Skincare recommendations

[Arethusa]

You can. It's just a (relatively) gentle castille soap with some natural additives. It isn't bad, but it's pretty drying. I might use it as a body wash, but I'd rather not. I wouldn't use it on my face. Or my hair. Or my teeth. Or my hippies.

[Kodak]

I dub you Arethusa, the resident dermatologist.

[keri]

areth, let me put it this way, i have skin so light i can rarely find foundation, and i still get ashy. I've actually had my skin just crack from being dry. anything other than the vaseline, and my skin's back to ashy in a few hours. works like a charm for me, but i will agree that only a few people can use it, when my sister used it, her skin went nuts.

[Arethusa]

Eep, that is dry. But, if it works, it works. I still think there are some moisturizers that might be heavy enough for you and work better than pure petrolatum, but you probably know women's lines a little better than I do. The few heavy ones I'm familiar with probably aren't heavy enough; on average, men's products are formulated for oilier skin than women's. In any case, yeah, I wouldn't recommend such an extreme occlusive moisturizer as pure petrolatum unless you're skin's that dry, but it can work (vitally) for a very few people.

[nairb49]

vaseline isn't very good for dry skin.

For washing, I recommend Spectrojel, similar water-based solution like Cetaphil but I I like it better.

Doesn't dry out your skin at all, actually helps moisturize it.

[todesengel]

Arethusa, any opinions on Clinique stuff? I've been using it for a while now, and I've been pretty pleased (I still get occasionaly small breakouts though). I think their moisturizer is particularly good. What about Origins? Or do they both fall into the same catagory as Kiehls?

[Arethusa]

There's really no gentle way to put it. Clinique makes some of the worst products in the industry. There relaunch a year or so ago was the slightest of improvements, but when you're that bad, it almost has to be.

Origins is hit and miss, but generally decent. I've heard nothing credibly glowing about them, but my friend used one or two of their products for a while and she said it wasn't bad. At their pricepoint, though, I think you can do better.

[todesengel]

Well damn then, time to rethink my regimen .

[keri]

vaseline isn't very good for dry skin.

For washing, I recommend Spectrojel, similar water-based solution like Cetaphil but I I like it better.

Doesn't dry out your skin at all, actually helps moisturize it.

you are very correct, but it's a sealant, for someone who's skin releases moisture instead of holding it in, vaseline is wonderful. I drink water like mad and take vitamin E every day, the two best things you can do to work your skin from the inside out, and keep it moisturized. I've been told there's something wrong with my skin's function as a barrier. Also vaseline is incredibly good for small cuts and scrapes, you'll heal faster.

I'm not 100% sure, but I'm pretty sure my problem is that my skin doesn't produce enough oils and such, I have the same issue with my scalp, I can't wash my hair more than twice a week, and sometimes less than that in the winter to keep from having dandruff like a blizzard.

[2000dB]

This thread really picked up, a lot of advice. I guess I'll go hunt around in the next few days and pick up a few things to try out. If anyone knows of good stores for that in Tokyo, let me know...

[Arethusa]

Well damn then, time to rethink my regimen .

Join us on MenEssentials. Join us...

[swooc]

biotherm homme, l'oreal pure zone?

rofl, talk about a bunch of suckers paying 20 bucks for 5 ml of product

here is what you do, like suggested above, buy cetaphil or any other waterless cleanser

they are extremely mild and this is what you want, you dont want a soap that irritates your skin

you can buy a huge bottle at costco that will last 6 months, its a pump, its very convienient

*now here is the extremely important part

you want your skin moisturized all the fucking time, buy an oil free moisturizer and you want to be moisturizing in the morning and at night after washing your face very lightly

wash your face for no longer than 30 seconds

and for the acne, after moisturizing, use Plenty of 2.5% Benzoyl Peroxide, like alot, and you want to very lightly rub it on your entire face

start with just putting it on at night, and dont forget to moisturize before man

i think the key to keeping clear skin is to moisturize, you want to counteract the medications drying affect on your skin because dry skin is prone to being touched, which is prone to transfering bacteria on to your skin which produces acne

and as well, dont touch your face

breakfasteatre what

Someones been reading acne.com . Also avoid products that have fragrance in them. You want a cleanser/moisturiser that is gentle, free of fragrance and oil-free. Neutrogena makes both and from my experience, it is pretty good.

