Favorite facial moisturizer?

[mom2khj]

http://www.paulaschoice.com/product/...r/moisturizers

[artvandalay]

Are you looking for a moisturizer for day or night?

If you are going to Target, for daytime I would suggest Olay SPF 30 or 15. The 15 is slightly less heavy. Get the one without avobenzone if your skin is sensitive. I use both the 15 and 30 depending on my skin's mood.

For night, if you are looking for a very basic moisturizer that is not heavy (good for oily/combo skin), you can try Olay Moisturizing Lotion for Sensitive Skin. It hasn't caused any breakouts for me.

If you want to start fighting wrinkles/using anti-aging products, a good place to start is over the counter products with retinol. Neutrogena and ROC have a couple that are supposed to be good.

[Trigglet]

Clarins all the way - I've used it since I was 18 and people always comment on my skin. Love this cleanser

http://www.sephora.com/browse/produc...categoryId=B70

and this daily moisturiser

http://www.sephora.com/browse/produc...categoryId=B70

[sntm]

Not cheap or easy to get but I love Caudalie moisturizers. I use them summer and winter, though in the winter I occasionally use some Creme de la Mer that I splurged on. I've heard great things about Clarins also but haven't tried them. I love the argan oil, but it doesn't seem enough some days.

[Binkandabee]

Another Philosophy fan. I use both the purity cleanser and hope in a jar. Hope in a jar is for me a perfect moisturizer. I'm neither dry nor oily even at the end of the day. It's lightweight and doesn't cause my skin to break out.

It is unscented, but it does have a bit of a strange smell to it, that I'm not a real big fan of, but in light of how well it works, that is something that I just overlook.

[mackmama]

Dermalogica Active Moist. Fantastic, not greasy, and doesn't make me break out.

[nupe]

Originally Posted by m448

Also breakout prone but I don't use a moisturizer other than my spf in the AM. It's the kiss my face face factor spf30. At night I use a layer of oil (I blend mostly argan oil, some tamanu and have been adding a few drops of seabuckthorn oil) then on top Ecco Bella Night Rebuilder.

Argan isn't pricey unless you're paying for the bottle/brand. Since it all comes from the same coop and is rebottled by the various brands look for 100% cold pressed argan oil. Two sources I trust are Mountain Rose Herbs and Garden of Wisdom for all of my oils.

Here's the argan oil:

http://www.mountainroseherbs.com/bul....php#oac_o_arg

They also carry the tamanu and seabuckthorn oil. If you click on Learn More you'll read up on the benefits and composition of each oil. I also use these oils to formulate some lotion/balms for myself depending on the need. Right now my ADHD meds have given me super dehydrated skin so I'm concocting a body creme that has the seabuckthorn, some shea and some usp lanolin which I'm using straight for my lips and loving too.

Can you recommend a resource for learning more about making your own lotions and balms?

[wellyes]

How do you use Argon oil as a moisturizer? Just spread it on your face? I use it as a make up remover only.
My Argon oil is just Trader Joe's brand.

I use Kate Somerville SPF 55 Serum as my daily AM moisturizer. I need tons of sun protection after years of damage. It is lightweight, offers UVA protection on top of the standard UVB, is paraben-free and has some really beneficial antioxidants.

I tried Olay and Clinique City Block, both work fine, but this feels so much lighter.

[wellyes]

oooh never mind my question above - was confusing argon oil and jojoba oil.

[Jeanne]

Originally Posted by nupe

Can you recommend a resource for learning more about making your own lotions and balms?

Making lotions and balms is a serious thing at home and not easy because you are not in a sterile environment. I'm a 6 year cold processed soap maker and I'm still struggling with anything that needs water. I have made hundreds of bath and both products at home and still order only lotioin products from trusted independent makers or large companies. The moment you add water to a recipe, you have to use a preservative and not using a preservative is a serious issue. Those who think that preservative free products are better are playing with fire. I sent a lotion out to a lab that I made and followed the heat and hold and all the phases of lotion making to the letter with a preservative and what came back in terms of bacterial growth was jaw dropping. It's something that everyone should take seriously because strains of MRSA on even the smallest open skin cut or scrape are no joke.

I don't say this to discourage you. Lotion making and B&B making is a passion of mine and one that I've spent thousands of dollars on over the years. There's so much to it that it's staggering. I am on an industry board with chemists and product makers who have been formulating for years and who still don't sell because there's so much to play with and know.

If you want to make a straight balm that is all oil based, that is much easier as it's an anhydrous product (all oil, no water) and nothing will grow in it. It doesn't need a preservative.

http://www.lotioncrafter.com/ is a site that contains kits to make your own product. You will see this hobby is not cheap but what I do like is that for a beginner, you can read Jen's entire site and learn about actives and moisturizers and how they work.

Personally, after 10 years of reading many manufacturing sites for independent labs, chemists, and product makers, I am able to read any label and decipher what each ingredient is in there for and what the % of actives are.

I use Olay Regenerist and a few other indie products from formulators that I know well and who's work I trust from years of reading their research and development methods. I use Olay because it's got the highest amount of actives. Other more expensive products don't contain the amount that Olay does and they are WAY overpriced. You are paying for the name only. And the name for inexpensive ingredients, now that I know the cost of each of them, is not what I'm going to waste my money on. And I don't make my own version of an Olay active cream simply because the ingredients I need to buy alone cost 5x's the amount that Olay does. One formulation can use up to 20 ingredients. When you don't buy in bulk, you pay top dollar for each ingredient. The same goes for soap makers. Oils and lye are cheaper when bought in 50 gallon drums then in pounds.