sensitive skin -- we need good skin care!
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Fri Jun 16, 2006 12:48 am

I was hoping for advice for people with dry, sensitive skin. I live in the desert and have noticed that most people here have sensitive skin. With millions of options and the cheaper brands now marketing skin care for redness and sensitivity...I"m so confused. I have used babor's sensitive ampules and calming cream. I liked it. Does anyone else have a recommendation or recommendations? Do the thermal water sprays help? What about using a humidifier at home?

Keenie

free skin care · Fri Jun 16, 2006 1:02 am

Jurlique Herbal Recovery Gel Smile

I also have A'kins Emergency Gel (reminds me soo much of Jurlique's!!! and cheaper).

Also maybe you can go for Bio Oils like EMU oil, jojoba oil and Hyaluronic Acid Smile

Fri Jun 16, 2006 1:22 am

i have heard a lot about that gel...but it's pricey.

It's weird, but I tried EMU oil, from Tucson (it was only 3 dollars a bottle and they said it was pure, from the farm outside of tucson)..it made my skin red! Not sure why...

Kinearase is non-irritating, but i was looking for something that would take the redness away!

HA is good, but not enough, right? What do you think about vitamin e oil and rosehips oil?

Thanks for your advice!

free skin care · Fri Jun 16, 2006 1:50 am

There are conflicting reviews of Vitamin E oil Sad

I love rosehip oil. I use Burt Bee's Attar of Rose Smile

Have u given jojoba oil a try to?

Fri Jun 16, 2006 3:00 am

i will try jojoba. E has worked well for me, and only costs 1 dollar where i live. Not sure why it doesn't work for others. I like camilla oil also, but would love to try decleor's oils...

free skin care · Fri Jun 16, 2006 7:06 am

I've got some rosehip oil and loved it but suspect it might have contributed to some clogged pores along the chin. My current faves for dealing with redness are PSF's R&R Toning Mist, and O2 Rescue Serum which is becoming something I can't live without. Smile

For moisturising I'm using argan oil which is lighter than rosehip and jojoba.

free skin care · Fri Jun 16, 2006 8:20 am

Keenie welcome to the forum. I live in Arizona too! I have oily skin that is very sensitive and even with my oily skin it is a constant struggle to keep it hydrated. It seems that when the humidity is extra low as it has been lately my skin is so dehydrated that it gets even more sensitive. I am still trying to figure this out myself but here are a few suggestions.

Do not use water sprays, thermal or otherwise. Unless the spray has other ingredients to keep the moisture on your skin the water will just evaporate (rather quickly in the desert) and leave your skin even drier. A humidifier might be good to use. Do you use an evaporative cooler or air conditioning? An evaporative cooler will definetly add moisture to the air although they do not work too well during monsoon season. I would not recommend the Jurlique Herbal Recovery Gel. This contains alcohol which is drying and I have found that it irritates my sensitive skin. Concerning oils I think they are good to use but after using moisturizers that are mainly oil I am starting to think that they are not enough. I am trying to find products with hydrators as well. HA is probably a good option but you are right you would need to put something on top of it.

I just got some of the Dermalogica Soothing Protection Spray and will be trying that today after a face peel so I can report back on that . Their Barrier Repair is also very nice and so is the Jurlique Calendula Cream but I don't know if either of these would reduce redness.

I am glad you joined the forum. It will be good to have a fellow desert dweller on the forum and it seems that we are dealing with some of the same problems (dehydration and sensitive skin). Hopefully we will be able to come up with some solutions!

free skin care · Fri Jun 16, 2006 9:32 am

I reallly like dermalogica's line for sensitive skin. The ultra calming cleanser is fabulous for sensitive skin. And their gentle soothing booster is the best to take away redness and protect your face from harsh environments during the day as well as moisturize. I cant stop raving about this product.

free skin care · Fri Jun 16, 2006 10:29 am

joziegrozy wrote:

There are conflicting reviews of Vitamin E oil Sad

Yeah, I'm the one with sensitive skin that totally broke out from it. BUT - my skin is sensitive and oily in the t-zone where I put it and broke out. I don't know about sensitive and dry.....

Fri Jun 16, 2006 3:10 pm

Nice to meet you Teresa...I've had bad expereinces with dermalogica and have heard many many bad things about it, so i don't know if i'd jump to try it over something else, but keep me posted.

The BEST thing for my sensitive, dry skin is the freeze-dried collagen fiber masks, but they are pricey, hard to apply and take time.

I bought a bed bath and beyond humidifier...the swiss one. It's good, but you have to replace water constantly...

AVENE products from france are very nice on my skin and super hydrating, i just found this out after usuing the samples i got at CVS ont he strip in VEGAS> the serum was great.

I use the glacier waters as water when i cleanse my skin. I don't just spray and leave the water on. But when cleasning, I actually enjoy these waters, as I cleans with cotton pads.

Keep me posted on the anti rosacea updates. Thanks

free skin care · Fri Jun 16, 2006 3:54 pm

Keenie is the glacier waters an Avene product? Using them instead of tap water might be a good idea. I really think that one of the reasons my skin is so sensitive is that our tap water is hard water. Maybe using something other than tap water would actually help.

free skin care · Fri Jun 16, 2006 6:27 pm

I have extremely dry sensitive skin and finally found the product line for me! Ice Elements.

I have been so excited about my find that I have been telling everyone about it. It is just sooo incredible!

I am using the basic Ice Elements normal to dry line - non foaming cream cleanser, anti-aging serum, eye cream, moisturizing lotion as well as the 2 minute miracle exfoliating gel and blueberry mask.

My skin was so dry that it would flake... which was not only irritating, but embarassing.

