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how to take a breather from makeup

elpgal

Veteran

So, I got over-excited and have been trying assorted concealers and Paula's choice retinol creams and serums and my face looks worse than ever. I am paying for violating the rule of 'one new thing at a time'
I am taking a break from all make-up till my skin clears up but meanwhile, is there a mild fragrance-free moisturizer that I can use in the meantime? I tried using coconut oil but it is super-greasy.

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23 replies

Latest reply was from elpgal

DonnaF

Veteran

Maybe blot a couple times after the coconut oil? Or try jojoba oil as it is said to mimic our natural oil? I would be hesitant to try even something like Cerave due to multiple ingredients. With irritated skin something that ordinarily wouldn't cause a problem might at this point.

ClaraT

Veteran

When he was younger, my son had painful (red cracking skin) eczcema. We found Cetaphil RestoraDerm® Eczema Calming Body Moisturizer was very calming (called something different then but similar/same ingredients). He still uses it on his face and body, as do I when I am just moisturizing. I find it less greasy but more moisturizing than coconut oil in that my skin is soft and not dry longer than with coconut oil. Most of the Cetaphil lotions are mild and fragrance-free (just make sure your cleanser is, too).

Angie

(website)

Fashion Stylist

You might like to look into the Kiehls products.

rebekahphoto

Veteran

I use Eb-5, its great for my sensitive skin & unscented.

binkle

Veteran

Lubriderm was recommended to me by a dermatologist - their "Sensitive" formula is fragrance and lanolin free. It is very light, non greasy, absorbs quickly. I use it daily for hands, elbows, legs, neck, and face (when I don't want to use fancy face products).

elpgal

Veteran

I knew you'd come through, thank you.

As an aside, I am realizing the make-up as armor feeling that several of you mentioned in past threads. I am feeling seriously reluctant about stepping out of the house and I have been wearing makeup only for about a year now!

Aziraphale

Veteran

How about Glaxal base? It's the very plain cream they use as a vector for prescription medication.

ETA it's very inexpensive and can be found in any drugstore.

elpgal

Veteran

AZ, never heard of this! Thanks for the recommendation. Albolene seems to be the US version

Meredith

Veteran

I highly recommend Drunk Elephant. Removing sensitizing ingredients is part of their approach and it has worked wonders for me when other sensitive skin products (cerave, Eucerin, cetaphil) continued to cause irritation. It can seem pricey, but I think the mini soaps plus a moisturizer are worth it and last me 3-6 months. I also use Accure marula oil.

http://www.drunkelephant.com/pages/about-us

Style Fan

Veteran

I have very sensitive skin. I use Avene products. I like Cetaphil (the sensitive skin one) to wash my face and CerVa PM for moisturizer. You could also try plain glycerin. I used to use that years ago when my eczema was really bad.

Meggie

Sorry to learn this. I typically have good luck with paulas choice products. What was the percentage in the retinol cream? Was it her 1.0 percent retinol cream? If so, that's a very high percent. I started with .05 percent and slowly built up (over a year) to 1.0 percent. retinol is a AMAZING product is you can find a percentage that has no side effects for you but take it slow Good luck!

elpgal

Veteran

Meggie, Not sure and I can't find the info in the product details. It is this one:
http://www.paulaschoice.com/sh.....kle-Repair

Lucy

Veteran

Oh so not good
I think coconut oil has 1000 uses, but whenever I put it on my face I break out. I think jojoba is much milder and I love it. Or rosehip oil?

Anonymous

I have no advice. I can say I experienced the same exact problem. I tried a lot of new products all at once and my skin is still showing the negative effects. I stopped using everything with the exception of a good moisturizer. My face is looking a bit better (yet it still hasn't fully recovered).

kkards

Veteran

hmmmm....you might want to give clinique a try...its very gentle, hypoallergenic and fragrance free...

'Dramatically Different' Moisturizing Lotion+

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Style Fan

Veteran

The glycerin I used was called Wibi lotion. That was many years ago. I don't know if it is still available. Clinique irritated my skin. I think it has mineral oil in it which I react to sometimes.

LaPed

Veteran

Is it possible to switch back to what you were using before you started experimenting, or are those products irritating as well? It might be worth seeing a dermatologist to get to the bottom of which specific ingredients are bothering your skin.

You might also want to check out https://justthegoods.net/ . Her formulas are very simple yet effective. She has a sensitive/unscented version of just about everything I think. And the prices are very reasonable.

Also, if you're using a toner, make sure it's an alcohol-free one. Or, for the time being, just switch to very cold water in place of toner.

