I urge you to try...

[tripper]

Here's the deal

Two years ago i bought a facial cleanser because i thought i should use one. I bought some stuff with polyethylne microbeads, i forget what brand but it was your typical daily face wash/scrub. I havent had acne since midle school. This stuff destroyed my face and brought back ance after nearly 10 years of clean skin without even daily washing

So i switched to nivea face wash "double action" which helped for a while, but still never returned my skin to how it was before and left me dry to boot. Now i had a product buy and try phase to return my face to how it was before i even used products.

it's been about a year and a half and i've been battleing a horrible case of acne. i tried not washing but the face washes have made me so oily i have to now. then i found

CETAPHIL

Cetaphil is a facewash that contains castor oil and less than one percent SLS. It almost feels like your washing your face with a lotion. it doesnt have frangrance or dies. And a large bottle of it is only 12$, but theres a smaller one for 5 if you just want to try it. (i found it at Target) It's been 4 days and my skin has drasticly improved unlike all the groomboom companies' products i have tried.

Just thought i'd let you all know. Im glad i finally found something that works.

[KittensAndRainbows]

I like the results I get from the Cetaphil gentle face wash. It doesn't smell great, doesn't have little scrubby things in it, and it doesn't feel like anything special, but it works and that's what counts. It's also pretty cheap, which doesn't hurt.

[dpm802]

I used Cetaphil soap for about 6 months last year, and I'll vouch for it being good stuff. The smell is kind of funky, like the soap you'd find in a doctor's office, but it really gets you feeling clean, and does wonders for your skin.

Be careful when you go shop for it, though. Not all Cetaphil products have moisturizers in them, and the ones that don't will make your skin really, really dry.

If you're still looking for a product that will repair the damage that the exfoliant did to your skin, may I suggest Thayer's Witch Hazel. I use it generously both before I lather and after I shave, and I put it on all over my face and neck, not just the beard area. I even use it on days when I don't shave. A little expensive at $10 a bottle, but its worth every penny. I'll never be without Thayer's again.

[Mr. Imperial]

I agree with David. A combo of Cetaphil and Thayers has really rejuvenated my skin. I've had mild acne problems for years, thinking the solution was to step up the artillery. Turns out gauging everything back a bit and adding moisturizer has been doing the trick for about a year now.

[SalvadorMontenegro]

I don't like Cetaphil. It is not an oil-free product and, as I have extremely oily skin, it clings to my face like some sort of adhesive. I much prefer its chief competitor, Purpose: Gentle Cleansing Wash, which is manufactured by Johnson and Johnson. It is oil-free and has a very mild scent. The Purpose bar is great, as well - no sulfates, mild scent and is enormous, so it lasts a long time.

That said, a lot of people LOVE Cetaphil, so I can't knock it.

[Jim]

Drugstore type stuff- Purpose from J&J is pretty good.

Spieck makes an amazing liquid soap that is intensely fragrances with the speick plant scent and is very nice.

At the end of the day a good SLS free tallow or veggie based quality (real) bar soap is my favorite.

[spamurai]

Not a huge fan of "lotion" cleansers such as Cetaphil and Cerave myself. I run every morning and go to the gym some nights and washing away dirt/oil/sweat with "lotion" cleansers just didn't work for me. It just felt like I was swirling dirt/oil/sweat around my face and the stickness of the texture kept it there.

[CoachClassRow13]

+1 for Cetaphil's "Daily Facial Cleanser." On the days I'm out of town and don't bring it with me, I can feel the difference.

[Topgumby]

Cetaphil gets rid of lice, too!

[Hex]

Daily facial cleanser and had me go to the local pharmacy cause some was on sale.
Naturally I got the wrong stuff. The one on sale was the Gentle Skin Cleanser with a list of ingredients that's kinda scary. It's probably only me but, except for the water, they all sound like they came from a laboratory.
1) Water
2) Cetyl Alcohol
3) Propylene glycol
4) Sodium Lauryl sulfate
5) Stearyl alcohol
6) Methylparaben
7) Propylparaben
8) Butylparaben

The list of ingredients for the Daily facial cleanser is even longer.

So, I am ordered to return the Gentle cleaner for a credit.

What she really likes is Velocity facial cleaner by Mary Kay, and I get it on Ebay for about $6.00 for the 5oz tube.

I am looking for a good scrub for my face as part of my pre-shave routine and if I were able to get one we could both use, that would help soothe her ire as more packages arrive for me.

