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Topic: Any advice on cheap alternative to face wash and face creams? Desperate SAH

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Subject: Any advice on cheap alternative to face wash and face creams? Desperate SAH
Date Posted: 2/17/2009 10:42 PM ET
Member Since: 1/28/2009
Posts: 1,247
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Hi everyone!

Feel kind of funny asking this here, but I am desperate. Have nobody else to ask! Hubby would just look at me and say, "huh?" lol.

Here is my dilemma. I am in my early 30's and my skin has decided NOW is the time to have acne, rather than when I was in my teens. <groan>

I have tried every over the counter that I am willing to cough up the $$ for. I give up on them, not to mention they are expensive and I am too cheap!

I make our own laundry soap, for heavens sake, I am not coughing up a fortune on face creams and such.

So, I have oily yet DRY skin, prone to breakouts.

Would anyone happen to know of any "make it yourself" or cheap alternatives to use for both facial cleanser and facial cream?

ANY advice is greatly appreciated. =)

Thank you so much.

 

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Date Posted: 2/17/2009 11:44 PM ET
Member Since: 7/26/2006
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Have you tried straight vinegar and cortisone cream? I have dry skin and break out occasionally, and vinegar is about the only 'cleanser' that keeps my face from peeling and turning into a cracked mess. I usually put a dab of cortisone on each spot before bedtime, too. It's been the best thing I've found so far.

I've never had luck with the pricier products, so I feel your pain! Hope you find something that works for you.

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Date Posted: 2/17/2009 11:48 PM ET
Member Since: 1/28/2009
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Id never heard of thought of that one!

OH OH OH! I am going to give it a try!!

Thank you for great idea. I have enough vinegar in this house to last me two lifetimes! lol!

Thank you! =)

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Date Posted: 2/18/2009 12:47 AM ET
Member Since: 1/12/2009
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I just posted my choice for cleanser/moisturizer in another thread:  Albolene Cream.  But that might not work for you since it is pretty oily.  But someone else posted on that thread that she uses baby shampoo diluted with water.

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Date Posted: 2/18/2009 10:52 AM ET
Member Since: 6/6/2007
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Walmart has a gentle face cleaner that is similar to Cetaphil (which is great but way too expensive for me)   You can clean your skin with it and then wipe it off with a tissue instead of rinsing with water -it's sort of moisturizes that way. 

I have similar skin to yours and I've read that the more you do to your skin the worse it gets.  Try not to put too much cream on it, to wash it too much -that aggravates the acne - I read a good article that said sometimes you just need to "wash" your face with water.  It's really hard but just try to not do anything to your skin for awhile.   Walmart also has general benzoyl peroxide products for acne -they do work but can be very drying so use only a little. 

I, too, have used every product out there -the expensive ones IMHO are not worth the money- go with the generic, store brand.

januarygirl avatar
Date Posted: 2/18/2009 1:19 PM ET
Member Since: 4/17/2008
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The best thing I have found is flax seed oil. I take it as a supplement so its already in my house. i used to have crazy skin problems/roseaca/acne/ezcema
but now they are mostly cleared up.
I put it on before i go to bed, cause you sure cant put in on under makeup! Maybe you could do the same with olive oil or another nut oil you have.

I like vinegar also, it works well on my skin/hair

The best soap I have ever found is Dr. Bronner's magic soap. Multi functional and does'nt upset delicate skin,I use it on my kids. Good Luck!



Last Edited on: 2/18/09 4:06 PM ET - Total times edited: 1
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Date Posted: 2/18/2009 1:34 PM ET
Member Since: 10/6/2005
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I am prone to breakouts on my nose and forehead which are oily. I use rubbing alcohol when a zit starts showing - it dries them up and makes them come to a head quicker.

if your breakout is VERY bad, you might go see your general practitioner. Some adult acne is actually caused by fungus or infection (my ex-husband has this problem). They can give you tetracycline and antibiotic or antifungal creams which if you have insurance they should pay for.

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Date Posted: 2/18/2009 11:49 PM ET
Member Since: 2/11/2009
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Baking soda is a good exfoliator.  I read about it in Paula Begouins Cosmetics Cop series.

She also recommends Milk of Magnesia as a primer for oily skin.

 

Missy1019 avatar
Date Posted: 2/19/2009 2:29 AM ET
Member Since: 9/29/2005
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I was reading about Iodine as a treatment which is even sold OTC.  That and Milk of Magnesia as Finola recommended =)

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Date Posted: 2/20/2009 11:31 PM ET
Member Since: 1/17/2007
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As an esthetician, a few things come to mind:

Take a month of not putting something on your face and trying new treatments. Let your skin regenerate to let the new skin come to the surface. You can clean your face with yogurt and cooked oatmeal. it's gentle to the skin and will lift off the daily grime and won't strip off the oils. Don't clean your face in the morning because your skin isn't dirty. You can do a mist of filtered water with a few drops of lavendar and/or tea tree oil in it. This will freshen your face and make you smell good. It will also leave a thin protective layer of oils on the skin to prevent it from drying out. If you work outdoors, put on sunscreen. If not, keep the mist handy if your skin feels tight.

Do this for a month. Yes, you'll breakout more, but it's your skin trying to slough off old grime and bring the new skin up. Don't freak out.

Now you have a month to listen to all of these other helpful ladies here and find your homegrown skincare regimen.



