And where does emu oil come from, and what are the ingredients? Warning: it comes from the fat of the emu, which is an Australian animal that is similar to the ostrich. Obviously emu oil is not right for anyone that is adverse to using animal products. The only ingredient in it is emu oil, which is comprised of a few types of fatty acids.

Emu oil for hair loss
The main reason I bought emu oil is because I’m desperate for a cure to my hair loss, and I’ll try just about anything to fix it. I picked up the Longview Farms brand at my local vitamin store (it was $10-15 for 2 oz). The theory behind it is that it inhibits the DHT on your scalp, which is what contributes to genetic hair loss. You’re supposed to rub it on a few times a day to increase hair growth. Here’s the main problem, though – it’s really greasy! It makes my hair look so oily, so I have only been putting it on at night, and then washing it off in the morning.

Since I’ve been using Rogaine, which dries out my scalp like crazy, it definitely helps with the itching and flakiness. Because of the greasiness, I’ve only been using emu oil a few times a week for the last month, and it’s too soon to say if it has any benefits for hair loss. Emu oil can also be used to treat dry hair and increase moisture and shine. I haven’t coated my hair with it, but if you have really dry hair, maybe it would be a good leave-in conditioner.

* Buy Emu Oil at Amazon *

Emu oil for acne
Emu oil is also promoted as being beneficial for acne, but I would highly caution against using it if you have acne-prone skin. I used it on my face every night for a week, and I started to develop a lot of clogged pores. It was then that I realized that emu oil is very high in oleic acid, which is extremely pore clogging! I have no idea why emu oil is said to get rid of acne! My opinion – it gives you more acne!

Emu oil for wrinkles and dry facial skin
I had read emu oil works wonders on plumping up aging skin, moisturizing dry skin, and reducing the appearance of wrinkles like nothing else. Emu oil, which has anti-inflammatory properties, is supposed to penetrate into your skin better than most ingredients, and help to lock in moisture. That’s why I used it on my face – to see how well it works for wrinkles. In the week I used it, I didn’t feel like it made my skin look any better than jojoba oil, and jojoba oil has the benefit of not being an animal product, and not causing acne. So if you are looking for a natural facial moisturizer, I would suggest jojoba oil over emu oil. Neither of these products can actually get rid of wrinkles, but they can reduce the appearance of them by moisturizing your skin.

Emu oil for eczema and psoriasis
I don’t have either of these ailments, so I can’t attest to how well it works for them, but a lot of people claim it’s the only thing that has really helped with these conditions. Speak to your doctor before using emu oil on eczema or psoriasis, but it could be a good addition to your treatment plan. It’s also supposed to work well on super dry areas on your body – knees, elbows, feet, etc.

Emu oil for arthritis pain
Many people rub emu oil onto their painful arthritic joints to alleviate inflammation and pain. Does it work? It seems improbable that it would actually work, but some people claim it does! I actually have arthritis in my fingers that acts up from time to time, so the next time I encounter stiff finger joints, maybe I’ll try emu oil and see what happens.

Bottom line: Personally I haven’t found emu oil to be a miracle for any of my personal issues – hair loss, acne, and wrinkles. I will continue using it on my hair to see what happens, but I’m not holding my breath that it will help. The rave reviews online about emu oil making your skin look ten years younger, and glow like crazy are also what got me to try it, but again I’m not overly impressed. Have you tried emu oil? Has it helped?

Related posts:

1. My Hair Loss Story
2. Female Hair Loss – A Never-ending Nightmare
3. Prevent A Hair Disaster!

In the past, I was using an expensive skin lightener to fade sun damage that had surfaced from my younger carefree days of going without sunscreen. I hadn’t used any skin lightening products in about a year, and just noticed a new age spot, so I picked up Ambi Fade Cream at Walgreens for only about $5. You can’t beat the price!