Neutrogena Extra Gentle Cleanser

Neutrogena Oil-Free Moisture

Though i wouldn't mind something from the UNO range for pampering .

[Arethusa]

Augh. As a general rule, if something is ever suggested on acne.com, remember not to ever, ever do it. I still remember the gigantic threads proclaiming the secret to fighting acne: eating nothing but apples. Forever.

[outline]

Arethusa, you have to admit that Nickel & de Provence (shea butter stuff) are great fcukin products. I also adore Molton Brown black pepper for my showers, really doubt you can find something better on the market.

What do you think about Clarins and Task essentials?

Need advice on shampoo + conditioner. I currently use American Crew everyday for normal hair & AC cond. Suggestions?

[jet]

I've got the oily T zone as well and have used many many things over the years. I first started with clinique, absolute garbage. I used neutrogena for awhile and the deep clean is their best product for clearing up skin but you need to moisturize after that. Used zirh for awhile also which was crap then moved onto the whole cheaper is better "cetaphil" wagon which actually made me break out more. I was then using the anthony logistics orange scrub and algae cleanser which was pretty good but I noticed my skin would flake more in the shower, think wet. I was using kiehl's moisturizers including the ultra non spf which is heavier and worked better as the spf version was too lotiony. Then the men's facial moisturizer (forgot the name) worked better, less shine too.

I then switched to task cleanser and it blew all the other cleansers out of the water. I followed with kiehl's but still wasn't enough. I opened my task moisturizer and with so little my skin stays moisturized and t zone becomes the most matte out of any other ones I use. It's way too expensive but works very well for me. I also use the task scrub. Haven't used my eye cream. It's nice when your girl is the cosmetics manager at nordy's and sends you free stuff including the lastest colognes and kiton wool plaid toiletries case

Let me know if you want to hear my shaving routine and arsenal.

[ikidomari]

nice advice everyone. breakfasteatre's post is rather informative.

I have insanely sensitive and ultra-dry skin. It's sort of a medical thing i have. I used to go to the dermatologist A LOT as a kid.

All I do is use a nice intensive lotion like dove or cetaphil or vaseline (i really dont care what brand), and i make sure to use it whenever my skin gets a bit dry, which probably occurs about 4 times a day.

While showering, it's best to not use a strong hard soap. For me, Irish Spring murders my skin and I get eczema-- I have to use Dove or similar soaps. And of course, really hot showers are not good for the skin. After showering or shaving, I use a moisturizing lotion. I think it is especially critical to use a nice moisturizing lotion after showering for your skin. I have to take a shower maybe twice a day. And before I sleep, moisturizers are pretty good. For the oily face thing, that neutrogena cleanser thing is pretty good. It's much better than washing your face in hot water until the oil rinses off.

other stuff: having an airfan directly facing you for long periods of time is bad too. drinking only water and using stuff with aloe and vitamin e is a good idea as well. as a kid, i used to have to keep an aloe vera patch in the yard. that thing got murdered lol.

[m1lk]

I never took care of my skin before, but recently I've started to shave more often (didn't have beard before) and my skin has gone quite shitty (not sure it's related to shaving). I've been told my skin is freakishly dry, but I still have a oily forehead at times...

I'm looking for recommendations to ameliorate to appearance (smooth, moisturize, etc..) of my skin as I'm completely clueless as to what to do.

Thanks

when it comes to shaving, what i do after a shower is splash hot water on my face, then apply shaving oil, then shaving gel. shave with the grain. then i splash hot water on my face again, apply shaving oil, then cream, and shave against. i use an m3 power razor for the whole process. in the end, i get a close shave, without the irritation.

after that, i use an anti-oil moisturizer, a little bit of anti-wrinkle creme for the expression lines, and eye creme.

also, what i do is alternate days between a facial scrub and a facial wash when i shower.

i wash my face twice a day, the 2nd time before i goto bed, and i apply night and eye creme before sleeping.

twice every week i also use an exfoliating clay mask.

theres a pack of oil absorbing sheets in my wallet that i use when i go out just in case my face has an oily day.

i have the same kind of skin as you, and ive made the above my daily ritual for awhile now...

ive gotten good results.

except for some hard to get nose blackheads, and very small blemises from when i was a teenager, which i plan on getting rid of next month with a diamond peel

just some ideas, btw...

[Arethusa]

Arethusa, you have to admit that Nickel & de Provence (shea butter stuff) are great fcukin products. I also adore Molton Brown black pepper for my showers, really doubt you can find something better on the market.

