Hi
So i've tried lots and lots of different moisturizers, most of which have been based as a lotion. What seems to happen every time i use a lotion is that it clogs my pores, and when i wash my face a couple of hours later this same white lotion comes out of my skin again.. like...arg what?!
So i've tried to use one gel moisturizer instead, which is the green tea moisturizer from proactiv. I seems to be better for my skin, but still can't really make it moisturized again... My skin have been somewhat dry for maybe a couple of years now because of all the previous failed acne treatments..and the fail to not find any suitable moisturizer.
So guys, im tired of finding my skin to be full of white dead skin cells every time i shower, and not being able to do anything about it..
If anyone is familiar with my problem, or could recommend a moisturizer for me please do 
with much much thanks!
Hey Babser,
Moisturizers were a big topical problem for me. As I began to learn about skin care ingredients, creating my own products and studying how things work with my skin I discovered that my skin is very sensitive to emulsifiers. This is the ingredient that holds water and oil together in a product. If it's anything that looks like a lotion, it has an emulsifier - so this rules out a lot of things for me.
It sounds like you may be in the same boat if you're noticing clogged pores with a moisturizer. My suggestion is to try an oil blend. It's hard to recommend specific oils, as it often involves a bit of trial and error to find which oils work best with your skin - but a good place to start is a 50/50 blend of jojoba and safflower oils. Grapeseed oil (cold pressed) can be nice as well.
In order to get the best benefits, you need to apply 4 - 6 drops immediately after cleansing or after getting out of the shower. Since our skin needs both water and oil, and you're now missing adding water, this oil method works best by locking in the moisture from cleansing.
Hope that helps. Best of luck!
You might do better with straight aloe vera. You'll probably have to get it online. I could not find 100% aloe vera anywhere in stores. And no, the "Fruit of the Earth" brand at Wal-Mart is not 100% aloe vera, the bottle actually says "100% Gel". Misleading advertizing. It only has like 2% aloe vera.
Aubrey Organics Aloe Vera is one I have used. It doesn't clog my pores.
Thanks for the replies guys I'll try them both out
You could try both at the same time. I used to use aloe + oils. Aloe first, then the oil on top. And always as soon after cleansing or getting out of the shower as possible. Aim for less than a minute from the time your face was wet to applying moisturizer. Good luck!
Aloe vera didn't seem to work...Any other suggestions? I think my skin could look a lot better if it was properly moisturized.. i try to drink a lot of water, but there is only so much water i can drink during a day..
Did you try the oils? I'd be willing to bet your lipid (oil) layer is compromised and needs repair. Drinking water is important, yes - but if your skin's lipid layer is compromised, water will just evaporate through your skin. Your skin's ability to retain water depends on that layer. Aloe won't help much with that, as there aren't any oils in aloe.
Try 5-6 drops of jojoba as your moisturizer.
Hyaluronic Acid is the only other moisture I'd recommend for your sensitive skin, or an Aloe serum (Body Shope, not pure aloe,) or a serum with hyaluronic acid. I have NEVER been able to use a moisturizer, either, and using pure oil daily is playing with fire if you're acne-prone.
A Vitamin A serum with a hyaluronic base would be ideal for you.
Adding oil to dry acne can be a nightmare of dead oily skin. Jojoba, grapeseed, olive and coconut oils mimic sebum, so try mixing in with oatmeal and honey and making a mask instead of applying it directly, and leave it on for an hour before bed. DON"T SLEEP IN MOISTURE.
If the oatmeal/honey/oil mask doesn't take care of everything, get a small water spritzer bottle. Put a few drops of oil in it with distilled water, and spritz your face throughout the day- this even works with makeup and makes it look better.
Evian also has a mineral water skin spray which is amazing, but expensive. Don't give up on the power of pure H20!
And of course, figure out why your skin is so dry and fix that. Are you taking balanced EFA's? Vitamin E? what medications are you taking? What cleansers and shampoos are you using?
If the driness is due to irritation from soap in your cleanser or shampoo (or too much BP or salicylic,) use a different one.