Ambi Skin Care Fade Cream For Normal Skin
This product contains 2% Hydroquinone, which is the most effective skin lightening ingredient that is FDA approved for use in the US. Hydroquinone continues to remain a very controversial ingredient, though, because some studies have shown that it is not safe for your health! If you have any concerns, it’s best to avoid hydroquinone. Personally I still use it from time to time because my sun spots drive me crazy, but ideally I would like to stop using it just in case! I haven’t had much success with other skin lightening ingredients, which is why I keep going back to hydroquinone, but even it doesn’t work that well on me.

Great Moisturizer
The Ambi Fade Cream is a thick, moisturizing cream that I actually found to be a great moisturizer for normal to dry skin. It also comes in an Oily Skin version, which I haven’t tried, but the ingredients are pretty similar. This comes in great packaging  – a metal tube that keeps the product fresh, and it’s easy to dispense. The cream contains a lot of fragrance (a floral scent), so if you have any allergic issues with fragrance, you will definitely need to skip this product. Otherwise, this is one of the best moisturizers I’ve used, and it’s super cheap. Due to the safety concerns with hydroquinone, I discontinue using hydroquinone as soon as possible, though, so I only use it about two months a year max.

Safe For Acne
In theory this product should be fine for acne-prone skin because it doesn’t contain any pore clogging ingredients until after the 10th ingredient, which means they are in pretty small amounts. I didn’t get any breakouts at all.

Does Ambi Fade Cream work?
I’ve been using this once a day for over a month, and I haven’t really seen any improvement in my sun spots. However, when I’ve used other skin lighteners in the past, I didn’t a lot of improvement either. I think this is because I’ve been using sunscreen for several years so my sun spots are about as faded as they can get from topical treatments. I was just hoping I’d have better luck on my new sun spot. A lot of people get great results from skin lightening products, so it’s definitely worth trying if you have sun spots/age spots, freckles, or hyperpigmentation. The packaging says to use this twice a day and to discontinue after 3 months if you don’t see results. Once your spots are faded, discontinue using the product.

Wear sunscreen!
Ambi Fade Cream contains a small amount of sunscreen, but it’s not enough to protect you. Make sure to use a good sunscreen daily when you use this product because it makes your skin more sensitive to light, which means your spots will get worse unless you wear sunscreen! And if you ever stop wearing sunscreen, the spots will come right back!

Bottom Line
If you aren’t adverse to hydroquinone, and you aren’t sensitive to fragrance, this is a great product to try! Just do some research on hydroquinone to see whether or not you feel comfortable using it on your skin.

Have you tried Ambi Fade Cream? What products have worked to lighten your dark spots?

Active Ingredients: Hydroquinone (2%), Octinoxate (2%). Inactive Ingredients: Betaine, Butylene Glycol, Cetyl Alcohol, Cyclomethicone, Cyclopentasiloxane, Dimethicone Crosspolymer, Disodium EDTA, Ethylparaben, Fragrance, Glycerin, Glyceryl Stearate, Glycine Soja (Soybean) protein, Hydroxyethyl Urea, Isopropyl Myristate, Lactic Acid, Methylparaben, PEG-100 Stearate, PEG-16 Soy Sterol, Pentaerythrityl Tetra-di-t-butyl Hydroxyhydrocinnamate, potassium Cetyl Phosphate, Propylparaben, Sodium Ascorbyl Phosphate, Sodium Metabisulfite, Stearic Acid, Tocopheryl Acetate, Water

Related posts:

1. Hydroquinone Update
2. Hydroquinone, The Skin Lightener
3. How To Prevent Melasma

Top 10 Beauty Essentials: 

1) Sunscreen
It’s no surprise that sunscreen tops my list! Sun damage is the number one way to prematurely age your skin, so aside from staying indoors 24/7, sunscreen is your skin’s best friend! The sooner you give up tanning and start using sunscreen, the younger you will look later in life! But even if you were like me and tanned up a storm until you were 25, it’s never too late to start wearing sunscreen daily. This is the best anti-aging product ever!

2) Enough Sleep
Sure everyone skimps on sleep because there are a million seemingly better things to do, but lack of sleep makes you look old and tired, gives you bags under your eyes, makes your skin look ruddy, gives you bloodshot eyes – and that’s just in the short term! Long term sleep deprivation taxes your body and ages you faster inside and out. I try to sleep 7-9 hours a night. I know that sounds like a lot, but there’s nothing worse than having people tell you that you look tired all the time!

