Facial Cleanser for mature sensitive skin?

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So at least I'm not the only one that stared shaving their arms years ago. It's so dark otherwise that it's always made me feel like an ape. Women aren't supposed to have hair that dark. My husband doesn't care but I do.
Nope you are not alone trying to keep your face healthy and your body as hair free as possible. Being a woman is definitely a full time job 🤦‍♀️
 
I’m not complaining but the hair on my head is almost too thick as it can cause headaches.
Oh definitely! And yes @Gaisy59 to the long time to blow dry it. Air drying takes most of the day for me.

Sorry @MelissaG for hijacking your thread, but the point is that castor oil isn’t the best cleanser choice if you struggle with facial hair.
 
I’ve read through this entire thread and have not seen anyone mention the natural microbiome of the skin, especially on our face. Harsh cleansers and/or harsh scrubbing can disrupt the microbiome, which might explain why the oil treatments for skin work. I had terrible problems with my skin on my life, including my 50s, until I mostly left it alone. Was I ever surprised when it cleared up!

A scholarly search on Google regarding the skin and Microbiome brought up articles linking the health of our gut Microbiome and our skin. I will have to go back and do some deep dives in the literature over the weekend. I would be interested to know what information others find regarding the micro biome and skin health. I believe we may learn some things about our soap formulations in the process, such as why it is not good to have high coconut oil percentages that strip natural oils from our skin. Here is the search I used.
 
Which brings us back to @MelissaG’s problem. I don’t know about other people but i stopped using anything other than water on my face because i felt that the skin must produce as much oil as it needs to “survive”. I don’t mind the oil now that i am older. And apparently gut microbiome is the latest word on anything that goes wrong with our bodies. It makes sense because everything is connected physically.

@MelissaG i am 65 and still breaking out with acne. I try to decrease my stress level and keep things healthy. I try not to get upset about the oils on my skin and just keep my hands off my face. Hope that helps
 
Which brings us back to @MelissaG’s problem. I don’t know about other people but i stopped using anything other than water on my face because i felt that the skin must produce as much oil as it needs to “survive”. I don’t mind the oil now that i am older. And apparently gut microbiome is the latest word on anything that goes wrong with our bodies. It makes sense because everything is connected physically.

@MelissaG i am 65 and still breaking out with acne. I try to decrease my stress level and keep things healthy. I try not to get upset about the oils on my skin and just keep my hands off my face. Hope that helps
Unfortunately the oil drives me crazy because I can feel it. I don't like anything on my face. Sounds weird I know.

Oh definitely! And yes @Gaisy59 to the long time to blow dry it. Air drying takes most of the day for me.

Sorry @MelissaG for hijacking your thread, but the point is that castor oil isn’t the best cleanser choice if you struggle with facial hair.
That's ok. I do have a bit of facial hair lol. Above my lip. Sooo... bit relevant yeah. I hate this growing old stuff. That started after that time of life... you know what I mean.
 
Which brings us back to @MelissaG’s problem. I don’t know about other people but i stopped using anything other than water on my face because i felt that the skin must produce as much oil as it needs to “survive”. I don’t mind the oil now that i am older. And apparently gut microbiome is the latest word on anything that goes wrong with our bodies. It makes sense because everything is connected physically.

@MelissaG i am 65 and still breaking out with acne. I try to decrease my stress level and keep things healthy. I try not to get upset about the oils on my skin and just keep my hands off my face. Hope that helps
Actually, the skin has its own microbiome. The search above is the first time I’ve seen any link between the gut MB and skin, but as it involves our overall health, it makes sense that there is a relationship between the two. For anyone into rabbit holes, here is a good article on skin MBs that includes illustrations:
https://www.nature.com/articles/nrmicro.2017.157
 
That's ok. I do have a bit of facial hair lol. Above my lip. Sooo... bit relevant yeah. I hate this growing old stuff. That started after that time of life... you know what I mean.
Unfortunately yes I do know what you mean. 😂

The one good thing about it, is that I care waaaay less about other’s opinions. Their feelings, yes, I still try to be considerate. But what they think about me isn’t likely to change what I will do (or wear, or say). Very freeing. 😁
 
Unfortunately yes I do know what you mean. 😂

The one good thing about it, is that I care waaaay less about other’s opinions. Their feelings, yes, I still try to be considerate. But what they think about me isn’t likely to change what I will do (or wear, or say). Very freeing. 😁
You and me both lol. Although, sometimes I do feel like smacking the stupid out of people. I just result to sarcasm and occasionally insults.:) It's REALLY funny when they realize they were wrong because I made them think for two seconds about the dumb thing that just came out of their mouths by saying "Really? You think so do you?". I've had more than one person apologize to me after that, even my six year old nephew.

Agree! Plus I'm (usually) just more calm in general.
I've always been a passionate person. I don't really think calm is in the cards. Let's just say... better. lol
 
I’m a women of a certain century 😏 and discovered something by accident when first exploring soap making.
I started off with MP soap and made a donkey milk and red clay soap that I thought would be good as a shower soap but I ended up liking better for my face! I alternate using it with a creamer wash product. I’m going to try and replicate the formula in CP.
 
