This 'N That
 Well, this is perfume tangential.. Really this weather.. I'm not complaining mind you, since I actually like cold weather, which it is at night. The days have been quite warm however, meaning that the scent that was so snuggy and wonderful overnight must be showered carefully off the next day lest it be cloying. But here's the real issue. Skin. My now over 50 (yes, I admit it) pelt has gone a little nuts, and whatever I'm doing to it isn't helping. My forehead is dry and actually flakey and I need to get a big-time moisturiser, which I've never used. Or exfoliator. Or a RotoTiller. Or something. Maybe all of the above.. I had been for years using Laszlo black soap and some Kiehl's moisture gook but I need advice on what to try. So I am asking you dear readers. I'd love if there's something that's relatively cheap, if that's possible. So please, dear readers, suggestions? Image: Wikipedia Commons Labels: Tom |
posted by Marina |
11:59 PM
27 Comments:
Hauschka's products are really great like Rose light cream and it's wonderful to treat the most dry parts of your skin in the evening with pure jojoba oil (my husband does...) It does not smell nice, but it's a very good moisturiser.
Sweety
Tom,
go to Paulaschoice dot com. I am in no way affiliated with the company, but 15 years ago, the woman changed my skin for the better. I have my whole family and most friends addicted to the brand now. Her books are amazing and she back everything up with independent, published research. Best of all, it's practically cheap. I hope that helps. : )
My life has changed since I started using Liz Earle's superskin range.
The brand offers a "men range", but from what you say about your skin, try the superskin cream (and maybe the also the concentrate).
Great ingredients, no fuss, no false advertising and effective products.
My husband loves the products too.
I'm not affiliated, of course.
I quote Bryan about Paula Begoun, and you could also take a look at beautypedia dot com, her online searchable database of reviews. I also found "the skin type solution" by dr. Baumann very useful to understand my skin type and the better treatment for it, avoiding un-necessary products.
Serena
Tom, I don't always think high-end works best. I use a retinoid, which is drying, and vit C serum (Nufountain is cheap, great) for some gentle exfoliation. for moisturizer, give a try to Cetaphil Cream-it's rich, not sticky, good for undereyes. And sunscreen! But you know that...
I highly recommend Clinique Moisture Surge Extended Thirst Relief - it works great for my over 50 skin. The texture is wonderful. It's a cream gel and while oil-free, it hydrates really well and leaves skin feeling very soft. I should mention, I've tried a ton of products from inexpensive to ridiculous - and I keep going back to this.
Drugstore mud mask exfoliates without parching your skin; Cerave cream moisturizes without oil slick. I'm 55, and this solved the same issues.
Three suggestions:
I love REN Rose Synergy O12 Restoring Facial Serum. This miracle product works brilliantly on its own to normalize the skin. If there is real distress, I will use it with By Terry Creme de Rose. This cream has superb softening qualities I have found in no other face cream.
But I tend to skip around in my routines, so another is from Kiehl's: Midnight Recovery Serum and Rosa Arctica cream. This made an immediate difference when I traveled to a colder climate and was out hiking all day. Kiehl's is generous with samples and they are of a substantial size. You should be able to acquire them easily.
Plain old olive oil works as both a cleaner and a moisturizer and is fantastic for healing any dry areas.
Pleast post a follow-up!
I swear by Estee Lauder skin care. I have never tried it, because I don't have dry skin on my face generally, but I have friends that swear by their Hydrationist products.
Tom, you need to use a good fruit acid exfoliator. Yonka make one called Gommage (one for oily skin and one for dry/sensitive). They also make a good night serum called Alpha complex? and their fruitelia moisturizer (also containing fruit acids) is excellent. If you want to use the Laslo soap, I recommend a thin layer of their cleansing oil first to avoid stripping your skin too much. I ocasionally use a retin A product at night, but you have to be very careful not to thin your skin too much and sun exposure can be extremely tricky. I am not affiliated in any way with the products I have mentioned. When I have had a Yonka facial, they usually send you home with samples of the products so you can try before you buy. Can get pretty expensive to make mistakes! Good luck and take heart, everytime the seasons change, you skin goes crazy for a little while.
Agree with RusticDove--have been using Clinique Moisture Surge Extended Thirst Relief for two months now as my wintertime alternative to their Dramatically Different Moisturizing Gel, and love the results. Never been fond of creams or lotions--I find these gels absorb very quickly without stickiness, and soften/protect beautifully. I'm not affiliated in any way with Clinique--just a satisfied long-term customer.
For my general skin, I have rediscovered good old Nivea lotion. I also like Cetaphil cream and Cerave cream (haven't tried the lotion). I have used the Cerave cream on my face and it's great - the ceramides do a nice job - also the only thing that softened up my pine-cone left elbow.
Peter Thomas Roth (spendy) makes excellent facial sunscreens, but I also like some of the Neutrogenas (not spendy).
There are a lot of facial scrubs out there, you just want to make sure they are not made from too abrasive of stuff. I really like Lush Ocean Salt on my face - when I want a stronger scrub (not for every day) I use it on dry skin and rinse off, for a softer scrub I wet my face first. I also use a facial brush (Sephora has a house brand or you can get them at drugstores) for gentle scrubbing, or a crocheted washcloth, or even a regular washcloth.
I confess I am a high-end gift bag ho so always get the Barney's and NM bags - I time my perfume purchases - and have tons of great samples to use. Space NK, Sephora, Body Shop, and other places offer samples of skin care so you can try stuff out.