3) Healthy Diet
Eating a healthy diet is just about as boring and difficult as getting enough sleep, but again it’s essential to your health, and the healthier you are, the healthier your skin and body will appear. Cut out the bad stuff (sugar, simple carbs, soda, processed foods, and trans fats), and load up on tons of antioxidant-rich vegetables, fruits, lean proteins, and healthy fats. I love sugar, so it’s horrible to me that it causes your skin to wrinkle faster, but it does!

4) Exercise
Exercising regularly is another difficult task, but it helps de-stress you (and stress is a major cause of aging). Exercise increases blood flow and circulation, and it helps prevent diseases, which can prematurely age you. A lot of people also get a “healthy glow” after exercising. I’m not sure if I’m one of those people, but I just know how many health benefits exercise provides, and slowing down the aging clock is definitely one of them! Toning up flabby skin, and reducing cellulite are other reasons I find exercise essential.

5) Retinoids
Topical prescription retinoid creams are one of the few products that have been proven to soften fine lines and wrinkles, even out your skin tone, and help with acne (depending on which retinoid you use). The over-the-counter ingredient retinol is also a proven wrinkle fighter, as long as you pick a retinol product with an ample amount of retinol, and make sure to avoid jar packaging. Personally I don’t waste my money on many hyped miracle creams – I just stick with retinoids like Renova for wrinkles, and Differin for acne, plus wrinkles. These aren’t miracle products, but they do give some visible results.

6) Antioxidants
Topical antioxidants give your skin a little extra prevention against sun damage, pollution, and second-hand smoke, all of which cause a breakdown of collagen and elastin. Luckily a lot of new sunscreens and moisturizers now come with antioxidants, or you can apply an antioxidant serum in the morning before your sunscreen. I haven’t seen noticeable results from antioxidant products, but to me they are just extra protection against aging. A lot of people do claim they see results with topical Vitamin C, Ferulic Acid, Idebenone, etc. but I haven’t seen any results – I just know they are good preventive anti-aging ingredients. Also, you can speak to your doctor about vitamin antioxidant supplements. I take a multivitamin and several other daily vitamins. I haven’t seen any results from oral antioxidants either, but I take them knowing they may be preventing aging  – it’s just impossible to know for sure!

7) Good Skin Care Regimen For Your Specific Needs
A simple skin care regimen that addresses your specific skin care issues is essential. Everyone can benefit from using a gentle cleanser, sunscreen and antioxidants, and either a retinol/retinoid product (which increases the skin’s turnover rate), or an exfoliating product like glycolic acid, or a weekly facial scrub. Regular exfoliation keeps your skin looking smoother and younger. If you have any skin problems like Rosacea, Eczema, Melasma, or severe acne, it’s important that you see a Dermatologist for help. For mild to moderate acne, I have a slightly more complicated acne regimen that works for me. If you have dry skin like I do, moisturizers are great for temporarily plumping up your skin and preventing flakiness, but if you have oily skin, you can probably skip them. I also recommend reading the book ”The Skin Type Solution” which gives you a skin care regimen for your specific skin type.

8) Makeup!
I wish I didn’t love makeup so much, but like most women, I feel naked and exposed without it. If you are prone to acne, make sure you avoid makeup and skin care products that cause cosmetic acne. I try to keep my makeup pretty simple so it only takes me about 5 minutes to apply everything, but it makes me feel a lot more presentable to the world. 

9) Big UV Protection Sunglasses & Satin Pillowcases
Aside from wearing sunscreen, sunglasses are another essential sun safety beauty tool. They not only keep your eyes protected from UV damage, but sunglasses further help prevent crow’s feet and wrinkles around your eyes. Plus they prevent you from squinting and creating even more wrinkles. Look for sunglasses that say 100% UV protection, or UV 400. You don’t have to go with big sunglasses, but the bigger they are, and the more they wrap around your face, the more of your face that is protected.

