Do we really need face lotion??? GAH!!!!!!

[Living the Simple Life]

I knew several "old world" Italian women (who came over on the boat!) who still had the most beautiful skin even into their 90's. They are all gone now, but the only thing they ever used on their face and hands was olive oil. Before retiring in the evening they would moisturize their hands and face with EVOO. They swore by it and their skin was amazing! They also tanned beautifully, but that may have had more to do with genetics!

 

[Wifezilla]

I use olive oil when I run out of jojoba

 

[freemotion]

I've been thinking of skimming a bit of heavy cream next time....

 

[miss_thenorth]

I have dryish skin, usually around the nose and mouth, I mde my own moisturizer and I use it occasionaslly sat bedtime, and if really dry and irritated, in the morning too. FAce creams seemed to dry my skin out more, so I needed to apply it more often. Now with my homemade stuff, I use it only when needed.

Now, when I am milking my goat, I do to her what I was told to do when I was breastfeeding--express a bit out and rub it on your nipple., so for my goat, I express some and rub it all over her teats and udder. since I got her, I have noticed her bag has softened up quite a bit.

I read online somewhere about a news program on the scam of anti aging lotions. They say the ingredients they put in there actually aggravate the skin, csausing it to puff up, which temporarily casues you wrinkles to smooth out--not becasue it is removing the wrinkles, but becasue the inflammation fills them up a bit. And also, they put alcohol nd stuff like that in normal moisturizers, causin gyou to need it. :/

Say NO to commercial skin products!!

 

[Wifezilla]

Commercial lotions are mostly water. What happens when you keep getting your face wet and then it dries? Your skin gets chapped. So by using commercial lotion you are chapping your skin over and over and then applying more lotion because your skin is chapped. Nice little scam there.

 

[me&thegals]

The only time I use lotion is if I've used soap on my face. I rarely use soap on my face. Water does just fine plus a good scrubbing from a washrag to get the dead skin off.

Here's one, though--Use a nice oil, completely coat your face, then use a warm washcloth to wash it off. It actually cleanses and moisturizes at the same time.

 

[lwheelr]

Hmmm. Got made the human face to replenish the skin under normal conditions.

He didn't tell Adam and Eve in the Garden to earn their bread by the sweat of their brow, and to be sure and moisturize twice a day.

Lotions and potions were developed as a response to a PROBLEM. One that does not occur under normal circumstances.

If you have a specific problem, there is possibly a way to treat it dietetically.

If you don't have a problem, why create one by using products which were not developed for people without an existing problem?

I once attended a cosmetic home party. The lady there stated, "Oh, you MUST use a moisturizer twice a day, even if you have oily skin!" She was most emphatic about it, and promptly handed me a skin cleaner and night cream. I dutifully applied them, feeling the whole time that it was silly. I rubbed it in, and within five minutes had such a heavy film of oil across my brow that I could have greased the door hinges with it.

Since that day, I refuse to use moisturizers. If I have any kind of problem with cracked skin (rare, bus sometimes happens to my hands when working in water for days in a row), I just take a capsule a day of borage oil, or add some raw coconut oil to my diet. That fixes it from the inside out - by solving the problem instead of just throwing a topical bandaid on it.

Cosmetic companies would have us believe that we will come to some horrid end - a caricature of a dried and wrinkled prune with no hope for life, love, or laughter in our old age if we don't submit like sheep to their plan of enslavement, where we dutifully buy their products for the rest of our lives.

Bah! Phooey! It is a sad day when marketing overrides common sense.

If your skin does better without it, stop using it.

 

[Damummis]

Apricot kernel oil has a small molecular structure, close to sebum and is readily absorbed into the skin. Olive oil has a larger molecular makeup and it sits on top of the skin making a barrier. They are both useful but for different purposes.

Just thought I would throw that out there.

 

[stepstephens2]

I just got out of a 12 year career in the cosmetics industry and I thought you guys might want the real scoop...
Yes, it is mostly about sales and marketing. That said, there are some really good products out there that I have seen help women with specific issues (i.e. alpha hydroxy products, retin a products, etc...) It wouldn't occur to most women to look for or make an alternative to what is being marketed because they don't think along those lines. They just want to fix what is bothering them about what they see in the mirror.

There are really only a handful of chemists in the world that even work on cosmetics. There is no MAC factory or Lancome factory. (There aren't even that many companies really- i.e. Estee Lauder owns Clinique, Origins, Bobbi Brown, & MAC so when you buy from one of those lines you're really just buying an Estee Lauder item that is packaged and marketed for a specific demographic... it's an illusion that it is unique and special.) The buyers and marketing teams come up with product ideas each year and then order them to be made by the chemists and packaged by the packaging companies.

Don't give these companies credit for being clever enough to come up with a diabolical plan to plant ingredients that perpetuate problems on purpose. These people are not that smart or interesting. Some products have been just cheaply made in an effort to turn a larger profit... hence extra added alcohol, water, etc...

I have used products from the Dollar Store that have been as good expensive items from the Department Stores. But there are bad products there, as well. If you can make your own lotion, soap, etc... that makes you happy and saves you money it's certainly worthwhile. It's all about being a smart consumer and knowing what you're getting. It's just like food- you can choose to grow and can your own peas, buy peas at the supermarket, or go to a diner have their peas. Substitute the word peas for moisturizer and you will see how that analogy fits perfectly.

Sorry this is so long, but this topic is something I think a lot about because I had spent so much of my life in that world. If you really want to be a smart consumer I would suggest a copy of a cosmetics ingredients dictionary... which will help you decipher what you are really buying. But here is a list of some ingredients that you can look for that will indicate a quality product (the higher it is listed on the packaging, the better):

Moisturizers
Sodium Hyaluronate - help moisturize by binding water to the skin
Glycerin- skin softener
Beeswax- for body products, not face products
Soy Extracts- help slow hyperpigmentation (brown spots) from appearing
Hydraquinone (at least 3%)- will slowly help reverse light hyperpigmentation
Grapeseed Extracts - antioxidants
Vitamin E (tocopheral)
Beware of anything with dimethicone or cyclomethicone- they will temporarily create an illusion of a smooth skin surface, but they don't really hydrate. And on some people (myself, included) they can create a pustule that looks like acne but is really an allergic reaction. If you're not sensitive to it and you want a quick fix, go for it. (It's in a lot of hair products, as well, and will give me what looks like acne on my neck and scalp.)

Acne-
Salicylic Acid 3% - 5%
Retin A (the real stuff you have to get from a doctor or overseas)
Benzoyl Peroxide - excellent, but some people can be allergic


By the way, one person suggested aloe straight from the plant on here and I completely agree. It will heal, soften, and nourish. It will not break you out. I don't recommend it as a cosmetic ingredient to look for because companies never put enough in their products to make a difference. When I was living in Arizona they sold 100% aloe vera in amber bottles in the refrigerator section. I would recommend something like that or straight from the plant, if you can get it.

Again, I apologize for this being so long... and I hope I helped in some way and didn't annoy.

 

[me&thegals]

Very interesting--thanks! I don't believe all industry is evil and manipulating. And I've personally used some excellent lotions.

As for water, that's part of what makes the difference between lotion and a balm. No water, then you have balm. It's not like a conspiracy theory to keep drying you out. I personally really like my lotions for winter and other drying times/activities.