Sensitive Skin Woes - commiserate with me and HELP me!

[AlmiraGulch]

I have The Most Sensitive Skin In the World. Yes, with capitalization. It's awful. I think I've personally contributed $1 billion to the multi-billion dollar beauty products industry trying to find a cleanser, moisturizer, anti-aging stuff that won't make my skin feel and look sunburned. I've also seen my dermatologist for it, but it seems those products are almost worse.

 

If a product has any kind of acid, like retinol, it's almost a given that it will burn. My skin can be very dry so a moisturizer has to be hefty (Philosophy Hope in a Jar doesn't cut it anymore) but then I break out. My face can go for extremely oily to extremely dry and flaky over the course of the day. Even water can sometimes do it! No kidding. My sister thought I was making that up, but I proved it to her one day when I got out of the shower at her house (she lives in a different state, different climate) and we sat there and watched my face get redder and redder.

 

I just switched back to Philosophy Purity Made Simple, but it's too drying for me now. I use some new Mary Kay day and night creams, and they do just ok. I'm still red, but if I use a green foundation primer and Boscia BB Cream I ALMOST look like a normal person.

 

If you suffer from a similar affliction, please please please tell me what you've used that has been at all successful. I'm desperate.

 

And yes, I've tried using nothing, also. Turned out very, very poorly.

[Susie in SWVA]

Have you tried any of the Derma-e products? Those help me a lot.

 

Susie in SWVA

[justamouse]

Straight coconut oil? (wow, Hope in a Jar was my goto for years!)

[Pippen]

I've tried a gazillion lotions on my face and have broken out from every single one of them except, oddly enough, Gloves in a Bottle. It is a lightweight lotion but I'm sold on it.

http://www.glovesinabottle.com/

 

Once I was past my teen years my skin became very oily and I found I was able to use Clinique oily skin soap and toner. I make a homemade version of their toner, which I like as I can adjust the amounts of the ingredients to suit my skin needs at the time.

 

Skincare Toner Recipe

1/4 cup 80 proof vodka

1/4 cup witch hazel

½ cup water

6 drops white willow bark extract (adjust as needed)

 

The white willow bark extract is salycillic acid, which isn't needed in the recipe unless you have breakout prone skin.

http://www.amazon.com/Natures-Answer-White-Willow-1-Ounce/dp/B00014H5OE/ref=sr_1_sc_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1337554851&sr=8-1-spell

[AlmiraGulch]

Have you tried any of the Derma-e products? Those help me a lot.

 

Susie in SWVA

 

 

I haven't heard of it. Is is something I can get at Sephora or online, or do I have to go to the Dermatologist for them? (I'll google, of course, but thought I'd ask you first).

[AlmiraGulch]

Straight coconut oil? (wow, Hope in a Jar was my goto for years!)

 

 

Coconut oil scares me. It's just so...oily! Have you used it? Do you know anyone who has?

[AlmiraGulch]

I've tried a gazillion lotions on my face and have broken out from every single one of them except, oddly enough, Gloves in a Bottle. It is a lightweight lotion but I'm sold on it.

http://www.glovesinabottle.com/

 

Once I was past my teen years my skin became very oily and I found I was able to use Clinique oily skin soap and toner. I make a homemade version of their toner, which I like as I can adjust the amounts of the ingredients to suit my skin needs at the time.

 

Skincare Toner Recipe

1/4 cup 80 proof vodka

1/4 cup witch hazel

½ cup water

6 drops white willow bark extract (adjust as needed)

 

The white willow bark extract is salycillic acid, which isn't needed in the recipe unless you have breakout prone skin.

http://www.amazon.co...51&sr=8-1-spell

 

 

The Clinique products are WAY too harsh for me. I can't even look at it before my skin peels off of my face. Witch hazel is also a no-go for me. Plus, my skin is really, really dry....until it isn't, and then it's very oily. I hate it. Right now it's dry and flaky.

 

I haven't heard of Gloves in a Bottle. I'll look it up. Thanks!