A lot of people think satin pillowcases are silly, but if you want to wake up without giant creases in your face, satin pillowcases are a must! I used to have the “just rolled out of bed” look for over an hour or two when I had regular pillowcases – I would get to work and the creases would still be there! Now I wake up without any creases, and satin pillowcases are also gentler on your hair than regular ones.

10) Good Hair Care
Honestly no matter what I do to my hair, it never looks that good, so I’m still waiting for the day I can tell you what I did to achieve lush, thick, bouncy, super shiny hair. Because I have dealt with hair loss for several years, I know first-hand how traumatizing it is to have thin hair that just keeps getting thinner, and no matter what you do, nothing really works that well. Currently I’m trying to be gentle on my hair and have been using gentle shampoos, and I keep my hair styling products to a minimum. I’ve experimented with so many different hair care products and topical treatments, but there’s nothing I have tried that I love! The sleeping enough, eating well, taking vitamins, and exercising regularly tips will also help make your hair look great (in theory at least). What are your best hair care tips?  

Bonus Beauty Essentials: Injectables like Botox and Restylane
I know a lot of people are afraid of having Botox and fillers injected into their face, but these treatments really do wonders to soften wrinkles and expression lines, and to add volume to your face. Despite all of my preventive measures, this year I have seen the lines in my forehead getting deeper, and you don’t know how bad I want Botox right now! I just can’t afford it, so for now I’m using Frownines every night, which prevent me from waking up with giant frown lines in my forehead and between my eyes (the lines still come back later in the day).

A lot of these beauty essentials don’t offer instant results, but they help to prevent aging, or they gradually help to improve your appearance. If I suddenly eat perfectly for a week, or exercise every day like I should, I don’t notice instant results, but cumulatively, the healthier you keep your lifestyle, the healthier you will look. Not everyone is born with great genes when it comes to aging, but at least there’s a lot that you can do! What are your beauty essentials???

Related posts:

1. Satin Pillowcases – Wake Up With Smooth Skin
2. Anti-Aging Skin Care Checklist
3. Beauty Tips From Lolcats

Jason Jojoba Pure Beauty Oil
I picked Jason’s jojoba oil because it was the cheapest one I could find – $6 for a 1 ounce bottle. Desert Essence Jojoba Oil seems to be the most popular jojoba oil brand, though, and it comes in larger sizes, so it’s actually even more economical. I had been hearing about people using oils on their faces for years, but since I am so acne prone, it never dawned on me that I could use oils too. Nonetheless, I took the plunge and slathered my face with the jojoba oil, and it has not caused a single breakout since I’ve been using it for the past two weeks.

Jojoba Oil – natural moisturizer
My experience with jojoba oil so far has been great. As a moisturizer it works really well, and it doesn’t wear off as fast as a lot of moisturizers, so it still leaves your skin feeling hydrated several hours later. I have dry skin and most moisturizers don’t hydrate my skin well enough, but this does. Mostly I’ve been applying it at night, and I wake up with smooth, soft, hydrated skin. I’ve also worn it in the daytime and it works fine under sunscreen and makeup. I am probably over-applying it because it does leave my face a bit shiny, but if you just use less (like a pea-sized amount), it soaks in without looking greasy. Jojoba oil can be used on all skin types, but you might not need a moisturizer if you have oily skin. I will soon write a separate post about using jojoba oil for acne. You can use it on your face, as well as your body.

What is Jojoba Oil?
Technically jojoba not an oil, but a wax ester (a liquid wax) rich in the anxtioxidant Vitamin E, and it comes from the jojoba plant. Jojoba is a natural ingredient that is extremely similar to your face sebum. It is non-comedogenic so it shouldn’t clog pores. Jojoba oil is also 100% organic, and it only contains one ingredient (I’m not sure if all jojoba products are organic, but most of them are)! This is great new for people that are extremely concerned about putting chemicals on their faces. Jojoba is supposed to be very stable, despite being preservative-free, so it shouldn’t go rancid.

