Face Wash Suggestions

babe2331

My teen years are way behind me.  I have skin that is dry but oily in places, like my forehead.  I have been breaking out a lot on my forehead and chin recently.  I keep trying different products without much luck.  I haven't really changed my diet or make-up (I use Benefit products and Oil of Olay moisturizer but am open to try other things) and I am totally at a loss here.  If I have to go to a dermatologist, I will, but I would like to see what I could do at home first.  Right now, I am using a combo of Neutrogena Face Wash with St. Ives blemish clearing scrub or Biore Pore Perfect.  I feel like such a kid!  TIA!

jessicah628

I don't know how long you're giving a product before switching again, but it takes some time for your skin to normalize with a new routine.

I would definitely stop using the St. Ives immediately. It's one of the most abrasive products out there, and can cause microtears in your skin.

Are you washing and moisturizing in the morning and at night? May be a stupid question, but many people don't. 

I don't have problem skin for the most part, but I definitely have combination issues, and I've been really happy with Boscia products, which you can find at Sephora. I also use a mask of some sort every couple of weeks, and my skin always feels nice after that. 

babe2331

Thanks for your suggestions ! I have been using the Neutrogena as a make-up remover and then following it with the Biore.  Before that, I was using an Oil of Olay pore unclogging scrub instead of the Biore.  I just recently added in the St. Ives instead of the Biore, and I will definetly stop that one right away.  I wasn't liking it much anyway.

Yes, I do wash twice a day (but sometimes I fall alseep without doing so).

I will look into the Boscia products.  I saw you rave about them on your blog.   I will also look into a new foundation- perhaps that is part of the problem.

JenD1018

Ditto Jess, stop using the scrub - you could be making your skin worse if you use it too often.  If you have flaky skin, try gently exfoliating with a washcloth but don't do it every night.

 I go with the less is more approach.  I wash my face with warm water and a mild wash for sensitive skin but I only do this at night to remove makeup.  In the morning I just rinse my face with warm water.  Both times I lightly moisturize with an oil-free lotion.

 Whatever you do, give your skin time to adjust to your new routine - at least a week or two.

tracyd21

Ever since I went off the pill last winter, my face has been a complete disaster.  I was using Oil of Olay age-defying cleanser and moisturizer.  Looking at the ingredients of the cleanser I noticed salicylic acid, which my derm said is a no-no because it's strips oil so much that your skin overcompensates and produces more oil.  That explains why I looked like I was bathing in oil every day.

She suggested I switch to Liquid Neutrogena at night (non-medicated orange soap) to get a deeper clean and moisturize with Cerave.  In the morning, I tried rinsing with plain water like JenD and I just didn't feel clean.  My derm suggested using Cetaphil gentle face wash - it doesn't have any soap so it's not drying.  I do that now and moisturize again with Cerave.

If you want a scrub for an every-once-in-a-while exfoliant, I highly recommend Lush Dark Angels scrub.  It has avocado oil in it so it's not drying at all.  It's pricey to buy online, but there is a store on Walnut.  I bought 1/8 lb in October and I still have a little left.  I also got a sample of the Vanishing Cream moisturizer and loved it, but I am having a hard time justifying the cost when I get samples of Cerave from my derm for free.   

babe2331

As always, thanks ladies for all your suggestions!

babe2331

As always, thanks ladies for all your suggestions!  I stopped the pill after 11.5 years in October 2010, so it may be that my system is still out of sorts.

NewQueen

Cut the scrub, that always made me break out. I've always had problem skin and, while I haven't figured out a way to prevent the break outs 100%, I've learned that scrubs always cause more breakouts for me.

About 6 weeks ago I started using the Olay Brush and I've noticed my skin really improving. I use the brush but not the product they sell to go with it, which is a scrub (that was, of course, causing me to break out more). Instead I use a foam cleanser (from Aveeno) that has acne medication in it. The small breakouts I would get on my forehead are gone, the blackheads I would get on my nose are gone and my pores actually appear to be smaller. The really painful -that time of the month- pimple didn't come this month but I did have a couple smaller bumps on my chin that started to fade after 24 hours. My skin isn't perfect but I've really seen an improvement. Maybe give the brush a try?

At the moment I also use topical treatment on my T-zone (Olay Pro-X Clear Acne Skin Clearing Treatment) and spot treatment (Neutrogena Rapid Clear 2-in-1 Fight & Fade Gel) on anything new that comes up. I typically change products every 3 months or so. I find my skin gets used to products if I use them for too long and I'll start breaking out more.

eaglesfan700

I am a huge philosophy fan.  I have noticed such a big difference in my skin from using their products.  I use the purity wash, hope in a jar moisturizer and the oxygen peel mask once a week

eSynergy

Believe it or not, an oil cleanser is what really saved my face. I was stripping it with harsh washes/exfoliants for years, making it break out. I use DHC deep cleansing oil (and their mild soap) --- it's a great makeup remover too. I learned about it on makeupalley.com. You have to get it online b/c it's not sold in stores, but I highly recommend it. Other brands make oil cleansers, too (there are probably some at sephora).