[Tammyla]

Hope in a jar, now comes in a creamier/heavier dry-skin formula. I'm very sensitive too, but I'm able to use it along with the EyeBelieve no longer available, but I'm happily using EyeHope..

[justamouse]

 

Coconut oil scares me. It's just so...oily! Have you used it? Do you know anyone who has?

 

 

I DO use it. My skin is sensitive, though not as much as yours. I tried some others, but...my skin breathes? when I use it? I don't know, it feels better, cleaner? I can't explain it very well, but up to last week I had switched from CO to Oil of Olay because winter skin had set in. No matter what it was dry and flaky. I could slather creams on and it would just be DRY, papery and I was getting wrinkles (I have *really* good genetics, my mom, at 61, has hardly ANY wrinkles) so I knew something wasn't right. So I went back to CO about 4 days ago, and I put it on right after a shower, and then, that layer would sink in and I'll put it on again a few minutes later.

 

At first it was greasy, though not so much so. Now, my skin just absorbs it.

[Dandelion]

I would recommend switching to a 100% natural skin care product (your skin is probably reacting to the chemicals found in most product lines - even those that claim to be "natural" often still contain them).

 

I use Derma-e (recommended by a previous poster) - it's sold at places like Whole Foods, and also online. http://www.dermae.com/

 

I also use organic coconut oil from time to time, as well as jojoba oil and aloe vera gel. I only buy the 100% pure formulations to avoid the chemical additives (parabens, etc.). I buy all of these at my health food store.

 

Pure aloe vera gel is one of the best products for irritated, inflamed skin, so that might be a good one for you to start with. It's incredibly soothing and it's wonderful for your skin.

 

 

[Susie in SWVA]

I usually get my derma-e products from Amazon - it's the most inexpensive - unless I run out. Then I can get it at our local health food store. These products are all natural. My skin is extremely sensitive to any chemicals, perfumes, additive, etc. Not to mention, very dry. My favorite is Derma-e Tea Tree and E.

 

Susie in SWVA

[fairfarmhand]

I use a dab of olive oil. It feels so light and clean on my skin.

[Joules]

I use the Vanicream line of products for everything. It's been such a relief to find them. I've been using them for over 5 years. Before that, I would develop allergies to one product after another. I'd find something that worked and then a few months later, I couldn't tolerate it anymore.

 

They aren't the "natural" products that everyone prefers, but as someone who is allergic to aloe (and most everything that blooms) they have been a godsend.

 

They aren't in stores, but you can get them online at places like Allergy Control or Drugstore.com.

[asta]

Shea nut butter. I get mine from Vermont Soapworks. I'm on a medication that causes me to rash from EVERYTHING, but once I switched to their un scented cocoa butter soap bar and the Shea nut for moisturizing - no problems. Even my family stopped having various skin issues.

 

Everything they do is organic, and you can really save on the soap if you buy the "seconds".

 

Good luck

 

 

A

[-M-]

Loving products from this line right now, especially the "purifying facial cleanser."

 

Neutrogena Naturals offer skincare products that harness the power of naturally occurring bionutrients to deliver safe and effective results. No harsh chemical sulfates, parabens, petrochemicals, dyes, or phthalates are included.

[Alisa in Florida]

Sorry - messed up the quote thing.

.

[Alisa in Florida]

Walgreens has Vanicream products. Almost bought some the other day so maybe I'll go back and get some.

[Guest inoubliable]

Oh, man. That sounds awful! Going to second the suggestion for pure aloe vera gel. The kids and I use that in the winter sometimes to help with eczema. Maybe find another dermatologist? :grouphug: I hope you can figure out something soon!

[justLisa]

The Clinique products are WAY too harsh for me. I can't even look at it before my skin peels off of my face. Witch hazel is also a no-go for me. Plus, my skin is really, really dry....until it isn't, and then it's very oily. I hate it. Right now it's dry and flaky.

 

I haven't heard of Gloves in a Bottle. I'll look it up. Thanks!

