Recommend some fragrance free products!

[BethM]

Toner is an astringent that helps close up pores and tighten up skin, at least it feels like it. I use it before bed, right before putting on my night-time moisturizers. It just takes away any oil that develops after I cleansed, closess up my pores a bit, and cleans away any lingering makeup/dirt.

I shower in the evening because I like to be clean when I go to bed. I wash my face then, with Purity and a Clarisonic (and eye makeup remover if I wore eye makeup that day). Then before bed (a few hours later, usually) I do toner, eye cream, and moisturizer. It's probably a lot more than most people need to do, but I've been blessed with skin that is somehow oily and dry at the same time. Not combo skin that's oily in one spot and dry in another- I'll be oily and dry in the SAME spot at the same time. Lucky me. I've also got noticeable pores on my cheeks that are much smaller now than they were before I started this routine last year, and pink splotchy areas that are less bright pink than before. (In the morning I rinse with water and a bit of Purity, then use a different moisturizer.)


A lot of toners are mostly witch hazel, and I know a lot of people who just use witch hazel from the drugstore. There are also plenty of people who don't use toner and are just fine without it.

 

[nermal71]

OOO Witch hazel is awesome stuff. I try to keep a bottle in the house it works great as a toner and it is also great for mosquito and spider bites, bee stings and chigger bites. We have even used it on flea bites. And its all natural and very very inexpensive.

 

[BethM]

nermal71 wrote:

OOO Witch hazel is awesome stuff. I try to keep a bottle in the house it works great as a toner and it is also great for mosquito and spider bites, bee stings and chigger bites. We have even used it on flea bites. And its all natural and very very inexpensive.

Agreed. Witch hazel is awesome! I always have a bottle in the cabinet. Love using it for bug bites.

 

[kirbyultra]

Ah, thanks for the detailed explanation on toners. I get it now! I have a little bottle of toner from a Kiehls Ultra Facial set that I was trying. I've been patting some on when I remember but I just didn't know what I was supposed to expect from doing it. I normally don't put stuff on my face unless I know what it is for, but I guess I trusted the Kiehls brand this time.

Beth, I think the dry and oiliness of your skin is typical of people affected by eczema. We just have these extremes in our skin that's so hard to deal with. I know what you mean, but I am extremely lucky that eczema doesn't affect my face 95% of the time. The rest of my body has this sort of thing happen sporadically and without notice.

I put a tiny bit of the First Aid Beauty cream on my hands earlier today, avoid the current eczema flare up areas and actually it felt really nice on my skin. I guess it's just not a good thing to put over any current problem spots Cetaphil Restoraderm lotion does ok, but my problem with it is that I find myself reapplying so often just to keep moisture level up. It is cheaper than the more premium brands at say, Sephora, though.

I just tried the 365 Conditioner tonight and I have to say I am loving it 100% more than the Free & Clear brand conditioner, and at a fraction of the price, what's not to love? Even while still in the shower, I felt my hair was less tangled. In my entire life, I've never had to really comb my hair to make it look "ok" after a shower. My hair is so dead-straight and slippery that after air drying, it just all falls into place. With Free & Clear conditioner, my hair was in knots, and it looked so retarded after air drying that I'd have to re-wet it to comb it down. 365 gets me closer to the good old days, but it's no Herbal Essences. Oh man, I used to love me some fragrance products. 2 years ago or so, Kirby used to know it was ME after I showered because he would recognize my shampoo and conditioner scent.

 

[BethM]

kirbyultra wrote:

Beth, I think the dry and oiliness of your skin is typical of people affected by eczema. We just have these extremes in our skin that's so hard to deal with. I know what you mean, but I am extremely lucky that eczema doesn't affect my face 95% of the time. The rest of my body has this sort of thing happen sporadically and without notice.

I know, right? My eczema is mostly just on my hands, now. When I was young it covered my hands and the bottoms of my feet, and behind my ears. Now it's pretty much just on my palms and a little between my fingers. When it gets itchy, though, it's torture.

