Worse off after using face cleansers?

[Sean]

Since joining here I started with a Nivea face 'scrub' with some sort of pummice-like stuff in it, a Neutrogena product (sorry, don't remember which one) and also Men-U face wash.

I was sort of indifferent on the first two but love the Men-U stuff.

Problem is, my face seems worse off after using it. Rarely got pimples in the past but since using a face cleaner they seem to happen once or twice a week on my face. In the past it was like once a month, if that.

I love how my face feels after using the Men-U, love the smell, just love the product... but I get more pimples using it. I just used Ivory soap before and it seemed better...

That make sense? Any explanation for it?

[krawlx]

If I understand you correctly you're using an exfoliant. I generally don't use any exfoliant on days that I shave. Shaving itself is an exfoliating process. If you're doing both you may be taking off too much skin. I'm not sure how to link the appearance of pimples to removing too much of the skin, but it's certainly possible.

[Sean]

The first one I tried was the exfoliating Nivea scrub.

That was months ago.

The last two were a Neutrogena cleansing face wash and the Men-U product, neither of which is an exfoliant as I understand the term.

[OldSchoolYoungin]

Some of those products can have pretty harsh ingredients and just generally don't work well for many. I gave up using face washes (besides Cetaphil) long ago, and my face is much happier for it.

I have now moved to shaving every other day, and on days that I shave I use the Oil Cleansing Method (see thread a few down), and on days that I don't I use a very gentle glycerin-based tea tree soap.

[atlguitfiddle]

If you shave after a shower, try skipping the face wash altogether. This might sound counter-intuitive, especially for those of us who were taught that you must wash your face twice a day to get rid of the oil and thus prevent breakouts.

The creams and soaps that we've grown accustomed to using do a pretty darned good job of cleansing the skin, not to mention the sharp blade does your exfoliating for you. If you wash your face before a shave, most likely you will be doing more harm than good. I would certainly say skip any face wash that exfoliates.

I've become a huge proponent of the oil cleansing method, although I only use it about once every other day. When I wash my face at night, unless I've just come back from a bike ride or other intensive activity, I simply rinse with cold water and apply some moisturizer.

[JHouse]

I've been following the advice of Perry Gastis (the gentlemens refinery) and washing my face AFTER shaving. I use some cetaphil (although he recommends a ph balance shampoo, Question 47 on the site) and it's actually been working out fairly well. I've tried more expensive stuff and it doesn't seem to to any better.. in fact most of the time it makes my skin worse. my skin is noticeably better after switching

[frank85]

I recently started washing my face with my KMF Olive bar.
I don't see anything wrong with that...

[Zach V.]

Since joining here I started with a Nivea face 'scrub' with some sort of pummice-like stuff in it, a Neutrogena product (sorry, don't remember which one) and also Men-U face wash.

I was sort of indifferent on the first two but love the Men-U stuff.

Problem is, my face seems worse off after using it. Rarely got pimples in the past but since using a face cleaner they seem to happen once or twice a week on my face. In the past it was like once a month, if that.

I love how my face feels after using the Men-U, love the smell, just love the product... but I get more pimples using it. I just used Ivory soap before and it seemed better...

That make sense? Any explanation for it?

Some guys have more sensitive skin than others. Mine is particularly sensitive.

What works for me is using St. Ives original very lightly every other day in the shower,all over the face, and using every man jack pre shave (another exfoliant) also every other day before I shave. So half the time I don't exfoliate before I shave. Be gentle when you rub it in; it doesn't take much. You want to mildly clean your face, not scrape it harshly. Keep in mind the brush exfoliates to some degree as well.

Try using an exfoliant every other day instead of every day, if that doesn't work, twice a week, then once a week, ..., then never.

Also, I like to use regular hair conditioner on my face before I shave every time, I let it set for about 5 minutes. It's cheap, and for me works great.

[asat00]

Well here's my experience. First of all I have a dry/ slightly oily/sensative face. I have found 2 facial wash products and one lotion product that works well for me. it took about a month for my face to adjust to my new lineup, and from all of the people that I talk to, it can take anywhere from a week to a month for your face to adjust to new products, which is kind of a pain to figure out how your face works. I use clean and clear blackhead clearing scrub(in a blue tube) and a clean and clear daily pore cleanser(white tube). The first has syclaic acid in it(2%) and the latter has no harsh acne medication. In my daily shower regiment, I start by lightyl scrbbing up with the clearing scrub, which has exfoliating beads. I find that if I scrubb too much, I break out, but I instead make a light lather and let it sit while I quickly wash my hair, let the shampoo sit, wash the body, and then wash it all off. This let's the syclaic acid to its work for 2 or 3 minutes while I finish up. But DON'T OVER SCRUB YOUR SKIN! This is the most common way for me to have a break out. So when do I use the daily pore cleanser? Once in a blue moon, if I still have a small break out, I attribute it to my face needing a change from the harsh acne med in the blackhead clearing scrub, and I switch to the milder of the two for a day, still paying close attention NOT TO SCRUB TOO HARD.
Ok now the lotion. Its called Velocity, and I get it from Mary Kay. I know what you're thinking, I called myself nancy at first too. But this stuff is great for sensative skin, feels like a A/S milk, and has a tiny ammount of syclaic acid in it to help fight the acne all day long, while moisturizing just the right ammount. Its very light and absorbs quickly with no residue, slickness or shine.
Whew! Ok. I also knew that 99% of the acne medicated facial washes out there contain one of 2 active ingredients. Either peroxide( around 10% I think) or syclaic acid(2%). So what's the difference from one product to another? Well that was my question too. I took the liberty of looking up every ingredient on the back of a few products and it turns out..............(Though this may be common sense by now)....
The only difference is all the other crap that different manufacturers put in the different products. Some put more "soap" products or more additives just to keep mold/mildew from growing in it ect ect ect, so you still have to go throgh the pain in the neck of finding a product that has the right addetives in it.
Back to my point.
I find both of my recomendations for face wash to be pretty mild, and I shave directly after because I find that the acne medication really softens the whiskers, as it is an acid. I definately recomend the Velocity lotion to anyone, especially the sensative skinned. All that just to give a little extra info and to say, don't scrub like the dickens, just lather up and let it sit for more than a minute but don't exceed 3 or 4 mintes. Works great for me.