I had found products that would hide the flaking, but my skin was still so dry that if I wiped the sides of my nose or forehead with a black cloth I would see loads of dead skin cells... ick! Embarassed

I also had the oily t-zone... so lucky to have flakes and an oil slick... Rolling Eyes

Then about 6 - 8 months ago my skin started to turn a nice shade of red...

Well, the flakiness is GONE! The oil slick is GONE! and the redness is fading away nicely.

While I love all of the products I think that for me the 2 minute miracle exfoliating gel was key as it is a nice gentle exfoliation that prepped my skin so that it was able to use the other products more effectively. As gentle as it is, the peels and masks that I had used in the past were not as effective for me... I do not use anything really strong as my skin probably would not do well with it.

The products are available in the US and CA, and if you are interested I would suggest wandering over to www.iceelements.com and chatting with Shelly on the message board (she and Frankie are the owners of IE) to see what she would recommend for your skin. Or you could just browse through the topics that are already there as I am sure that there are plenty that apply to dry skin.

Whatever you choose, I wish you good luck in it. I know what it is like and when you do find the right products for you you will be sooo relieved!

free skin care · Mon Jun 19, 2006 10:09 am

Bosoxy do you know where I can find complete ingredient lists for the Ice Elements products? I took a look at their website and it only had key ingredients listed. Thanks.

free skin care · Mon Jun 19, 2006 10:26 am

I was interested in the ingredient lists too. So far I found the ingredient list for Blueberry Fusion Mask

Ingredients:
Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Polysaccharides (Hydropol ™), Vaccinium Angustafolium (Blueberry), Algae Extract Pullulan, Glycerin, Rebaudigna Extract (Stevia™), Soy protein, Rubus Fruiticosus (Blackberry) Fruit Extract, Ascorbic Acid (vitamin C), Tocopheryl (vitamin E) Acetate, Polyquaternium 10, Hyaluronic Acid, Psuedoaltermonis Ferment (Antarcticine™) Extract, Xantham gum, Methylparaben,Diazolidnyl Urea
Very Happy

free skin care · Mon Jun 19, 2006 3:45 pm

You can find the ingredients list at HSN listed by their products.

Here is one for you from the normal to dry kit (note that the new cleanser will be just a bit different as it will have a toner ingredient in it to eliminate the need for toner for those who would rather skip it).

The paraban percentages are less than 1% in the products that have them.

free skin care · Mon Jun 19, 2006 4:22 pm

Thanks Bosoxy!! Smile

free skin care · Mon Jun 19, 2006 5:25 pm

TheresaL wrote:

Thanks Bosoxy!! Smile

You are most welcome! Very Happy

Mon Jun 19, 2006 11:39 pm

Hey B!

Sounds like you work for ICE ELEMENTS? DO you? The name sounds so appealing where I am now...as it's 108 degrees.

Teresa: You can get Glacier water at CVS from that new Scandinavian brand. I buy mine from Taiwan, as they sell it cheaper there. I buy Arolla, in the bug blue can. It's only 4 bucks a can, while in the US, they sell it for 12-20 at ULTA. RIP OFF!

free skin care · Tue Jun 20, 2006 8:16 am

Keenie I will have to look for the glacier water the next time I go to CVS!

Just to update you on the Dermalogica. I tried the Soothing Protection Spray and it actually irritated my skin. It feels a little irritating when I apply it and my skin is itchy for a few hours afterwards! Could be too much lavender. It is amazing how often I have bad reactions to products that are supposed to be for sensitive skin. Confused

free skin care · Tue Jun 20, 2006 10:00 am

It is always hard to predict what will bother someone's skin. I read somewhere that people with sensitive skin should stick to products with short ingredients lists (regardless of whether they are "natural" or synthetic ingredients). That way there is just less to go wrong.

I have also had really good luck with L'Athene products (www.lathene.com). They have a sample kit you can buy. Their regimen is really simple and non-irritating but effective.

I have also had good luck with the PSF skincare sold at EDS.

Tue Jun 20, 2006 10:48 am

BCgirl wrote:

I reallly like dermalogica's line for sensitive skin. The ultra calming cleanser is fabulous for sensitive skin. And their gentle soothing booster is the best to take away redness and protect your face from harsh environments during the day as well as moisturize. I cant stop raving about this product.

I just bought ultra calming today!! It doesn't feel irritating at all. Does anyone know the pH? All the saleswoman said was "pH balanced." I know that the Dermalogica bar is 5.5, but the cleansers don't say on the packaging.

free skin care · Tue Jun 20, 2006 11:12 am

Theresa--- thanks for the dermatologica update. I'm crossing that soothing spray off my list, since I think my skin is definitely as sensitve as yours. Isn't it so frustrating when even items that are supposed to be for sensitive skin are irritating? sigh...

free skin care · Tue Jun 20, 2006 11:03 pm

Keenie71fun wrote:

Hey B!

Sounds like you work for ICE ELEMENTS? DO you? The name sounds so appealing where I am now...as it's 108 degrees.

Hi Keenie!

No, I do not work for Ice Elements. Laughing

I just REALLY love the products and the people.

I have never used anything that worked so well for my skin and after finally finding a great product line I want to share my find with everyone.

I know that I talk about it so much that I probably sound like a salesperson... Rolling Eyes

Tue Jun 20, 2006 11:42 pm

BBD,

the l'athene products look a lot like the avene products. They look really good. Thanks for the advice!

free skin care · Wed Jun 21, 2006 7:03 pm

I have sensitive skin as well and my 2 favourite lines are Primavera and Dr Hauschka. The complete Primavera line is fantastic for sensistive skin expecially maturing skin and Dr H has some excellent products in their line as well. I recommend checking both of them out.

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