Jojoba Oil uses
Besides being a great natural moisturizer, you can also use it as a makeup remover and lip balm. I haven’t used it for either of these things yet, so I don’t know how well it works for that. I am scared to use it as an eye makeup remover, but I hear it does work well. Just read the individual label for the product you buy to see if it’s safe for use on your eyes. Jojoba oil can also be used for shaving, as massage oil, and as a hair conditioner or for a scalp massage (I have read mixed reviews about its use hair).

Drawbacks
The only negative I have about Jason jojoba oil specifically is that it’s hard to dispense so I end up pouring out too much, and it drips down the side of the bottle. I wish it would come with a dropper application. As a face moisturizer it’s pretty cheap, but if you end up using it on your whole body, then it could become more pricey. I can’t think of any other negatives!

If you are looking for a cheap face moisturizer, I definitely recommend jojoba oil! If you are hesitant, just start out with a really small amount to see what you think. Your local vitamin store or Whole Foods should carry it. Do you use jojoba oil?

Related posts:

1. Clinique Continuous Rescue Antioxidant Moisturizer
2. UV Natural Sunscreen
3. Emu Oil Benefits For Hair And Skin

The at-home mask is easy to use - you apply a generous layer of the product to damp skin, wait 5 minutes, and then wash it off. Once you rinse off the mask, you can apply a moisturizer. The best part about the product is that it smells nice (like oranges), and it creates a frothy texture on your skin that feels refreshing. This is the first mask I’ve used that creates a shaving cream-like texture, and I personally liked the feeling. The frothiness (if that is even a word) only lasted a few minutes before it disappeared, and by the time 5 minutes was up, my face was feeling a little tight.

Results
The mask did make my face feel softer. My skin looked nice and smooth after using the mask, but it wasn’t glowing, and I’m not sure if it looked less “dull, tired and sallow” like it promised. I basically looked the same as before using the mask, but my skin was ever-so-slightly smoother and more even-toned. The product can be used up to 3 times a week.

Is it worth it?
The mask is fine for all skin types, and it doesn’t have pore clogging ingredients. It has some skin cleansing ingredients (like Sodium Laureth Sulfate), which seems sort of weird for a mask. At $52 for a bottle, it is pricey, although it contains 3.4 fl oz, which should last for several months or longer. I haven’t done extensive research on the benefit of added oxygen for your skin, or if it’s even possible to give your skin extra oxygen, but from what I have read, the whole oxygen thing is all marketing hype, and adding oxygen is actually not beneficial. The mask contains some good antioxidants, but if the product really does increase the oxygen in your skin, I wonder if that would negate the effects of the antioxidants since oxygen is a source of free radicals. Hmmm.

A lot of people do really like this mask, because there are some great reviews of it online, and other people think it’s fine, but not really worth it. The best thing about any skin care mask is that you feel like it’s a little pick-me-up for your skin, so even if it doesn’t do much, you feel better just knowing you did a little something extra. Due to the cheaper price and excellent hydrating abilities, I prefer the Paula’s Choice hydrating mask, but I would only recommend that one for normal to dry skin, and it doesn’t do any cool frothing or smell good, so it’s a bit boring.

*Buy Bliss Triple Oxygen Instant Energizing Mask* (you can also view the full ingredients of the product here). Have you used the Bliss mask? What do you think?

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Eyebrow planing – a new way to shape eyebrows
I read about eyebrow planing last year, and it seemed like a great thing to try because it removes stray eyebrow hairs without the possibility of permanently damaging hair follicles, which can happen from waxing, tweezing and threading. Eyebrow planing is basically a fancy razor! I know it sounds crazy, but I used to use shaving razors to clean up peach fuzz above my eyebrows, because I hate how makeup and sunscreen looks when it sticks to the peach fuzz. Obviously regular razors are big and bulky to use around eyebrows so they aren’t ideal to shape eyebrows.

I bought a Precision Brow Planer from Christi Harris, which is a little tool that is sort of like a men’s straight razor. You hold it flush with your skin and shave away excess eyebrow hairs to create sculpted brows. When I bought the tool, it came by itself and it was pretty inexpensive (like $12 for two), but now she apparently only sells it with an eyebrow makeup kit, so it costs a lot more. On her site, she has a little video that shows you how to shape eyebrows by brow planing. Since the planer just shaves away hair, you aren’t permanently damaging the hair follicles. But the hair will grow back faster than if you had waxed or tweezed.