I tried a tube of Nivea energizing scrub for men yesterday and really have nothing to compare it to. It seemed to work ok, though :lol:, as I 1st put it on, I wondered aloud who had put sand in the lotion.:lol:
Needless to say, my wife cracked up.

I think I would prefer something with all natural ingredients.

[kingfisher]

...
I think I would prefer something with all natural ingredients.

Buy some artisanal soap.

[bladebuff]

I use Cetaphil Gentle Face Cleaner as a pre-shave wash, great prep for the shave.

[Kouros]

I am of the belief that one can use any soap he/she prefers as long as moisturizer is applied immediately afterwards.

[tripper]

theres no reason to use a scrub everyday, dead skin cells shouldnt be building up that fast and you'l just end up scraping away at your epidermis. i think alot of people just want to fetishize their bathroom countertops with stuff and have a rigourous routine everyday. keep a bottle of cheap shell based scrub around and use it a few times a month if at all. twice a month i get the lady to srcrub my back/shoulders with it because i dont wash my back every day and it's the only place dead skin cells really build up. place it's an excuse to get a back rub.

also, if you want to make any part of your girlfriends body smoother, try rubbing it down with a a palm full of scrub of apricot. i know around the bra/area, waist band area, bottom cheeks are the best areas on my girl. nothing like super smoove... parts in your face hahaha. have fun guys.

[derekzee]

cetaphil looks like sperm. i'm an orange liquid neutrogena man.

i would think yardley soaps would be okay to use for the face since they are so buttery and moisturizing with not much of actual scent even though it comes in different ones.

[BCatl]

I am glad you found something that works for you.

Frankly, I think the whole notion of washing the face is overblown, though I do understand that some guys pick up a lot of dust etc. at work.

On the acne issue, I think it's more age related than anything else. I got occassional flareups throughout my 20's. Most of the time I could trace it back to a case of nerves.

However if this seems to be solving the problem for you, go for it.

[p.m.a.]

I've been using a Whole Foods brand triple-milled mild facial soap bar. It's really excellent. Tried to find a link online, but couldn't track it down. It's a white bar, about 4-5 oz., kinda pricey at around $6, but lasts forever since you only use it on your face. It has a wonderful mild cocoa scent. All good ingredients.

[mwhals]

I use the neutrogena clear bar to wash my face. It seems to work well for me.

[DavyRay]

I vote for clean water, a clean washcloth, and gentle use of the cloth. I get the best results when I rinse my face several times a day, and wash with plain tap water and a fresh, clean washcloth.

Sometimes I just splash my face with clean water. It is very important to wash the hands carefully before putting them on your face, though. Actually, it is a good idea to train yourself to keep your hands off your face. Stress acne could be made worse by putting fingers on your face more often.

Scrubs have their uses. I used one today. I just think it is more important to develop routines which keep the face clean without using lots of product.

[aimsport]

Years ago my SWMBO heard a dermatologist on the radio suggest Cetaphil Daily Cleanser and water as a latherless shaving cream. Until I tried that I was not able to shave two days in a row with a Mach 3 without bloodletting.

The Cetaphil with cartridges combo worked for me for over a decade.

Now, of course, it's DE and SE thanks to B&B and some generous setup PIFs from my brother. I can shave as often as I need without a bloodletting or irritation.

If you're concerned about parabens, btw, Cetaphil contains them. I'm trying to limit my use of parabens. Though some shaving creams with parabens are just too good for me to not use them occasionally.

[BCatl]

Wanted to make sure the OP knows I was not bashing his idea of using CETAPHIL as a face soap. SWMBO has used a store brand "knock-off" of Cetaphil for years, and I'll sometimes use it and it's very gentle and seems to work well.

I've seen Razor Pete recommend Benzoyl peroxide facewash for the face as far as clogged pores and acne if I remember correctly, and I certainly would not argue with his education and years of experience as a dermatologist. So you might want to check that out just in case your acne comes back.

Over the years, I've used just about every soap you can imagine on my face, but I don't have a set time every day or routine when I wash my face. I just wash it if it gets dirty. Usually the shower is enough.

[Monkeydad]

Bought some from CVS last week. (bought CVS brand...was 16 oz for same price as 8 oz of Cetaphil brand)


Using it at night time and after shaving in morning...can notice a positive difference in my skin already.

[tripper]

The Cetaphil bottle says it doesnt manufacture store brands. So you'l be getting a close but different formula. I've never used CVS brand anything since i wore contacts in middle school/high school. Their contact fluid messed up my eyes. Their suncscreen never worked. Their lotions werent any good. I gave up. I do however, buy the CVS Epsom salt giant bags for soaking my back.