Questions about switching to Dr Hauschka...
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Sat Jan 15, 2005 12:33 am

I have been having horrible acne for the last 4 years. I started using Proactiv 3 years ago and it really worked for a long time, but for the last year I have been breaking out again and having HORRIBLE dryness.

I want to start using natural skin products and makeup. I was drawn to the Dr Hauschka line for that reason and because I like the philosophy of not drying the skin to solve oil/acne problems.

So, I went off the Proactiv and started Dr H a week ago. I follow the reccomendations, i.e. not moisturizing at night (very hard for me!), etc. After two days of lovely skin, the horror has begun. My breakout is so bad I don't want to leave the house! This happened the one other time I tried to stop Proactiv a year ago. I am having a combination of cystic acne, whiteheads, and really ruddy, irritated skin.

Will the Dr H eventually work? I am going to stick with it for a month. Has anyone else had these problems?

I'll take any advice/experiences I can get.

Thanks- Andrea

free skin care · Sat Jan 15, 2005 5:37 am

Hey there

Dr. Hauschka really broke me out when I started using it - I think your very brave to continue with it - I ditched it the moment I looked in the mirror and beheld the horror before me.

I think if you do a search quite a few people have had similar problems, but say that you need to stick with it for a while before things become dandy again. Quite frankly I couldnt bear to do that.

Ive had very similar experiences with Proactiv to you, it worked great for a long time...and then the effects just fizzled out.

I really would recommend M.D Forte Glycare Perfection Gel - this is the latest addition to my acne arsenal. I bought it after reading the reviews on makeupalley and saw what they were all raving about. And as a major bonus - its mega cheap - in the UK I got it for only £4.99 off ebay. Check ebay for a good deal.

If you havent already tried Dermalogica's tried and tested Medicated Clearing Gel thats really good and Im a big fan when I get the odd cyst of Sircuits X-Zit.

I hope that helps.

Farouk

free skin care · Sat Jan 15, 2005 5:46 pm

Apparantly after switching to Hauschka all of the 'toxins' come out of your skin, causing breakouts (so they say..). Their website and their catalogue highly recommends a 28 day course of their rythmic night conditioner to help your skin adjust. If you are dedicated to using the Haushcka line you might want to give it a try. Personally, I experienced some mild breakouts when I switched to Dr. H, but I haven't had bad acne for about 7-8 years now. My skin has recovered and I am quite pleased with the results. Good luck!!!

Sun Jan 16, 2005 2:01 am

I had a slight breakout in the first two weeks of starting the Cleansing Cream and toner. I started using the Rhythmic Night Conditioner after that (unrelated timing - it just happened to come in the mail at that time) and my skin had cleared up. I don't know if it was the RNC, it might have been a combo of that plus my skin just clearing up by itself - or just my skin clearing up by itself.

I think there is a period of time during which your skin tends to purge "bad stuff" with certain skincare lines. This is normal and should go away in a couple of weeks. There is of course the possiblity that the skincare line or the products chosen are not suitable for your skin.

What are you using?

Sun Jan 16, 2005 6:21 pm

I have been using the cleansing cream followed by the Clarifying Toner at night (no moisturizer as recommended), and the cleansing cream, toner, and Day Oil in the morning.

I have read here many women recommend using the Cleansing Milk before the Cleansing Cream. I tried it last night and it was so thick and creamy I just couldn't IMAGINE using on my acne prone face! I know women rave about that product.

I have the problem of acne all over my face, oily skin in my T-zone, and dry skin at the same time. Also, after sleeping all night without moisturizer I am waking up with dry, peeling skin. Dry skin runs in my family- we all have very fair, thin skin.

Right now it's 5pm, and my face has kind of a dry, slightly burning feeling, but it's slightly oily at the same time.

What do you ladies think?

Thanks!