What do you think about Clarins and Task essentials?

Need advice on shampoo + conditioner. I currently use American Crew everyday for normal hair & AC cond. Suggestions?

Nickel's not bad at all, but they can be really overpriced. And their packaging is just obnoxious as hell. Overall, in my opnion, there are better lines, but they're not bad.

I'm not familiar with de Provence. Do you mean Pre de Provence or L'Occitane en Provence, by any chance?

Molton Brown is a brand I don't have a lot of first hand experience with. I hear a lot of mixed things, but everyone seems to love the black pepper body wash. I'll get ahold of it some day, I suppose. Right now, I'm using MenScience body wash, which may not be exciting but is superbly effective.

Clarins is ok. I don't really know anyone who uses their stuff, except their self tanners. Personally, I think fake tanning is pretty silly (though I'll take that over the idioct of real tanning), but if you must do it, they're supposed to be a good choice. Personally, I think you can generally do better fairly easily. For what it's worth, I received a gift basket of Clarins samples last year. Whole thing went up one eBay. As for Task, I admittedly don't know anything about them.

American Crew's shampoo isn't bad. It isn't incredible, and it can be fairly drying, but it's not bad. I clip my hair down to a zero or one right now, but I do use the Citrus Mint shampoo to wash my head. When I had longer hair, I did find a bit too stripping. Broader recommendations can be a little tough with this stuff, because, like skin, hair types vary a fair bit, and what works for me can be utterly useless to you. That said, Aveda makes pretty decent stuff that smells delightful and I used to use Redken All Soft on my half Asian hair. Admittedly, I've had trouble finding a shampoo that really works for me. When I grow my hair out again, I'll have to get back into that.

I've got the oily T zone as well and have used many many things over the years. I first started with clinique, absolute garbage. I used neutrogena for awhile and the deep clean is their best product for clearing up skin but you need to moisturize after that. Used zirh for awhile also which was crap then moved onto the whole cheaper is better "cetaphil" wagon which actually made me break out more. I was then using the anthony logistics orange scrub and algae cleanser which was pretty good but I noticed my skin would flake more in the shower, think wet. I was using kiehl's moisturizers including the ultra non spf which is heavier and worked better as the spf version was too lotiony. Then the men's facial moisturizer (forgot the name) worked better, less shine too.

I then switched to task cleanser and it blew all the other cleansers out of the water. I followed with kiehl's but still wasn't enough. I opened my task moisturizer and with so little my skin stays moisturized and t zone becomes the most matte out of any other ones I use. It's way too expensive but works very well for me. I also use the task scrub. Haven't used my eye cream. It's nice when your girl is the cosmetics manager at nordy's and sends you free stuff including the lastest colognes and kiton wool plaid toiletries case

Let me know if you want to hear my shaving routine and arsenal.

Yeah, cetaphil's really gentle and even questionably comedogenic. If you have oily skin, you should avoid it. Same for the AL algae cleanser. It's basically designed for people with dry skin. As for Kiehl's, well, they may, for some reason, work well for you. With precious few exceptions, though, I think they put out pretty bad stuff at pretty ridiculous prices.

Guess I'll have to see if I can find some Task samples or something. Shaving, though.. man, that could easily be its own thread.

I have insanely sensitive and ultra-dry skin. It's sort of a medical thing i have. I used to go to the dermatologist A LOT as a kid.

All I do is use a nice intensive lotion like dove or cetaphil or vaseline (i really dont care what brand), and i make sure to use it whenever my skin gets a bit dry, which probably occurs about 4 times a day.

While showering, it's best to not use a strong hard soap. For me, Irish Spring murders my skin and I get eczema-- I have to use Dove or similar soaps. And of course, really hot showers are not good for the skin. After showering or shaving, I use a moisturizing lotion. I think it is especially critical to use a nice moisturizing lotion after showering for your skin. I have to take a shower maybe twice a day. And before I sleep, moisturizers are pretty good. For the oily face thing, that neutrogena cleanser thing is pretty good. It's much better than washing your face in hot water until the oil rinses off.

other stuff: having an airfan directly facing you for long periods of time is bad too. drinking only water and using stuff with aloe and vitamin e is a good idea as well. as a kid, i used to have to keep an aloe vera patch in the yard. that thing got murdered lol.