I hardly have any stray hairs anymore, so I mostly use the brow planer to get rid of peach fuzz. It works pretty well to remove hair, but it’s hard to maneuver to perfectly shape your brows, although I’m sure some people would be better at it than me. I also find it a bit bulky to get under my brows as well as I’d like. It can also chafe your skin, and it’s sharp, so you need to go slow and plane carefully. The brow planer can also be used on peach fuzz on your upper lip, so that’s an added bonus! I’m sure it would also work for any excess facial hair.

Ardell Trim & Shape Grooming Tool
Right after I bought the Christi Harris planer, I saw a $3 version at CVS! I haven’t tried it, but it looks very similar. I think this Ardell Trim & Shape is the same one I saw, but it’s hard to tell from the picture. At that price, it’s definitely worth trying once to see what you think. Also check out your local drugstore to see if they sell similar eyebrow shaping tools. If you have unruly eyebrows, I think getting them professionally waxed, plucked, or threaded is still the way to go, but just remember you may never see those excess hairs again, so make sure the person doesn’t overdo it! If you are like me and don’t have enough hairs left to work with, try the eyebrow planing to shape your eyebrows!

Related posts:

1. Skimpy Thinning Eyebrows
2. Eyebrow Waxing
3. Will Rogaine Regrow Eyebrows?

Don’t throw out your sunscreen just yet!
The article states “Cocoa beans fresh from the tree are exceptionally rich in flavanols. Unfortunately, during conventional chocolate making, this high antioxidant capacity is greatly reduced due to manufacturing processes…Our study demonstrated that regular consumption of a chocolate rich in flavanols confers significant photoprotection and can thus be effective at protecting human skin from harmful UV effects. Conventional chocolate has no such effect.”

Throw out the M&Ms!
I’ve read countless articles that say eating small amounts of chocolate that contains 70% or higher cacao is good for your health due to the high amount of antioxidants it contains. I’m not sure if the 70% dark  chocolates you can get at the supermarket (like Lindt and Ghirardelli) count, since I would assume they are made in a “conventional” way. Nonetheless, I’m still eating them for now, unless I find out they aren’t full of flavonoids like I had thought. And even if dark antioxidant-rich chocolate does help prevent UV damage, sunscreen is still essential! The chocolate just provides a little bonus to your skin – like wearing topical antioxidants. It’s a shame M&Ms and Snickers will never count as an antioxidant-rich food:(

Lots of other foods are full of antioxidants and great for your skin and health, but they aren’t as fun to talk about – berries, dark colored veggies, bright colored veggies, spices and herbs, and green tea are just a few super healthy foods. On a side note, did you know that chocolate/cacao is grown on trees? When I was a kid growing up in Hawaii, I went on a field trip and was shown a “chocolate tree” but I didn’t believe that’s really where chocolate came from. We tasted the seeds and they were bitter and horrible, so it wasn’t until years later I found out chocolate really does grown on trees (and it’s the sugar that makes it taste good!)

The original sun damage / UV protection study was published in volume 8, issue 3 of the “Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology.”

Related posts:

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2. How To Prevent Melasma
3. Prevent A Hair Disaster!

Jar packaging looks pretty
Jar packaging may look pretty, luxurious and expensive, but it comes with a lot of unnecessary issues. If you read reviews on MakeupAlley.com, you’ll notice a lot of people hate jar packaging, so I’m not the only one. I continued to use the Clinque Moisture On-line because it worked so well as a moisturizer, but it was $40 a jar, and all it did was hydrate my skin. I felt like a sucker every time I bought it, but I knew in some ways it was cheaper to keep using it than to try out one product after another to find an equivalent that wasn’t in a jar.

