Cleansing when your skin is sensitive/normal (not oily)
All of the products I’m going to recommend for normal skin are also suitable for sensitive skin, unless I say otherwise :)
Cleansing waters: The thing god made for those days when you just CBA doing a proper morning/evening cleanse. The ones I like are:
-Bioderma cleansing water (order online only I think, except for annoying people like me who go to France plenty, in which case you can get it on tap in the pharmacies.) NO ONE is allergic to this. It’s ultra gentle. It’s literally like having a dove feather gently stroked over your face by angels…..
-Caudalie micellar cleansing water, which tends to be about….£14 something from boots (big boots, not little boots shops) I LOVE THIS, I use this one most of all really, when I want to take off my make up halfway through the day to freshen up, in the morning as an actual cleanse, in the evening as an actual cleanse AFTER I take any make up off with a make up remover. Obviously, having an ED means that your skin will be up and down the walls all the time, so what I like about this is I tend to be able to use it whenever.
Cleansing waters have actually saved my skin from ME on days when I can hardly move because I’m so depressed but I just KNOW that if I don’t do something I’m gonna wake up with a face only a mother could love. And I don’t have a mother. You may laugh.
Okay, actual cleansers:
Liz Earle’s cleanse and polish hot cloth cleanser. OHMYGOD. I love this stuff. This stuff literally makes your face feel like a new-borns’ buttocks. DO NOT use it on your T-zone when it is oily. Not that it would make it any worse or whatever, there are just better things I can suggest. This Cleanser maintains the status quo. You could even just use it on your cheeks and something else on your t-zone. If different parts of your face look and feel different….treat them differently. Makes sense, right? But yeah, this is just beautiful. You’ll love it. The starter kit comes with two muslin cloths, and a nice big bottle of the cleanser with a pump dispenser, and normally a little freebie, for example I got a little bottle of Liz Earle toner J it’s about….£13/14 ish. Or maybe a little less. But it lasts aaaaaaaages, especially if you prefer to use something else on your T-zone if you have combination skin. And it smells like god himself. True story.
Alpha-H Balancing cleanser-I can use this when my skin is normal OR a bit oily. And it never harms my skin when it feels a little sensitive. It’s just lovely! As the name suggests, it balances the oil levels on your skin.
Cleansing when your skin is dry
When my skin is dry, I only cleanse with water once a day, and this is totally sufficient. But in the mornings I might use:
The Bioderma….see above :)
When my skin is dry, I quite like to spritz “the body shop” vitamin E face mist on my face, wipe off the excess, apply moisturizer and make up if I’m wearing it, and then….here’s the kicker, spritz it on AGAIN. And this time I let it dry on my face. Might sound bizarre, but definitely works, and then throughout the day I can either spritz it on when I go to the bathroom, or apply a little moisturizer here and there on the dryer patches if I think that would be better.
For my one hot water cleanse on a dry day, I do often use the Liz Earle hot cloth cleanser. As my skin improves, as in gets less dry, I switch to the alpha H balancing cleanser, and then go back to my normal routine.
Cleansing when your skin is oily
This happens to the best of us. I tend to get blemishes on my chin more than anywhere, and it tends to be because my ED is messing around with my hormones. (Chin spots tend to be hormonal). I can’t fix my hormones without going through recovery, and I have found that recovery does not suit me. Maybe it will one day, but now isn’t the time. I consider myself to be a total whizz kid at sorting out blemishes and oil. I’m quite a clean person, maybe to the point of obsession, so blemishes REALLY get to me, because they offend my sense of cleanliness and order. So, without further ado….
