Masks -Unlisted Brand - Oatmeal
JessieWW 8/21/2009 12:05:00 PM
I have advanced rosacea and SD that react to EVERYTHING, and thanks to another MUA reviewer, I recently discovered the wonder of oatmeal face powder. It’s great, great, great! I grind up the oatmeal to a fine powder, sift it to eliminate larger clumps, and apply it to a dry face (first applying a little jojoba oil and waiting for it to dry). Then I wipe off any visible clumps with a cotton pad. No, it doesn’t cover much, but the anti-inflammatory action of oatmeal (ref: NIH site) keeps my rosacea from turning bright red. And if I leave it on overnight, it’s even better. I’ve also used it over sunscreen and discovered that my face is less inflamed from the sunscreen. To make sure it stays fresh, I keep the ground oatmeal in a glass jar in the refrigerator and replace it every few days. Thank you, “footballove” reviewer for the oatmeal powder idea—I’m very grateful! (See her review under Oatmeal Masks, dated 2/29/09.) Note: to make the powder even more effective, I sometimes mix in a just a tiny bit of ground licorice root, which is also calming/anti-inflammatory (ref: NIH site). However, since licorice root can also raise blood pressure and some makeup ingredients include penetrators, I’d suggest checking with a doctor on whether this is safe for you to use. Now for the not-so-great part: Like other loose powder, oatmeal powder goes everywhere and it can be a pain to clean up. Also, it does clump easily, so a damp face and oatmeal powder don’t tend to mix. (Even dry, it’s necessary to carefully check your face for visible clumps.) Overall, highly recommended to calm faces down! (Oatmeal also helps absorbs UV rays.)
21 out of 22 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Treatments -Biore - Pore Cleansing Strips - Nose
JessieWW 8/21/2009 11:31:00 AM
If your skin is sensitive, be very, very careful with this stuff. I tried it twice and it works-it pulls blackheads out just like it says it does, BUT it turns out that it can damage your skin barrier big time if your skin is fragile, dry, sensitive because it can really tear your skin up in the process.
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Treatments -Unlisted Brand - Vitamin B6
JessieWW 8/4/2009 12:42:00 PM
Update: Instead of jojoba oil, you may want to mix it with a bland moisturizer. Jojoba oil works for me but is a problem for some others. I have advanced rosacea and seb derm. I’ve found using topical vitamin B6 on my face really helps to clear the seb derm for a while. I simply grind up a B6 tablet, dissolve it in water, and apply it to my face at night, sometimes adding a little jojoba oil. (The seb derm does come back eventually, but at least I get a window of being able to wear sunscreen without having it cling to obvious skin flakes.) Unfortunately, if I use the B6 too frequently, it stops working. I got the idea from research described in Encyclopedia of Natural Medicine, by Murray and Pizzorno, revised second edition, 1998, page 795. Note that according to the article, this treatment only works on one particular type of seb derm. (The book is absolutely wonderful; it’s a shame it hasn’t been updated. I’ve found it very useful for a range of issues. On Amazon, it has a five star rating with 40+ reviews.) Note: I’d suggest checking with your doctor first, as I don’t know if there can be any problems with topical use of vitamin B6.
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Masks -Unlisted Brand - Oatmeal
JessieWW 7/22/2009 2:38:00 PM
A life saver. Typically, my advanced rosacea and seb derm are just a cosmetic problem, but recently, my face hit a major overload of triggers, and I was looking at not only a flaming red, p&p face, but one accompanied by burning and itching so bad I couldn’t sleep. Unfortunately, every “calming” agent I could think of contained more triggers (fragrances, emulsifiers or preservatives) that have torn my skin up in the past. Examples: (1) Tocopheryl acetate (often used as a preservative; found in sooooo many products, including so-called “calming” products) It’s an irritant and skin sensitizer (ref: websearch will turn up article in Skin and Aging, Focus On: Vitamin E, Dec 15 2007 , By Greg Sakamoto, M.D., and Peter C. Schalock, M.D., describing the problem - noting that in one experiment 1/3 of the patients being treated with topical vitamin E for skin scars developed dermatitis; also see Skin Deep which references it as “Human skin toxicant - strong evidence”…Cosmetic Ingredient Review Assessments…Sensitizer - can instigate immune system response that can include itching, burning, scaling, hives, and blistering of skin.” (2) Cetyl alcohol (which Aveeno tends to use in their oatmeal lotions, etc.) It's an irritant (really tears my skin up) {ref: see Skin Deep which describes it as a “Primary skin irritant (human)}” With no commercial products that would work, I used the blender to grind some steel-cut oatmeal, mixed it with just enough warm distilled water to dissolve it, waited for it to return to room temperature and applied it. It was messy, and I’ve never been fond of the smell of oatmeal, but it really relieved the burning and itching, and reduced some of the worst of the redness! (Other reviewers have used various mixture combinations; I stayed with the most innocuous possible.) The Pubmed/NIH website describes oatmeal as: “…used for centuries to relieve itch and irritation…It is: water-holding, …antioxidant, ….anti-inflammatory activity, also strong ultraviolet absorbers.” I highly recommend it for sensitive skin!
