Skin Care Products

[heydude]

I just use an acne bar.

I am thinking I should be exfoliating and perhaps moisturizing.

Olay offers that really cool tool that massages or buzzes your face and takes off the dead skin. Anyone else have advice?

me be a boy, but skin is skin i'm sure

[leslieann]

Don't know....my youngest son's girlfriend got him started on ProActiv and cleared his acne up within months. He was nearly 25 and it was time....but the product really worked.

[mara61]

Sometimes different foods will make acne worse, one example is dairy and white sugars. You might try adjusting your diet.

[rosarugosa]

HeyDude: I'm curious about that product too; I will be interested to hear if anyone has used it.
LeslieAnn: I used ProActiv for a couple of years, but did not get impressive results.

[mara61]

My nephew used ProActiv for a short time and had to discontinue use due to the side effects.

[pony mom]

Skip the cheap Olay spin thing and save up for a Clarisonic brush. It vibrates, not spins, and it's deep cleaning and very gentle on your skin. I have rosacea and the spin-type things make my skin all angry and red; the Clarisonic doesn't. I've never felt so clean in my life. It's like comparing a manual toothbrush to the SoniCare (made by the same company), there's just no comparison. After reading literally hundreds of great reviews, I coughed up the money for it and when this one dies, I'll buy another. It's THAT great.

Also, google the Oil Cleansing Method. Sounds counterproductive to clean your face with oil, but it's supposed to help your skin. I've been doing that for months now and can go without makeup on my skin--it finally cleared up! You could follow with a gentle cleanser afterwards (stay away from soap). I love Boscia cleansing gel--it's very gentle, and a little goes a long way. They also make a fantastic daily SPF lotion that's great for oily skin. No Cetaphil, which has 8 ingredients and only 2 aren't bad. Find products that are paraben/preservative free. Jojoba oil is very good too, as a moisturizer if you need it.

Can you tell I'm excited about my improved skin?? I haven't worn any kind of mineral makeup/foundation on my skin since June.

[rosarugosa]

Ponymom: What type of oil/oils do you use for the OCM?

[mira]

I use a wet washcloth or towel to exfoliate. It works much better than any special facewash or exfoliation cream!

As for moisturising, I use jojoba oil since it's light and soothes inflammation. I'd recommend it if you have acne-prone skin. Sometimes it doesn't provide enough moisture for the drier areas of my face though, so I use a drugstore-brand vitamin E moisturiser with sunscreen in it.

I have heard many good things about the Oil Cleansing Method that pony mom mentioned. I have never been dedicated enough to try it fully myself though, but I do use extra virgin olive oil to clean my face sometimes (wipe it off with a cloth).

[crunchycon]

I've been doing the OCM for a while, and am pleased with the results - I use a 30-70 blend of castor to olive oil (I use a relatively inexpensive OO - not necessarily EVOO); castor oil, which is cleansing, can also be drying, so oilier types will want to play with the ratio. Also, while olive oil works well for me, others have used jojoba oil and almond oil and have been pleased with the results. I'm 53 (as of Tuesday:0!), and my breakouts were of the very occasional variety, but I haven't had a single one since starting this regimen.

[pony mom]

Yup, olive oil and castor oil. In the beginning it's a bit of an odd feeling massaging oil onto your face, and castor oil has a kinda funky smell. When winter weather finally arrives, I may just do the OCM and skip the cleanser/Clarisonic most days, but follow up with alcohol-free witch hazel (Thayer's is the only brand I know of). Since doing OCM I swear my skin is less oily, which I've read about but didn't believe could happen.

You may miss that squeaky-clean feeling that you're used to from using soap. You don't want that. Tight doesn't mean clean. If you're worried about clean, follow up with Thayer's witch hazel as I said, which is very gentle and alcohol-free (be sure it says alcohol-free, as not all of them are. I use the lavender one).

Jojoba oil is an excellent moisturizer, as it's almost identical to your own skin's sebum. Again, putting oil on oily skin is weird, but give it a shot.