Andrea

free skin care · Mon Jan 17, 2005 8:25 am

Sounds to me as your skin is both very irritated and dehydrated. What about using moisturiser at night until your skin adjust and then gradually stop using one? I would suggest using the rose cream at night as it will calm and moisturise your skin. it is very oily, but if you use it sparingly and allow it to use quite a while to sink into your skin it will not be a problem.

free skin care · Mon Jan 17, 2005 3:57 pm

Lately I've been using a moisturizer at night by Aubrey Organics called vegecell. It's VERY light, which is important to me because I have oily skin. I have been using this in conjunction with the Dr. Hauschka line for about 2 weeks now and I like it. Might be worth a try if you want a light moisturizer for night.

Tue Jan 18, 2005 1:32 am

I would suggest using a moisturiser (something natural) but only on the areas that are dry. Instead of rubbing it it, pat it between your fingers to the point where it's almost melted/absorbed and then pat on your skin. HTH

Thu Jan 20, 2005 2:36 am

can someone gimme the link to this product i have so much on my cheek it's not even funny ughh! Embarassed

free skin care · Thu Jan 20, 2005 7:29 am

I really want to order the cleansing cream, but am a little concerned about the "toxins coming out of my skin" as chimera described Embarassed

I'm actually tempted to switch to using Dr H products exclusively. Is this a good idea? Or should I just add Dr H products to my routine one at a time?

I actually have a long list of other products I want to try, especially Dermalogica Microfoliant and Yonka Nettoyant oh and Decleor too Rolling Eyes

But, after reading a little about the philosophy behind the line, isn't it better to just stick to Dr H products? Please help! Confused

free skin care · Thu Jan 20, 2005 5:04 pm

You probably wouldn't get as much of a reaction, if any reaction at all, if you added Dr. H products to your routine one at a time. I *believe* the 'toxins coming out of your skin' is caused by a complete conversion to their all natural line, so if you take it slowly that might be a solution. Personally, I just made a complete switch to the line and I had a very mild reaction. However, I have had an all-natural, chemical free diet and lifestyle for several years prior to switching to Dr. Hauschka, so this may explain why I didn't have much of a reaction. At any rate, it goes away after a period so please don't be scared -- I made it sound much worse than it is!!!

free skin care · Fri Jan 21, 2005 1:54 pm

Thanks for your reply chimera! Very Happy

...

Um, actually, I think I've confused myself now Embarassed

If I don't use the whole line, then the toxins stay in my body right?

But is getting the toxins out a good/necessary thing?? Confused

free skin care · Fri Jan 21, 2005 2:37 pm

I'm getting confused, too! I've just read in a few places about that toxin thing. Just according to my common sense, I would imagine you would not get a reaction if you *only* used to cleansing cream.

Can anybody out there back me up?

Fri Jan 21, 2005 11:21 pm

Well, I guess that depends on what you are currently using and how effective it is at cleansing your skin. When I switched to using Dr H Cleansing Cream I did have a very minor breakout (which essentially is caused by skin purging all the bad stuff). It settled down in a few days. I have not had any further breakouts from adding Dr H products but then again it's quite rare that I get a breakout even if I completely confuse my skin by changing the ENTIRE skincare regime.

Sat Jan 22, 2005 12:09 am

RED FLAG !!!!! Getting the toxins out of your skin is a very red flag. When I was a senior in high school, my mom wanted me to start cleaning my skin with a "system". At that point I never even washed my face every night. I had fantastic skin, with invisible pores. It was some aloe based system. The first night that I used it, my face broke out for the first time in my life. They told us that it was getting the toxins out of my skin and purifying my skin and not to stop. The break out continued and my perfect skin was no more. My skin is better now at 36, but I still get break outs. I would stop immediately. Don't damage your skin any more.

free skin care · Sat Jan 22, 2005 5:21 pm

kamarjor, I can really relate to what you are saying. My first venture into skincare was the Clinique 3 step system. Prior to that, I too had good skin. The Clinique made me breakout and turned my normal skin into tight, leathery combination skin. Unfortunately, I kept buying the Clinique it because I didn’t know any better. Crying or Very sad

