Thoughts on moisturisers and skin care?

Castcore said:
I find that using a moisturizer causes me to break out and in general feel super oily. It's the same with Nivea Sensitive Post balm which seems to leave my skin feeling kind of tight or something that just makes my face feel weird and oily.

Do you find your homebrew goes on without feeling oily nav1?

The ingredients seem like they should definitely not cause oilyness, but what do I know.

For reference I'm a student in my early 20's, I'll take what lived experience I can get. Should I be putting on sunscreen everyday even if I'm only going to be outside for periods of less than 30 mins, transit, between classes, work etc? If there's one thing I truly hate, it's putting sunscreen on my face, it's an experience I always dread doing but I'm sure it's something I could get used to :)
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I don't get any oily or greasy feel from the serum. It absorbs fast.

Adding in some witch hazel would reduce the chances of a greasy finish even more but honestly with glycerine at 5%, it doesn't feel greasy at all.

I don't use sunscreen when I go out because firstly, I want the vitamin D and secondly, the serum provides decent protection if I'm out for a short while, probably due to the vitamin C.
 
neongas said:
Do you use a cleanser?
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Yeah I usually use QV gentle cleanser or Cetaphil which I find helps keep my skin clean enough.

Gargravarr said:
Experiment a bit and find a sunblock you can live with. That one I mentioned near the top of this thread is the lightest and most comfortable I've found so far.
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I'll have to take a look around, I've got a fair few sunscreens from when I'm doing surf lifesaving in the summer but they're all a bit thick. The anthelios sunscreen is admittely quite good, light and goes on easy, just a bit expensive comparatively.
I hope the removal goes well, it's good your Doctor is able to get onto them early!

Gargravarr said:
For now, just keep it simple and use the lightest moisturiser you can find, straight after the shower while the pores of your skin are still open.
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I can do that, never thought of doing it right after the shower, thanks for the tip!
 
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Ozymandias said:
QV Moisturiser is good stuff. I rate it highly.
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My neighbour used to use QV. Now she just gets me to fill up those huge containers with my homebrew stuff. Dunno what she does with it all, must use it head to toe. She says she prefers mine.
Castcore said:
The anthelios sunscreen is admittely quite good, light and goes on easy, just a bit expensive comparatively.
...I can do that, never thought of doing it right after the shower, thanks for the tip!
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It is a bit expensive ($24 @ Chemist Warehouse) but you pay for what you get. I only use that on my face and head. The same manufacturer sells a waterproof sunblock in a much bigger bottle which might be better for extensive exposure to sun.

My reasoning behind the moisturiser immediately post-shower is that if your skin is still moist in the first place, you only have to use a fraction of the amount of product, since all it has to do is help keep moisture in. No matter how good any product is, you never want a thick layer of it sitting on your skin for hours.
 
By way of an update to this thread, I have now found a sunscreen that I consider to be even better than the La Roche-Posay product I recommended earlier in this thread.

Avène Sunscreen Aqua-Fluid SPF50+ (RRP $27.99 for 40mL, currently $20.99 at Chemist Warehouse) has no fragrance at all and goes on evenly/smoothly and invisibly without having to shake the bottle. I use it on top of my homebrew moisturiser and it doesn't feel clammy in any way.
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aqua-fluid_with_dinkus.png

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It's a little more expensive than the LR-P product per unit volume, but it's a lot cheaper than the operations to remove skin cancers (trust me, I know). If you leave the rest of your body exposed to the sun, you might want to consider something cheaper for that.
 
I’ll be 73 in a few weeks time, and I have a lifetime of climbing, mountaineering, mountain biking, and competitive windsurfing….sometimes without any sunscreen whatsoever. I confess that I’ve been a fag smoker too so you can guess what my skin is like.

Apart from occasionally using a moisturiser after I reached 60, I noticed a big difference when I started using Lab Series All-In-One ‘face treatment’ as a post-shave moisturiser. It’s mattifying so I don’t get a shine face when it’s hot & humid. It took a month or so before I noticed an improvement in skin condition. I still use it. Just a tiny amount post-shave.

More recently, I started to use Paula’s Choice 2% BHA Liquid Salycylic Acid Exfoliant ( via Amaxxx). And, yes, I know it’s not a cool name. They do a bloke’s version, PC4Men which they recommend for post-shave but which is more expensive but the same stuff. I apply a little at night because I’m in the sun a lot and I suspect salicylic acid and sunshine don’t go well together.

The difference in my skin condition is quite marked, and as a side benefit, I haven’t had a weeper since I started using it. Even a couple of scars on my face are less noticeable. My missus has started nicking it since she noticed the change in my skin.
 
I should do more in this department. Over the years I’ve sometimes used a good quality moisturiser or balm but not often enough. Best product I’ve used is probably Triumph & Disaster’s “Gameface”. I will be sure to explore some of the things mentioned here.
 
JVS said:
I’ll be 73 in a few weeks time, and I have a lifetime of climbing, mountaineering, mountain biking, and competitive windsurfing….sometimes without any sunscreen whatsoever. I confess that I’ve been a fag smoker too so you can guess what my skin is like.

