Skin cleaner rec's?

[untonuggan]

So I'm on Lithium and hormones for my psych stuff. They are generally helpful! However one of their annoying side effects is that they give you teenage acne skin again. I am not a fan of this.

I have tried several skin cleaners, and the best one was one I impulse-bought at a neighbor's Mary Kay party. I don't really plan on going that route again because too complicated. Currently I have some Whole Foods esque skin cleaners made from plant parts that are not doing their job properly. I am a fan of the whole not tested on animals thing, PABA-free, no stupid perfumes that make me unable to breathe kind of thing.

Anyway, I'm looking for a skin cleaner that:

• Actually works, like heavy duty. No messing around, this shit is real.
• No animal testing.
• Hypoallergenic.
• No stupid perfumes. Scents that come from actual essential oils/plant parts are okay (though not too strong is better), but no artificial scents or insta-migraine.
• Easy to acquire in the continental US. Internet is wonderful!
• Not horribly expensive! I may need to try one or two things before I find the right thing for my body, so if I spend all my money on one thing and it doesn't work I am SOL. (So ideally no more than $15 per thing. Less is definitely better. If I am being totally unrealistic in my expectations please let me know.)

Any ideas?

Comments

[syntaxofthings]

I'm not sure if the one I want to recommend is heavy duty per se (although the seller claimed it was), but my skin ALWAYS gets worse when I haven't used it, I'm going back to it for a bit to see if the new Body Shop cleanser I tried was making me break out or if I'm just prone to breaking out right now because it's a good staple for me, and unfortunately with a horrendous shipping fee mine's closer to $20 for a freaking tea-tree and green clay bar. So. What I recommend is [helping me, heh] find a facial cleansing bar that's made of actual soap making ingredients with green clay and tea tree too.

[untonuggan]

Thanks for the tip!

[princessofgeeks]

I had really good luck with Neutrogena soap. You can buy it at any drugstore.

Also a St. Ives almond scrub. Same.

Clinique's exfoliating scrub, which is in a cold cream base, is great too, but pricey. You can get it at Dillard's or a similar department store's makeup counter.

Good luck!

[untonuggan]

Thanks for the tip!

[jelazakazone]

I use Earth Science's gentle apricot facial scrub (not to be confused with the peel which costs twice as much). It's $10 for 4 oz and I think it works great.

[pipisafoat]

I use neutrogena also! Oil free acne stress control. Power clear scrub in the shower, power clean wash sits on my sink for the morning/night when I don't shower. Relatively cheap and I get it at target, probably it exists elsewhere, surely it can be found online. Not sure how it goes to your other criteria.

Back when I had the teen acne, I ended up with the worlds most acidic disposable cloths and I hated them and I'm not convinced they helped, but mother. Either my skin cleared up at a convenient time, or those wipes were actually making it worse. Anyway, most people suggested I see a dermatologist to try something rx? Have you considered that as an option? I have no idea if that is a thing that would fit your criteria or interest you at all.

[untonuggan]

Good to know! Thank you. :D

[ofearthandstars]

I'm a recent fan of the Kiss My Face Potent and Pure line (for sensitive skin). They have a daily creamy cleaner and a daily exfoliating cleanser. I use the latter, which is not a rough/grainy cleanser but is very smooth and uses citrus. As such, it does have a bit of a fruity/citrus scent, but I don't find it overpowering. You can buy it straight from Kiss My Face for $15, but I usually find it cheaper elsewhere.

As a disclaimer, I have normal to dry skin, with breakouts usually around my hairline or sometimes nose/chin, but my major issues are dryness, especially under my nose and around my eyes. This cleanser seems to help with the breakouts without aggravating the dryness - but I follow it up with their toner and moisturizer.

[untonuggan]

Thanks for the tip! Yeah, my skin/hair/everything genetically inherited tends to be SUPER OILY EVERYWHERE so this maaaay not be the best product, but I will keep it in mind. :)

(Like, I have to be careful when I rub my eyes, because if I haven't washed my face within 12 hours, I will rub face oil into my eyes and it burnsssss ussss.)

[sid]

I constantly got compliments on my skin when I drank aloe vera juice bought at a health food store. You can mix it with whatever fruit juice you like. Drinking just plain water does great things for the complexion, too. It's not always about what you wash with.

[untonuggan]

My skin is great when I'm in the UK and constantly getting "misted" outside. Or, you know, drenched by sideways rain. ;)

Have not tried aloe vera juice, though I am Enforced into All The Water because of my health stuff. (I wonder...if I had an aloe vera plant and squeezed out the pulp could I make my own? Or would that just be gratuitously messy?)

[sid]

Ooh, I have no idea how messy a home-made version would be. *looks online* Apparently the juice is made from the leaves rather than just the pulp, so that wouldn't be an option.

[cxcvi]

Hey! The rain isn't always sideways over here, you know...

I don't really have anything to add to this, unfortunately, although I have noticed that the rain does good things for my hair.

Is the pulp actually safe to eat? Beacuse one idea to reduce the mess, if it is, would be to squeeze the pulp into a bottle and then shake the water into it.

[untonuggan]

Well, it's always sideways when I go to Hadrian's Wall. Which I have stopped doing because I think one of my ancestors was cursed by a Pict or something. I have had some lovely weather in the UK though! Honest. Sideways rain is just very memorable. :)

I know you can rub the pulp on your skin? It's really good if you have a burn, for example (unless it's like a RUN TO THE EMERGENCY ROOM kind of burn, that's different). But I like your pulp-shaking idea.