Frugal Skin Care - esp. facial

[FrugalTexan75]

Hi! I've been noticing lately that my face has been getting really dry - especially my forehead. I would love some suggestions on ways I can help reverse that dryness without spending a bundle.

Thanks!

Keeping It Frugal in Texas,
Laura

[katwoman]

Go to your health food store (Vitamin Shoppe or Whole Foods) and ask for NaPCA. It's a pump spray that you spray on your face and it's a powerful humectant (that means it draws moisture from the air). About $6-$9 a bottle.

Some really good moisturizers have this ingredient.

[shengmei]

Just buy them in sample sizes with coupons.

A 0.5 punce jar of cream lasts me about 9 months.

If you have a Walgreens in your area maybe you should look there. The prices are reasonable and they have a large selection.

[getforfree]

I don't have dry skin but sometimes I have a different problem: pimples.

I use regular alcohol. Just dip clean cotton ball into it and treat the pimples with it after I wash my fase before going to sleep. Repeat for about 3 nights in a row and you will see improvement. At least it works for me, but don't just put it on you whole face, because it will make your skin feel dry. I tried it.

[PrincessPerky]

try olive oil...is usually already in the cabnet and you only need a drop...

also try washing with it mixed in sugar if you need to exfolliate without drying your skin out.

Lemon juice seems to work well on pimples, but it burns.....pat excess off since it doesn't dry like alchol (it only burns on the pimple, not the rest of your face)

[Ima saver]

I have used ponds cold cream on my face since I was 15. People say that I look a lot younger than my age. Skin needs a lot of moisture.

[kealina]

i don't think you need anything special... just be consistent... apply whatever you use every day... i would just pick a light moisterizer from the drug store that won't clog your pores...
as for me, i use whatever i get free from family members... i have ponds, olay, dove, st. ives, and clinique and they all aren't that bad... i try to remember to moisterize after i shower as your skin is more apt to absorb lotion after being washed... same thing after i wash my face in the morning and at night... i have a tendency to forget but usually i'll get back to it sooner or later...
best and cheapest tip of all... drink lots of water... it's really good for your skin..

[4TimesCharmed]

Dove skin care products, inexpensive and effective.

[Tree0164]

I like St Ives peach skin scrub to get those dry skin cells off.

[Dixiechick]

For those like me with oily skin....

Instead of spending more money on the "brand" name oil control lotions and whatnot, use plain 'ol MOM (Milk of Magnesium). Get the little bottle, because you won't need much! Put a little bit on the oily areas, let dry (there will be some white cakiness to it), go over those areas (in a tapping motion) with a clean fingertip moistened with water - reduces that whiteness. Let dry then apply makeup! This stuff has keep my face more oil-slick free than any of the other oil control lotions I have used. I get to keep that matte look much longer! I read about this in a 800-page book about everything you ever wanted to know about beauty facts...

That book also gave very easy to follow steps if you're acne prone as well. I've been doing it for about 3 months now with great results. It doesn't cure it, but it really improved my complexion - and I'm 40!! You'd think I'd be done with all this by now - but no!

If anyone's interested, I'd be glad to post that info -- I have that section bookmarked at home.

Dixiechick

[mykidsmom]

I'm interested in acne relief

[Dixiechick]

Originally Posted by mykidsmom

I'm interested in acne relief

This is what the book says:

Taken from The Complete Beauty Bible: The Ultimate Guide to Beauty by Paula Begoun, pages 249, 252-253.

page 249
"...I recommend a mask of plain milk of magnesia, the kind you buy at the drugstore for an upset stomach. Milk of magnesia is just plain liquid magnesium. Magnesium, like clay, is an earth mineral, but, unlike clay, magnesium has some disinfecting and anti-inflammatory properties and can absorb more oil for its molecular weight than clay can."

pages 252-253
"The most important element for all these skin-care battle plans is consistency. It takes a minimum of three weeks to six months to see a consistent improvement in your skin."
...
"The following plans include the types of products needed to gently cleanse (without futher clogging pores or increasing the presence of bacteria), exfoliate, then disinfect."
...
"Plan A. Gentle cleanser; 1% or 2% salicylic acid - exfoliant; 2.5%, 5%, or 10% benzoyl peroxide - disinfectant; and milk of magnesia - facial mask.

Plan B. Gentle cleanser; 8% or 10% AHA (alpha hydroxy acid) - for those whose can't use salicylic acid for exfoliant; 2.5% or 5% benzoyl peroxide - disinfectant; and milk of magnesia - facial mask.

Plan C. Gentle cleanser; 1% or 2% salicylic acid - exfoliant; tretinoin (Retin-A, Tazorac, or Avita) or Differin in the evening; 2.5%, 5%, or 10% benzoyl peroxide - disinfectant, in the morning (do not apply at same time the Retin-A, Tazorac or Avita is applied); and milk of magnesia - facial mask.

