Any moisturizer recommendations? I keep making expensive mistakes...

[WriterMom2be]

I'm pregnant and looking for a healthy moisturizer. I bought an organic product line called NUDE which was way pricy and ended up containing Hyaluronic Acid which isn't proven safe for pregnancy. Then I stopped in a Lush store. I was tricked by their "fresh handmade cosmetics" tag line. When I asked them about the safety of their ingredients they read them off to me except for the last couple...parabens.  Yes, I should have read the bottle myself. Anyone have any products they like? I tried just using olive oil but I can't stand the feel of it on my skin. Any recommendations?

[AFWife]

Honestly, the next time I moisturize I'm just going to slather on straight coconut oil...

My skin is SO DRY lately. I can't use soap more than once a week or it itches and then flakes off. My cuticles were peeling until I started putting coconut oil on them...

It's all natural and works!

[heathenmom]

I "cleanse" with olive oil and moisturize with coconut oil.  LOVE it!

[marimara]

I have combination skin, so I either use organic aloe vera gel from Vitacost on oily days or I use Aubrey Organics Sensitive skin moisturizer.  It's the best stuff imo.  Before I use a tiny drop for my whole face, I spray my homemade "light moisture-toner" (organic aloe vera juice, witch hazel, and some eo's if I'm feeling up for it).  This helps to spread the moisturizer around better and stretch it longer.  If your skin tends towards more dry than not, Aubrey has thicker varieties.  Check out www.cosmeticsdatabase.com to check the ratings of something before you buy it. You can also check www.drugstore.com to read all the ingredients.

[AFWife]

Update: I used coconut oil all over after getting out of the shower last night. It stayed a bit slick and shiny for awhile (DH didn't mind lol *winks) This is the first morning I've woken up and not felt like I was turning into a lizard.

[Monkey pants]

I LOVE Mothers Special Blend skin toning oil. Its all natural and only has 5 ingredients nothing scary. :) I got my bottle when i was about 11 wks preggers and just now ran out at 30 weeks, I rub it all over my belly, bum, boobies, sometimes face when im extra dry and hands after shower. Its great!! I bought mine at Whole foods which is in another town so looks like Im going to have to order online. Its a really really really great product.

Hope this helps.

Coconut oil is delish too..

[Astrid1024]

Skin Food by Weleda. I use it every morning and my skin looks great. Highly recommend.

[WriterMom2be]

Thanks everyone I will check out the Weleda and Aubrey...I'm still not sure if I can stand straight oil. I liked the results when I tried it a few months ago but for some reason it gives me the heebie jeebies. 

[Chamomile Girl]

Originally Posted by WriterMom2be 

Thanks everyone I will check out the Weleda and Aubrey...I'm still not sure if I can stand straight oil. I liked the results when I tried it a few months ago but for some reason it gives me the heebie jeebies. 

When you check out the Weleda look for the Rose or the Iris moisturisers...Skin Food (suggested by a PP) is very heavy.  If feeling oily bothers you Skin Food will bug the crap outta you.  The Weleda face lines are divine though, and have less oily residue.  Especially the Iris line.

[daisycullen2003]

so olive oil cleanses?

also, i like the idea of using coconut oil but it is so greasy and doesn't really seem to absorb well? are there brands that work better somehow?

thanks!

lisa

[Smidge]

We all use coconut oil around here and it does absorb within minutes.  I buy Spectrum Organic Coconut Oil :)

[heathenmom]

Originally Posted by daisycullen2003 

so olive oil cleanses?

I first read about the Oil Cleansing Method here on Mothering, but googling brings up lots of results too.  There are several oil recommended, but I've always had olive oil on hand and just used it with fantastic results.  When I first started using it I had oily-to-combination skin and thought it sounded kind of crazy but figured giving it a try couldn't hurt anything.  It worked fine then and it works great now with all the changes my skin has undergone after 2-1/2 pregnancies.  :)

I read on a blog about using coconut oil for moisture and again figured it couldn't hurt to try it.  I LOVE it.  It does go on super-oily and takes some getting used to, but absorbs really quickly into my skin.

[yk_jenn]

Jojoba oil might be worth a try for anyone that finds olive or coconut too oily. I use it as a facial moisturizer, but prefer olive or avocado for the rest of my body.

[SophieAnn]

Another option is Aloe.  I keep a potted aloe plant growing in the bathroom.  Pluck off a "leaf" or half-leaf and squeeze out the aloe.  It's a really nice non-greasy moisturizer.

[sunnysandiegan]

You may want to try different methods for applying any oils to reduce the "heebie jeebies". 

For me, the trick to using any oil is two-fold.