What’s wrong with jar packaging?
Antioxidants, peptides, and retinol are some ingredients that degrade when they are exposed to air and light. Thus every time you open your pretty jar, the ingredients you paid big bucks for are being deactivated. Your expensive antioxidant cream or retinol treatment is suddenly just a glorified overpriced moisturizer. Most products these days aren’t just marketed as moisturizers, so you are expecting and paying for the added ingredients to be somewhat beneficial to your skin, aside from just moisturizing it. Even though the Clinique product I used contained antioxidants, I assumed they were worthless because they were in a jar, and thus I would apply a separate antioxidant serum under it. There goes even more money!

Jar packaging is also more unsanitary and more prone to bacteria growth than stable packaging. Every time you reach into the jar, you’re spreading whatever was on your hands into the jar, and then applying that right on your face! Personally I’ve never had any health problems from jars, but it’s still icky to think about. Sample jars at Sephora and makeup counters are teeming with bacteria because so many people put their fingers in them. Gross.

Because jars aren’t airtight, the products inside may not last as long as those in pumps or tubes. In the past, I’ve had several jars smell rancid after a few months. Most products, though, do come with ample preservatives to make them last long enough to finish the jar if you use it every day. Some “natural” companies don’t use preservatives, or traditional preservatives, because they don’t want to include parabens in their products. These products also may not last very long in preservative-free skin care packaging.

What should you do?
If you want to buy a product with antioxidants or retinol, make sure it’s in an opaque or dark container, and that it comes in a pump or tube, or some sort of packaging that won’t allow the product to be exposed to air and light. And if you’re concerned about hygiene, skip jar packaging. I admit that if Clinique didn’t discontinue my favorite product, I would still buy it, but because it’s now gone, I’m taking this as a sign that I must take a personal stand and boycott jar packaging from now on! It’s just not worth paying $40 for a moisturizer when there are so many products that come in stable packaging that provide a lot more benefits. For now I’ll be using Paula’s Choice Skin Recovery Hydrating Treatment Mask as a moisturizer because it’s half the price as the Clinique, it’s twice the size, it contains antioxidants, and it comes in stable packaging. Even though it’s a mask, it can be left on as a moisturizer. It’s almost as good of a moisturizer as the Clinique, but its value is much higher. One thing I will miss, though, are the Clinique gift-with-purchase products:( I really do like their free mascara…

Do you care one way or the other about jar packaging?

Related posts:

1. Clinique Continuous Rescue Antioxidant Moisturizer
2. Asian Skin Care
3. Antioxidants: An Insurance Policy For Your Skin

3 Fl oz
As a carry-on, the TSA allows a quart-size ziploc bag with products up to 3 fl oz each. With a little practice, it’s amazing how much you can stuff in one little bag – last time I flew, I shoved about 15 products in my ziploc, which is sort of scary since I only went on a weekend trip! 3floz.com is a website dedicated entirely to travel size products! They specialize in mostly non-drugstore brands like DDF, Go Smile, and Phyto. Their slogan is “for those who travel, those who are curious, and those who can’t commit.” Beauty.com and Dermstore.com are other sites with a lot of mini products.

Sephora also has tons of travel size versions of their best-selling products. In the website’s search box, just type in: travel. As a bonus, this week they’re giving away 10 free skincare samples with any order.

Travel Size at Amazon
If your drugstore doesn’t have your favorite travel size beauty product, check out Amazon – they have tons of the cheaper drugstore-brand travel toiletries. And of course for the frugal person, there’s always the free hotel room toiletries! You know you’re really frugal when you stay at hotels that don’t even provide free products – up until a few years ago, that was me! Usually I just buy little plastic containers at Target and fill them up with my shampoo, sunscreen, and moisturizer, etc., but it’s still fun to actually find your favorite product in its mini version, even though it costs more per ounce. Just remember that some products will lose their effectiveness when put in non-airtight jar packaging, so don’t put retinol or antioxidant products in new containers.

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Cetaphil Gentle Skin Cleanser
Cetaphil Gentle Skin Cleanser was created by Dermatologists and it’s marketed as a gentle cleanser for normal to dry skin, sensitive skin, and people with acne, rosacea and eczema. According to the Cetaphil website, it’s supposed to be great at removing makeup, and addressing the dryness your skin can face from certain acne medications. It won’t strip your skin of natural protective oils, it’s fragrance free, and it’s touted as non-comedogenic so it’s not supposed to clog pores.