 

 

Clinique is horrible. And one of the firt ingredients in the toner is alcohol.

 

They are NOT cheap by any stretch, but I use Bobbi Brown cosmetics. The EXTRA line of eye cream, balm, and serum

 

I have the most sensitive prone to breaking out skin on the planet

[laundrycrisis]

Yes, I have a similar affliction !!

 

What works for me best as a facial moisturizer is DHC Olive Virgin Oil. Yes, it is a ridiculous price for a bottle of highly refined olive oil. However I did try just buying a very light, highly refined olive oil at the grocery store, and I did not get the same results. To reduce the cost, I mix 2-3 drops of the DHC oil in my palm with some clear aloe gel product from the drugstore, and use that. It works great.

 

I have tried many other DHC products and never had a bad reaction to any of them. I have also had good experiences with Clinique, and when I needed to find out whether or not a particular ingredient was in a product with a "proprietary" formula, the company did answer my correspondence with a "yes" or "no" about the ingredient. I also use some Paula's Choice products. I actually have had reactions to a few of those, but the ingredients are all listed, no secrets, so I was able to figure out what I needed to avoid in the future.

[AlmiraGulch]

Hope in a jar, now comes in a creamier/heavier dry-skin formula. I'm very sensitive too, but I'm able to use it along with the EyeBelieve.

 

Are you talking about the Miracle Worker one? If so, I tried it. Peeled my face off. If it's a different one, that would be great and I'll run and look for it.

[AlmiraGulch]

I DO use it. My skin is sensitive, though not as much as yours. I tried some others, but...my skin breathes? when I use it? I don't know, it feels better, cleaner? I can't explain it very well, but up to last week I had switched from CO to Oil of Olay because winter skin had set in. No matter what it was dry and flaky. I could slather creams on and it would just be DRY, papery and I was getting wrinkles (I have *really* good genetics, my mom, at 61, has hardly ANY wrinkles) so I knew something wasn't right. So I went back to CO about 4 days ago, and I put it on right after a shower, and then, that layer would sink in and I'll put it on again a few minutes later.

 

At first it was greasy, though not so much so. Now, my skin just absorbs it.

 

Something that works AND that I already have in my pantry? It sounds too good to be true. :drool: Are you breakout prone at all? It sounds like you're saying it doesn't clog your pores, correct?

[AlmiraGulch]

I use a dab of olive oil. It feels so light and clean on my skin.

 

I've tried olive oil but found that it clogged my pores and I had breakouts. Maybe I was using the wrong type?

[AlmiraGulch]

I use the Vanicream line of products for everything. It's been such a relief to find them. I've been using them for over 5 years. Before that, I would develop allergies to one product after another. I'd find something that worked and then a few months later, I couldn't tolerate it anymore.

 

 

This is exactly what happens to me! Things will work fine for a few months and then goes south very quickly. I'll look them up. Thank you!

[AlmiraGulch]

 

Clinique is horrible. And one of the firt ingredients in the toner is alcohol.

 

They are NOT cheap by any stretch, but I use Bobbi Brown cosmetics. The EXTRA line of eye cream, balm, and serum

 

I have the most sensitive prone to breaking out skin on the planet

 

Honestly, I'm not that concerned about cost if I can find something that actually works. I've used Bobbi Brown makeup before but never her skin care. I'll check it out.

[justLisa]

Honestly, I'm not that concerned about cost if I can find something that actually works. I've used Bobbi Brown makeup before but never her skin care. I'll check it out.

 

 

 

It is nothing short of amazing. Are you dry? My skin PEELS it's so dry. But they have several products. And I have larger pores on my nose/part of my forehead and that has gotten better. I use a mild cleanser with a Clarisonic. That' s another biggie. That thing is magical. IF you have a Nordstrom you can go in and maybe pick up one product and ask for samples.

[Tammyla]

Are you talking about the Miracle Worker one? If so, I tried it. Peeled my face off. If it's a different one, that would be great and I'll run and look for it.

 

No, they have a new jar of Hope in a jar for dry skin.