It's also possible your skin is dependent on having moisturizer on it and that quitting them all together while taking fish oil (and grapeseed or coconut oil, if your diet is lacking fat all together.)
I'll say it again, DON'T SLEEP IN MOISTURIZER. Night time is when your oil rebalances and skin cell turnover takes place.
When you quit topical lotion-moisturizers, your skin will normalize on it's own.
But hyaluronic acid is the next step!!!
I've had lot's of luck moisturizing with Thayer's alcohol free witch hazel toners. They clean your skin and moisturize fairly well as long as you get one that's alcohol free. Never clogged my pores. They make a bunch of them. I always bought the rosewater with vitamin e. I know you can get them at health food stores.
Aloe vera didn't seem to work...Any other suggestions? I think my skin could look a lot better if it was properly moisturized.. i try to drink a lot of water, but there is only so much water i can drink during a day..
Did you try the oils? I'd be willing to bet your lipid (oil) layer is compromised and needs repair. Drinking water is important, yes - but if your skin's lipid layer is compromised, water will just evaporate through your skin. Your skin's ability to retain water depends on that layer. Aloe won't help much with that, as there aren't any oils in aloe.
Try 5-6 drops of jojoba as your moisturizer.
I used both jojoba oil and Acne.org moisturizer (and combined them together) and they made like a layer on of yellow on top of my skin so I guess it didn't sink in properly. As for safflower oils or grapeseed i have yet to try them out. Thanks for trying to help me
Hyaluronic Acid is the only other moisture I'd recommend for your sensitive skin, or an Aloe serum (Body Shope, not pure aloe,) or a serum with hyaluronic acid. I have NEVER been able to use a moisturizer, either, and using pure oil daily is playing with fire if you're acne-prone.
A Vitamin A serum with a hyaluronic base would be ideal for you.
Adding oil to dry acne can be a nightmare of dead oily skin. Jojoba, grapeseed, olive and coconut oils mimic sebum, so try mixing in with oatmeal and honey and making a mask instead of applying it directly, and leave it on for an hour before bed. DON"T SLEEP IN MOISTURE.
If the oatmeal/honey/oil mask doesn't take care of everything, get a small water spritzer bottle. Put a few drops of oil in it with distilled water, and spritz your face throughout the day- this even works with makeup and makes it look better.
Evian also has a mineral water skin spray which is amazing, but expensive. Don't give up on the power of pure H20!
And of course, figure out why your skin is so dry and fix that. Are you taking balanced EFA's? Vitamin E? what medications are you taking? What cleansers and shampoos are you using?
If the driness is due to irritation from soap in your cleanser or shampoo (or too much BP or salicylic,) use a different one.
It's also possible your skin is dependent on having moisturizer on it and that quitting them all together while taking fish oil (and grapeseed or coconut oil, if your diet is lacking fat all together.)
I'll say it again, DON'T SLEEP IN MOISTURIZER. Night time is when your oil rebalances and skin cell turnover takes place.
When you quit topical lotion-moisturizers, your skin will normalize on it's own.
But hyaluronic acid is the next step!!!
I never heard about hyaluronic acid, but will definetely check this out. I am very skeptical to oils as well, but I am willing to try anything at this point.. I am taking multi-vitamins and fishoil. I've tried for a while to not use any topical creams on my face and only eat healthy, take fishoils + vitamins and drink lots of water. Didn't seem to do much really..it definetely didn't normalize on it's own unfortunately.. Thanks for the tips
Oh, and I use head and shoulders as shampoo and no cleanser, because i am afraid of it drying my skin even more..
I second the idea of using grapeseed oil as it is the only thing that worked for my daughter and didn't make her break out. You can get it from any health food store (not the cooking kind) and you just need to gently massage it into your face until it is absorbed.
Good luck!
I second the idea of using grapeseed oil as it is the only thing that worked for my daughter and didn't make her break out. You can get it from any health food store (not the cooking kind) and you just need to gently massage it into your face until it is absorbed.
Good luck!
Thanks for the tip will try it out