My only real advise is to make sure what you think is dry flaky skin is not flaky skin caused by an excess of oil. That happens,too! (Usually there is accompanying redness, though)
You've been given some great suggestions....I don't have a skin care routine, but I do love Haushka's rose cream and other products when I think to buy them.
My mama swears by Cetaphil, and my late MIL swore by her Estee Lauder products; at 83 she passed for 50, so I am comfortable seconding that recommendation.
I've also heard great things about Paula Begoun.
And do please post a follow up for us!
Agree with all the comments about Clinique Extended Moisture Relief. I've been having the same problems, and this really does help. Washing your face with Josie Maran's Argan Oil wouldn't be a bad idea either. Good luck!
Eminence Organics Stone Crop Hydrating Mist.. ebay
Ditto regarding Paula's Choice. The research alone, not to mention her extensive background in the skin care industry, is impressive. I've used her products exclusively for many years. It's very inexpensive and it works. I've got fair, extremely dry and sensitive skin. I agree with Bryan-amazing. She's the best and possibly the only watchdog for the skin care industry, and the author of Don't Go To The Cosmetic Counter Without Me books. No personal affiliation, just a satisfied customer.
I rely on jojoba oil OR coconut oil, and aloe vera. You can make your own face mask with yogurt (or yogurt plus honey). The lactic acid will dissolve all the old skin cells, very gently.
Simple. Basic. Easy. Almost free. Unadulterated skin food!
Hmmm... I have some dermatitis and dry brushing, regular exfoliating--I use a pangea organics scrub and a mask like tara ayurdveda Purifying Mask-Kapha or something like that once a week, and oil at night (jojoba, shea, baobab, anything really, I have had great luck with shea terra organics oils and butters which I bought years ago) really helps.
Cetaphil and clinique are both moisturizing and unlikely to irritate but personally when I use baobab oil on my face at night I wake up glowy. Something gentle during the day that plays well under makeup is all I need.
I'm interested in trying Estee Lauder and Paula Begoun products too!
Have you tried the Oil of Olay, Regenerist? I believe it comes two ways: with fragrance or without.
Exfoliant: Aveeno daily brightening scrub. Not too harsh, does the trick, and it's cheap to boot!
Moisturizer: I like Eucerin Plus, but there are tons of good ones.
Have you considered moisturizing your skin from the inside, too? I take flax and evening primrose oil (and eat lots of avocado!), and my skin stays soft all year.
Alba Botanica makes a wonderful moisturizer.
One word for you: Eudermine! This is the tarte à la créme of Shiseido. It has been around for more than 100 years and if you try it you will know why. I have a weird skin too. Oily around the nose and chin and whenever I get stressed (which recently means five times a day) I get flaky, dry patches on the forehead and around the eyes. Eudermine is a clear lotion that cleans, moisturizes, normalizes and makes your skin feel good no matter what the problem was before.
I really like CeraVe in both lotion and cream form - it is absolutely scentless so it never clashes with perfume. They now make products specifically for the face, but ou can use the (less expensive) regular stuff on your face with no problem. Its drugstore price point is another bonus.
I'm going to add my voice to the folks recommending Paula's Choice. I have very dry skin and have been using everything I can try for over a decade. For a long time I was a philosophy devotee, but when I passed 40 my skin just needed more and I couldn't seem to get it. Paula's Choice did well by me. They have a great range of products and good customer service - they will really work with you to get you the right thing.
That said, lucky you if you've never needed skin care before, and I highly recommend just a gentle washcloth rubbing (gently!) in the shower in the mornings to exfoliate that flakiness. Baby washcloths are super gentle but I find regular ones can work - just don't scrub. You just want to gently rub your face with it, wet, and rinse.
I am a huge fan of DHC--a Japanese company that had, for a while, a makeup remover called "Make Off" which made me smile as I thought "Makeup, make off." I digress.
All their Olive Oil products are amazing and have kept my (older than yours) skin much younger than it has a right to be. Add the Q10 night cream and you are set. I have super sensitive skin, and no problems with their products.
As a 48 y.o. man who recently went in search of the perfect skincare products to treat my sun damaged, combination skin, I wanted to share with you what I found. If you are not already using a retinoid, that's a great place to start. The tretinoin gels are stronger and more drying, the creams are a little more moisturizing. The first two weeks are kinda painful (tingly, burnt feeling, sensitive skin)but this completely resolves after a couple weeks. My experience is that my skin looks more evenly toned, has a healthy glow, and the fine lines and wrinkles really are improving. Retinoids are the only products that really work in this regard. For moisturizing I am using Clinique age defense M Lotion for men SPF 21 for daytime, and the Maximum Hydrator at night. The MH is amazing. Around my eyes I use Clinique Age Defense for eyes for men which is perfect - does not migrate into eyes and cause tearing up. I ended up choosing Clinique after trying some very expensive products (Perricone, La Mer); Clinique did what I wanted for far less money. My skin looks SO MUCH better, I wish I had started 10 years ago. I have no connection to Clinique, I am just a very happy customer. Used my partner's Kiehl's face fuel for a while, but found it a little too harsh on my retinoid-sensitive skin (although it probably would be fine now). Also, use a face wash specifically for the face, an inexpensive option that works well for me is the Olay for sensitive skin face wash. Good luck!!!
Tom,
Stop using soap if you do on your skin. Use a washcloth and warm water for every wash. Apply (in horribly dry weather) simple petrolatum, dab off the excess. Don't use lotions, which invariably contain salts of some description. Otherwise, amend the diet by increasing lipid intake (olive oil).
No one will agree with this one, perhaps, but it works. I am 42 and was mistaken for 26 again this week (the giveaway is the temple gray, leider).
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