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Facial Moisturizing Suggestions?

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Comments

  • voraciousreader
    voraciousreader Member Posts: 3,696

    HLB...the same dermatologist recommended the Cerave line of products to my daughter.  She loves the Cerave PM.  She hoards samples of it, because it's pricey. 

    http://www.amazon.com/CeraVe-Moisturizing-Facial-Lotion-Ounce/dp/B00365DABC

  • divinemrsm
    divinemrsm Member Posts: 6,592

    I prefer a 'cream' to a lotion as well.  There's also...don't know what word to use to explain...but the process of unscrewing the lid of a pretty little container and dipping my fingertips into the creamy moisturizer is asthetically appealing to me, rather than squeezing out some drops of lotion onto my fingertips.

    I will buy some name brand Vaseline; not surprised to find out it has a thicker consistency.  I have a Latisse prescription for eyelashes to grow since mine never came back very strong after chemo.  I've been using it almost two months...there is some improvement but it's very slow.  But what the heck. 

  • xtina
    xtina Member Posts: 5

    I second the Yes to Carrots and Avalon Organics lines!  The Avalon lotions are great.  I use Yes to Carrots Cleanser, Avalon Vitamin C Renewal, and I also use Derma E Products (also no parabens, animal testing, etc) and really like their DMAE cream.  I want quality lotions and have sensitive skin, but I don't want to spend $50 per lotion so it takes me a bit of looking. 

    Previously I was a big user of Retinol products, but I was also told that anything with Retinol was a big no-no when it comes to Cancer. 

  • Jennifer404
    Jennifer404 Member Posts: 133

    Yay speacial k!!!! Thank you for the korres recommendation! I want to be able to buy the products in store and we are about to get a sephora!

    I have had the hardest time finding products on skin deep that are a 0 or 1!!!! I am so excited! Thank you!

  • specialk
    specialk Member Posts: 9,257

    jen - I really like Korres products, not just the cream.  They have a great mascara - the only one I could find that did not make a clumpy mess on my strangely textured new lashes. Also, for all - there are some J.C. Penney stores that have a mini-Sephora in them. 

  • mary625
    mary625 Member Posts: 154

    I've heard that Yes to Carrots can be found at Targets. I haven't tried it myself, but it's on my list.  I am currently using a moisturizer by Bare Minerals that doesn't have any bad stuff in it.  I also use coconut oil occasionally, as well as BioOil which is for scars, but since it didn't seem to do anything for mine, I started putting on my face.  My face can take a lot of oil and drink it in. 

  • BUNKIE10
    BUNKIE10 Member Posts: 670

    I have been checking this topic out to see what to do about my skin since rads. Just stopped in Nov but still having issues peeling under the breast. I am still very sensitive to everything except aquaphor that I use at night and on my scar during the day. I still use Aloe Vera gel to sooth. Before all this I was using Cetiphil creme with no problem but now it bothers that area. I still use the soap as I seem to be allergic to other stuff. I have been looking for a shower gel that will not make me itch.

    I have always used Mary Kay cleanser and moisturizer on my face since I was 15. I am 60 and if I switch I break out. Even with Clinique. Go figure. As a matter of fact I was using Clinique eye creme for about a year and it just now started to bother me. Makes me nuts.

    I wrote down some of your products to try.

  • mary625
    mary625 Member Posts: 154

    For radiation, I used a calendula cream.  Calendula is a flower, I think, so it is not a brand name of a cream.  There are several brands of it at Whole Foods.  I don't know how well it works with sensitive skin, but I do think it works well for the radiation burn in addition to aloe vera and something like Aquaphor.  I used all 3 in combo.

  • maryah930
    maryah930 Member Posts: 122

    My skin began to get very dry and itchy. One night I woke up and just out of frustration, used Bio-Oil on my face, neck, lips, and scalp.  I thought it would be too heavy and oily, but didn't care.  It wasn't and I've used it ever since. Even my crows feet, laugh lines and forehead lines appear to have lessened substantially.  I only use a nickel size worth and rub the remainder in to my hands. 

  • HLB
    HLB Member Posts: 740

    About the lashes; my mom is using a product called Revitalash. She got it from a lady who does tatoo makeup. Its expensive but when she ran out I found some on ebay for $60. I don't know how that compares to Latisse, but this lady says the Revitalash is more natural without side effects and the reviews are good on Amazon. I think the Latisse does work really well though. It just takes awhile, like you don't see anything until your second tube. I have some bio oil that I got for scars and have not been using. I'm going to try it for my wrinkles now that it was mentioned. This a great thread! So many good suggestions! I went to the older one about physical aging appearance but after the first few pages and no suggestions I gave up. Its a pain because I use my phone. My mom has been using the cerave and really likes it. She is just using the body lotion on her face. She has been using prescription retin-a for years and she has great skin! The other day she had no makeup on and I would have sworn she at least had powder on! She also uses porcelana. What she does is every day uses retin a, then alternates every other day with Porcelana and Ceravie for moisturizing. Why is the retin-a bad for cancer?

