Sulfates and skin: your opinion

lody · 03-31-2009, 04:34 AM

(I know this isn't about hair, but I feel this belongs over here more than the off topic boards because it is about sulfates.)

So, most of the people on this board are CG--no sulfates on hair, because it's too harsh. But what's your opinion on sulfates for skin?
I've had very, very mild acne for a few years now (one pimple here or there... usually on my nose for maximum visibility of course :P), and recently I decided I might start washing my face with a special face wash for young skin, which I'm assuming means acne prone skin rather than dry. But I don't feel like it's improving my skin--actually, it might be making it worse! I heard that your skin might get worse before it gets better, so I thought I'd stick it out, but then I realized, I'm putting more sulfates on my skin than before to make it better, and at the same time putting none on my hair to make it better too--something doesn't sound right in that story!
Am I right in thinking I should stop using that face wash, or right in thinking it'll take a while to get better? Do you know of sulfate-free face washes (hopefully more the homemade kind, since I don't get most US brands)? Do you apply the same "no sulfate" rule to your body as to your hair?

storm · 03-31-2009, 05:42 AM

Hey there,
I had teen acne...Tried every facewash in the market from Neutrogena to Clearasil to any ordinary skin facewash..Nothing helped. Toners etc..all just worsened it. I discovered that the less you use on skin i.e your face, the better.

Face washes clog pores..have you noticed they never rinse off completely..theres always some residue left..i think thats the culprit.So a year back i switched Neutrogena Transparent facial bars..The glycerin ones and Orginal formula kind..After a month's use my acne almost cleared up completely and if i did i get a few spots, they were small ones and didnt scar.
There are other factors that do contribute to acne as well ..Because your skin is an organ..it lives on your blood. So your sugar intake etc should be watched.Too much sugar in the blood and fatty foods dont help skin.
But do try Neutogena soap. It doesnt have sufates..uses the milder cleansers. And leaves skin feeling fresh,clean and breathy.
http://www.drugstore.com/qxp16679_33...rmula_soap.htm
http://www.nextag.com/neutrogena-soap/search-html

And to answer your original question, i think Sulfates over cleanse because theyre harsh..and therefore maybe tend to dry out skin, resulting in over-reaction of the sebum and oil glands..in turn worsening oily skin.

mandatoryfun · 03-31-2009, 06:22 AM

Since I went CG about a month ago the sulfate/skin question has been kicking around in my head, too. I realized my acne wash has sulfates in it, opted to stop using it. My acne has cleared up considerably since then, but I still have a little bit. In any case, I think some people have tried the OCM method: http://www.acne-forum.com/topic/ocm-...works-homemade. It's something that I'd like to try, I think.

Laura Lee · 03-31-2009, 06:30 AM

I also cut out sulfates from skin care. Silicones and mineral oil as well actually (from lotions).

I was kind of at a loss with how to clean my skin at first until I discovered the Oil Cleansing Method. I knew I had to try it because I reacted the same to that as I at first reacted to CG ("no way").

http://www.theoilcleansingmethod.com/

kathymack · 03-31-2009, 06:45 AM

When I saw original post, I was going to suggest OCM. I'm considerably older--but can't believe how well it's worked. I've been doing it since June '08. I go to a dermatologist on a regular basis for roseaca treatment. He says he's never seen my skin look better in the ten or so years I've been seeing him.

LoloDSM · 03-31-2009, 06:51 AM

I also had acne-prone skin (15+ years of dermatologist's care). I quit using sulfates in my cleanser more than a year ago. Not only is my acne better, but my skin isn't red and irritated any more. I also don't have the same oiliness as I used to. I think the sulfates were irritating and over-stripping my skin which caused it to be more oily.

I use PSF Skincare: www.psfskincare.com

BTW, I quit using silicones in my moisturizers too. It was giving my cysts. My eczema also cleared up once I quit using sulfates and silicones.

curry curls · 03-31-2009, 07:23 AM

I too use the Oil Cleanse Method, and I love it. My face doesn't get irritated at all. I started it at the same time I started CG.

lody · 03-31-2009, 08:13 AM

I'm curious about that OCM affair, but my skin is nowhere near bad enough for me to be willing to risk it just yet

Anyways, I will be stopping this new cleanser, you guys have confirmed what I thought. I actually don't use a facial moisturizer or anything, just a makeup remover, so really a little bit of my (simple, low ingredient, but not sulfate free) body wash is more than enough for my skin, I guess. xD

mamapajama · 03-31-2009, 08:21 AM

I've been cowashing my face in the shower when i wash my hair. I add a little dry brown sugar when i need to exfoliate. So far no problems but it might not be the best option. Im gonna look into the Oil cleansing..

Curlyminx · 03-31-2009, 08:29 AM

I have been using the ocm to wash my face. I wasn't really acne prone but I definitely get the occasional pimple. I started the ocm not because of my acne, but because of my hair and concern over the ingredients in the face wash and makeup removers. My skin feels great, looks nice, and is moisturized and not overdried ever.

kathymack · 03-31-2009, 08:32 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by lody

I'm curious about that OCM affair, but my skin is nowhere near bad enough for me to be willing to risk it just yet

Anyways, I will be stopping this new cleanser, you guys have confirmed what I thought. I actually don't use a facial moisturizer or anything, just a makeup remover, so really a little bit of my (simple, low ingredient, but not sulfate free) body wash is more than enough for my skin, I guess. xD

I don't think you understand what OCM is all about. You don't need to have acne prone skin to use it. It's a mild form of cleansing that really helps most skin. Before I started this, I was using the Burts Bees Orange Facial Cleanser. When I went back and looked at it--it was mostly oils. I think you'll find that's true of many gentle products.

lazy loops · 03-31-2009, 08:41 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by lody

(I know this isn't about hair, but I feel this belongs over here more than the off topic boards because it is about sulfates.)