Now I’m on a mission to be kind to my skin, and have binned the Clinique. But having got into the habit of using one brand exclusively, I somehow have fallen into the trap of sticking with just one brand, and am now using the Philophy line. Rolling Eyes

Anyway, back to Dr H…

I was wondering, is the ‘toxins-coming-out reaction’ a side-effect of using Dr H products in combination with eachother? Or, is it the act of switching to the ENTIRE Dr H cleanse, tone and moisurise routine OVERNIGHT that does it? Think

Sun Jan 23, 2005 9:30 am

I just started using Dr. Hauschka about three weeks ago. I jumped in with both feet -- I started using the Cleansing Milk, Cleansing Cream, Clarifying Toner, Moisturizing Day Cream, Rose Day Cream, and Rhythmic Night Conditioner (oh and the Facial Steam Bath and Clay Mask!).

I already had been using a very natural skincare line, and I've never had problem skin, so I haven't had a terribly rough "detox" period. However, I have had the following experiences:

-First, it has been VERY HARD for me not using a moisturizser at night. I have dry skin, and it feels dry and looks flaky just a few minutes after washing if I don't use a moisturizer. Has anyone else experienced this? Are the benefits of letting your skin "breathe" worth the discomfort of dry skin? I must say, when I wake up in the mornings, my skin looks and feels fine (a little dry, but not uncomfortably so), so perhaps it's not a problem, but it's just difficult for me to get past feeling the need to use a night cream.

-Apart from that, however, my pores have dramatically SHRUNK and de-clogged! I mean it -- I've never known a product to actually reduce the appearance of pores until now. It's amazing -- sometimes right after using the Cleansing Cream in the mornings, it actually looks as though stuff has come out of my pores (the ones I can still see, that is). Very Happy

-As far as detox goes, I notice that occassionally (usually after using the steam bath & mask), my face will look a little blotchy, and if I look close I can see a few random little red bumps. I've never had that kind of skin condition before, but I'm having faith that it's just my skin detoxing/adjusting/whatever. Also, re: the shrinking pores -- I had a much more dramatic effect at first. Now, although they're still smaller than when I started, they're starting to become a bit more visible again. Still, I'm only three weeks into the "system" (haven't even finished the full course of Rhythmic Night Conditioner), so I'm planning to stick with it for awhile and see what happens.

So -- do you think that the no-night-cream thing is integral to the detoxing/pore cleansing process? Do you think that "cheating" in that respect would make much of a difference?

It's good to read about everyone else's experiences!

free skin care · Sun Jan 23, 2005 12:31 pm

Summer,

Like you, I jumped into the Dr. H routine with both feet! It's good that you are using the night conditioner because that is supposed to help your skin transition.

I have been using the Dr. H line for months now, but I recently have begun cheating by using a night moisturizer! I'm not sure WHY I started to do this, because my skin is oily and it does not feel dry at night. It's been a few weeks and I have not experienced any side effects so far, my skin looks great and I have no breakouts. I would definitely not recommend that you use a Dr. Hauschka product as your night moisturizer if you do decide to use one, because they are so rich. I personally use 'Vegecell' by Aubrey Organics (this is for oily skin but they have a comparable one for dry skin). It's VERY light so I feel like my skin still gets to breathe a little at night. It's also all-natural so I feel like it fits well with the Dr. Hauschka products.

You should probably finish up your course of rythmic night conditioner first, though, because it is so expensive I would hate to suggest you do anything to interfere with it!

Sun Jan 23, 2005 6:04 pm

A very good point Chimera! Wink

I think that after the 28 (I guess actually 25) days are up, if my skin still feels parched at night, I'm going to reintroduce a moisturizer. My Holy Grail moisturizer is Lush's Skin's Shangri-La, but as that contains cocoa butter, it might be too heavy and interfere with the "breathing" thing. I'm toying with the idea of Jurlique Herbal Recovery Gel, but I guess I'll cross that bridge when I come to it!

Thanks for your input! I'm really glad to hear that you started moisturizing at night while doing the Dr. Hauschka thing without upsetting the results.

