To start, I’d like to apologize for failing to post a blog last week.  I know that being busy really isn’t any excuse, these days, but that’s the reason that it happened, so I would like to say that I’m very sorry to all of my loyal (and my new) readers.

What happened throughout that time?  Thank you for asking!  I fell completely head-over-heels in love with the Rocia natural skin care line for rosacea-prone skin.  As you may remember, back in Week 9, I got going with the cleanser, treatment, and moisturizer from that natural skin care company from Brighton, Ontario, Canada.

Check out “Week 9: Trying a New Natural Rosacea Skin Care System” if you missed it!

I have exchanged a few emails with the (amazing!) customer support at Rocia.ca and it was advised to give the products at least two weeks before I make any decisions with regards to how I feel about them. It’s been just over 2 weeks and I feel nearly as excited as I did when I first discovered red light therapy.

Previous to using this skin care system, the best I had hoped for was to use products that wouldn’t make things any worse.  As long as they just kept my skin feeling healthy and didn’t cause flare-ups, I was happy.  Rocia has taken things to an entirely new level.  These products have actually improved the look of my skin.

I’m still using red light therapy for rosacea, but this natural skin care line just seems to be the ideal complement to that strategy.  I’m not sure if it is because both Rocia products and red light therapy are based on natural concepts and that’s why they work together so well, or if they just both happen to be fantastic methods for their own reasons.  Either way, I would recommend trying both or either of these natural rosacea treatments to anyone who is looking for a way to get the redness, burning, itching, bumps, pimples, stinging, and other symptoms under control.

But enough babbling about how happy I’ve been with the outcome of this product test.  Here’s what I thought of each individual product.

Rocia Organic Olive Oil Cleansing Cake Review

This is the cleanser for rosacea prone and sensitive skin.  It looks like a little round bar of soap, but it is made of just olive oil, water, and mineral salts.

The Good: It cleans the skin very effectively without stripping it and leaving it feeling tight and dry.  It becomes a rich lather which is gentle, instead of foaming which can be harsher on the skin.  It is unfragranced, but the scent is still quite pleasant and fresh (which, as you know if you have ever tried unfragranced products, is a nice change!).

The Bad: Get it in your eyes and it stings like frig.  It’s easy to prevent this by not getting it in your eyes!

Rocia Provar Treatment Lotion Review

This is a product for rosacea prone and reactive sensitive skin that is meant to treat the symptoms of those conditions.  It is made of: distilled water, cetearyl olivate & sorbitan olivate, abies picea (spruce knot) extract, radish root ferment filtrate and propanediol.

The Good: When this gel-like cream is applied to still-damp skin, it feels very smooth and soothing and it absorbs very quickly.  It helped my skin to calm down faster after a shower (my skin is always red after it has been washed) and it felt as though it was providing a barrier between my skin and the air, the elements, and anything else I put on my face after that point.  It performed very well under makeup and didn’t cause my foundation to become slimy or to separate. This was my favourite of Rocia’s rosacea-prone skin care line.

The Bad: For me, there was a learning curve when it came to how much to use.  I over-applied during the first day, leaving my face feeling sticky until I learned that a little bit goes a long way. Technically, this turned out to be good news, because it means that the product lasts way longer!

Rocia Quench Extra Hydration Oil Review

This is a very gentle oil that is applied directly onto the skin, to provide a serious moisture boost.  It is made of: abyssinian seed oil, apricot kernel oil (cold pressed), camellia seed oil (cold pressed), rice bran oil (cold pressed), pomegranate oil and vitamin E.

The Good: This oil was very soft and absorbed quickly into the skin.  It didn’t have an unpleasant smell (it is unfragranced) and it didn’t leave my skin feeling oily.  While I did like this oil for my skin in the summer, using it quite sparingly was the key to getting it right, for me.  When used very lightly, it worked well under makeup and didn’t cause my foundation to split or separate.  I am looking forward to using this product during the winter because it will provide the added moisture that my skin needs during the time of the year that it is the most dry and chapped.

The Bad: It’s very easy to over-apply.  Again, a little bit goes a long way.  I need only 2 drops for my whole face when I wear makeup, and 3 drops for my whole face when I’m not wearing makeup.  In the winter, I will likely apply 4 drops.  Over-applying caused my forehead to brake out a little bit (pimples, not rosacea).  When I figured out how much I should be using, that problem corrected itself very quickly.

The Verdict for the Rocia Natural Rosacea Skin Care Line

I love it.  I will continue to use it and when I run out, I fully intend to replace each of the three products.  I am also considering looking into some of the other products from the brand, too, as they also sell cosmetics.  After using this complete product line, I’m starting to see the benefits of sticking to one brand as they all work with each other very nicely.

Another reason that I’m inclined to check out more of what Rocia has to offer is because their customer service over email was spectacular!  The responses were fast, friendly, professional, and extremely informative.  All of my questions were addressed and advice was provided respectfully and with relevance to me.

To anyone with rosacea symptoms who hasn’t found the right skin care line, or to anyone who is looking to switch products for something more natural, I’d recommend giving Rocia a try based on my own experience. I can’t promise that it will work for you, too.  Everyone’s rosacea is unique.  But it is certainly worth trying out if you’re looking.

Please note: this is an honest and unpaid review.  Rocia has not paid me to say anything about their products. Everything I’ve said is based on what I experienced by using these products. 

What’s Up Next for Me?

I’m currently researching amber light therapy (also called yellow light therapy) as an added treatment to use in conjunction with my red light therapy for rosacea.  I’ve been seeing that a lot of people have been having successes with amber light, too, and I wouldn’t mind getting in on that.

I’m still loving the red light therapy and I won’t be stopping the use of it, but amber reaches a different depth of the skin and may be able to speed up the healing process (and prevent future flare-ups and skin damage) if used together with the red light.  I’m 99% sold on the idea, but I’ll let you know my final decision when I finish my research and when I finish talking to the customer service at Smarter Lights (formerly Light Therapy Options), where I got my Peak 630 LED Red Light Therapy Set.

That’s it for me, for now.  If you have any questions about the products I’ve reviewed, if you’ve had successes with different products, if you’ve tried amber light therapy (or red light therapy), or if you’d like to request that I look into a natural rosacea treatment that you’ve been curious about, please comment, below!

See you next week!