There is a makeup/skin care forum.

Quote:

Originally Posted by lody

So, most of the people on this board are CG--no sulfates on hair, because it's too harsh. But what's your opinion on sulfates for skin?

I'm not CG, but I still don't use sulfates. I think the same rules can apply to skin. Detergents are stripping & drying.

Quote:

Originally Posted by lody

Do you know of sulfate-free face washes (hopefully more the homemade kind, since I don't get most US brands)?

I use Pure Skin Formula (Formulation?) for my face. I've seen an Aveeno cleanser that doesn't use sulfates. I'm willing to bet most brands in health food stores don't contain sulfates either.

Quote:

Originally Posted by lody

Do you apply the same "no sulfate" rule to your body as to your hair?

I'm getting there, slowly. This winter I switched a hand wash at one of the three sinks to a non-sulfate & used only that. I haven't had abnormal drying I always seem to get each winter with sulfate hand cleansers. It's too bad I have too much invested in sulfate types stocked up under each sink waiting to be used.

And I haven't switched my shower gels/body washes because I also have too much invested in so many on a shelf waiting to be used. As such, my feet, which always flake, peel, crack in the winter, have suffered again, probably from standing in the cleanser remnants.

But as the hand & body washes are used up I'll replace them with sulfate-free types.

It also doesn't help that we have extremely hard water & don't have a softener system, & live in a high desert environment.

I just wonder how many other people here have the same problem.

lody · 03-31-2009, 08:42 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by kathymack

Quote:

Originally Posted by lody

I'm curious about that OCM affair, but my skin is nowhere near bad enough for me to be willing to risk it just yet

Anyways, I will be stopping this new cleanser, you guys have confirmed what I thought. I actually don't use a facial moisturizer or anything, just a makeup remover, so really a little bit of my (simple, low ingredient, but not sulfate free) body wash is more than enough for my skin, I guess. xD

I don't think you understand what OCM is all about. You don't need to have acne prone skin to use it. It's a mild form of cleansing that really helps most skin. Before I started this, I was using the Burts Bees Orange Facial Cleanser. When I went back and looked at it--it was mostly oils. I think you'll find that's true of many gentle products.

-nods- I do get that it's just a method of cleaning, it's just that everything I've ever tried on my skin made it more breakout-y (be it moisturizer, washes, toner, anything really), so I'm hesitant to try out anything on it, really. ... and I'd have to go hunting for that castor oil stuff, and test out all different mixes... we'll stick to the hair as experiment-land for now! (and I definitely see the way oil is good for skin, I've started using it as a hand moisturizer and I love it.)

mamapajama, I love the logic of just cowashing your face xD After all, it's all supposed to be able to wash off with water if it's cg!

lazy loops, I reallly wish I could find a sulfate free handwash. I wash my hands a lot (not ocd XD but I do...dirtying stuff I suppose? lmfao) and they are getting SO dry. I didn't have this problem when I lived in hawaii

but I guess it's drier around here :P I tried hand creams, but they were just temporary fixes, and like I mentioned earlier olive oil is nice, but I can't carry around a bottle of it to rub into my hands all the time :P

Jess the Mess · 03-31-2009, 01:00 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by lody

Do you know of sulfate-free face washes (hopefully more the homemade kind, since I don't get most US brands)? Do you apply the same "no sulfate" rule to your body as to your hair?

I cleanse with a homemade face wash. Here's the link to my post with all the details.
Amazing face wash routine!
I will never buy face wash again. I have used everything and this is the only routine that has ever helped me. I have been doing this for almost 4 months and it is still amazing to me

I also cut out sulfates on my skin. I use Kathymack's soap bars to wash my body and I also have noticed that my eczema has gotten drastically better since I cut out the SLS. If I wont put it on my hair I don't want it on my skin either.

morrighu · 03-31-2009, 01:02 PM

I actually started making my own soap ages ago because "regular soap", shower gel, etc. all made me itch. Some things were worse than others, but since I started making my own soap, no more itchy skin.

CurliLocks · 03-31-2009, 01:43 PM

I actually stopped using sulfates on my body, then face, before stopping on my hair!

I still use a sulfate shampoo before coloring, but I'm going to be trying new samples of sulfate-free shampoos soon so I can stop that one too!

CurliLocks · 03-31-2009, 01:45 PM

Forgot: I've actually been using a soap bar from kathymack on my face. Rosemary or lavender. I've used it for a couple of months and my skin has been great!

Starmie · 03-31-2009, 08:35 PM

I stopped using sulphates in skin products years ago, like curliLocks - before I stopped using them on my hair. I did it because I have fairly dry skin and figured sulphates were just making it worse. I use an oil cleanser at night and a sulphate-free face wash in the mornings and my skin is fine. Never had problems with acne or pimples though, just dry skin and eczema.

wild~hair · 03-31-2009, 08:56 PM

When I used to use sulfate shampoos before CG, I used to get breakouts all over my shoulders and neck.

They mysteriously went away when I stopped using shampoo. Go figure.

Jess the Mess · 03-31-2009, 09:30 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by wild~hair

When I used to use sulfate shampoos before CG, I used to get breakouts all over my shoulders and neck.

They mysteriously went away when I stopped using shampoo. Go figure.

I have had a lot less shoulder breakouts too come to think of it. Yay!