Off-Topic 2023 Beauty Thread

[donnamp]

I like a lot of the Cetaphil products, too. I used Cerave for years but now I'm finding I generally prefer Cetaphil.

I like the Redness Relieving Night Moisturizer, Redness Relieving Daily Facial Moisturizer SPF 20 (this is a tinted sunscreen), Gentle Clear Acne line (including cleanser and moisturizer), Daily Oil Free Hydrating Lotion. I received a sample of the Daily Oil Free Facial Moisturizer SPF 35 and I may buy a full size when I'm ready for some new sunscreen.

I haven't tried any of their newly formulated cleansers yet. I did try the Brightening Cleanser and that one was good - it is fragrance free as I recall.

I do like the the Restoraderm line as well.

They really did a good job with introducing some new products in the past few years and have generally kept things fragrance free and gentle.

I have never really found anything in the "Natural" lines that works for me. I tend to find them overly fragranced, irritating or just not suited to my skin type. Although i have seen that Burt's Bees has put out some products that are fragrance free and get good reviews.

Generally I used drug store - Cetpahil, Eucerin, Aveeno, Vanicream and sometimes I'll still throw in a Cerave product (I like the Healing Ointment)

Oh - my DD is having good luck with Neutrogena's Stubborn Acne line and it works well for "aging" skin too since it includes retinol and niacinamide. It is also fragrance free which is great for Neutrogena who tends to use really strong fragrances in their products.

Donna

[kat999]

Originally Posted by Leonana

My skin became more sensitive as I aged, and my fragrance allergy became worse. I wonder if it has to do with the immune system aging.

I mentioned this in another thread about my sudden sensitivity to metal, and someone brought up that it is frequently a menopause symptom. :/ A friend who's a doctor also told me that if you have a common allergy (I'm allergic to nickel, for example) it can get worse over time just due to repeated accidental exposure. I had a terrible flare up with a zipper last summer that had nickel in it, and then suddenly I found my wedding ring was causing the same reaction after no problems with it for the 15 years of my marriage.

[Leonana]

Donna, I love the CeraVe Healing Ointment. It’s great for burns, and as klutzy as I am, I find myself using it frequently!

Kat, I’m not surprised allergies get worse with menopause. It seems to affect everything. I have heard that allergies are caused by repeated exposure. That’s too bad about your wedding ring.

[kat999]

Originally Posted by Leonana

Kat, I’m not surprised allergies get worse with menopause. It seems to affect everything. I have heard that allergies are caused by repeated exposure. That’s too bad about your wedding ring.

Yeah, it happened to a friend of mine, too, and coating the inside didn't work for either of us. Now I just leave it off if I'm home, I wear a sterling silver ring in its place when I go out, and while I do still wear my real wing on special occasions, I take it off as soon as I'm home. One of the main problems seems to be if I work out wearing it; I almost immediately develop an itchy, flaky rash.

[toaster]

cyana, thanks for starting this - I finally got around to searching for a new thread! I'll read to catch up and then come back to post (more gray hair woes).

[toaster]

Originally Posted by cyana

Thanks, Sherry. The Sky High isn't bad, but I can't seem to generate much length - maybe I've become defective at putting on mascara over the past several years due to lack of practice. Considering I'm in my 60's and have been wearing mascara since I was a teenager, that would be pretty tragic, LOL! I'll check into Lash Paradise, too.

cyana, I have short sparse lashes too, and Sky High is what I've been using of late. For me I also have really small eyes, so I appreciate the tapered brush of this mascara.

Have you tried any serums for lash growth? I've had trials of a number of them from Amazon. I find that they work somewhat - for me, they mainly give me a bit of growth so that mascara seems to work a little better.

Originally Posted by Leonana

I went gray about five years ago. At 63, my hair is half silver, half brown.

Sherry, I'm also a brown/gray (silver!) mix. At 55, I'm probably only about 10% of the silver so far, and it actually does look kind of like highlights. But that brings me to my issue. (Questions highlighted below.)

My remaining brown hair is straight, fine, and soft. It need conditioning or it tangles - but I CANNOT go without washing OR use any type of oils, as it gets limp and greasy (believe me, I've tried MANY oil products, and none of them have worked for me; I always regret it).

Unfortunately, the gray hairs coming in are coarse, dry, and kinky/curly. I've been trying to condition more, but I can't seem to condition them enough to get rid of those frizzy ends.

Is there a shampoo, conditioner, leave-in, or other product that might do a better job on my hair mix? I prefer drugstore stuff (I'm cheap and don't want to have to hunt all over for products).

I should mention that I do blow dry my hair daily; sometimes I am reluctant to use leave-in products b/c they make my hair more wet, making blow drying take longer. I also use a flat iron most days, sometimes to go smoother, sometimes for a more wavy look. My stylist told me to use my iron on the highest setting - she said I'll need to use it less and it will help me to smooth the grays, but I question whether this is best for my fine hair. Do others have thoughts?

[BunnyHop]

Originally Posted by toaster

Is there a shampoo, conditioner, leave-in, or other product that might do a better job on my hair mix? I prefer drugstore stuff (I'm cheap and don't want to have to hunt all over for products). ...
Do others have thoughts?

I've been using Function of Beauty products almost exclusively for some years now and have been happy. They sell the targeted booster packs separately, and if you just want to experiment, I should think adding some to a brand/type of shampoo or conditioner you already like should work fine.
OTOH, I eventually switched from buying the stuff at Target to buying directly from their website, so I could go for a fragrance free variety. I also explained my hair type (knee length, fine, wavy, oily) to a rep from the company, and the products from this batch have been the best ever in terms of results.

For me, the most unruly strands are the ones that have grown out new from the scalp. I find those have a strong bit of swoop in the curl pattern that doesn't want to be coaxed into the same pattern as everybody else. Since my hair is so long, sometimes I just cut that annoying swoosh off the end of the strand once it gets long enough not to be problematic after trimming.

In terms of using oils, I use camellia oil exclusively and only as a styling product. Once my hair has been detangled and almost totally dried (I do not usually blow dry or flatten the waves) I take a single drop, smooth it over my palms and apply it from the hemline up towards my scalp in a series of smoothing motions. Sometimes I wait til I've braided my hair to do this, as literally a last grooming step.

I like jojoba and shea butter for my nails and skin, but tend to avoid putting them on my hair.

[Leonana]

Beth, what helps my gray most is not to wash my hair every day, just the bangs as my forehead is oily. My brown hair seems okay with it too. So I guess I’m not much help, unfortunately.

But I have a fragrance allergy and use Paula’s Choice shampoo and conditioner, and Free and Clear shampoo and conditioner. Perhaps Paula’s Choice would work for you. The shampoo really cleans the hair, but the conditioner is very moisturizing.

I used to have really oily hair and rarely used conditioner, even though I lived in the desert. Times have changed!

[fatkat555]

I recently tried switching shampoo to sulfate free and all… Nope, I’m back to my Head and Shoulders shampoo and conditioner. I’m growing out my hair and I have white stripes along my face with stripes underneath. My hair has gotten more wavy as time has gone by and I just prefer the way the Head and Shoulders stuff makes my hair soft. Don’t know if this helps….

[luvcritters]

Beth, I don't have many gray hairs yet but I have frizz. After you wash and condition you might try a spray-on leave-in conditioner. I use Pureology Color Fanatic Multi-Tasking Leave-In Spray. I don't color my hair but it works for frizz. It's pricey but it works. I'm sure you can find something cheaper. Like bunnyhop I also use Function of Beauty from the website. It took three tries to get the formula right but once I did it's the best shampoo and conditioner I ever used.