REN clay cleanser is something I use ONLY ON MY T-ZONE when it is oily. So that’s Chin, nose and forehead. However, it is gentle enough for sensitive skin, and won’t strip your face causing more oil production. I CANNOT stress enough how important it is to not choose the most drying thing you can find. My partner bought me a facial once when we went to centerparcs, and the lovely girl there said to me “Never forget, oily skin works backwards”, meaning that if your skin is producing a lot of oil, it means that it is reacting to being dried out in some way, and is overcompensating. REN smells a bit weird. I’m not gonna lie. But I have come to associate the smell with sorting out my skin, which makes it a positive smell for me, oddly. It IS gentle enough to use on your cheeks, if you feel they are oily enough, but I haven’t ever met someone who finds their cheeks especially oily, it tends to be the T-zone which is the offending area.
I’m going to come on to those times where you have an absolute BASTARD of a spot in a particular area of your face. Maybe even a patch of BASTARDS in an area of your face. Remember:
-if you dry it out until the skin cracks, this might mean more spots there in the long run
-Treat the area individually, not your whole face. Using a blemish-prone cleanser all over your face, when you only have blemishes in one area will cause the rest of your face to over-produce oil, which may equal more spots!
-Only squeeze it if it has a head. I don’t tend to get scars from spots, and I’ve found that getting the pus out and then applying something drying works, but then I have to balance it out again to avoid damaging that little bit of skin. If you know you’re prone to scarring, don’t pick at all.
Every once in a blue moon, I use Clearasil. In principle, I HATE Clearasil. It attacks your skin and dries it out. But I have learned to occasionally use Clearasil in a way that really helps. As a teenager, I often used Clearasil on my whole face if I got a patch of spots somewhere. And I used to give in to the temptation to wash my face several times a day. BIG mistake. Now, I wash blemishes a maximum of three times a day, but normally just twice a day. I use cleanser for NORMAL skin everywhere else in my face, except the offending area. I apply the Clearasil to the spotty area, sometimes letting it soak in. I sometimes use REN with Clearasil, leaving the REN on for a little bit in the bath, like a mini clay mask. I don’t use the Clearasil exfoliator if the spots are red and sore looking. If I do use the Clearasil exfoliator at all, I use it gently.
After cleansing a spotty area with Clearasil and REN, I hold a warm flannel or muslin cloth against it for a bit and then gently wipe away, to make sure no cleanser remains. It also pays to hold a warm flannel or muslin cloth against a spotty area before cleansing, to get the pores open.
-I don’t tend to steam my face with tea tree oil in hot water, unless I am about to use a face mask for oily skin. I don’t want to dry out my face, so I will steam my face in this way using a glass, not a bowl or sink. I will direct the glass over the patch of my face that is spotty, and allow it to steam the area (I add maybe….four drops of tea tree oil to the glass). I have found that this softens the skin up and makes the mask more effective.
My favourite mask for blemishes at the moment is Soap and Glory’s “Fab pore facial peel”. It is, despite the name, NOT an actual peel. It does tingle a little bit when it goes on, but the beauty of it is that it doesn’t dry out completely like a clay mask, so it doesn’t leave your skin feeling tight. It’s lovely. I also like Soap and glory’s “No clogs allowed” for similar reasons. No clogs allowed is a self-heating exfoliating mask type thing, and it does feel veeeeery nice, and is quite a treat really. I’m big on the whole “let’s not dry our faces out to a crispy, leathery purse texture” movement, so these two are really favourites of mine.
Clearasil do a very astringent toner. It contains salicylic acid, and all other kinds of spot-zapping crap. I may use it. But once a day, for a maximum of three days, and only on the juiciest fuckers!
As for natural choices, I HAVE had good results with tea tree oil in the past, but generally when it was a blended oil, say with peppermint or something. Personally I found that undiluted tea tree oil actually burned my skin when applied directly, and therefore made the whole area redder and sorer. Superdrug’s tea tree range have a couple of nice options. They have a nice little bottle of blended tea tree oil, and a tea tree and peppermint oil spot stick, which has an applicator like a little lipgloss wand. I find those are good for calming the little buggers, and as I said before, a couple of drops of oil in boiled water can provide a nice little pore cleansing steam for blemishes.