[lailasmum]

I have very sensitive skin. I just don't bother buying any skin care other than very simple stuff. I basically buy shea butter (a lump) or whipped shea butter without too much added to it. I also get on with Aveeno moisturiser and Burts Bees fragrance free shea butter and vitamin E lotion. I don't worry if it's body lotion/face cream. If it's a good thickness I just slap it on.

 

I don't ever cleanse my skin apart from a quick once over with water but I never wear makeup.

[AlmiraGulch]

 

 

It is nothing short of amazing. Are you dry? My skin PEELS it's so dry. But they have several products. And I have larger pores on my nose/part of my forehead and that has gotten better. I use a mild cleanser with a Clarisonic. That' s another biggie. That thing is magical. IF you have a Nordstrom you can go in and maybe pick up one product and ask for samples.

 

I do have and use a Clarisonic. What cleanser do you use? I'm going to check out the BB stuff you mentioned. Thanks!

[somo_chickenlady]

Dove unscented bar for body, and washing my face with just water then using Alba Botanica Aloe and Green Tea moisturizer, which is heavy enough to work, but light enough to not leave a residue or make your face feel greasy. I also like using Alba Botanica Cocoa Butter body lotion. It is nice and heavy, but once it soaks in my skin is just soft not greasy. Any of the regular Alba lotions work well also. I have a huge jug of the original version in my bathroom, but I prefer the cocoa butter one. Good luck!

 

I have tried just about everything. I don't know how many 1/4 or less used bottles of body wash, shampoo, and lotion I have thrown away b/c they just didn't work for me. :( I have a reaction to just about everything. For some reason, Bath and Body Works body wash doesn't bother me. *shrug* My poor hands are cracked and bleeding right now, just from washing the dishes.

[Reya]

Loving products from this line right now, especially the "purifying facial cleanser."

 

 

Neutrogena Naturals offer skincare products that harness the power of naturally occurring bionutrients to deliver safe and effective results. No harsh chemical sulfates, parabens, petrochemicals, dyes, or phthalates are included.

 

 

This has NOTHING to do with how irritating something is. NOTHING. Poison ivy fits the description above, but I don't recommend that you rub it on your face!

 

On the opposite extreme, petroleum jelly is pretty much the least reactive thing you can put on your skin, and it's totally "unnatural." Tyra Banks loves it because it really is wonderful for the skin.

 

I formulate my own products. Erased both my acne and my beginning wrinkles. It's not supposed to be possible, but it is. I was pretty ticked off by how well it worked, actually! I'd been cheated of the good stuff for years!

 

First, acids are included in most anti-aging formulations because they WORK. BHA and AHA are two of the most effective anti-aging options out there. Retinol or its big brother tretinoin are also very effective--these make skin peel. Vitamin C is, too, but again, it's a pretty strong acid.

 

You can use a formulation with them in tiny amounts until your skin adjusts and mostly use a moisturizing-only lotion over it. Or you can utterly separate your lotion from your anti-aging regime--you can buy a 35% glycolic acid peel from Skin Laboratory once every 2 weeks (you can start by rinsing it as soon as you apply it, then build up as you gain more tolerance) and then use a non-anti-aging lotion with sunblock for actual moisturizing.

 

There are 3 kinds of moisturizing ingredients: skin-smoothers that fill in tiny gaps and cracks in the outermost layer of skin (shea butter, oils, etc.), stuff that pulls moisture out of the air OR inner layers of skin into outer layers (like hyaluronic acid & sodium PCA--neither are irritating, BTW!), and stuff that keeps the moisture from being evaporated away (stearic acid--also not irritating!--petrolatum, and silicone). You HAVE TO HAVE something in the last category if you want the moisturizer to work over any extended period of time. Petrolatum is the gold standard for reducing transpiration (it's what's used in hospitals to keep preemies hydrated because it WORKS), and it is completely noncomedogenic and has the lowest probability rating of causing skin irritation. It also reduces discoloration and improves scar structure, which means that it's good for wrinkles, too. (Scars and wrinkles are both formed when your skin becomes too organized--when things line up that should be random. That's why many things that work on scar formation also improve wrinkles.)

