OH! Also…how do you feel about mugwort? It’s a fantastic ingredient for acne scarring. But…once again, it is a natural product so it smells like…mugwort. No added fragrance though.
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I’ll have to check this out! I feel like Curology’s Rich Moisturizer isn’t rich enough.
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I’ve been using Curology for a couple months now and I like it. I basically neglected my skin for 40 years, so I know nothing about skincare and need a lot of handholding. I noticed that my skin texture changed in the last year and I had a lot of roughness even though my skin didn’t seem particularly dry. Curology has helped, although it might just be that I needed a better cleanser and to actually, you know, moisturize.
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It’s not that I’m against the smells necessarily, just that I know I react pretty close to 100% of the time to synthetic fragrance. Natural ingredients are hit and miss, and they’re where the bulk of the “I was tolerating it, PSYCH now I’m not” comes in.
I’ll look into the ones you’ve linked, ty! And you did link Hyram once before but I couldn’t find it again when I went back to look 
No idea where I saved that video.
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Are you looking for “ingredients” that can help with acne scarring? Because believe it or not, some of the most affordable and “clean” skincare I can recommend comes from Trader Joe’s! (if you need a lot of moisturizer, they carry hyaluronic acid which you can use after cleansing!)
Usually to deal with acne scarring you need to start looking into exfoliants, most of which aren’t great for your parameters though. But moisture barriers can be repaired at any time.
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I do use two things now- once is that my shower cleanser has some vitamin C I think? As a “brightening” thing. The other one I just started recently. It’s from pipette baby and has… one of the mild acids that’s safe for pregnancy and BFing. I’m only using it once per week right now, seem to be tolerating it fine.
For straight up acne I’m using benzoyl peroxide, which is a BFing and pregnancy grey area but digging into it I’m comfortable with it- I will just discontinue for my first trimester if I can get pregnant again.
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I use the regular Curology moisturizer and the Neutrogena extra dry skin version is definitely more moisturizing than that. Not sure how it stacks up against the Rich Moisturizer, but I read somewhere that it’s a “twin” so it may be too similar. It’s cheaper than buying from Curology, so not bad to try out either way.
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Oh awesome, yup. Vitamin C and Lactic Acid were the two I was going to recommend as safe.
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I’ll give it a go! In the winter I usually use Ponds (blue lid) on my face because of how dry it gets, and switch to CeraVe moisturizing lotion for the rest of the year.
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Oh, I wanted to mention a con about Curology. I did the one month trial, which comes with the cleanser and moisturizer. I loved both of them (remember I have no skincare history, so they may be just OK 
), but then I ran out of the moisturizer before my next shipment was scheduled to go out. I don’t know if I used too much just trying to figure out how much to use or if my face is just bigger than average. That wasn’t really a big deal. The irritating thing is that you cannot order an additional cleanser or moisturizer in your monthly order. In a perfect world, I would have ordered two moisturizers to “get ahead.” Again, not a deal breaker, but their business model does make me wonder if I should try to find other products that I like so I can buy as I need. Probably not their intent.
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I noticed that too! I’m still on my first week, but was looking ahead. I expect the cleanser will last long enough, but the moisturizer 100% will not. They have some guides on their website that I may loosely follow to find decent replacements for both.
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Yeah, the cleanser lasted and I was able to use it in the shower for a few weeks after I got the new bottle. Which brings up another thing! I would love to have an extra cleanser for the shower.
The cream ran out right after my next box shipped out, so I only missed out on a couple nights, which wasn’t bad.
I could buy a set of the cleanser and moisturizer on eBay, but I feel weird about doing that.
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My skin was really good for a long time (except for starting to get some dryness wrinkles around my nose and eyes) but lately I started to get irritation and patchy/scaly skin on my face. Frecks suggested that I might be overdoing scrubs and I think after looking online that it’s true! After my face started getting irritated, I was using the scrub to try to get off the dry scaly skin but I think that just made it worse. Anyway, I was impatient getting my skin to heal but doing the Tanaka Face Massage really helped, I think by working moisturizer deep into my skin. I’m only two days in but I’m hoping to be able to stick to it. Also, doing the massage daily forces me to wash my face with cleanser every night instead of just a quick rinse around the eyes, so that might help too.
I started another thread for anyone who wants to do the face massage with me. Elle has several very informative posts about the lymphatic system there.
https://forum.ohmydollar.com/t/anti-aging-through-facial-massage/2913?u=meowmalade
I’m using Ode Body Balm on my face right now. It’s an olive oil based balm that seems too greasy for the face but I think it’s just what I need right now. My sister gave me the Verde scent (too “green”) and the Lavender was definitely not my favorite lavender. I’m trying the Bohemian Rose now and it’s really lovely! Just a hint of rose and it’s not very strong.
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I am a raw beginner that needs handholding.
Deets, etc. Not gross, cut for length.
Deets: skin is normal-to-oily. I’ve only ever had dry face skin in Illinois winters. Which is not a problem here in CA.