[chaostheorist]

I noticed the same issue years ago. The more regularly I used a facial cleanser, the worse my skin became.
So now I only use a gentle cleanser once every 7-10 days.
I don't think dousing your face in a store bought chemical mix is as necessary as the product manufacturers would lead us to believe.

[DanOK]

I have slowly come to believe I have been using way to many chemicals in the mix also, I have extremely oily skin and have better success with Nivea for men Sensitive Skin Face Wash. I still have to wash my face a lot to stay fresh but don't have near the problems I've had in the pass.

Speaking of counter-intuitive I had some success with oil cleaning.

[Kouros]

I use Dove soap or Noxzema twice a day and an exfoliant facial scrub once or twice a week. I also use an alcohol free skin toner several times per week.

[jhclare]

I love how my face feels after using the Men-U, love the smell, just love the product... but I get more pimples using it.

Hi,

I have the EXACT same problem. I've tried all the major UK face washes for men and still can't fine THE ONE.

My favourite so far in terms of feel, smell, packaging: Men-U without a doubt. I love, love, love, the scent, and it really wakes you up!

But like you, I seem to get more spots than usual! I thought the high tea tree content was supposed to be good for preventing spots. I'm reaching the end of my current lot, think I'll order again, this time with the Matt moisturiser, to see if that makes a difference.

My skin looks great using the Body Shop face wash for men, but their face protector with SPF makes my skin look greasy! Plus, I'm really not that keen on the scent.

[ArvindN]

Hi all, im kinda new to this whole wetshaving with a DE business but consider myself a veteran in facial products ( have really sensitive skin and not having a breakout makes me jump in glee ). I have used so many facial cleansers from Zirh to Clinique and nothing has been good to my skin, Clinique is the worst by far. Recently my gf introduced me to Liz Earle Clean and Polish, wait, just hear me out before you say oh this stuff i for girls, well technically it is but it has been repackaged for men as well and it is the BEST facial cleanser i have EVER used, period! IT even gives u muslin cloths so you get the whole hot cloth facial feel.

I use Liz Earle's non alcoholic toner and nivea sensitive skin mositurizer. My skin has improved so much in the past 2 weeks, and thats with me STILL shaving with "canned goo" as you guys call it and my M3 (my DE starter kit is in the mail, cant wait till it arrives). Although this might not work for everyone but just give it a go, you might be surprised.

I even use REN's Multi mineral detox Facial Mask once or twice a week to make the skin look and feel healthier, this is for me the best facial mask. As for my scrub i tend to use the Nivea facial scrub or Dermalogica or even St Ives Apricot scrub for sensitive skin, they seem to get along well with my skin but Nivea gets my vote.

For the moisturizer i use my Nivea and sometimes use Clinique M lotion( just started so not sure how its gonna affect my skin), i am planning on trying Biotherm Homme Anti-Perfection Moisturizer which i read is good for getting rid of acne scarring.

If you have any questions about facial products feel free to ask me and hopefully i might be of assistance.

[professorchaos]

Used to have the exact same problem. I found that by washing my face after exfoliating helps wash away the "debris." Problem solved. Now I use an exfoliant every other day, primarially to soften stubble.

[JDE]

I also was in the same boat. I discovered i was over-exfoliating and cleansing. I use a bar of decent soap in the shower for daily washing, and i exfoliate my T-zone once a month in the warmer months and once a fortnight in the colder ones. Anything else just ruins my beautiful face. I also only moisturize when my skin is very dry. Stopping the "routine" for when i really needed something helped a lot.

[sanpaku]

to be frank, i wouldn't classify your skin as sensitive. if i used any (and at any given point, i have used each of them) of the products you listed, much less all of them, i'd be one messed up dude...

[drandall]

i think it all comes down to balance. you have acne, so you scrub and use lots of chemicals which strip down the skin and so the body reacts by creating more oil to protect itself which in turn creates more breakouts.

i've found a mild cleanser rubbed in with the fingers instead of a rough washcloth and the very occasional exfoliation actually does a better job than using more stuff more often.