Soap and water

[*alison*]

I started washing my face just with dove soap because i had some cloged pores due to using moisturiser. Although my skin's cleared up i'm now worried that by using no creams or lotions i am going to wrinkle faster just wondering what other members think

 

[Anastasia]

I have this same problem - my face breaks out if I use ANYTHING to wash it besides water and the hypo-allergenic Oil of Olay soap for sensitive skin (used to use the Dove, but they started putting sweet almond oil in it, and I'm allergic). I feel really badly, like I'm wrecking my skin completely, but I have tried so many brands across such a range of prices, all promising to be completely fine and safe and good, and none of them work nearly as well as my soap and water. So I'm sticking to it.

I would keep experimenting with moisterizers though - I notice if I forget mine, if I'm drinking a lot of water, in the summer my skin will be ok. In the winter though...forget it. My face gets extremely dry and tight, and I can almost feel the wrinkles forming. I've gone through the same very expensive trials with face lotions as I did with cleansers and only one works, without breaking me out/drying me out/clogging pores/giving me hives - Rachel Perry's Cucumber and Calendula face lotion. It's lovely and light, barely scented, a little expensive for me ($18 for 4oz) but it's something I can't do without. I would see if you can find some and give it a try, but the soap should be fine if you follow it up with a good moisterizer. I always read in magazines that you should never, never use bar soap on your face, but I think the people writing that advice do not have skin as sensitive and finicky as mine. I'd rather risk the drying effect of the soap than the acne, rashes, and clogged pores of even the gentlest, most touted cleaners (not even the Rachel Perry cleaners will work on me while the face lotion does, very disappointing).

Don't know if you have the same problem with the skin on your body, but I've found the Jason Cocoa Butter lotion (in the tube, not the jar - they changed the formulation in the jar and it's horrid) works perfectly.

 

[mousquerader]

what moisturizer were you using before?

 

[SophieKawaii]

Dove soap is really good -i love the blue gentle exfoliating one- but moisturizer you should use at least once a day before going to bed.

 

[tifa]

Loads of people are conditioned by advertisements and beauty magazines that only one way of skin care is the right way - loads of products. It simply isn't true. You can have beautiful skin with just soap and water, if that is what works for you. If your skin doesn't look and feel better after the products you use, take a step back, you are wasting your time and money on something that isn't effective! We weren't born to rely on stuff like this. As you get older, you may need to moisturise your skin but really, just washing your face with soap and water is perfectly fine!

 

[*Princesse*]

My mom knew of a woman who was in her 60's or 70's who had only cleaned her face twice a day with Kiss My Face soap her entire adult life, and supossedly, she had the best skin my mother had ever seen on a woman that age. Of course, maybe the woman just had incredible skin genes, or maybe it was her regiman. I've heard to many different stories, I don't know what to believe anymore.

 

[SophieKawaii]

^ ^I envy those can live without any moisturizer. Though using it feels so good..

 

[mousquerader]

I can't rely solely on just soap and water because I breakout due to whacky hormones and a bad liver I inherited from my mom. (It's not effective in cleaning out those toxins.)

 

[*alison*]

i've used lots of moisturisers- biotherm,lancome,olay,nivea,etc and i still break out thankyou for the advice thought it's encouraging to know that i can live without products and still look good when i get older

 

[Ianastar]

Personally..............I think a good cleanser and a great moisturizer are the best way to go.

I couldn't live without those.


Soap and Water only???? My skin would freak out...........get all dry. And often when we see someone that we think has bad skin, or looks old..........its flakiness, dullness etc due to dryness/loss of moisture.


Using a moisturize daily can:

hydrate the skin adding radiance
protect the skin from environmental factors/pollutants
protect the skin from skin damage with a spf
moisturize to prevent wrinkles and fine lines.

 

[SophieKawaii]

^ Soap we mean not the usual soaps of course. Those would really kill my skin.
I've tried many kind of cleansers but so far this dove gentle soap is the best.

 

[Ianastar]

^Oh I know..........I got that.

But I still think a moisturizer is pretty essential.

 

[*Princesse*]

I'm thinking that as to if your skin can handle simple soap has a lot to do with your skin type. Anyone with normal skin might be able to go without moisterizer, whereas a dry or even oily skined person might have trouble.