13 out of 14 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Lotions/ Creams -Unlisted Brand - Method Baby-Squeaky Green Body Lotion
JessieWW 7/12/2009 7:09:00 PM
Yuk. Yuk. Yuk. I tried this because the ingredients seemed fairly innocuous--and they didn't include vitamin e, which can trigger dermatitis and seems to be found in almost everything. The bottle describes "natural ingredients like rice milk and mallow," however, the ingredients also included various alcohols that can be irritating. The lotion is yellow-white and comes in a pear-shaped pump bottle. Rather than try it on my sensitive face first, I decided to test it on my arms. Suffice to say, it never made it to my face. Applying it to my arms felt strangely drying. It didn't seem to have enough "slip." It did sink in right away but didn't feel moisturizing. Fragrance is shown as the last ingredient. It's hard to describe the smell as you're putting it on; but it was off-putting. My thoughts were along the line of "eeew" (the after-smell is more straight marshmallow). A no go. I plan to return it tomorrow.
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Shampoo -Beauty Without Cruelty - Daily Benefits
JessieWW 6/17/2009 8:27:00 PM
I have a sensitive scalp and dry, fine hair which is highlighted and splits easily. I tried this shampoo because it doesn't contain SLS--which tends to make my scalp itch. The product works fairly well: doesn't dry out my hair, doesn't result in itching scalp, and doesn't strip my highlighted hair. And yet it cleans well enough that my hair doesn't become dirty for at least several days. That said, I also go to some lengths to avoid a bad outcome: (a) I just shampoo once to avoid over-dryness (b) I only apply the shampoo where my head actually becomes oily--along the top/crown, then I shampoo and rinse it out very quickly. Since the shampoo runs down, it does clean the rest of my hair, but doesn't sit on it for any length of time, and the ends don't dry out. (c) I always use a heavy-duty moisturizer after shampooing and rinse it out well Hope this helps others with dry hair!
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Sunscreen -Badger - SPF 30
JessieWW 6/10/2009 11:40:00 AM
I have fair skin that's very sensitive, with rosacea and dermatitis, and I tried this on my neck: The good: a. If you want to avoid chemical sunscreens, this doesn't have chemical sunscreens--just 20.5% zinc oxide for physical protection b. Packaging: comes in a tube with flip top; easy to use c. The product doesn't include the typical preservatives and emulsifiers (the usual suspects) that can trigger sensitive skin irritation such as alcohols, tocopheryl acetate, etc. The bad: a. OMG, it's like trying to apply a cream full of sand particles to your body--that much zinc oxide (particulates to begin with) balls up in the formula. I felt like my skin was being scraped as I tried to rub in. Way too abrasive to ever consider on my very sensitive face. (It was so bad I checked the expiration date to see if maybe something was wrong with the product but it wasn't--it still had another year on it.) Note: once you rub it in, the "sandy lumps" go away. b. It's somewhat greasy feeling (ingredients include beeswax and cocoa butter) and of course it leaves a white cast because of all the zinc (although I wouldn't mind that if it weren't for the sandy feel) c. The product includes a bunch of essential oils (lavender oil, ylang ylang, etc.)--another reason I would never put this on my face. Skin Deep Cosmetic Safety Database shows the product as safe but some of these essential oils haven't been much tested to begin with--and a web search reveals that some of the essential oils can cause a skin reaction. d. The smell--because of the essential oils--is weird. Summary: If you have normal, not sensitive, skin and are looking for a safe sunscreen, this might be it (other than the potential for clogging due to greasy ingredients). I personally didn't like the smell or the sandy application.
