Aurora, and skin care update
Nov. 10th, 2004 12:17 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
mollyringleLast night there was supposedly a huge amount of geomagnetic activity due to solar flares, and the Spaceweather site said, "AURORA ALERT: if it is dark where you live, go outside now!" So Steve and I jumped in the car at 9 pm and went zooming around like storm chasers, trying to find SOMEWHERE in the Seattle area where it wasn't cloudy. We failed. V. disappointing. But, Spaceweather says there could be more tonight, so watch the skies.
Many months ago I asked you for recommendations on the great triumvirate of skin care (cleanser, toner, moisturizer) for sensitive/oily/breakout-prone skin. I have tried a few different things since then, but have settled into a set I think I can live with. Cetaphil or Dove Beauty Bar for Sensitive Skin have worked fine as cleansers. The Dove bar in particular has been great in that it lasts forever, and costs virtually nothing. Never thought I'd like a bar of soap for my face, but it really leaves my face feeling nice and clean.
For the moisturizer, I've settled on Neutrogena Skin Clearing Moisturizer, with salicylic acid and retinol. Benzoyl peroxide, as an acne fighter--the active ingredient in Proactiv and many others--was peeling and drying my skin too much, and bleaching any cloth it touched in the bargain. Salicylic acid does not bleach, and is in low enough concentration in this mix to keep it from drying out my skin.
But the real money product, which I recommend enthusiastically to anyone, is plain old pure tea tree oil. I've been using it as a toner, dabbing a tiny bit onto a wet cotton ball (to dilute it--that stuff is strong!) and applying it between cleaning and moisturizing. My face, for the first time since puberty, has not been getting shiny by the end of the day; which is interesting, considering I'm actually putting oil onto it. But tea tree oil is not your average oil. It is a natural antibacterial, anti-viral, and anti-fungal agent. You can treat pretty much any infection on the exterior of your body with this stuff--cuts, scrapes, poison oak, athlete's foot, supposedly even yeast infections (!). Some people complain of the smell, which is sort of like eucalyptus and turpentine, but I actually like it; and anyway, the vapors vanish after a few minutes.
I do still get breakouts, yes, but they're fewer and less serious; and they heal faster. The little myriad bumps on my forehead, brought about by Proactiv, are gone. The tingle of the tea tree oil gives me a nice glow. All hail the weird little Australian tree!
Many months ago I asked you for recommendations on the great triumvirate of skin care (cleanser, toner, moisturizer) for sensitive/oily/breakout-prone skin. I have tried a few different things since then, but have settled into a set I think I can live with. Cetaphil or Dove Beauty Bar for Sensitive Skin have worked fine as cleansers. The Dove bar in particular has been great in that it lasts forever, and costs virtually nothing. Never thought I'd like a bar of soap for my face, but it really leaves my face feeling nice and clean.
For the moisturizer, I've settled on Neutrogena Skin Clearing Moisturizer, with salicylic acid and retinol. Benzoyl peroxide, as an acne fighter--the active ingredient in Proactiv and many others--was peeling and drying my skin too much, and bleaching any cloth it touched in the bargain. Salicylic acid does not bleach, and is in low enough concentration in this mix to keep it from drying out my skin.
But the real money product, which I recommend enthusiastically to anyone, is plain old pure tea tree oil. I've been using it as a toner, dabbing a tiny bit onto a wet cotton ball (to dilute it--that stuff is strong!) and applying it between cleaning and moisturizing. My face, for the first time since puberty, has not been getting shiny by the end of the day; which is interesting, considering I'm actually putting oil onto it. But tea tree oil is not your average oil. It is a natural antibacterial, anti-viral, and anti-fungal agent. You can treat pretty much any infection on the exterior of your body with this stuff--cuts, scrapes, poison oak, athlete's foot, supposedly even yeast infections (!). Some people complain of the smell, which is sort of like eucalyptus and turpentine, but I actually like it; and anyway, the vapors vanish after a few minutes.
I do still get breakouts, yes, but they're fewer and less serious; and they heal faster. The little myriad bumps on my forehead, brought about by Proactiv, are gone. The tingle of the tea tree oil gives me a nice glow. All hail the weird little Australian tree!
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no subject
Date: 2004-11-11 02:27 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2004-11-11 06:09 pm (UTC)the smelly stuff works!
Date: 2004-11-11 07:42 am (UTC)Proactive is dangerous stuff -- I have many bleached out spots on my towels from it.
Lately, Eucerine pore purifying wash seems to be doing a good job as far as a cleanser goes.
I tend to be a product whore and am not very consistent, which probably makes things worse.
Re: the smelly stuff works!
Date: 2004-11-11 06:10 pm (UTC)Have also heard alcohol is a bad idea - dries out the skin too much. I think once in a while it's good for a serious cleaning, though.
no subject
Date: 2004-11-11 10:39 am (UTC)Every time I've tried Proactiv (there have been 3 times) my face has been dry for about two weeks and then better. I'm clearer with Proactiv than with anything else, and with Proactiv + Clindamycin phosphate I'm almost entirely clear.
I've tried 2 different all-natural product lines in the past, and once natural products supplimented with tea tree, with bad, bad, bad, bad results.
no subject
Date: 2004-11-11 06:11 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2004-11-11 12:00 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2004-11-12 05:47 am (UTC)After that stuff runs out, I'm definitely going to try the tea tree oil. Thanks for the helpful tips!
no subject
Date: 2004-11-13 03:48 pm (UTC)also, I'm with you: I think the scent is pretty interesting.
no subject
Date: 2004-11-14 01:00 pm (UTC)