Plan D. Gentle cleanser; azelaic acid - antibacterial and exfoliant; and a milk of magnesia facial mask.

Plan E. Gentle cleanser; tretinoin (Retin-A, Tazorac, or Avita), Differin, or azelaic acid; a topical prescription antibacterial; and milk of magnesia facial mask.

Plan F. Gentle cleanser; tretinoin (Retin-A, Tazorac, or Avita), Differin, or azelaic acid; a topical prescription antibacterial; oral antibiotic; and a milk of magnesia facial mask.

Plan G. When all else fails, Accutane."

Salicylic acid is a beta hydroxy acid. Not only does it exfoliate but it also acts as an anti-inflammatory so it can actually reduce irritation, swelling, and redness. It's a derivative of aspirin...

Alpha hydrozy acids are exfoliants as well but have limitations for blemish-prone skin due to their inability to penetrate inside the pore. They are water soluble and can't get through the oil. Salicylic acid is lipid soluble so it can penetrate into the pore.

I get by 2.5% benzoyl peroxide from this place (it doesn't take much to cover your face):
http://www.clearskinregimen.com/cart...&mode=gel_info

I use the soap brand Purpose for my cleanser ($3.50 or so from WalMart) and I get Mary Kay's blemish control toner which has 2% salicylic acid.

The milk of magnesia costs about $3.99 at Rite Aid for a big bottle - and it lasts forever!

I'm not going to be concerned too much about the price of all this, because it works for me. And it's something I don't buy but maybe 2-3 times a year (except the cleanser).

I hope this helps! The book is very useful. I haven't read it all, but it seems to cover about every topic skin-care related...

Oh, and I do Plan A...

Dixiechick

[Joan.of.the.Arch]

Paula Begoun! When you first mentioned milk of magnesia for oily skin my thought was, "Wow, that's what Paula Begoun recommends, too."

I encourage anyone who really wants to understand cosmetics and "cosmeceuticals" as well as medical interventions for skin to read Paula Begoun. She has a website at

cosmeticscop.com

There is a lot of info there that will make sense of the short form that Dixiechick provided above. There is just lots of info no matter what your skin type is.

Paula Begoun of cosmeticscop.com does sell products, but I get her product reviews by email and she does not ever even mention her own products, but only reviews products available elsewhere. And she tells if they are harmful, no good but harmless, some good, average, or exceptionally good from both an aesthetic and scientific point of view. She also will tell you when something cheap and probably already in your home is a good choice. I find her very fair, especially since she is very understated about her own products. I have never seen her recommend her own products over any others.

My personal testimonly is that I am nearly fifty years old and I made ONE simple change in what I do for my facial skin. About two months later, I could definitely see a difference in blackheads (Yuck, I hate to even have to type that!), redness on my cheeks, the smoothness of the skin and some sort of spots on my forhead that I don't even have a name for. So I kept up the new change and after a total of six months, it was still getting better; then my own sister gave me a huge compliment on my skin. This may sound silly, but she said it looked like my facial skin was almost sparkling. I was astounded. She was practically gushing about my skin. I had never in my life gotten a compliment on my skin, much less by my way prettier sister.

Well, it's been a year and a month now and I think my skin has improved as far as it is going to, but I have not had such tight pores since I was 11 years old. That is when all this yucky skin stuff started for me, and then I had to wait until I was ~50 to ever get it fixed and hear a compliment. If only I had known decades ago.

You want to know what the one change is? It is use of the 2% salicylic acid, as Dixiechick mentions above. Begoun says that the salicylic acid must also be in a solution of a certain low pH in order to work right. Some products have 2% salicylic acid but then other ingredients are added which make the pH too high to be effective. I don't recall what the pH level must be, but that info is never included on the lables anyway. I used Begoun's product reviews to guide me in finding a suitable salicylic acid.

To the original poster, Paula Begoun has lots to say about dry and flakey skin.

[Dixiechick]

Originally Posted by Joan.of.the.Arch

I encourage anyone who really wants to understand cosmetics and "cosmeceuticals" as well as medical interventions for skin to read Paula Begoun. She has a website at

cosmeticscop.com

Thanks for that website!!! I never thought about seeing if she had one...

I went and checked out what she said about the MK toner I use....well, I was a little surprised...

"Blemish Control Toner Formula 3 ($11.00 for 6.5 ounces) lists alcohol as the second ingredient, and it also contains eucalyptus, making this too irritating for words regardless of your skin type."

Even though I don't find it irritating (maybe because I've used it for so long?) but I may search and try one that she does recommend when I finish this last bottle...

Thanks for that site!! I now have it bookmarked.

Dixiechick