Last Edited on: 2/20/09 11:32 PM ET - Total times edited: 1
mysteryfluke avatar
Date Posted: 2/21/2009 10:27 AM ET
Member Since: 2/12/2008
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I had the same thing happen to me, I just hit 30 this year and it got worse more dry for sure. I have super dry skin in the winter and have oily spots in the summer. I had to go on prescriptions meds to control my acne. I now use two creams, one at night Differen cream and I use Benzeclin in the morning. Then once every other day I take an oral bacterial antibiotic. I tried everything believe me. It got really bad after my second child. So if anything helps I would be glad to tell you what I use. No they are not all natural but let me know if the others works. Also have you ever tried Melaleuca. I buy the laundry soaps, cleaning supplies and facial washes for acne in the past for my acne. Good luck.

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Date Posted: 2/21/2009 10:57 AM ET
Member Since: 6/26/2006
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I like Cetaphil.  It's pricier, but the containers are so big that one of them easily lasts me six months.  I use the gentle cleanser (I have really dry skin) and the moisturizing cream.

But those aren't my acne treatments.  I actually go to a dermatologist for those.  (I'm currently on month six of Accutane--$20 a month in copays for the drug and the birth control pill, plus the copay for my doctor's visit--and hopefully I won't need a second cycle of it.  My skin looks really good now.)

JackieH avatar
Date Posted: 3/2/2009 3:43 PM ET
Member Since: 9/22/2005
Posts: 1,239
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I use the generic brand from Family dollar as a cleanser. I also have soem stridex pads if my skin is really oily during the day. Another thing to use is Witch hazel. It's an antiseptic similar to perioxide but I think it has alcohol in it.  I also found out that you should use something that would slouch off the dead skin because it cause breakouts and makes your skin look really dull. I use the generic version of St. Ive's Apricot scrub about 2-3 times a week. It helps believe me.....Good luck.

Froggie avatar
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Date Posted: 3/2/2009 8:57 PM ET
Member Since: 10/27/2007
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I used every moisturizer, cream, etc. on the market.  I found I kept on breaking out.  Finally I broke down and visited a dermatologist.  COme to find out I have very, very sensitive skin and these were not break-outs but allergic reactions to these cosmetics.

So now I only wash my face with water and a cotton washcloth.  The only moisturizer I found that works for me with no perfumes and unecessary additives is Moisturel.  Ever since I switch to this product I have had no problems.  I don't wear make=up on a regular basis - usually for special occassions or a date with DH. 

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Date Posted: 3/3/2009 10:36 AM ET
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I use the Oil Cleanse Method - here's a link:

http://www.vivawoman.net/2008/11/18/benefits-of-the-oil-cleansing-method/

I use a combination of olive oil/castor oil.

I really, really like what it's done for my skin, though I'm currently having some dryness/breakout issues I'm trying to work out - I think their hormonal, not clogged pores/etc. based. It seems unintuitive to use oil to clean your face, but it's reduced my blackheads and shrunk my pores, plus it leaves my skin luminous and glowy and it feels really, really good. Who doesn't want a nightly face massage/mini facial, really??

 

lotusblossom avatar
Date Posted: 3/3/2009 11:47 AM ET
Member Since: 6/29/2007
Posts: 36
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witch hazel  works wonderfully ( and super cheap) find it near the peroxid<----SPELLEING?

nashvillethecat avatar
Date Posted: 3/5/2009 11:00 AM ET
Member Since: 8/1/2007
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I second the baking soda for a cleanser.  I gently scrub some dampened baking soda over my face and it is really smooth afterwards.  It seems to "clean" as well as exfoliate. 

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Date Posted: 3/5/2009 10:25 PM ET
Member Since: 7/23/2007
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You say that you make your own laundry soap.  Have you ever made your own homemade bath soap?  My oldest daughter had a bad case of acne.  I had made some tea tree/ eucalyptus soap and the girls loved showering with is especially if they had scratches or cuts because it was soothing.  My eldest tried it as a face soap and it has cleared up her acne.  Because it is homemade it doesn't dry her skin - full of that good glycerin that is naturally occuring in making homemade soap.  You may want to try something like that.  PM me if you want the recipe.

Generic Profile avatar
Date Posted: 3/5/2009 10:25 PM ET
Member Since: 7/23/2007
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You say that you make your own laundry soap.  Have you ever made your own homemade bath soap?  My oldest daughter had a bad case of acne.  I had made some tea tree/ eucalyptus soap and the girls loved showering with is especially if they had scratches or cuts because it was soothing.  My eldest tried it as a face soap and it has cleared up her acne.  Because it is homemade it doesn't dry her skin - full of that good glycerin that is naturally occuring in making homemade soap.  You may want to try something like that.  PM me if you want the recipe.

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Subject: cheap skincare
Date Posted: 3/10/2009 11:10 PM ET
Member Since: 12/31/2005
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Check out Paula Begoun's books (library) or website--paulaschoice.com. She sells products, but also recommends stuff in all price ranges. There's lots of info on the website on care for all skin types.

 

frugalscholar.blogspot.com

nightbloomer avatar
Date Posted: 3/29/2009 9:18 PM ET
Member Since: 3/22/2009
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I know I'm really late here, but I just wanted to recommend Jojoba oil. I have oily/sensitive/acne prone skin and using Jojoba oil as a moisturizer has totally helped me. It doesn't even matter what I use to wash my face now, as long as I put the Jojoba oil on afterwards, my skin is fine. My breakouts have been reduced by %95 percent, and also my skin does not feel as shiny and greasy as it did before. I buy the Jojoba oil from a brand called Dessert Essence.