Very Happy

free skin care · Mon Jan 24, 2005 8:45 am

Thanks for sharing your experiences Very Happy

Can I just ask, are either of you using any non Dr H masks or treatments or serums or is the cleanse, tone, moisturise routine enough?

Tue Jan 25, 2005 2:44 am

I try to stick to using no mosituriser when using the RNC but I do use eye cream. My skin does adapt to this and does not beg me for an additional moisturiser. However, whenever I finish a course of RNC I do go back to using a moisturiser at night. If you do want to use a moisturiser while using the RNC I would also suggest that you use something light. Jurlique Herbal Recovery Gel is very nice if you don't need a lot of moisture and it's also natural.

As for the skin purging toxins - this is not something that is unique to Dr H or natural products. When you do use products that are more "deep cleansing" than others or have certain active ingredients (e.g. AHAs or BHAs) it is common to experience an initial break out.

Summer - I am really glad that you saw a decrease in pore size! I've raved about the Cleansing Cream since two weeks after I started using it. It basically got rid of all the blackheads on my nose and made pores around my nose invisible. All I can say to those who have it or are thinking of trying it is that technique is very important when using this cleanser!

Tue Jan 25, 2005 6:49 am

Masby, you're very right about that. A traditional scrub it is not!

Rzeka, no, I am not using anything in addition to the Dr. Hauschka products at the moment. I am thinking of re-introducing a moisturizer once I finish my course of Rhythmic Night Conditioner -- when I do, I am starting to convince myself that it's going to be either the Jurlique Herbal Recovery Gel or the Dr. Hauschka Moisturizing Day Cream (which I'm already using in the mornings), because it's so light.

Masby, I'm really glad to hear that you're able to use a moisturizer at night without compromising the effects of the Dr. Hauschka routine. I must say, my skin has adapted better than I thought it would to not using a moisturizer, but I think that ultimately I'm not going to be able to do without one forever! I've got about a week left of the RNC, so we'll see how my skin adapts.

Thanks everyone for the input/experiences! I have an unnatural facination for talking about skincare. Embarassed

Tue Jan 25, 2005 8:05 am

Ok, update -- I have just ordered more Cleansing Cream (as it seems to go fast!), the Facial Toner (as I feel that the Clarifying might be too drying for me), and the Jurlique Herbal Recovery Gel. (You enablers! Wink

)

A question has occurred to me though, and I suspect Masby might be able to answer --

I see reading through this forum that most of you who use Dr. Hauschka use the Cleansing Cream both mornings and evenings. When I first started using it, I used it only in the mornings and in the evenings just removed my makeup with Cleansing Milk and then applied the Rhythmic Night Conditioner. However, once I realized that the Cleansing Cream was meant for twice-daily use, I started using it at night too. However, I suspect that my dry skin issues might be related to that. Last night I went back to just the Cleansing Milk and RNC, and my skin felt much better when I woke up this morning.

Does anyone use the Cleansing Cream exclusively in the mornings? And if I don't use it at night, do you reckon I'm preventing the RNC from doing its job by not "deep cleansing" first?

Thanks in advance for your thoughts!

Tue Jan 25, 2005 6:36 pm

Summer - one tube of the cleansing cream lasts me about one month when used twice daily. I can't really answer your question as I use the Cleansing Cream 2 x daily when I use it. I have not had any problems with dryness and I find that I could really go without moisturiser after I use the cleansing cream (although I don't want to go without Smile

).

I would say that you should do what feels best for your skin. If it feels better when you use it just once daily then stick with it.

free skin care · Sat Jan 29, 2005 10:11 am

Mabsy wrote:

Quote:

I've raved about the Cleansing Cream since two weeks after I started using it. It basically got rid of all the blackheads on my nose and made pores around my nose invisible. All I can say to those who have it or are thinking of trying it is that technique is very important when using this cleanser!

The Cleansing Cream sounds too good to be true. I just ordered it from EDS.

Will it come with instructions on the technique?

Liz

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