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Face wash or bar soap?

There is so much conflicting information out there about skin care these days. Some sites tell you that you should be using the face wash/toner/moisturizer routine while others are stating it's all BS and a decent bar of soap is all you need. I'm at a loss, pretty much as to what to do. Over the years I've gone back and forth between the two, spending too much money and not getting very good results from either. I've used face washes from drugstore to very high end... bar soaps from organic to tallowate.. and everything in between.

Right now, I'm just using a bar of Ivory Soap, which now has different ingredients and is less drying than it used to be.. some jojoba oil.. and sunblock, of course.

I'd love to hear some product/regimen recommendations and thoughts.

Thanks!
 
I just use this...

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Face & body.. My nose hasn't fallen off yet so I can't see why I'd need all that other frou-frou stuff...
 
I think it largely depends on what your skin can handle and what you prefer. I use Daniel Kern face wash. Most of the face washes you can buy at stores are crap. They're either full of harsh detergents or have a bunch of extra stuff you don't need. Bar soap can be very drying for some people and make things worse for those that have acne prone skin.
 
I have always had a slight problem with acne, a few pimple around the chin mainly, and have tried just about everything out there myself.
For the past 3 months I have been using a face wash made by Bread & Butter and haven't had a single breakout.
 
When I was very young, 11-13 I was on prescription BP washes. They sucked. I went to ivory bar and kept my skin dry and cracked for 5 or 6 years. Went back to BP wash for about 4 more years and then maybe 3 years ago went to Cetaphil plus the occasional "nice" washes. My parents like to put some very nice washes into my Christmas stocking (My mother likes shopping for things like that). They leave my skin very soft and slick, so make great washes for the occasional pre-shave shower treat. The current one I've got is this stuff
http://www.abeautifulsecret.com/vic...-and-chamomile-face-cleanser-4-oz-p-7632.html

Best face wash I've found for acne is Oxy 5% BP (Sensitive skin). The 10% is good too, but much more drying.
Best untreated daily I've found is cetaphil/knockoffs of it. But don't try to lather it, it doesn't. Just put some in your hand, apply to face and wash.
If I was going to use a bar, I'd probably go for an unscented Dove (if I could find one) or some handmade that's very high in Olive oil.
 
My general daily routine is to wash my face with Lush Ocean Salt or Sharps Daily Foaming Face Prep then use Lab Series face lotion which has sunblock in it. I have normal to oily skin, so the Ocean Salt is really good as it keeps the oil at bay. I highly recommend it as well as other Lush products but not so much their shaving creams.
 
I found a fantastic facewash from Desert Essence with Tea Tree Oil. It works really well and keeps my skin from getting too dry.
 
There is so much conflicting information out there about skin care these days. Some sites tell you that you should be using the face wash/toner/moisturizer routine while others are stating it's all BS and a decent bar of soap is all you need. I'm at a loss, pretty much as to what to do. Over the years I've gone back and forth between the two, spending too much money and not getting very good results from either. I've used face washes from drugstore to very high end... bar soaps from organic to tallowate.. and everything in between.

Right now, I'm just using a bar of Ivory Soap, which now has different ingredients and is less drying than it used to be.. some jojoba oil.. and sunblock, of course.

I'd love to hear some product/regimen recommendations and thoughts.

Thanks!

I think it depends on specifically what you're looking for. What do you define as "very good results"? What are you expecting from these products? Are you trying to clear up acne, for instance, or you have clear skin and are just expecting an overall improvement in your complexion? Is it that you're just unable to get a deep clean feeling without drying out your face? If you went back to using Ivory soap on your face, I find it very hard to believe you've used what I would consider "very high end" products. There's no way I would ever consider putting anything from a drugstore on my face.

Not sure where you're getting your information, but I doubt there are many professionals (i.e. estheticians) out there that would recommend solely a bar of soap as your sole means of skincare. That doesn't mean you need a lot, but a good cleanser and moisturizer is key.

It really all depends on what your standard is for your face and what you expect from these kinds of products.
 