4 out of 5 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Treatments -Unlisted Brand - manuka honey
JessieWW 6/9/2009 2:25:00 PM
My skin is very, very sensitive, with advanced rosacea and dermatitis. My rosacea just flared up recently due to using the wrong mineral powder, leaving my face with a very large, bright red, abraded patch. I then bought manuka honey with a rating of 16+ to see if it would calm it down and reduce the redness. Manuka honey is touted at being particularly effective in wound healing and has anti-bacterial and anti-microbial properties. I also (naively) assumed it would moisturize. Serious miscalculation. I left the honey on for about 30 minutes and then felt a stinging sensation. The patch on my face began burning, and I quickly grabbed my Osmotics Calming Cleansing Milk (thank God for this product) and removed the honey. The Calming Cleansing Milk calmed the stinging but the huge red patch is redder then ever. The manuka honey just made it worse. More research enlightened me. Here's what I learned: a. Manuka honey is not moisturizing. (It helps heal wounds because it acts as a barrier to the wound drying out, but it doesn't contain moisturizing ingredients) b. Manuka honey's anti-bacterial properties are probably associated with the fact that it releases hydrogen peroxide--which can irritate sensitive skin c. My final hard-learned lesson: Never assume that because a product will help heal wounds it will also help heal the messed-up skin that comes with rosacea and dermatitis.
22 out of 25 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Sunscreen -Neutrogena - Pure & Free Baby SPF 60
JessieWW 6/2/2009 11:32:00 PM
Yuck. I tried this (Pure and Free Baby Sunblock stick SPF 60+) because it didn't have ingredients like tocopheryl acetate which makes my rosacea and dermatitis much worse. I should have known better. First, sticks are waxy and that itself is off-putting: the waxiness feels weird and leaves a sticky residue--nothing like having your hair sticking to your face. Worse, the zinc balled right up and looked like I was wearing a face full of small white pebbles. I washed it off--it wasn't possible to go out in public like that. The final insult: I opened it a second time, thinking I might try it elsewhere on my body rather than have to throw it away. The whole thing pulled out of the bottom stick that allows it to be rolled up, and instead stuck to the inside of the top of the plastic cover--unreachable/unrollable. Summary: a no-go. ingredients: Active Ingredients: Titanium Dioxide (6%), Zinc Oxide (4.7%) Inactive Ingredients: Aluminum Hydroxide, Beeswax, BHT, Butyloctyl Salicylate, C12 15 Alkyl Benzoate, Cetyl Alcohol, Dimethicone, Euphorbia Cerifera (Candelilla) Wax, Isostearic Acid, Neopentyl Glucol Diethylhexanoate, Ozokerite, Paraffin, Polyethylene, Stearic Acid, Triethoxycaprylylsilane
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Lips -Alima - Kisstick Holly Berry
JessieWW 5/15/2009 11:26:00 AM
I received this as a sample without explanation and am unsure exactly what it's supposed to be. Another reviewer referred to Alima's kisstick as lip balm. Anyway, it's great. The color is very close to my own natural color--it's sort of purple/pink/mauve. On the stick, it looks more like a brown red (I almost threw it away without trying it as browns don't help my pale complexion) but it blends perfectly. It looks like my natural lips but more intense--it doesn't leave lines, isn't thick, doesn't cake. (Since I've always worn lipstick and never tried lip gloss, perhaps this is true in general of lip gloss-type products?) Anyway, it seems to last for a decent amount of time on my lips, and it's wonderful for work, running around town type errands, etc. where the aim is to simply look nice with minimal amount of effort. (For times that I want to definitely look cool and sexy, I would go with lipstick instead of this.)
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Sunscreen -Neutrogena - Ultra Sheer Dry-Touch Sunblock SPF45
JessieWW 5/4/2009 7:49:00 AM
I tried this on my absurdly sensitive skin after a friend with sensitive skin said it wasn't irritating. The sunscreen went on easily, wasn't greasy on my face (which tends toward dry), didn't cause a problem when I put powder over it, didn't migrate down into my eyes, and the first day it seemed fine. Within three days, however, I had bright red blotches all over my face and my dermatitis went crazy. Into the trash it went.