I'm glad the 365 conditioner worked out for you. I used to really love The Body Shop's banana shampoo, and I even bought a whole bunch of it when they brought it back over the summer, but now it makes my scalp really oily. I only use it once a week now, and only because I seriously have 6 bottles of it in the closet. The other days I use the 365 stuff, and it leaves my hair clean and soft. (And it's so inexpensive!!)

 

[Brandy456]

kirbyultra wrote:

What does toner do, exactly? I read definitions online and such, but I literally can't figure out the practical use for it when there is moisturizer and cleanser... toner seems to be some fancy in-between thing that you don't really need? I don't know anything about it and I've never used it.. can anyone explain? :?

Toner is a cleaner.
Spot checking,really.

I have a toner spray that I spray on cotton balls, and over my oily areas before I put makeup on. It's mostly used for drying the skin, while also cleaning.

 

[hln917]

Clinique's Redness Solution works great. I use the cleanser and moisturizer. Works better than the Eucerin Redness Relief and my skin is super sensitive. I'm like you allergic to menthol also so I can only use certain products on my lips. For lip moisturizer I found Burt's Bee Honey is the only one without menthol. Of course they also carry one with pomegranate but I'm also allergic to pomegranate and my lips swell up.

 

[kirbyultra]

hln917 wrote:

Clinique's Redness Solution works great.  I use the cleanser and moisturizer.  Works better than the Eucerin Redness Relief and my skin is super sensitive.  I'm like you allergic to menthol also so I can only use certain products on my lips.  For lip moisturizer I found Burt's Bee Honey is the only one without menthol. Of course they also carry one with pomegranate but I'm also allergic to pomegranate and my lips swell up.

Good to know! Clinique is on my list of product lines to try. I've heard that they are pretty good.

My acupuncturist told me to use pure expeller pressed, unrefined coconut oil. I was really weirded out by it but I bought a jar to check it out anyway. It's literally in the cooking oil aisle at Whole Foods. I smell like a coconut custard pie now but so far it doesn't bother me and it doesn't feel too greasy or anything. It absorbed better than I thought an oil would. It was only $10 and will probably last me the next 20 years because a little goes such a long way. I read online that it is actually quite good for eczema. It is a solid white gunky thing at room temperature so it's as if I'm rubbing on a lotion/rich cream on my skin. Very odd sensation but only if I think of it as a food lipid!

 

[aurora369]

I use coconut oil for a moisturizer, and it works so well! I have very dry and sensitive skin and problems with exzema too. It took me two years to finish a jar, i'm going to have to pick a new one up soon.

I also really like products from LUSH. They are hand made and all natural products. But it may not work for you due to the scents. However they do sell samples.

-Dawn

 

[BethM]

I have a jar of coconut oil in my kitchen, might have to try it on my hands....

 

[kirbyultra]

I've been using the coconut oil for the last few days very heavily. I am reapplying at almost an hourly basis. My eczema has been acting up full force with the dry autumn weather. My hands have blistered all over, the blisters burst, and now I'm having a terrible time healing. I am allergic to neosporin and bactraban so the only thing I can do is put petroleum jelly on as a protectant but the blisters just ooze, the jelly "slips" off, the skin continues to crack around the jelly. The coconut oil goes on really well and keeps the skin moisturized so it's not cracking anymore. The blisters are sort of drying out as a result. I am hoping that keeping the skin super hydrated like this will help the healing process. But at the very least, the oil is making it a less painful experience for me. Sigh. Sorry for the gory details...

I scooped about 2 tablespoons out of the jar and put it in a old cleaned cream jar for easier access. It's working out so far and I'm not seeing any negative reaction from my skin from the oil. I read in a magazine today that coconut oil isn't pore clogging so if I get any on my face, it's not the end of the world either. ray:

Not to turn this into another eczema thread, but I've been even avoiding water touching my hands whenever possible because of the eczema not healing. Aside from washing my face, brushing teeth, showering, and bathroom visits, I've been wearing gloves to do bunny salads, chores and stuff just to avoid having to wash my hands. Rough times