later and the thing was still raging. He was miserable, and Mom and I thought we'd lose our minds listening to him scratch, dig, and cry over his ear. 

In my research, I came upon a couple of really great products that we've been using (along with a 50/50 vinegar/water wash) that have helped tremendously. For the first time in a long time, I think his ear is actually getting better instead of worse. He's even scratching and digging at it less. It hasn't changed his smartie pants way of trying to get out of treatment though (hiding under my bed, hiding under Mom's bed, pretending he doesn't hear us when we call him ...), but at least he's feeling more dog-like instead of monster-like. 

We clean out his ear with a washcloth and the vinegar/water mix, rubbing gently to get the debris out that we can actually see. Then, we use this amazing stuff: 

Holy cow, it is incredible! We've only been using it once a day (taking the healing process slowly in hopes of actually getting rid of this thing) instead of twice a day, but it's mind boggling to see how well his ear is doing over a couple of weeks of treatment versus struggling through antibiotics, ointments, blah, blah. And not even close to the same cost as what we got from the vet. 

After we flush his ear out with the Eco Ears, we use this stuff: 

I told Mom what I'd found out about Witch Hazel and she said, "Yeah, it used to be that every house had some Witch Hazel in it. Everyone used the stuff. It was a must-have in every home in the good ol' days." Well, seriously, why have I never heard of its uses before now?!?! Jeesh. We just wet down a cotton ball and soothe Bear's ear with it as the last part of his treatment, and it has worked wonders in keeping his skin free of scaly patches and redness and itchiness. Totally worth every penny I spent on it, and I'm not sure now that I can ever live without it again. 

But let's go back to the beginning of this here post. My acne. What does that have to do with the dog's ear infection you ask? I will enlighten you. Witch Hazel is a natural skin toner. Yeppers, I just wash my face with normal soap (SoftSoap, actually, because it's convenient and really gets the grease and grime out) and then use some of this same product (different bottle - don't worry, I'm not one of those weird humans that shares everything with her four-legged human friends) on a cotton ball and slather it on my face. I let it air dry, hit the sack, and voila! My skin is like new in the morning. The few pimples I did have quickly dry up. It keeps my skin moisturized without being greasy, and the rose petal gives it a nice smell without being too flowery or Witch Hazel-y. Plus, my skin is way soft, and if a pimple does happen to come along it is very small and goes away very quickly. I think it's even helped with the crow's feet along my eyes (they weren't really bad, but *I* noticed them). I can't believe the difference in how my skin feels, and I'm completely amazed by what it has done for Bear's ear. Who knew? 

Raving about a product is not something I generally do. If I like something and it comes up in conversation with someone, and I find it might be helpful if they know about it, I'll mention it and go about my merry way. THIS is a whole different story. I would legitimately tell everyone I knew about Witch Hazel (and Eco Ears!) if I weren't such an introvert that hated small talk. If you're reading this blog post, you're in the know now. You can't say I didn't tell you. 

What I would like to know is why we don't have more things like this in our homes from the good ol' days. What else am I missing that could completely change my life? We still believe religiously that J.R. Watkins Petro Carbo Salve can cure literally everything. Watkins also has a lip balm (raspberry flavor) that keeps my lips from drying and cracking. Burt's Bees has a lip balm, too, that cures what ails you. It's their new coconut and pear moisturizing balm. Between the two, my lips never crack anymore. It's because the products have REAL ingredients in them that you can actually pronounce. Now, I'm not going on an "it must be natural to do any good and I'll never go back to anything that is not completely natural or organic" rant, but I truly believe after using these products that they had it better in some ways during the good ol' days. I say we bring back the real stuff and throw out the rest. Witch Hazel is sticking around our house for good, even after my acne decides it's gone for good. That stuff could probably cure the common cold and flu for all I know. It should be in all of our emergency supply kits just because. 

In the meantime, it's still going on my face every night (and sometimes every morning because I can). And I think Bear would give two thumbs up if he actually had opposable thumbs because his ear is getting better even if he hides every time we say, "Let's go to bed." Somehow that's code for, "Let's clean your ear out." Who knew?