The disposable washcloths are great. But I am too cheap to buy them.
I use baby wipes. I can get 500 of the generic no purfume with vitamin E and aloe for just a few dollars. I use three or four of them when I wash my face. One to get it damp, one to rub on the cleaner and one or two to wipe off the cleaner. I keep a pack in my car to wipe off my makeup before a run and to wipe off the sweat after a run.
I also keep a pack in my desk at work because they are wonderful for getting stains out of clothing. I got chocolate sauce of a silk shirt with a baby wipe. Anything that can do that has got to be able to get makeup off my face.
I sesond the Buf-Puf and a gentler cleanser idea. I don’t have super-oily skin, but I use Buf-Puf and Suave Medicated Cleanser (like Noxzema, in the tub).
Buf Pufs are not like the “jellyfish”/lather-makers, but are an ovoid flat sponge thing. They make extra-cleansing ones as well as Daily, which I use to be more gentle. http://www.mmm.com/bufpuf/ (sorry for the teen-mag type site )
I am only answering this because I am perfectly lovely, but you should not use that apricot scrub daily. I don’t see why using it with your hands wouldn’t work, but do limit it to once a week. Even then you should use it after you’ve cleansed. It’s purpose is to remove dead skin, not dirt, oil, make-up and the like. Your skin feels great after though, doesn’t it?
The daily wash cloths are expensive - $6.99 for 30. However, I got a package of 90 (1 box, 2 refills) at Sam’s Club for $13.00. Not bad! This was the Olay brand, bwt.
I recommend just using your hands. lesa is on the right track when she says that you should use a gentle cleanser everyday to remove makeup/dirt/yukky day stuff. If you want to exfoliate, there are tons of products that exfoliate without the scrubbies in them. Paula Begoun has a great webstite that helps plan a cleansing routine. It is at http://www.cosmeticscop.com. I have oily skin and have developed a fairly good routine that isn’t one of those long, 1/2 hour facial routines. E-mail me if you’d like further info!
IANAD, but I am a soapmaker, and I have lots of customers with picky/oily/dry/whatever skin, so maybe this will help.
I don’t use a washcloth at all…I use soap and my hands. I don’t get terribly dirty, so that’s all I need, usually. If I’m really nasty-working-in-the-garden-grimy, I use a salt scrub, which you can make out of very fine sea salt mixed with any kind of oil that strikes your fancy. (I use almond or avocado.) That’s a body-only type thing, though; salt would be too harsh for your face. (You can also use brown sugar instead of salt; it’s very much the thing right now, and people are paying WAY too much for it.)
For oily skin, you might try a good handcrafted honey-oatmeal soap. Any health food store would have it, or do a seach for “handcrafted soap” and you’ll find a million soapmakers online. Honey-oatmeal is the best all around soap there is, imo. Then once or twice a week, use a ground oatmeal/clay mask, and you’ll be in business.
If you overstimulate your oily skin, it’ll produce more oil. The oatmeal/clay mask-scrub is gentler and will do more for reducing oil. (You can make this too…buy regular oatmeal, blenderize it to powder, and mix it with a bit of green clay from the health food store. Maybe 3 parts oatmeal to 1 part clay–play around with proportions. Add a bit of water, smooth on face, let dry, then rinse gently with warm water.)
Okay, I heed y’all’s advice not to use the apricot every day. monster, thank you for the link, but it said “Under construction”. Thank you also to gigi.
I’ve decided to go with Buf-puf (poison dog lips!) and Neutrogena for the time being.
I should explain how I got hooked on apricot, though. In my early 20s, I worked at Mickey D’s, and as Pammipoo and others can tell you, your skin just gets slick from all the grease in the air. To combat this, I washed with apricot every shift, without fail, on my break and immediately after clocking out, and my skin was baby’s-butt-smooth. Of course those were different circumstances…
Until a few years ago, I also used to use a clay mask every weekend (well, most weekends), but I somehow got out of the habit. I should go back to that. And maybe those plastic strips; you know, the ones that lift everything out of your pores.
maybe says he
my job/religion doesn’t allow me to
communicate via the internet~~~!!
When all else fails
to pass the test
SOAP and WATER
proves the best
~~
SOAP and WATER
at day’s end
a penny’s earned
don’t pay a trend
Sorry about that site being under construction. I have her book that reviews products if you’d like me to look up anything in particular. I also have to mention that you probably shouldn’t use those strips. It is the absolute coolest thing to see how gross they are after you rip them off, but according to Paula (this woman is really helpful) they are horribly damaging to your skin.
Your best bet is to continue to wash your face (using the Buf-puf and Neutrogena if that works well for you). Then, use toner to get off the stubborn stuff. I need it in particular around my jawline because I never quite get it clean enough. Don’t use toner with alcohol, or if it makes your skin “tingle”. These are unnecessary additives. Then, you further clease your pores by using the exfolient. I switch between Paula’s 2 % Beta Hydroxy and Clinique’s Total Turnaround cream. These exfolients are what clean out your pores so you won’t need to rip out the yukkies with the strips.
Then, once a week or so, I use an oil-controlling mask. It is like Milk of Magnesia (yes, THAT one) instead of clay. I also use a Benzoil Peroxide product every day to avoid getting pimples in my “problem” spots.
Sorry for getting long-winded, but following Paula’s advice has really made a difference in my skin and I just wanted to share it with you.
You might want to check out an alpha or beta hydroxy moisturizer. It takes a week or two of regular use to get them really working well, but a good quality acid product will do all your exfoliating without any mechanical stress to increase oil output. Since I switched I stopped getting blackheads on my nose. I haven’t used a scrub on my face in a couple of years now.
If you have sensitive skin a beta is probably a better choice. Oil of olay makes a good one that is also SPF 15. For alphas I like Pond’s Prevent and Correct line. They are both available in the grocery stores here. Neutrogena’s products also work well, but I think they smell weird.
If you haven’t used them before, don’t be afraid of the “acid” in the name. They work at a very low level to turn over skin cells, and they also act as humectants, pulling water out of the air to keep your skin moist. It’s a good deal no matter how you slice it.
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