Ingredients / Face Washes

Messages
753
Location
England
Just curious about this. Can't think where but I'm sure I've seen a couple of articles over the last few years saying which ingredients are best avoided in creams, face washes, etc. I was looking at the Boots 3 for 2 skincare stuff earlier and quite a few things I picked up had Sodium Laureth Sulfate (SLS) in them. I'm sure (that's) one of the ones (that's) meant to not be good for the skin. The question is, if this is the case then why is it in so much stuff? Also how about parabens? Is it not that they're bad for the skin per se, more bad for the environment?

Also is it the case that if you want products without all this dodgy stuff in, you end up paying considerably more? I picked up some Jack Black face cleanser for example then saw the eye watering £20 price tag. Has anyone tried JB stuff and do they warrant those prices? Just asking as I normally get whichever Nivea / Bull Dog etc face wash is on offer for around £2. Does another brands face wash justify paying 10 times that?

Anyway, fancied picking up some new face wash / cleanser & was just interesting in what good stuff is out there - don't mind paying more than I have been but not going too silly
 
A couple of years ago i started asking the same questions you are asking now, and started to think about all the chemicals that i was applying to my body on a daily basis. At first i started switching over to Lush products as they are generally better but the prices can be eye watering. Anyway after much research i have started making a lot of my own products, pre-shave oil (that's just blending mostly), shave soap, shave cream, post shave balm, moisturizers, hand cream, deodorant and bath soap. It has become quite the hobby, and with Google and Wikapedia i am constantly looking up ingredients to learn where they come from and whether i want to use it.

I guess the point i'm trying to make here is that whilst many people don't want to spend their spare time making soap etc. you can bet that some one locally to you is making a little cottage industry out of doing just that, see if you can find them and support local business's, help the environment and be reassured about what you are putting on your body.

But even taking just small steps, ditch the face wash, body wash and shampoo, switch over to just one bar of good quality soap, probably cost you less than a fiver :)
 
A couple of years ago i started asking the same questions you are asking now, and started to think about all the chemicals that i was applying to my body on a daily basis. At first i started switching over to Lush products as they are generally better but the prices can be eye watering. Anyway after much research i have started making a lot of my own products, pre-shave oil (that's just blending mostly), shave soap, shave cream, post shave balm, moisturizers, hand cream, deodorant and bath soap. It has become quite the hobby, and with Google and Wikapedia i am constantly looking up ingredients to learn where they come from and whether i want to use it.

I guess the point i'm trying to make here is that whilst many people don't want to spend their spare time making soap etc. you can bet that some one locally to you is making a little cottage industry out of doing just that, see if you can find them and support local business's, help the environment and be reassured about what you are putting on your body.

But even taking just small steps, ditch the face wash, body wash and shampoo, switch over to just one bar of good quality soap, probably cost you less than a fiver :)

Have to agree with the last bit. For years I used soap like dove and simple due to itching and rashes from eczema,
Because I thought they were good for my skin.
until I started reading the ingredients, loads of chemicals I did not know what they were. I now use cheap soap with as few ingredients as I can find, no shampoo either.
My skin has never been better, that and a DE razor worked wonder for me.
 
I'd like to use better products too but have found using bar soap to be drying, whether mass produced or artisan. Any tips?

I can give you a couple, firstly i too used to feel that bar soap was drying, but actually after a few days of use my skin seemed to adapt and i no longer find that is the case at all, that said everyone's skin reacts to different things in different ways so you could look for the following in a bar soap and see if it helps:
  • Find a soap that is super fatted, that is to say it has been formulated so that some fats in the soap will remain un-sapponified, these will help to nourish and moisturize your skin. If bought from a small artisan producer they should be able to tell you if theirs is.
  • Use soaps with added aloe vera or oat milk, both are particularly good for dry skin.
  • Look for soaps with high amounts of nourishing oils such as Shea butter, avocado oil or even added glycerine, again though everyone's skin is different and what works for me may not work for you, a bit of trial and error may be involved.
Best of luck :)
 
Back
Top Bottom