newborn acne and post-pregnancy skin issues

Dakota's newborn acne is finally fading! This is a picture of her at 2 weeks. Such an improvement over a week ago, when she looked like a cross between a scaly lizard and someone with a really bad case of the measles. Our lactation consultant advised us to put breast milk on it (totally reminded me of the dad in My Big Fat Greek Wedding putting windex on everything) but that didn't seem to do much...

We ended up trying a recipe that I found in Aromatherapy for the Healthy Child: More Than 300 Natural, Nontoxic, and Fragrant Essential Oil Blends (great book!):

1. Put one drop of lavender essential oil on a bag of organic chamomile tea and let dry.
2. Boil water for tea. Steep bag with a cover on the mug to stop steam from escaping.
3. Let tea cool. Bottle in a glass jar or squeezy bottle. Keep in cool, dark place.
4. Discard after 3 days. 

We applied it to her face 3 times a day with an organic cotton square after washing her face with a warm water and castile soap* mix. 

*Dr. Bronner's Baby Mild, bought bulk at the coop, check out their cosmetic database score here.

After a day the acne started fading, and the parts that looked like they could be getting infected (turning red and slightly bloody from scratching against her blankets or hands) looked better almost immediately.

I've also been splashing it on my face to deal with the post-pregnancy skin issues, of which I have in abundance. Before my first pregnancy, I always had a super greasy, oily face in the summer and a pretty dry face in the winter. As soon as I got pregnant the first time, my skin totally flipped to the dry side. I figured after giving birth it would go back to normal (oily), but it never has. It has just gotten more and more dry, even in the summer, and if I am not careful I get more acne on my cheeks and chin. 

The chamomile water is a nice splash that I use in the shower after washing and exfoliating to help tone down redness. My main face-saver is an oil that I use every morning (and evening, if I'm particularly dry) after washing. The recipe is from Aromatherapy and Massage for Mother and Baby, by Allison England- an awesome book for pregnancy, post-pregnancy and newborn topics and massage.

Mix two drops of lavender and two drops of ylang ylang essential oils in a clean glass bottle. Add one and a half tablespoons of jojoba oil. Use a little each time, and massage well into face and neck. Wipe off any excess oil if needed.

Look at this beautiful face!