Lucy -- that's interesting that you react to coconut oil but not rosehip. I've tried several rosehip oils and find all of them inflammatory. Coconut and jojoba both seem to be okay. Also straight shea butter or cocoa butter (or a blend of the two) might be an option, although I know some are sensitive to that as well.

Colette

Veteran

Ugh, this just happened to me too. My favorite moisturizer was discontinued and I ran out so I was looking for a replacement. I was gifted a luxury skin care set I was testing but decided to try a bunch of stuff from my sample stash as well. One of the reasons I never usually try samples of skin care products is because of my super sensitive skin. But, I did it anyway and paid the price for two weeks. And I had no idea what actually caused the reaction because I was using so many different things.

To soothe my skin, I cleansed with a gentle cleansing oil I had used successfully in the past, ditched all serums and used First Aid Beauty lotion with Argan oil on top. I applied a generous amount 3-4 times daily and didn't wear makeup most of the time. I use LM tinted moisturizer and when I did 'need' to wear it, it actually felt soothing on my skin. But most of the time I skipped it and just did eyes and lip. After the first week I started to gently exfoliate all the dry skin off with a baking soda-Argan oil mix. After two weeks I added back the serum I know my skin loves. I'm still experimenting to find my daily moisturizer but my skin has finally forgiven me and I'm proceeding with caution.

First Aid Beauty First Aid Beauty Ultra Repair Cream-6 oz.

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elpgal

Veteran

My routine was baking soda/jojoba oil once a day and zero makeup.

Then for a while,I did well with Bobbi Browns under-eye cream, Tarte concealer and Blinc mascara.

Now I have been trying so many things I can barely even remember all of them. I have been playing with anti-aging stuff, various makeup removers, coconut oil, eyeliners. Inused the retinol cream around my mouth and the skin turned dark, so it looks like I have a moustache. Yikes!

Anyhow, this is my plan for now -a complete moratorium on all makeup and skincare for now. I am going to give it a week before I reintroduce some moisturizer. Today I dabbed a bit of old-school Vaseline on some flakey areas on my face. So far so good. My lipstick is an old standby and no problems with it.

elpgal

Veteran

My routine was baking soda/jojoba oil once a day and zero makeup.

Then for a while,I did well with Bobbi Browns under-eye cream, Tarte concealer and Blinc mascara.

Now I have been trying so many things I can barely even remember all of them. I have been playing with anti-aging stuff, various makeup removers, coconut oil, eyeliners. I used the retinol cream around my mouth and the skin turned dark, so it looks like I have a moustache. Yikes!

Anyhow, this is my plan for now -a complete moratorium on all makeup and skincare for now. I am going to give it a week before I reintroduce some moisturizer. Today I dabbed a bit of old-school Vaseline on some flakey areas on my face. So far so good. My lipstick is an old standby and no problems with it.

Echo

Veteran

I received some free samples with a lipstick order recently, and now my forehead is covered in tiny bumps. I've gone back to only my standby products, but the bumps still aren't gone. I may have to see a dermatologist soon. I never used to have sensitive skin, but it seems something has changed.

Marina

I've gone to a total clean up a few years ago (think in a combination skin prone to sensitivity and sunburnts...) and one of my aunts has done it too more recently (bad experience with peeling). There are a few simple things we used that may help with your case

1) Before you reintroduce some moisturizer, you may take a day or two using just a "100% pure glicerin" soap with physiologic ph (physiologic, not neutral). Glicerin is good non-abrasive cleaner, but has also moisturizing and umectant properties. Also, since physiologic ph is less abrasive than neutral ph, it may be a good idea to keep using it so that your skin can restaure its natural defenses quicker.

2) Aloe vera sap has curative and calming properties and is a very potent "oil-free natural moisturizer". You may apply its sap as a facial mask, specially on your flakey and "moustache" areas (don't use the aloe vera oil, it is not the same thing)

3) A very good and cheap moisturizer you can use before sleep while your skin is still sensitivy is good old nivea cream (that one in a dark blue small can). NIvea cream is a very underrated product if you ask me. I had some very bad sunburnts and my auntie had a bad experience with peelings and Nivea Cream was really good help in both cases (better than other more elaborate/expensive products in fact).

Best regards,

elpgal

Veteran

I ended up at the pharmacy counter at my local drugstore looking for lotion base and glycerin and such and they recommended I try Vanicream. It's like a liquid vaseline sans parabens, perfumes and a barebones ingredients list. It goes on easy and absorbs well. I am using zero soap, just water and a soft washcloth. It seems to be doing the trick.