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Powders -Clinique - Clinique Redness Solutions Instant Relief Mineral Powder
JessieWW 3/27/2009 9:51:00 AM
General: I have advanced rosacea and was given this as a sample to cover the redness. The powder does indeed help neutralize very mild pinkness but doesn't come close to neutralizing actual redness--you'll need additional layers of makeup. It goes on fairly smoothly--finely milled and doesn't settle in wrinkles, etc. (And surprisingly, although the powder is very yellow in the jar, it doesn't appear yellow on the face.) THE VERY BAD: It has BISMUTH!!! Other cosmetic companies have started removing this stuff from their products because it can be so nasty (and sometimes it takes awhile for facial skin to build up a reaction so out of nowhere, your face suddenly becomes inflamed, especially if it gets damp). Why Clinique would sell a product that's supposed to reduce redness and then put bismuth in it seems absurd.
8 out of 9 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Moisturizers -Yon-Ka - Cream 11
JessieWW 3/2/2009 3:47:00 PM
I'm surprised by the good reviews of this product. It contains arnica--which is a skin irritant/skin sensitizer.
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Sunscreen -Peter Thomas Roth - Instant Mineral SPF 30
JessieWW 1/28/2009 9:42:00 AM
I'm one of those with very dry, sensitive skin and rosacea and desperate to find a suncreen that doesn't irritate my skin. Comments: 1.Tocopheryl acetate, an ingredient, is also a skin irritant. It's a form of vitamin E created by combining vitamin E (tocopheryl) with an acid. (Check skin deep cosmetics databases, other databases) TA is frequently used as a preservative. 2. Willowbark, also an ingredient, can be hard on sensitive skin (described on various websites) 3. The powder, containing mica, goes everywhere and it's not a good idea to be inhaling the stuff. Also, it's a pain when it gets on clothes, etc. 4. Zinc, an ingredient, works as a physical block and calms skin but is drying by it's nature--mineral-type applications with zinc as a major ingredient will be drying. (No wonder so many reviewers noted that their face felt tight.) Why did I try it? Desperation. I need a lot of sun protection and trying to re-apply a liquid sun lotion over mineral make-up is a no go.
7 out of 9 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Powder -Alima - Satin Matte Mineral Foundation
JessieWW 1/25/2009 10:58:00 PM
EDIT: Had to remove two lippies. The description below was fine when my face was in only "red stage" rosacea. When it later broke out in to the "P&P" stage, this makeup really made it much worse--after researching it, I discovered it's the mica. Mica is pulverized rock and can have sharp edges. On intact skin, it was fine. On P&P skin, it's already abraded and the mice really tore it up. ________________________________ Love it! Highly recommend this powder: Pros: (1) I have sensitive skin—it reacts to everything—and this powder is great for NOT irritating my skin, even after wearing it all day. The ingredients are very few, thus decreasing the chances of a reaction. From their website: “Contains: Titanium Dioxide (CI 77891), Zinc Oxide (CI 77947) Mica (CI 77019). May contain [+/-]: Iron Oxides (CI 77491, CI 77492, CI 77499” (2) Zinc oxide has a calming effect on my rosacea-prone skin (3) Since zinc oxide and titanium dioxide are used for physical sun screens, the powder probably helps provide some sun protection (although I didn’t see it advertised as such) (4) Many, many color choices—I called and talked with a rep who made recommendations on what samples to choose. They have a pink group, a yellow group, etc. (5) Samples are only $1.50 each plus a small shipping charge. I ordered multiple samples on the same order and the shipping charge remained the same. (6) Samples are a good size, allowing for multiple wear days to determine the best color (7) Powder is finely milled, goes on wonderfully and stays on. (8) I use the green concealer powder under the foundation powder to conceal rosacea—it doesn’t totally abolish the red (which is strong) but greatly diminishes it. (9) Customer service is great. Orders arrive swiftly. Only Con—For People With Dry Skin (1) While zinc is calming, it also tends to be drying. Not only is my skin very dry but I have dermatitis too. The first time I put the powder on, I went light on moisturizer and quickly saw flaky skin. However, the second time—after carefully applying more moisturizer—all was fine. Suggestions if you try this foundation: (1) The colors at the light end tend to be very light. While I usually wear the “palest of the pale,” in Alima’s line I’m a 2 (numbers go 0, 1, 2, etc.) (2) I use a small eyeliner brush to apply the foundation powder in areas I need some extra concealment before I apply the powder across my face—it works well and doesn’t look powdery.
9 out of 9 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No