Lush have a couple of very nice options. One of them I discovered when actually trying to find something to help a very close friend of mine. It is a kind of Tea tree spritzer, and you spray it on your face and you can either dab off the excess, or leave it on to dry. Being tea tree, it will wreak its antibacterial-antifungal powers upon the dastardly blemishes, and will probably have a mild drying effect on them, which for most people (not long term sufferers of acne) is enough to set the record straight.
They also do a kind of sea-breeze type spritzer called “A breath of fresh air”. Because it’s Lush, it’s 100% natural, and therefore all lush options are generally suitable for sensitive skin unless of course you are allergic to any of the natural ingredients. This one just freshens up your oily skin, and smells like a trip to the seaside. It actually cheers me up when I smell it, that’s how ridiculously nice it is.
Lush have various masks that would be alright for blemished skin, but I wouldn’t generally bother with them, they would have a calming effect I suppose, but for spots, you may as well try the soap and glory. While I’m talking about masks, I am gonna bring up a really cheap option, and I bet every female reader from the UK has tried it. Montagne Jeunesse. Yes, the little 99p sachets. Damask rose. Enough said. I actually DESPISED rose face masks, as for some reason for me they has the illusion of being too perfumed and irritating my skin. But I tried this one, and my face just felt so deeply cleansed it was amazing. Also, their peel-offs are nice for oily skin as a quick pick me up too. Maybe not suitable for sensitive blemished skin, but if you check the ingredients out, you’ll know better than me.
As for zapping the spots, without using tea tree oil or whatever, these are the things you should use,in my opinion there is nothing else short of medication that will work.
Pre-spot: you’ve got a little lump, and it feels like it might become a whopper. Dr Nick Lowe spot treatment gel. Tea tree oil. That’s it. In this case, it’s hardly worth bringing out the big guns.
Blackheads: steam and exfoliate
Zits: if not prone to scarring, remove pus. If it is large, use a salycilic acid based spot cream, Nicotinamide or benzoyl peroxide. When it begins to dry, apply SUDOCREM.
Papules: these are the hard round spots that won’t pop if you squeeze them. If a spot has no head, and is hard/firm to the touch DO NOT EVER EVER EVER SQUEEZE IT. In fact, only squeeze it if it has a head, period. Apply fairly drying things to it. Salycilic acid cleansers, benzoyl peroxide. And use a flannel or muslin cloth as a warm compress to try and encourage a head out of it. Steam it occasionally. Treat it with kid gloves, if you get me. These fuckers can ruin your face for weeks. Some of them come to a head. Some never do, but go away when you persist with the gentle drying agents. I would definitely use Clearasil toner on these. They’re often a bit painful. I take an ibuprofen/any other mild painkiller, hold a hot flannel against it, apply spot cream and try to leave it alone. Squeezing them might pop them under the skin. This causes infection beneath the skin. You do not want this.
This brings me onto little whiteheads, red marks/scars and general skin quality. Alpha H liquid gold. Alpha H liquid gold. Alpha H liquid gold. It’s £30ish. I know that’s a lot. Save up. Trust me. I use it about once every three nights, and the quality of my skin has never been better. It even helps blackheads!
I find that Sudocrem helps fade things back into the colour you want them to be, and it's SO bloody cheap it's unbelievable. Don't smack on a whopping thick layer though, as it is qute heavy, i use a little q-tip to rub it in (but then I don't like to touch my face. Every moisturizer/spot treatment I ever use is applied using cotton pads or q-tips etc!) also, sudocrem is BRIGHT white, so only apply it if a)you aren't going anywhere or expecting anyone or b)you are going to bed. It's actually quite effective overnight, and takes things down quite well, but don't apply it to a brand new spot, follow the directions above for those. It's a healing cream, so use it to heal spot remnants and red marks :)
Another point about the cleansers: Pretty much every cleanser I use goes on my neck as well as my face. EXCEPT the ones I listed for oily skin. I want my neck to stay youthful, so I don’t use drying cleansers on it. I DO apply alpha H liquid gold to my neck too.