  • claireinaz
    claireinaz Member Posts: 710

    Burts Bees Lemon Cuticle Balm is GREAT for hands and feet, not just cuticles. I live at 7000 feet where it's very cold with very low humidity (20% is a damp day for us); I use the lemon balm daily and love the smell. And Berts Bees tinted lip balm is wonderful too.  I sound like a commercial for the company, but I do swear by most of their products. Just wish they'd stop using royal jelly in their spf 15 daily moisturizer so I could feel safe using it, too.

    Claire in AZ

  • Blessings2011
    Blessings2011 Member Posts: 1,801

    Oh, I wish I could use the Bio-Oil...I bought some right before my BMX so I could get a head-start on massaging my scars when they healed.

    The first time I put it on, my skin itched so badly I had to wash it off completely with a warm soapy washcloth, rinse it well, and apply hydrocortisone cream to stop the itch!

    Whatever it was, there was some ingredient in the Bio-Oil I was allergic to. Waaaaa....

  • xtina
    xtina Member Posts: 5

    HLB- Retinol products can be an issue when it comes to skin cancer - the theory is that the action of Retinol itself breaks down the skin's defenses and makes it more susceptible to ultra-violet rays, thus making it more prone to skin cancer.  Many dermatologists will recommend that if you use it, you use it only at night, and not during the day.  Your daytime lotions, make-ups, etc, should not contain retinol.

    Then for most over the counter retinol roducts, they tend to contain parabens as stabilizers/preservatives, which aren't good for cancer.  If you use a prescription retinoid (like Retin-A) it may not contain parabens, but if you buy OTC you may want to make sure it's paraben free.

  • divinemrsm
    divinemrsm Member Posts: 6,592

    What about liquid soap for hands?  Is there a more organic or natural product that is better to use than, say, Dial liquid soap, or the Walmart generic equivalent?

    And what about body lotion?  As with facial moisturizer, I prefer one with little or no fragrance, and would ideally like one without ingredients like parabens and such that are no good for you.

  • claireinaz
    claireinaz Member Posts: 710

    Natural and whole foods stores have a variety of paraben free lotions, soaps and creams, shampoos and conditioners. I have used shampoo as liquid body soap. Usually the stores have a tester that's already opened so you can try it out and see if the scent is too much for you.

    Claire

  • mary625
    mary625 Member Posts: 154

    I use hand soap from Whole Foods. One of the main things to avoid in hand soaps is triclosan which is often used in antibacterial versions. I use body soaps with natural fragrances from either Whole Foods or that I buy from a soap maker. I'm still trying to use up my Eucerin from radiation--I looked for a version that was paraben-free. Some Eucerins are not. After that, I will use up a supply of Burt's Bees body butter that I've been given. Just a few ideas... Also, if price is no object and you have curly hair (either naturally or post chemo), I've found a great line of shampoos, conditioners, etc. called Deva Curl which says it is paraben-free. It is very moisturizing. I did not like the natural brands from Whole Foods -- they seemed to dry my hair and strip my color. They were fine when I was bald though. :)

  • Cyborg
    Cyborg Member Posts: 192

    Love this thread

  • HLB
    HLB Member Posts: 740

    There is a product called black soap that I really like as a facial soap. I got it at a farmers market from a lady who sells shea butter products that me makes herself but you can get it on ebay. Its made of plantain peels and shea butter. I think its all natural ingredients. My nephew took a shower at my house once and he said "what's that thing in the shower that looks like it came from mu a**". Lol

  • divinemrsm
    divinemrsm Member Posts: 6,592

    Eucerin is one of my favorite hand cremes...I wasn't aware there are paraben free products of that brand available, so I will look!  I just bought some Yardley of London shower gel, I think the scent is Sea Minerals...it was on sale at Walgreens's this week....paraben free, and love that fragrance...it's possible to use it as a hand soap, but I will look for others.  My hair hasn't ever been curly, not even after chemo did I get the curls, just a bit more texture to the hair.  Right now I'm using Loreal and Pantene shampoo and conditioner.  I have to switch them out at various times of the year with season changes.  Now that it's winter, my hair needs a moisturizing conditioner and in the summer I have to figure out what works best in the humidity.  The black soap sounds intriguing!

  • julz4
    julz4 Member Posts: 1,373

    Divine I use St. Ives lotions they are Paraben free ..... I think all of them.  I know the She Butter with Oatmeal that I use is. Not overly smelly either.