I guess high end I mean more expensive, not drugstore brands.. not necessarily spa products though. I spent some time at shavemyface.com and the guys over there seem to think skincare is just a waste of time and money.. and that a real bar of soap is all you need. It made sense to me because I never had nicer skin then when I was younger and just used a bar of soap. It wasn't 'til I moved to NYC and got suckered into buying expensive products that my skin went haywire. I do have some acne, not much.. my skin is combination.. blackheads and razor burn are probably my biggest problem.. as is dry skin in the winter. Here's some of the face washes I've used over the years:

Jack Black Pure Clean
Anthony Logistics Glycolic
Zirh Clean
Clarins
Lab Series
Purpose
Oil Of Olay
Neutrogena
Basis Cleaner Clean
Cetaphil
Aquanil
Nancy Boy
Desert Essence Tea Tree
Philosophy
Suki Lemongrass
Cerave
Dove Bars
Ivory Soap
Clean and Clear
Clearasil
Nivea for Men
Sharps Barber and Shop

The Cetaphil and Cerave I liked because they don't dry me out, but they leave an odd film on my face I didn't like.. and my nose got flaky as well from them? Not sure if the Sodium Lauryl Sulfate had anything to do with it.

Thanks for the responses guys. Just curious.
 
I am a big fan of Origins. All of their cleansers are plant based and leave no residue whatsoever on the skin, and their essential oils really help dry skin like mine. I use their Pure Cream facial cleanser, which contains carrot oil, coconut oil and glycerin. In my younger days, I did the "use the same damn bar of soap you wash the rest of you with" routine and always wound up with an irritated and flaky forehead. My wife finally convinced me to spend the money....and she was spot on.
 
Dove bars for both shower and face washes. Excellent moisturizing properties with no foo-foo smell. Just clean and refreshing.
 
Just bar soap for me. It's easier and less expensive that way. Luckily I don't have skin issues besides the occasional pimple/clogged pore.
 
Whisper, I would highly suggest the Dan Kern face wash based on your list. I've tried several of those too, and none of them are as good as the Kern. The Kern is designed for those with acne prone skin, but it is NOT medicated, so it's perfectly safe for those with no skin problems to use. It also doesn't contain SLS or and is meant to be very gentle, so there should be no peeling issues with it.

Get it here:

http://www.danielkern.com/category-s/21.htm

Another thing, his products are not something made up in a garage or kitchen, they've all gone through FDA testing. He's supposed to come out with a sunscreen soon, and has been working on it for about two years now, I think.

I guess high end I mean more expensive, not drugstore brands.. not necessarily spa products though.
 
I used Spectra Gel as a non-soap cleanser for years. However, I made switch to goats milk soap that is glycerin rich (e.g. glycerin was not removed). I find it does not dry out the skin and is moisturizing, with the only caveat that is doesn't lather as well as conventional soaps.
 
I'm currently alternating back and forth between Nivea Double Acting Face Wash and Burt's Bees Bar Soap.

In the shower, I clean off first with Burt's Bees, then apply a generous layer of Tabac Luxury Bath Soap all over, especially on the beard, and instead of rinsing it off, I let it dry on my body while I shave. This preserves that wonderful Tabac aroma.

Other brands I've liked in the past have been Cetaphil Moisturizing Soap, Neutrogena Original Fragrance, Trader Joe's Oatmeal, Trader Joe's Tea Trea Oil, Ivory, and Dove.

I need to be careful about using exfoliating soaps. If I use them too often, they scrub my face raw. Oatmeal is the gentlest of all exfoliants, but even that can't be used more than once or twice a week.
 
I started off using bar soap and then moved onto face washes. I have fairly sensitive skin and both of these gave me problems. When I started DE shaving I found a thread on B & B where someone just used the shaving soap/cream left over on their brush to wash the rest of their face. I did the same and never looked back. I now also keep a puck of MWF in the shower to wash my face whether I shave or not. I also used some cheaper creams, palmolive etc, for face washing and never had a problem.
 
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