Every so often for a pick me up, I use Sisley express flower gel. It is VERY expensive, but it makes your skin very very nice. I can only afford to use it every once in a while, when I look like a total crack addict from lack of sleep and such.
My moisturisers change depending on what type of skin day I’m having. But I always use the same toners and make up removers. They are:
-Liz Earle skin instant boost skin tonic WHEN I’M GOING OUT. It’s not the cheapest toner I can get, so I use it as a skin treat.
-Garnier simply essentials soothing eye make up remover
-Garnier simply essentials soothing vitamin-enriched toner
Garnier is cheap as chips, and the simply essential range doesn’t have any nasty things in it :)
The moisturizers I use are:
Normal skin: daytime-Olay UV day fluid for normal/oily skin. It’s light enough for me, and non comodogenic, and protects my pale skin from the sun, super! This is ALWAYS what I use on my neck in the daytime, regardless of whether or not it goes on my face. (except when using alpha H liquid gold)
Normal skin: night time-Nivea visage daily essentials regenerating night cream for normal & combination skin. This is always what goes on my neck at night, regardless of what goes on my face. (except when using alpha H liquid gold)
When I have dry skin, I still use these moisturizers, but I may spritz the body shop vitamin E spritzer with it, and apply something richer like E45 to the dryer patches, or something like that. Alternatively, I will apply, wait a few minutes, and apply again until I get satisfactory moisture. I’ve never needed to go heavier than these creams.
Oily skin with blemishes daytime: REN clearcalm3 total clarity Day fluid, but only on my T-zone, and I stop when the blemishes start to dry out
Oily skin with blemishes night time: REN clearcalm3 total clarity night serum, only on T-zone, and stop when I think my skin is looking more normal
Oily skin because it’s hot, sticky weather, or any other weird reasons like that: Madara ecoface deep moisture gel for oily to combination skin. This stuff smells amazing, and is really good for when the weather is humid or something, I sometimes use it as a night cream for my t-zone when my t-zone is oily but not spotty :)
I use eye creams too, but there are only two of those:
Daytime: Simple radiance brightening eye cream
Night time: Simple kind to eyes soothing eye balm.
On my lips I use Cath Kidston bluebell lip balm, especially in winter. When I go somewhere in the sun, I use a lip balm with an SPF in it like nivea lip care sun spf 25.
When looking for a sun tan lotion, what with being VERY pale, with celtic freckled skin, I try and find a non greasy one with a relatively high spf. I like the spray ones that are clear, and rub in well, like the nivea one in the blue bottle, or L’oreal paris solar expertise transparent spray. I don’t go for pricey sun tan lotion, I go for the middle priced ones so I can buy LOTS of it. I burned my skin as a kid. NEVER AGAIN. And you guys shouldn’t get sunburned either, it’s not good for you! Get an appropriate SPF, and apply often! It’ll keep you young and beautiful for as long as possible. Especially since ED’s dry out your skin like crazy sometimes, making it easier to burn to a rasher!
Right….I think that’s everything for now, except later I’ll probably think shit, I forgot blah blah…..But there’s always another time I suppose, haha!
I'm MORE than happy to answer specific questions about how to cope with something awful that has turned up on your lovely faces. I know I probably don't seem like the first place you'd go for advice, but I started having trouble with my skin aged 6...mainly because I had pica and was eating things no human should eat, and the evidence showed up on my face, I think I've had most skin ailments...impetigo, eczma, rosacea etc. So don't hesitate to ask! If there's something ED+skin related that I haven't addressed and you want me to address it....like lanugo, blue nails/fingers, you know stuff like that, let me know :) the only reason I haven't done it initially is because I'm not sure if you want it!
love to all who read
Jemimah
xxx
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