Complaints: Lately, persistent mild redness and noticing more spots. Some blackheads and occasional pimples. Maybe hormonal? Seem too break out from stuff on my face regularly, which includes moisturizers and sunscreen…
Sins: Sun protection day-to-day. I’ll put it on for hiking/beach/outings but forget for a walk or running errands. I don’t want to wear sunscreen indoors. Not a Hat Person either.
Routine: St Ives green tea scrub in the shower, light moisturizer after I get out sometimes (used to be burts bees day lotion with clary sage, now sharing husband’s ursa major face balm). I have “AloeUp” SPF30 which doesn’t have that sunscreen smell to use on my face but I forget (see above). I rinse my face with water am/pm when I don’t shower. Or after workouts.
Makeup: very rare. Rimmel 9-in-1 matte cc cream, sephora concealer and eye shadow, benefit “they’re real” mascara (also liked W3ll People mascara but can’t bring myself to reorder given frequency of use. Wanted to try other products but they are always out.
Questions: Besides the sunscreen thing (working on it) what should I be looking to change? What to look for in products (eg ingredients)? What to look for in information…are there secret search terms?
ETA: my hands and feet get really dry though. I love gold bond hand cream for being rich and hydrating without leaving an oily residue for hours. Best thing for feet seems to be a foot soak followed by any lotion. Coconut oil overnight in socks is great, too. But other suggestions welcome 
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I’ve had acne (probably hormonal) since puberty (and I’m 34 now) with some change in patterning (more around my jawline as I’ve aged) but no real abatement. I tend to have a lot of clogged pores too. I almost never wear makeup, and I run a lot, often as my commute so not always a great opportunity for a full routine of any kind after sweating. Acne did not improve with oral BC as I was told (by a doctor) it would. I’ve tried a lot of stuff, mostly cheap, over the counter products. I did Curology for I think 3-4 months and didn’t see much of any effect, so cancelled it.
I found a couple products this year that have actually improved things for me a bit, the first being witch hazel toner (I just picked up Thayers from Target), the second being this wash from Pacifica: https://www.pacificabeauty.com/collections/kale-skincare/products/kale-detox-deep-cleaning-face-wash I actually ordered a few Pacifica items during their Black Friday sale, but this is the one I’ve used most consistently and is honestly the best thing I’ve ever used for my skin. There’s an “oil free multi-cream” in the same line I also got and like a lot but don’t feel as strongly is superior to other moisturizers I’ve tried. Pacifica is all vegan products and while not the very cheapest, not break the bank either.
I’m totally random about what sunscreen I use, and probably don’t use it as much as I should (I run mainly in the early morning and later evening, so am not out in full sun super frequently even though I’m outside quite a lot). I’m excited to follow along in this topic to keep learning!
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Yeah. My new routine is so so different from old
AM: (maybe it’s 8am, maybe I tossed a screaming kid into the crib at 4pm because I need to pee solo and I smell so bad)
- wash face and armpits with a baby washcloth and hand soap
- hope it’s the upstairs bathroom so I can smear on andalou naturals cannabis day cream
PM
-wash face in baby bath water, or with a baby face cloth at the sink or with a bay wipe or not at all
If I’m lucky
-smear on day cream or an argan oil/castor oil blend or retinoids or hyaluronic/lactic acid serum
Middle of the night
Maybe remove contacts, oil wash my face and moisturize again.
Once to three times a week
Shower!
Bar soap everywhere, artificial fabric scrubby thingy on my face (and body) or apricot scrub. A serum and then an oil or day cream
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Hahaha too too real. Hang in there!
Also, I just got those little scrub mits that they use at the Korean spa and I am EXCITED.
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I also break out from coconut oil lol! I seem to be mostly sensitive to things that cause ‘fungal acne’ shakes fist at cloud
Two things I’ve liked recently are hyaluronic acid and squalene. I got both from Timeless Skincare. I got the hyaluronic acid + vitamin C, but they have a ‘pure line’ that’s minimal/single ingredients: https://www.timelessha.com/collections/pure-line
I’ve liked both these b/c they seem to ‘sink in’ nicely/dry quickly, but still moisturize a bit but I don’t feel like a grease ball or get stuff too close to my eyes that are then irritating.
I think I see a munch of companies offering similar products, and I’ve been looking for more ‘single ingredient’ stuff b/c it tends to be a bit cheaper than the fancy formulas, and there are fewer things to react to!
I was also really into jojoba oil for a while, especially in the winter! But I was less dialed into my skincare stuff, so I don’t have as good a vibe for what it was/wasn’t doing for me at that point.
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You genius you! Buying right now!
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Question. Blackheads. I don’t normally get these. Right now I have several. Can this be caused by over drying? Or is it likely “purging” from having recently started the mild acid 1-2 times per week?
(Over drying is happening because I accidentally ordered the “cleansing gel” instead of the “cleansing milk” 
identical damn packaging. Anyway, have the right one coming but tried to fight through it for a couple weeks before realizing I was being an idiot over $10).
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