Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
I am totally into essential oils. They are all natural and good for the skin. I use them for cleansing and moisturizing. I've also made my own hair conditioners. Another regiment of mine is using manuka honey for bi-weekly facials. My skin feels smooth and looks clearer.
I used to buy mostly commercial products, e.g. Clinique (although it's a great product), but I found that using natural or organic type products help with acne and oily skin.
Love the Clarisonic facial brush. I find that if I don't use it, especially after wearing makeup, my skin doesn't feel as clean.
I am totally into essential oils. They are all natural and good for the skin. I use them for cleansing and moisturizing. I've also made my own hair conditioners. Another regiment of mine is using manuka honey for bi-weekly facials. My skin feels smooth and looks clearer.
I used to buy mostly commercial products, e.g. Clinique (although it's a great product), but I found that using natural or organic type products help with acne and oily skin.
Love the Clarisonic facial brush. I find that if I don't use it, especially after wearing makeup, my skin doesn't feel as clean.
Good post. Its odd how people think nothing of smearing chemicals all over their bodies. If a tiny patch is all that is needed to deliver nicotine or hormones to people for medical reasons, how many chemicals are we absorbing when we smear stuff over half of our bodies? I am suspicious about the skin cancer rates and suspect they do more harm than good.
I would be very interested in you were to start a thread with more about your natural recipes and use of essential oils.
Eye creams, neck creams, Vitamin C creams, peptides, enzymes?....are all these skin care products even needed? Or are companies just taking advantage of people's (mostly women) vanity?
Can all these creams (and the chemicals they contain) be good for one's skin. Is any of the improvement they promise permanent of long term?
I'm not talking about treatments for a true skin condition -- and I don't just mean wrinkling or dryness. And I suppose there's no harm in occasionally using a cream that plumps your wrinkles to make them less noticeable. But if people tried everything that's out there their skin care routine would have 10 steps a day to it.
Seems to me the best skin care is just wash your face, exfoliate a bit, don't expose yourself to too much sun, eat and drink healthily...and that's it. Or is that to simple?
If all these enzyme and peptide creams work, please, do tell. I'm not AGAINST them. I'm just curious as to whether they're worth the money...as opposed the the 'basic chemical free routine' I mentioned above.
I am a total believer in not using different creams for different things. In my opinion, backed up by the Cosmetics Cop Paula Begoun, a moisturizer is a moisturizer is a moisturizer.
A lot of the "chemicals" in creams are self exfoliation -- they cause skin cell turnover. That's a good thing for people like me who can't use a scrub on her face. I use something like that and my rosacea will flare. Flares are PAINFUL.
A lot of the "chemicals" are naturally derived, which means they've been standardized. Another good thing. I don't know if you've ever experienced this, but one year we had butter from grass fed cows -- and it was totally different tasting. Some people have such sensitive taste they can tell the year the grapes were harvested in wine.
That's because they aren't "standardized". Ever look at herbal supplements? They SHOULD use the term standardize -- because Mother Nature doesn't. Take wine grapes, for instance. One year the crop might have gotten less rain and was more potent, but the next year, more rain, more cold and the crop -- not as good, less sugar... wine not as great.
And I would prefer my skin cream be the same every bottle I buy.
Now -- you can misuse skin cream -- you over moisturize, use something much richer than you need and you get these odd ball white fat globbies on your face. They are called millia, and you need to go to a dermatologist to get them out -- they are DEEP in your pores. I know -- I dug one out once -- it was NOT fun.
That's one of the reasons to go easy on lotions. Don't get the richest -- work your way up to that if that's what you need. I love CeraVe -- it's light, spreads easily. It has ceramides, which are supposed to help heal skin (my rosacea) and niacinimide which I believe is an agent that helps get the ceramides to absorb.... all I know is since I started using it, my skin's gotten less red. I rarely use my tinted moisturizer now. I use two pumps (small bottle small pumps) and that covers my face, my neck and chest and my hands.