If your skin is really that dry, what are you doing showering twice a day? That's only going to make things worse. Also, Irish Spring is not soap. It is an industrial chemical hazard suitable for dirty bombs and the commission of war crimes. Dove is about as gentle as you'll get from a drug store, but there is more suitable stuff out there if you have really dry skin. For a facial cleanser, you're better off with Nivea Sensitive than Neutrogena, though I'd say you're better off with Baxter's of California, AL Algae, or Urth than either of those.

Out of curiosity, have you ever tried aloe vera juice?

[herpsky]

does anyone know of good ways to take care of acne

like the shit dermatologist prescribed me doesn't really do it for me

also, i saw some laser (maybe microderm abrasion or stuff along that line) / machine based treatment. has anyone done it before and does it work?

i think i saw it in mtv made where some fat dude wants to be a male model

[kidicarus]

I can't believe no one has mentioned Aesop. Their products are in a league of their own, but around the same price as other products like Nickel, etc. It's an Australian line, not that widely distributed, but in the States, you can find the line at Barneys and a few other retailers. Their facewash is the best I've tried, and they make great moisturizers, haircare products, etc. It's extremely gentle, the packaging is nice, the only fragrance in the products light and botanical.

[swooc]

then moved onto the whole cheaper is better "cetaphil" wagon which actually made me break out more.

I just recently switched to a similar cheaper is better wagon to neutrogena. I'm also experiencing a huge breakout after the switch. But i'm going to use it for a little bit longer to give it some time to settle in. Hope it turns out good, cause it really helps control the oily face i get.

I can't believe no one has mentioned Aesop. Their products are in a league of their own, but around the same price as other products like Nickel, etc. It's an Australian line

Wow nickel products are really expensive. I've never tryed expensive skin care products. Is there a night and day difference between cheaper and expensive products?

[thekennyyu]

Dermalogica has one of the best skin care lines I've ever used, though it is a bit pricey. They are not about the glamour of the packaging, since they only worry about results, and they certainly do a great job at that. Kiehls isn't bad, and Fresh has some really good moisturizers and exfoliation products.

[poly800rock]

This thread really picked up, a lot of advice. I guess I'll go hunt around in the next few days and pick up a few things to try out. If anyone knows of good stores for that in Tokyo, let me know...

if there is one place, well besides south korea, that places so much on men's looks, from head to toe, tokyo is the place.

[jet]

I forgot to mention, for the occasional breakout which I sometimes have I keep mario badescu's superb drying lotion and kiehl's acne gel on deck. The shits work miracles.

[bigsteve101]

i use shiseido mosturizer/toner/energizing gel...the toner is amazing and the mosturizer is an emulsion so it absorbs very quickly without leaving any oily residue. i currently just use cetaphil as my clenser. what is task? hm maybe i should try keihl's, i love their lip balm with spf 15.

[Arethusa]

Wow nickel products are really expensive. I've never tryed expensive skin care products. Is there a night and day difference between cheaper and expensive products?

The short answer is yes and no. The long answer is also yes and no. Generally, with the cheap stuff, you get what you pay for. Most of it is terrible, and standout products exceedingly rare. But that correlation isn't so reliable in the high end. There are mildly expensive but fucking excellent lines like MenScience, there are good but ridiculously expensive lines like Nickel and Aesop, and there are stupidly expensive lines that are complete garbage like Varvatos. It can take a while to sort through it all and find what works for you, but I obviously think it's worth it.

i use shiseido mosturizer/toner/energizing gel...the toner is amazing and the mosturizer is an emulsion so it absorbs very quickly without leaving any oily residue. i currently just use cetaphil as my clenser. what is task? hm maybe i should try keihl's, i love their lip balm with spf 15.

All moisturizers are emulsions.

[2000dB]

if there is one place, well besides south korea, that places so much on men's looks, from head to toe, tokyo is the place.

You're totally right it crazy here, but I still don't know where they shop and japanese and caucasian skin is very different.

[Arethusa]

Tell me about it. Being half Asian's a bitch.

[outline]

Checking prices for menscience they in the same league as Nickel. As an example shaving cream from Nickel is $15, Menscience is $22 but i guess it will last's longer

http://www.skinstore.com/store/product.asp?catID=3564&prodID=3581

[Arethusa]

Nickel is generally much more expensive. Look pricepoint/oz. I'll admit that calling MenScience mid range might be a little bit of a stretch, but at least in my opinion, they justify their prices a lot better than Nickel.