Apart from occasionally using a moisturiser after I reached 60, I noticed a big difference when I started using Lab Series All-In-One ‘face treatment’ as a post-shave moisturiser. It’s mattifying so I don’t get a shine face when it’s hot & humid. It took a month or so before I noticed an improvement in skin condition. I still use it. Just a tiny amount post-shave.

More recently, I started to use Paula’s Choice 2% BHA Liquid Salycylic Acid Exfoliant ( via Amaxxx). And, yes, I know it’s not a cool name. They do a bloke’s version, PC4Men which they recommend for post-shave but which is more expensive but the same stuff. I apply a little at night because I’m in the sun a lot and I suspect salicylic acid and sunshine don’t go well together.

The difference in my skin condition is quite marked, and as a side benefit, I haven’t had a weeper since I started using it. Even a couple of scars on my face are less noticeable. My missus has started nicking it since she noticed the change in my skin.
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Never too late to start. I’ve always advocated for using toner as it promotes skin renewal.
 
Mistertaz said:
The opinions on toner seem to vary. My impression was that it just closes the pores and reduces oil secretion.
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The benefits depend on which type of acid your toner uses (I work in skincare wholesale/manufacturing).

AHA - Glycolic acid, mostly used for anti ageing.
BHA - Salycilic acid, used a lot for acne/oily skin.

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JVS said:
I apply a little at night because I’m in the sun a lot and I suspect salicylic acid and sunshine don’t go well together.
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It’s not that salicylic acid itself doesn’t go with sun; toners in general make your skin more sun sensitive (it’s an acid after all). You can still use it in the morning but you just have to apply sunblock after using.
 
Mistertaz said:
Thanks for that! Are there any products you recommend for post-shave and general anti-aging use?
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Oof that’s another rabbit hole question hah!

For post shave any balm from the usual makers will serve you well, but for homegrown check out @CraigE ’s Blue Devil stuff.

For general anti ageing skincare, it depends on your budget (and skin type) really, the sky is the limit. Men’s products for mature aged skin may seem not as prevalent or easy to suss out; but truth is it’s all the same, you just have to look at ingredients.

You’re already using a more than decent moisturiser and toner, I’d suggest getting a gentle facial cleanser (Sukin for men is affordable and easily available) and a sunscreen/sunblock (@Gargravarr ’s suggestion earlier is also a good choice).
 
neongas said:
The benefits depend on which type of acid your toner uses (I work in skincare wholesale/manufacturing).

AHA - Glycolic acid, mostly used for anti ageing.
BHA - Salycilic acid, used a lot for acne/oily skin.

images




It’s not that salicylic acid itself doesn’t go with sun; toners in general make your skin more sun sensitive (it’s an acid after all). You can still use it in the morning but you just have to apply sunblock after using.
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Please help...how can I dissolve salicylic acid in my homemade serum without using alcohol?
 
nav1 said:
Please help...how can I dissolve salicylic acid in my homemade serum without using alcohol?
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Salicylic acid is somewhat soluble in water, depending on how much you want to dissolve. I've got a reference that says 2.48g/L @ 25ºC. That's actually quite a lot for something you put on your skin.
 
Gargravarr said:
Salicylic acid is somewhat soluble in water, depending on how much you want to dissolve. I've got a reference that says 2.48g/L @ 25ºC. That's actually quite a lot for something you put on your skin.
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I made a 2% salicylic acid serum and it settles at the bottom.

A light shake does dissolve it enough to dispense it but then it settles again.

I even tried the method of heating up glycerine to 38°C and then add the salicylic acid but it again settles down the bottom of the bottle.

My wife can work with this but I want it to stay in solution if there's an easy way to do it without using alcohol.
 
nav1 said:
I made a 2% salicylic acid serum and it settles at the bottom.
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It would. That's 10 times the max solubility. You should be able to get somewhere close to 2% if you add a neutral salt (eg sodium chloride or sodium phosphate, or any other neutralisation product of a strong base/strong acid, but I think you would need quite a lot of it (say 5%) which might be uncomfortable on the skin as it dries.

Edit: you could consider using willow bark extract instead, which is nearly the same thing. You might still need to shake your bottle of serum a little to disperse everything, though you could possibly get around that by using an emulsifier.

Another edit: you should also ingest anything I say with NaCl. My background is chemistry/biochemistry/biotechnology, and I am not a dermatologist, doctor or witchdoctor.
 
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@nav1 Salicylic acid has poor solubility in water, you'd need access to some pretty hardcore ingredients to make an alcohol free version. For example, this Salicylic Acid 2% from The Ordinary which is alcohol free, and atm is unfortunately out of stock. Its ingredients list should help you along.

https://deciem.com/en-au/theordinar...cylic-acid-2pct-solution_size=30ml&quantity=1

Ingredients in bold are what contribute to dissolving the Salicylic Acid, as well as the Citric Acid which I suspect is to lower the PH, also to help solubility.

Aqua (Water), Hamamelis Virginiana Leaf Water, Cocamidopropyl Dimethylamine, Salicylic Acid, Dimethyl Isosorbide, Trisodium Ethylenediamine Disuccinate, Citric Acid, Polysorbate 20, Hydroxyethylcellulose, Ethoxydiglycol, Potassium Sorbate, Sodium Benzoate, 1,2-Hexanediol, Caprylyl Glycol.
 
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