3 Responses for "How do I care for my face without skin products?"

1. taylor lautner March 14th, 2010 at 3:59 am 1

   i dont know why you dont want to use skin products???but if thats the case you should wash your face three times a day with warm water. you can then splash on cold water and this helps close the pores of your skin. and yes you can touch your face with clean hands..hot water is not damaging..use a washcloth..and you can pop a zit. but i would advise you to get a good cleanser and astringent. Neutragena is a good one that is not expensive.

2. miley cyrus March 14th, 2010 at 3:59 am 2

   Man, this sounds like it really sucks! Sometimes when we are unaware of our skin conditions, we do things that actually make it worse instead of helping. I used to think my skin was just dry or needed acne wash, but that wasn't the case. I went to see a dermatologist just ONE brief time, and that was extremely helpful in the long run for me to take care of my own skin. The reason is because the doctor told me I appear to have eczema. Once I found that out, it made taking care of my skin much easier to figure out (for example, I cut out everything that has fragrance in it, never use harsh chemicals like astringents, etc)So, I suggest that you let someone with some real skin knowledge take a quick look at you before you end up with too much scarring that may take a very long time to fade or leave dents in your face. You don't have to go to a doctor's office…you could try taking a picture of your face (or part of your face) and emailing it to an online dermatology website for advice. To help with your questions (based only on what I know):1. Yes, you can touch your face with clean hands, but should avoid it when you don't have to. In other words, don't sit around rubbing your forehead for no reason since that could spread oils and dirt around.2. You should use lukewarm water on your face…not cold, not hot, just a comfortable warm temp.3. Yes, it can be. It typically dries out the skin of natural oils that it needs. And although some people may think that drying out the skin means drying out acne, it doesn't work like that at all (just makes it worse).4. Water's good, but you might want to skip the scrubbing. That might irritate the acne and could possibly spread bacteria. 5. A clean, soft washcloth is usually okay to pat against your skin or gently massage cleanser over your face, but after you use it, you'd need to wash it before using it again to get rid of germs.6. This is a tricky question, because actually, when you DO pop a zit, it doesn't really go away. It causes the bacteria that was inside the zit to spread into more of your skin. That makes more zits pop up later. Also, that scars your skin deeply. So don't pop them because everyone should be aware by now that this will make it so much worse and cause redness. If you don't pop it, it may or may not go away…it depends on what you do to it. If you clean your face, yes, it should eventually get smaller and flatter. If you don't use any product to help it out or you pick at it with your nails, it won't be able to heal correctly. Gotta be patient.Now a few personal tips:1. Please get checked out to see if you have a skin condition. You don't have to start using prescriptions and all that stuff. You just need to know what type of skin you are working with. My skin wasn't even that bad, and it turned out I had a skin condition myself. So if you are seeing that your skin is struggling, help it by out finding out what it needs. Dude, just do it…for your face.2. Sometimes people think that if a product has a strong medicine smell, it must be working really good. But that's not necessarily the case because those products can be irritating. Many times, it's the gentle products that are best for your skin. Just remember to be gentle with your skin and it will behave much better in the long run.One product that I use to wash my face is Cetaphil Gentle Skin Cleanser. It's fragrance-free and works well. Lots of magazines, doctors, celebs, friends, etc. suggest using this simple cleanser everyday. Just splash a little water on your face, massage Cetaphil over your face with your hands for a minute, and rinse off with water.I also use the Cetaphil Moisturizing Lotion for all skin types after I wash my face. Fragrance-free, gentle. Another recommended product.For bumps, I use a gentle acne cream called Neutrogena On-the-Spot Acne Treatment. It's a white cream that you rub directly on each bump or bumpy area (the white cream turn clear when you put it on). It's a benzoyl peroxide acne medication that works on clearing up the zits, but won't be harsh and sting-y on your skin while it's working. Try dabbing some on like 2-3 times day and see if your zits start healing up after a few days. You may need something stronger, but again, I'd ask a dermatologist about that one because they are too many products out there.3. If you are totally against commercial products, do an online search for an alternative health website. They suggest all kinds of natural things we can use for our body/skin/hair. For instance, I thought oil on the face was a big no-no. Well, I have been adding a little extra-virgin olive oil to my hand when I rub on the Cetaphil cleanser…and I haven't had any breakouts on my face since then (except the forehead, where my hair rubs against the skin). But anyway, I thought that was pretty amazing and totally unexpected.Good luck with everything.

3. miley cyrus March 14th, 2010 at 3:59 am 3

   I hate to put it this way, and I apologize if I sound rude, but the bottom line here is whether or not you'd like to have clear, nice skin.If the answer is no, or that you don't mind, sure then you can take care of your face without seeking help.If the answer is yes, I'm sorry to say that you have no choice but to seek help.And you don't necessarily need professional help as you say. Simply going to the store and getting some facewash or products to help you isn't exactly a bad thing. To answer your questions:1.) Yes, as long as they're spotless and washed with antibacterial soap.2.) Hot. Hot water opens pores and it's what allows the dirt to be washed out.3.)No, warm water is quite good for your face. If you mean hot like painfully hot, then well, I don't suppose there's any way it could be GOOD for your face, but I don't know about damaging.4.)Nothing will really help clear up your acne if you aren't using products, to be honest.5.)Washcloths are honestly BAD. Because after being dampened, bacteria starts to grow. Whenever you pick one up and it smells sort of funny, that's the smell of bacteria growing on them. 6.)No, a zit is a bacterial infection inside a pore. It won't just magically go away if you leave it alone.Look, the bottom line is that if you want to clear up your acne, you're going to have to use something to wash away the dirt and the oil and kill the bacteria that's residing in your pores, which is the whole reason that pimples form in the first place. Each skin regimen should include a facial scrub to exfoliate, a soap to kill bacteria and wash away dirt and oil, a toner to use after you wash and a moisturizing cream. Those are just the bare essentials. If you're really that blatantly against using skin products, might I suggest a pH balanced all natural facial bar, that has every step you need in one. You can usually get one from a health food store, or burts bees sells nice ones as well. You can also use witch hazel which is a natural extract of a flower with astringent properties.