1) The oil itself is not moisturizing. What oil is best at is trapping the moisture, so spritzing rosewater on my face first is trick #1. Any moisture will do, though....staying damp after a shower, leaving your face damp instead of drying it, spritzing any predominantly liquid product, etc. This also has other benefits, such as being able to spread the oil easier to control the quantity for different skin types...and more.

2) I have normal skin now (used to be quite oily until I changed my skin care habits) and I only need a bit of oil at night all over my face. I discovered specifically with coconut oil that I only need 1-2 drops when it is in the liquid state (above 75 degrees) and half of a nail scraping (using back of fingernail, not underneath) when it is in the solid state. I let it warm and melt further by rubbing my fingertips together and spreading the oil over all finger pads before applying to my whole face, neck, and decolletage. This light coverage is plenty for my skin and is not greasy/oily after it soaks in, which takes only a few minutes. I rub the residue into my cuticles using circular massage...added bonus of always having healthy fingernails!

I use a homemade eye "cream" day and night (a single drop spread between my two ring finger pads), so the area around my eyes gets a double dose of oil at night and a single layer in the daytime. In the morning, I extend it up into my forehead between my eyes and out to the temples and tops of my cheeks (think "raccoon mask" LOL). In the evening, I apply this oil first and the residue gets added by default to the coconut oil all over my face, neck, and decolletage. I spritz with rosewater day and night, which is also a light moisturizer.

DAY:

1. Wash face, neck, and decolletage with Jason's rosewater hand and face soap.

2. Spritz with Heritage rosewater. (I spritz from the top of my head down to my heart center, for healing purposes.)

3. Apply one drop of my eye oil blend (raccoon mask).

4. Lately, I have been applying coconut oil just to my throat for healing purposes.

5. If we are going to be out in the sun for a significant portion of the day, I apply a sunscreen moisturizer all over. (I use the mineral-based sunscreens only.)

NIGHT:

[If I wore makeup, then I wash my face. I don't usually, so I often skip that in the evening.]

1. Spritz face, neck, and decolletage with Heritage rosewater. Sometimes I use a cotton ball and apply it like a toner instead, which also "cleanses".

2. Apply one drop of my eye oil blend.

3. Apply 1-2 drops of coconut oil (or half a nail scraping) all over face, neck, and decolletage. Rub residue into fingernails / cuticles.

[daisycullen2003]

love all of these ideas. thanks for sharing!

lisa

[CookAMH]

I've been using coconut oil for a couple years as my only moisturizer.  In the little glass jar I use, I shake several drops of tea tree oil and mix it up and that helps with some acne. You can also squeeze in some aloe vera gel into the mix. OR just do straight coconut oil. It does NOT leave my face oily in any season.

[rachelalfreda]

I use olive oil when i'm in a pinch, but I prefer to use grapeseed or walnut oil. 

When I have time, I like to melt a healthy slice of cocoabutter (from those queen helene sticks you can get at CVS/Walgreens) with a couple of tbsp of cocanut oil.  I'll shave some beeswax into it too, if I have any, to thicken it up. Once that's all melted together I dump in a bunch of walnut or grapeseed oil and mix it all together.  Once it's uniform, i'll pour it into a stray bottle (usually a burts bee's lotion bottle with the press release cap) and add some EE (neroli, lavender, and nutmeg usually)

I use it all over my body (including face) after showering and it absorbs quickly - it's pretty light (especially if you omit the beeswax.)

As far as a face wash, I just use some BS/water (I do no-poo.)  I like to exfoliate with peanut butter, and my son loves to watch me while I do it!!

[Jade's Mom]

Originally Posted by SophieAnn 

Another option is Aloe.  I keep a potted aloe plant growing in the bathroom.  Pluck off a "leaf" or half-leaf and squeeze out the aloe.  It's a really nice non-greasy moisturizer.

Just be careful not to use the skin, only the gel.  The skin can cause irritation and allergic reactions.  If you are using a product with aloe in it make sure the aloe and preferably the entire product is certified organic.  Otherwise you are likely getting parabens from the aloe.  Most non-organic aloe is preserved with parabens...even when the company says it isn't.  The only way to know for sure is to use organic.

The best way to know your products are safe and free of toxic synthetic chemicals, pesticides, GMOs and other nasties is to buy certified organic.  There are a lot of greenwashers on the market making organic and natural claims that don't hold up.  What you put on your skin is absorbed into your blood stream and into your organs.  Unlike food, it doesn't go through the metababolic process to help break down and remove toxins, so it's particularly important that your personal care products be organic.

[marimara]

I get an organic aloe gel from Vitacost that's the purest I've found, It's called Aloe Life http://www.vitacost.com/Aloe-Life-Whole-Leaf-Aloe-Vera-Skin-Gel-Unscented