 

[kissablekae]

Loads of people are conditioned by advertisements and beauty magazines that only one way of skin care is the right way - loads of products. It simply isn't true. You can have beautiful skin with just soap and water, if that is what works for you. If your skin doesn't look and feel better after the products you use, take a step back, you are wasting your time and money on something that isn't effective! We weren't born to rely on stuff like this. As you get older, you may need to moisturise your skin but really, just washing your face with soap and water is perfectly fine!

i stopped using facial cleansers about 3 or 4 years ago. it has only gotten better ever since. i dont use skin makeup other than undereye concealer when i need it so i dont feel its necessary to use facial cleansers. i do like a good moisturizer in the winter, my fave is the Neutrogena one in the white bottle.

 

[laisla]

I swear by natural honey and olive oil soaps. I use good old nivea on my face afterwards. Sometimes the simple things are the best things

 

[pavement]

Being fed up with my current state of break-outage, I'm giving this a try. Although I only have Cetaphil soap bar lying around. Do you suppose it makes a difference? It feels a little drying, but otherwise okay.

I know it's probably not good to start two things at once, but my oil free Neutrogena moisturizer is making me paranoid. Maybe I suck at absorbing things, but it leaves a slimy layer on my face. So I'm gonna try Elizabeth Arden's oil free matte moisturizer for a while. I've had it for a while, but have been suspicious since I got ripped off by the 8-hour cream.. The formula sounds well, I just hope it works.

 

[VainJane]

Until she reached her fifties, my mom used either Lava soap (the soap mechanics use to get grime off their hands) or regular soap and didn't moisturize. Her skin looks fabulous, clear and smooth, and she doesn't even need to use foundation (although she does).

The only reason she started using moisturizer is for wrinkle prevention....though she has practically no wrinkles.


If your skin responds well to regular ol' soap, then have at it. A light moisturizer probably wouldn't hurt though (if your skin doesn't respond badly to it).

 

[lcm]

^ i agree. I dont usually break out, but when i do...its awful, i always prefer the clear, smooth skin, so to prevent more breakouts I used to use an all-natural tea tree oil cleanser, and an herbal mosturizer that i bought at an organic store..they worked but it took atleast three weeks for the stuff to actually kick in (bc it wasnt medicated) so i went back and just started using soap and water again, I prefer the hypo-allergenic, no-oils, sensitive skin soaps, so far so good! soap and water it is!! plus...but using soap and water, you wont pay for the damage all of these products cause later on in life, my mom always tell me, 1. warm water 2.wash with soap 3.rinse with warm water 3. then finish with cold water to close your pores..and i must tell ya, it works, moms always know best

 

[TheKiwi]

I'm going to try this. Lately, I've been getting breakouts and I've gone like 3 years without them! Something in my routine needs to change. I'm going to try the soap and water thing. We'll see how it goes.

 

[mellowdrama]

My skin is never better than when I just use liquid castile soap on it, avoid mirrors, and skip the makeup. I couldn't wear moisturizer or foundation at all until I was in my 30's. In the past, everything I'd put on my skin, besides soap and witch hazel, would give me acne. I'm not particularly wrinkled or sun damaged at 34, but I'm a late sleeper and non-sun worshipper, so I think I've missed over-exposure. I do wear a sunscreen everyday, now, even though the bulk of sun damage is supposed to have occurred before one is 18.

For soap-based skin cleansers, I've always liked Dr. Bronner's Lavender Castile and Desert Essence's Awapuhi/Tea Tree cleansers. I like to splurge on stuff like Santa Maria Novella's rosewater for a toner, too. If you find soap makes your face tight, you might try a cleansing oil before the soap--DHC and Shu Uemura make a good ones, or you can just use olive oil, really.

Moisturizers are very tricky things, I've found, one will work fine for a long time then suddenly just turn me into a sea of comedones. But ones I have used and liked include pricey ones like Remede Alchemy and Lush Gorgeous, to drugstore brands like St. Ives and Clean & Clear. I'm a sucker for the magic balms and ointments you find at health food stores, too. I've brewed up my herbal butters and cremes, too.

I can't resist a good smelling pot of creme. If it makes my face break out, I'll use it on my feet!