Neutrogena Love

Hi everyone,

After so many years of having oily skin, this year my skin did a 180 degree switcharoo. Not only does it become less oily, it also becomes more sensitive. On top of that, I still have zits. I know, suck for me, right? The bad part of this is all the stuff I used in the past are shelved for now because not only do they not work, they also irritate my skin. I guess it's what happens when you have more than 1 skin problem to take care of.

The whole dry and sensitive skin is very new for me but guess what? Some of the things I didn't use are working extremely well for me now. Recently, I realize I've been using these two products everyday and so far, my skin is clear, moist and calm. What else can I ask for?

1. Neutrogena Deep Clean facial cleanser

Neutrogena Deep Clean facial cleanser

This face wash is probably as old as time. I've seen this yellow bottle for a very long time in all drugstores, mass market stores, and wholesale shopping places such as Sam's Club and Costco. It is so old that people assume it's not that good. However, many celebrities and beauty editors use it and they don't tell you. But if you search their bathrooms, chances are you're going to bump into Neutrogena Deep Clean.

I bought this product last year, before the dry skin outbreak of 2010 occurred. At that time, my sebaceous glands were still working vigorously and although this product is formulated for oily skin, it didn't cut through my grease. Also, at that time my moisturizer was probably still water and my skin was oily (just kidding about the water part but the oily part was true!)

Fast-forward to the coldest days of '01 and my skin turned into Sahara desert with lots of zits. I tried a ton of different cleansers and each and every single time, my skin got worse. So I pulled this bottle out of the shelf and voila, my skin got a whole lot better. Not only did it not dry my skin, the salicylic acid in this formula also helps clear up the zits. Since salicylic acid is not listed as an active ingredient, my guess its concentration is less than 0.5%. However, the formula is great: it is sulfate, petroleum, and paraben free. Most importantly, you can get it at drugstore for around 7 dollars!

Ingredients (from drugstore.com): Water, Sodium C14 16 Olefin Sulfonate, Cocamidopropyl Betaine, Sodium C12 15 Pareth 15 Sulfonate, Salicylic Acid, Linoleamidopropyl PG Dimonium Chloride Phosphate, Disodium EDTA, Propylene Glycol, FD&C Yellow 5, FD&C Red 40, Fragrance

2.Neutrogena Pure & Free Baby Sunblock Lotion SPF 60+

Neutrogena Pure & Free Baby Sunblock Lotion SPF 60+

Jennifer Gardner recommended this product to me. In a magazine article, she said to use this product on her children and herself everyday. She's gorgeous and her daughters are adorable. I was sold!

There was an adult version of this sunblock when Neutrogena launched this line. However, the adult one is no longer available but the baby version is still on sale, albeit being a bit difficult to find. Since my face does not like chemical sunscreens such as avobenzone and oxybenzone, physical sunblock such as titanium dioxide and zinc oxide is my only resort.

While it works great for me and my mom, the reviews at drugstore.come indicates this product to have some allergic reactions to children, probably from the inactive ingredients. Like many other physical sunblock, this one also has a whitening effect. On me, it vanishes after some couple of minutes. However, on people with darker skin like my mom, the white cast is very obvious. (Despite it, my mom still loves this sunscreen very much because it prevents her from having more pigmentation on her face.)

I applied more sunblock than usual and look at me! I looked like a ghost! Booo ya!

Ingredients (from drugstore.com): Active Ingredients: Titanium Dioxide (4.9%), Zinc Oxide (4.7%)

Inactive Ingredients: Alumina, Arachidyl Alcohol, Arachidyl Glucoside, Ascorbic Acid (Vitamin C), Avena Sativa (Oat) Kernel Extract, Beeswax (Apis Mellifera), Behenyl Alcohol, Benzyl Alcohol, BHT, Bisobolol, Butylene Glycol, Butyloctyl Salicylate, Cetyl Dimethicone, Dimethicone, Dimethicone PEG 8 Laurate, Dipotassium Glycyrrhizate, Disodium EDTA, Ethylhexylglycerin, Glyceryl Stearate, Hydroxyethyl Acrylate/Sodium Acryloyldimethyl Taurate Copolymer, Isohexadecane, Methicone, Methylisothiazolinone, Pantothenic Acid, PEG 100 Stearate, PEG 8, Polyaminopropyl Biguanide, Polyhydroxystearic Acid, Polymethylmethacrylate, Polysorbate 60, Potassium Sorbate, Retinyl Palmitate, Silica, Stearic Acid, Styrene/Acrylates Copolymer, Tocopheryl Acetate, Triethoxycaprylylsilane, Trimethylsiloxysilicate, Trisiloxane, Water, Xanthan Gum

I hope your skin doesn't give you a hard time lately. To me, these two products really help and if you have any favorite products for sensitive skin, please let me know.



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