I have tried Cetaphil off and on throughout the years and personally I’ve never liked it. I don’t find it removes eye makeup at all, and I feel like it leaves a film on my skin before it has a chance to actually cleanse my skin thoroughly. I’m not exactly sure how to test if it properly cleanses my skin, so it’s really the coating it leaves behind I don’t like. In part because it does leave behind a moisturizing layer, it’s actually a hydrating, non-drying cleanser, which is nice for dry skin. It’s also a great value because you can get a big bottle of it at your drugstore for a decent price.

I don’t like the fact that it contains the harsh Sodium Lauryl Sulfate (SLS) as the fourth ingredient, and even if it’s in a small amount, most cleansers don’t contain SLS and work just fine without it. SLS is also a major pore clogger, which is ironic because this cleanser is specifically designed for acne-prone skin. Although to be fair, I have never broken out from Cetaphil cleanser. Finally, Cetaphil Gentle Skin Cleanser contains three types of parabens, which a lot of people try to avoid due to studies that show there might be a link between parabens and cancer. At this point in my skin care research, a product with parabens is not a dealbreaker for me, but I may change my mind in the future. While Cetaphil Gentle Skin Cleanser has some good properties, it’s definitely not the greatest cleanser ever, and it has several major drawbacks.

Ingredients: Water, Cetyl Alcohol, Propylene Glycol, Sodium Lauryl Sulfate, Stearyl Alcohol, Methylparaben, Propylparaben, Butylparaben.

CeraVe Hydrating Cleanser
CeraVe is a newer drugstore cleanser, which is very similar to Cetaphil, but it has different ingredients. I had been reading rave reviews about CeraVe, and I finally tracked it down at Walgreens recently. It’s supposed to also be sold at CVS, but none of the CVS stores near me carry it, and I’ve never seen it anywhere else, except online. Like Cetaphil, CeraVe was developed by Dermatologists to protect and restore your skin barrier, thus making it a hydrating cleanser for people with normal to dry skin. It’s also fragrance free, and non-comedogenic. CeraVe comes in a big bottle also, so I could imagine one $11 bottle lasting at least six months.

Excitedly, I tried CeraVe, but found it to feel and perform exactly like Cetaphil. It also doesn’t remove eye makeup, it’s a hydrating, non-drying cleanser, and it also leaves a soft film on your face. The benefits of CeraVe over Cetaphil is that it doesn’t contain Sodium Lauryl Sulfate, and it contains some great non-pore clogging moisturizing ingredients - ceramides and hyaluronic acid. For those reasons, if you are interested in trying a gentle cleanser for normal to dry skin, I would definitely recommend trying CeraVe first before Cetaphil Gentle Skin Cleanser. CeraVe contains more ingredients than Cetaphil, so while the ingredients are supposed to be good for acne-prone and sensitive skin, there are more ingredients that your skin could potentially react to, if it’s super sensitive. CeraVe also contains parabens.

Ingredients: Water (Purified), Glycerin, Behentrimonium Methosulfate/Cetearyl Alcohol, Ceramide 3, Ceramide 6 II, Ceramide 1, Hyaluronic Acid, Cholesterol, Polyoxyl 40 Stearate, Glyceryl Monostearate, Stearyl Alcohol, Polysorbate 20, Potassium Phosphate, Dipotassium Phosphate, Sodium Lauroyl Lactylate, Cetyl Alcohol, Disodium EDTA, Phytosphingosine, Methylparaben, Propylparaben, Carbomer, Xanthan Gum

*Buy CeraVe Hydrating Cleanser*

Finally, Cetaphil has a second cleanser called Cetaphil Daily Facial Cleanser that is for normal to oily skin. I haven’t tried it, but it doesn’t contain SLS, and it’s something I personally would want to try when for when I go to more humid climates. It does contain fragrance, though, which could pose a problem for people with really sensitive skin.

What do you think about Cetaphil and CeraVe?

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