Facial Hygiene & You!

[Seanr]

are you using cool/cold water to "close" your pores after you've done all this?

[Atreides]

Ah yeah, I can't use Neutrogena face washes either, they're wayyyyy too powerful for me. I mean... it's almost like hand soap, I'd use it after handling raw meat to kill off bacteria lol

[Jak]

I don't use hot/warm water if that's what you mean. I take fairly cold showers year round. I've always liked the feel of it and I hate being scorched with hot water.

On days I feel like my pores are "bigger" (probably not, it's probably all in my head?) I actually rub ice cubes on my nose and forehead where my pores look big to me. Is that bad?

[Jak]

Also, I don't know if this works but some Asian chick on youtube that I no longer watch (due to heavy commercialization) recommended using an ice cube tray and filling it with jasmine tea (sugarless, of course) and freezing them with tooth picks. You then remove them after you take a shower every day and rub the ice cube all over your face. Think that would help? I've always heard tea is good for your complexion.

[Kiro]

All these chemicals, goddamn. Just drink a lot of water and take your multivitamins and your skin won't be so fucked up, unless you have really bad acne or something.

[Jefe]

You dont NEED to exfoliate/scrub once a week if you don't have a lot of dry/flaky skin. And if you do have dry skin, chances are you need to moisturize rather than exfoliate. If you're already moisturizing daily and you're still having lots of problems with dead skin buildup, I might consider a kaolin mask instead of an exfoliating scrub, but I'm guessing you don't even need that. What exactly is your skin issue?

Not a whole lot, I get the occasional blackhead on the nose. I thought exfoliating was normalish to prevent them and getting rid of dead skin.

[Atreides]

I would use warm (not hot) tea bags and not ice cubes-- ice directly on skin can cause ischemic damage/frostbite.

...But I really don't think you need it, your regimen should be very simple. Adding lots of gentle things can cause the same problems as just a few harsh products. Gentle cleanser, moisturizer, shave gel/aftershave, and maybe benzoyl peroxide is all you need.

Drinking plenty of water, getting a full night's sleep, and managing your stress/anxiety will have a much greater effect on your skin than tea ever will

edit: cigarettes are really bad for your skin too, quit smoking if you do

Not a whole lot, I get the occasional blackhead on the nose. I thought exfoliating was normalish to prevent them and getting rid of dead skin.

Nah, if your skin doesn't need it, don't risk irritating it. If your nose gets too many blackheads use a biore strip from time to time, but otherwise it doesn't sound like you need anything at all.

[Jak]

All these chemicals, goddamn. Just drink a lot of water and take your multivitamins and your skin won't be so fucked up, unless you have really bad acne or something.

I've taken multivitamins for years and drink over a gallon of water a day. And I don't have bad acne by any means, just oily skin and the occasional bump or three I'd like to fix. Well, that and slightly large pores around my nose and forehead.

[Kiro]

Ah, I've never been all that concerned about the condition of my skin. I eat pretty healthy so I've never had any "OMG WTF" hueg skin problems or anything, I just scrub my face in the shower with this little.. brick thing to get rid of dead skin & stuff. That seemed to do the trick as far as keeping my skin clean & oil free for the most part. The only facial stuff I ever used was a natural mint scrub that I got from Whole Foods.

[Jak]

Little brick thing? Like those rough sponge things under the ocean? Those things hurt too bad to use so I only use them on my feet.

And yah, I wonder if my having been overweight most of my life (until about two years ago) is still affecting my face. Think it's possible? I mean I eat pretty healthy now minus the occasional piece of dark chocolate I must have every day (2-3 of those dark chocolate pearls that come in a little tin can, omfg delicious.. and only 40~ calories).

[Khajit]

I'm surprised noone has tried to homo up this thread.

[kyod]

Seconding diet playing a big role. Drinking darker colored sodas makes my face break out like a mofo. Started drinking Pepsi recently but my cleaning habits remain the same and there has been a noticeable increase of acne on my face. I cut out the Pepsi and I now only get the occasional white head.

[Jak]

I'm surprised noone has tried to homo up this thread.

Original Poster is homo. It's done been homo'd up.

[Atreides]

Little brick thing? Like those rough sponge things under the ocean? Those things hurt too bad to use so I only use them on my feet.

And yah, I wonder if my having been overweight most of my life (until about two years ago) is still affecting my face. Think it's possible? I mean I eat pretty healthy now minus the occasional piece of dark chocolate I must have every day (2-3 of those dark chocolate pearls that come in a little tin can, omfg delicious.. and only 40~ calories).

I would definitely not use a pumice on my face under any circumstances.

And chocolate doesn't cause acne. Eating shitty food can definitely affect your skin, but if you're eating mostly healthy you're fine. If you get acne/rash breakouts after you eat you might have a food allergy, but I doubt it.

Seriously, don't overthink it. My regimen isn't even that complicated either:
A) Aveeno moisturizer
B) Aveeno cleanser
C) Fragrance-free shave gel and bump patrol aftershave
D) Benzoyl peroxide

That's it. And I've definitely had my fair share of problems over the years, I mean I've tried virtually every prescription acne medicine and I even took accutane for 6 months. But now I haven't even had to exfoliate in 3 years, and I've thrown out about everything in my medicine cabinet.

[Khajit]

Original Poster is homo. It's done been homo'd up.

I was referring more to the title.

[Jak]

You should see my personal bathroom.. it's not pretty. In fact it's so bad I have facial/body stuff in one of my other bathrooms I don't even use.

And I'm not really over-thinking it "too" much I hope. I just like hearing other people and their opinions. I don't have people IRL I can talk to about this stuff so it all comes here.

Edit to above post: oh, haha.. nvm >_> I catch your drift.

[Kiro]

I would definitely not use a pumice on my face under any circumstances.

Why? I use mine almost daily on my nose (only problem area I really have) and it works amazingly well.

[Jak]

I just don't see how. Not saying it doesn't work for you but it feels like I'm rubbing sandpaper on my face and rubbing it raw.

[Jefe]

Rubbing a brick against your nose sounds like a bad idea.

[Kiro]

I think that's the point of it, it's rough to get all that excess dead skin off of your face, which, along with oil, causes some nasty shit to happen. Blackheads, whiteheads, zits, etc. Eating healthy, lots of water, multivitamins + scrubbing my face (nose lol) with the pumice stone thing have kept my skin pretty damn clean.

Like others have said too, after shaving rinse your face off with cold water. Closes your pores, keeps the dirt and oil out compared to rinsing your face with hot water.

Edit: Also, aftershave. I ALWAYS use it after shaving. The alcohol in it cleans everything, including cuts if you snatch up an ingrown hair while shaving, keeps is from turning into a red bump and all that.