  • Downey30
    Downey30 Member Posts: 199

    Has anyone tried Kiss My Face  Olive Oil bar soap?  It has only three ingredients.  I really like it. Jamie



     

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  • cp418
    cp418 Member Posts: 359

    I recently tried "ACURE Organics" facial day/night creams and shampoo.  Very nice products and I GOOGLE for the best prices. Recently tried a sample of their hand cream and skin feels great after frequent washings during the day.

    http://www.pharmaca.com/Acure/Search?gclid=COC8gMva77QCFQSf4AodO0YAQQ

    Sometimes I use extra virgin coconut oil to smear on my hands at night - lightly rinse off excess and towel dry.  Also, after shower smear on feet and again wipe off excess.

  • BUNKIE10
    BUNKIE10 Member Posts: 670

    mary625,

    Does Diva Hair have a scent? I am looking for something very low scent for my curly hair. I currently use Nioxin for hair loss that works great but they have no gels etc and sometimes I like to switch up a bit.

  • mary625
    mary625 Member Posts: 154

    I think that Deva Curl has a light scent, in my opinion.

  • lastar
    lastar Member Posts: 553

    I recommend Burt's Bees Daily Moisturizing Cream in the little glass jar for your face. I've ben using it for several months and love it.

  • HLB
    HLB Member Posts: 740

    Hey ladies, a friend gave me a bottle of Wen cleansing conditioner. I have never used anything so nice on my hair! You just rake it through the hair for a minute and rinse and the hair is clean and combs so easily! Its way too expensive at I think $35 for a 16 bottle, but I only use a dime size so I may consider it when I run out if its still working fabulous. I read reviews on Amazon and people were talking about using 8-12 pumps which I thought was crazy because I use about a half a pump.



    Another thing I have just discovered is magnesium chloride. It comes in a spray bottle to spray on the skin as a way to get better absorption of magnesium. I have been using it for 4 days now, 4 sprays under each arm and I have no bad smell under the arms anymore! I'm totally amazed by this because I have not used any deoderant or antipersperant for 8 years and my underarms usually REEK to high heaven of chicken noodle soup. I decided I just don't care what I smell like because I'm not using deoderant! I could even smell myself right out of the shower and since I've been on meds for mets for 6th months by BO has gotten even worse. I even had a major sweating hot flash yesterday and still no underarm smell at all! You can get the spray at Swansons website for about $10 or 3 bottles for even cheaper. Super excited about my new deoderant!

  • divinemrsm
    divinemrsm Member Posts: 6,592

    HLB, a few people I work with have raved about the Wen line of hair products.

  • BrandieMcAdams
    BrandieMcAdams Member Posts: 8

    Coconut oil is great as a moisturizer...face, body, lip balm!

  • BUNKIE10
    BUNKIE10 Member Posts: 670

    I tried it but it had too much scent. Made my hair feel great. Darn it. Wish he would make one without a lot of scent. He has a childrens line also that is super easy on the hair but way too much scent.

  • InspiredbyDolce
    InspiredbyDolce Member Posts: 987

    I'm chiming in late to the conversation about skin and hair care.

    After my bc diagnosis, I changed my personal products to all 100% organic, by a company called NurtureMyBody.  I use the fragrance free line, and I buy the hand and body lotion / moisturizing face cream / shampoo from them.  I find the face moisturizing cream is EXCELLENT!  I have sensitive skin anyways, and have looked for years for something that did not make my face slightly red - and this is it.  I have zero reaction to it.  All of their products have the organic seal and have the 0 rating per the EWG Safe Cosmetics website.  The shampoo is wonderful, and frankly I've had to share it with my husband since he is also so impressed with it!  So I buy 2 bottles at a time when I order.  The face cream lasted me almost 6 months -and what I do to keep it healthy is I use a q-tip to swipe out what I need for my face, rather than use my fingers to scoop it out.  The shampoo and lotion containers you get a choice of glass bottles or BPA-free plastic!

    When I first started looking for items, I did a search through the EWG database and then once the list of items came up (let's say lipstick), I then typed in the brand on Amazon to see the reviews.  The nice thing about using the EWG database, is that after the product info is loaded, you can scroll down and see what each ingredient is, what the structure of it is and what contraindictions it has, etc.  So you can pick and choose what products you feel safest with. There is also a gauge on the site, so you can see at a glance if there is a cancer risk or enviromental impact with each line, etc.

    Also, if you all are evaluating your nutritional information, here is a site I love.  Gives you info on each food, in a label similar to what you find on boxed foods.  http://nutritiondata.self.com

    Have a great day everyone!