The other thing you have to do is read ads with a very critical eye. Almost all products out there say out of all the people that use them a big whopping percentage of them say it reduced wrinkles, erased fine lines.... but there's almost always an out -- there's no control group, they asked only the people that were happy with the product -- something. Sort of like mascara ads -- look at the lashes you'll get if you use our mascara (lash inserts not included)...
So -- do *you* need to use a skin cream? If I were you, I'd go to the department store and ask for samples of lotions. Try them out and see if you feel a difference. See if over the day, your makeup slides off, or you feel greasy. Only you can know for sure if you need it. I can go without lotion every once in a while, but not all the time. My weird skin right now is in perfect stasis -- I don't want to mess with the routine and risk a flare.
I love samples -- they will also let you know if the scent is just too much -- I just tried a sample of a foundation the other day from a magazine -- some expensive brand. The smell was SO bad and overpowering, I ended up taking a shower -- just washing my face wasn't enough...
FACE ROUTINE: I use witch hazel as a toner a few times a year (not even once a month) and I use a mixture of off the shelf scrubs a few times a year (again, not even once a month)
Other than that I just wash my face with my hands with Neutrogena soap.
BODY ROUTINE: Exfoliate with every shower. I fell in love with loofahs decades ago, and use a large loofah, pumice stone in addition to a washcloth.
Good for you usiing Witch Hazel.... much kinder and better for your skin.... I use Simple products, from face wipes, to moisturiser, soap and shampoo.... so all I do is use a wipe then wash my face, some Simple cream and thats it... wouldnt use anything else now as even Clinique and Almay cause reactions... most of these things whether they state, free of chemicals , have them...... even the non perfumed one I use has things in it but to a lesser degree and all I can use.. Things you put on your skin should be as free of chemicals as possible as they get into your body and organs...
Over the years I have tried so many serums and creams and elixers - mostly all those multiple steps of skin care are a waste of money.
I am 62 and have great skin. I cleanse and gently exfoliate in the morning and cleanse at night, I don't use toners because my skin is highly allergic and I've yet to find a toner that doesn't bother me (and I think they are not needed anyway), I moisturize (30 spf) for daytime, use a night moisturizer and eye cream at night. That is it.
Essential oils cause my skin to sting, swell and hurt so no essential oils for me.
I've would venture to say that I have spent many thousands of dollars over the last 40 years on unneeded (and sometimes harmful) skincare products....most of it is a scam and hype - remember we are supporting a multi-billion dollar industry and their reps and advertisements will say anything to get us to buy those $100 creams, elixers and serums....just keep that in mind next time you go to the makeup counter.
Just diagnosed with rosacea and it certainly changed my happy-go-lucky routine (mild soap, moisturizer, sun block, walk out the door) into a more fixed one, alas.
Now I have a ton of rosacea-specific product and it pains me to say that it takes more than 10 minutes in the morning and evening. I do like the Rosacea Care line, although my dermatologist likes the much-more-expensive Obagi and Epionce lines.
Finding a foundation that doesn't aggravate the rosacea has been difficult.
You would have to use a water based non perfumed one...I only use Pure, but very sparingly once or twice a week... be careful what you put on your skin as makeups and perfumes arent regulated by the governments the way they should be...
I take my makeup off with either baby oil or Aveeno Ultra-Calming Makeup Removing Wipes. Baby oil is cheaper.
I typically use all Mary Kay products. I exfoliate two times a week. I alternate between Mary Kay's Timewise Exfolliate, and ExfoliKate® Intensive Exfoliating Treatment (Kate Somerville). I find Kate Somerville's exfoliate a bit more gentle.
I never go to bed with my makeup on. I moisturize morning and night. I wear sunscreen during the day. As far as foundation goes, I alternate between Bare Minerals and Tarte Foundation. I wear Sephora creme blush and Lamcome or MAC makeup.
I would be very interested in you were to start a thread with more about your natural recipes and use of essential oils.
Done! See "Essential Oils and other natural remedies"
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