 

Creme de La Mer--the super-duper expensive Hollywood favorite--has petrolatum in it, and it's the most effective ingredient! The other stuff just improves skin feel. :p Really does NOTHING for wrinkles.

 

Silicone scar sheets also reduce wrinkles and are non-irritating. You can wear them while you sleep and cut them to shape.

[Reya]

THe Olay spin brush works just as well as the Clarisonic. And it's $20.

[Reya]

I've tried olive oil but found that it clogged my pores and I had breakouts. Maybe I was using the wrong type?

 

 

No. Olive oil is moderately comedogenic. I don't recommend it in oil cleansing solutions.

[Reya]

Coconut oil is TERRIBLE for people prone to acne. Shea butter, however, is perfectly safe! Cocoa butter is awful.

 

It isn't whether something is "oily" but whether it is comedogenic. That's the start and finish of it.

[justLisa]

I do have and use a Clarisonic. What cleanser do you use? I'm going to check out the BB stuff you mentioned. Thanks!

 

 

 

I use the BB cream cleanser wtih my clarisonic. But truthfully it is too pricey to keep using that. I just need something mild, and the cream cleanser by Clinique is good too and cheaper. I have to use a cream type cleanser. If it suds, it is too drying.

 

And I agree about the straight oils. I can't use them, I break out right away

[Reya]

 

 

I use the BB cream cleanser wtih my clarisonic. But truthfully it is too pricey to keep using that. I just need something mild, and the cream cleanser by Clinique is good too and cheaper. I have to use a cream type cleanser. If it suds, it is too drying.

 

And I agree about the straight oils. I can't use them, I break out right away

 

 

Some oils are just fine! Safflower and sunflower, like shea butter, are A-OK. Won't clog pores. Olive is meh, cocoa butter and coconut oil are terrible.

 

http://www.zerozits.com/Articles/acnedetect.htm

[Miss Marple]

I have similar problems. The winters are especially bad although even in the most humid environments, I can still have dry chapped skin. The best products I've found (and I, too, have spent $$$ on so many different products) are from the Sophyto line. I found them at Sam's Club but they no longer carry all the products. Here's a link to Amazon's page If I use any soap, my face feels like it's been badly burned. My whole body is very dry...so I go through a lot of lotions around here. In found some new Vitamin E cream at Sam's that I've been trying on my body and it works very well. I'm not sure I want to try it on my face, though.

[GailV]

Dove unscented bar for body, and washing my face with just water then using Alba Botanica Aloe and Green Tea moisturizer, which is heavy enough to work, but light enough to not leave a residue or make your face feel greasy. I also like using Alba Botanica Cocoa Butter body lotion. It is nice and heavy, but once it soaks in my skin is just soft not greasy. Any of the regular Alba lotions work well also. I have a huge jug of the original version in my bathroom, but I prefer the cocoa butter one. Good luck!

 

I have tried just about everything. I don't know how many 1/4 or less used bottles of body wash, shampoo, and lotion I have thrown away b/c they just didn't work for me. :( I have a reaction to just about everything. For some reason, Bath and Body Works body wash doesn't bother me. *shrug* My poor hands are cracked and bleeding right now, just from washing the dishes.

 

 

Dove unscented is one of the few things my MIL can use. She's reactive to some ingredient* that's in just about everything, and Dove doesn't have it. Dh tends to have the same reaction, as does dd. So, Dove unscented is just about the only soap we use.

 

*She told me the name of the ingredient, but said it's called various things in various products. This was years ago, and I've since forgotten what it was. Sigh.

 

Dd dearly wants to use things from Bath and Body Works, but figures she'll have a problem with it. We might give the body wash a try, though. It sounds like you might have the same sensitivity that she does.

 

I develop cold sores from many products, but CeraVe works okay on me, especially if I don't use it every day.