I’m a women of a certain century 😏 and discovered something by accident when first exploring soap making.
I started off with MP soap and made a donkey milk and red clay soap that I thought would be good as a shower soap but I ended up liking better for my face! I alternate using it with a creamer wash product. I’m going to try and replicate the formula in CP.
Check in with @cmzaha - I think she made donkey milk soap, or maybe it was camel?
 
Check in with @cmzaha - I think she made donkey milk soap, or maybe it was camel?
I found her post. And she hasn’t tried donkeys milk but thought camel did add some creaminess. Basically she’s not sold on adding milks to soap. If I read her post correctly, it’s the acid profile which was more important than milk. She thinks milks decrease lather 😕
 
My skin is crazy sensitive (from eczema) and I only use my goat milk superfatted soaps for cleansing. They clean without stripping the skin. I don't give out my recipe b/c sell it but you're welcome to look at the ingredients I use in my soaps (the rose one is my favorite) and water-free face creams to make your own.
I use a mix of fresh goat milk and goat milk powder to bring it up to 38% goat milk but with a liquid reduction, and use kokum butter in there also.
Since I'm allergic to most preservatives, I make water-free moisturizers. Non-comedogenic oils, kokum butter and essential oils whipped together.
The key to not having that oily feeling on your skin is in the amount you use. I tell my customers to wash their face with my soap and either use a hydrosol or leave their skin damp and then use only a half a small pea sized amount of face cream, rub into the fingertips and glide lightly over the face, neck and decolletage. This deposits the tiny amount of moisturizer evenly and you can press/massage it in afterwards. It only takes about 20 seconds to soak in and won't block pores.
Bakuchiol (nature's retinol) is said to help acne but is easier on the skin than retinol. Lotioncrafter sells it (I buy the 99% version) and you only need 0.1%-0.5% in your formula. OIls high in linoleic acid can be helpful also - Black currant, blueberry and strawberry seed oils are said to help with acne and inflammation. The blueberry I buy from Lotioncrafter and the black currant and strawberry from Jedwards (the blueberry and strawberry I made into a face cream for kids with eczema and these oils smell like candy to me!).
Dead Sea Salts can also be amazing for acne. Calming and anti inflammatory. If you don't have the time for a 20 minute soak, you can put a couple of teaspoons in a glass of warm water and soak a face cloth. 5 mins will help calm irritated skin. You can buy the unscented and add a couple of drops of your own essential oils to this if you like.
Good Luck!
 
So funny (or maybe not), here I am lamenting about my hair that was never really thick but is now a LOT less full than it used to be (and teasing doesn’t work as well as it used to). But my arms, face, legs, etc. have never really required a lot of intensive attention. It reminds me of the conversations I’ve had with my curly-haired friends (and daughter). They want straight hair, I want curls (or at least body). You alway see and want what you don’t have!
I had thinning hair also but just accepted it as part of aging. Then last year, I got a bunch of alopecia and went to see a dermatologist. Steroid injections and costco's ($17.99 for a 6mts supply that lasts me a year) minoxidil helped the patches grow back in and it had the added benefit of growing back my thinning hair also! Something to think about!
 
My skin is crazy sensitive (from eczema) and I only use my goat milk superfatted soaps for cleansing. They clean without stripping the skin. I don't give out my recipe b/c sell it but you're welcome to look at the ingredients I use in my soaps (the rose one is my favorite) and water-free face creams to make your own.
I use a mix of fresh goat milk and goat milk powder to bring it up to 38% goat milk but with a liquid reduction, and use kokum butter in there also.
Since I'm allergic to most preservatives, I make water-free moisturizers. Non-comedogenic oils, kokum butter and essential oils whipped together.
The key to not having that oily feeling on your skin is in the amount you use. I tell my customers to wash their face with my soap and either use a hydrosol or leave their skin damp and then use only a half a small pea sized amount of face cream, rub into the fingertips and glide lightly over the face, neck and decolletage. This deposits the tiny amount of moisturizer evenly and you can press/massage it in afterwards. It only takes about 20 seconds to soak in and won't block pores.
Bakuchiol (nature's retinol) is said to help acne but is easier on the skin than retinol. Lotioncrafter sells it (I buy the 99% version) and you only need 0.1%-0.5% in your formula. OIls high in linoleic acid can be helpful also - Black currant, blueberry and strawberry seed oils are said to help with acne and inflammation. The blueberry I buy from Lotioncrafter and the black currant and strawberry from Jedwards (the blueberry and strawberry I made into a face cream for kids with eczema and these oils smell like candy to me!).
Dead Sea Salts can also be amazing for acne. Calming and anti inflammatory. If you don't have the time for a 20 minute soak, you can put a couple of teaspoons in a glass of warm water and soak a face cloth. 5 mins will help calm irritated skin. You can buy the unscented and add a couple of drops of your own essential oils to this if you like.
Good Luck!
Thank you so much. What does "zero" mean in your names?
 
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I had thinning hair also but just accepted it as part of aging. Then last year, I got a bunch of alopecia and went to see a dermatologist. Steroid injections and costco's ($17.99 for a 6mts supply that lasts me a year) minoxidil helped the patches grow back in and it had the added benefit of growing back my thinning hair also! Something to think about!
Oh wow, I can't imagine how horrifying that would be. I've never had that problem but I know people who have. I'm very glad you found something to help you.
 

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