face wash for dry skin

pre-op, i had fairly oily skin. now, my skin is soo dry! on top of that, washing my face and this winter weather is making it worse. i am pretty hesitant with trying new facial products because i find that a lot of them make me break out. does anyone have a suggestion for a good face wash and moisturizer that won't make me break out or dry out?! haha thanks!!

i use plain water... nothing else.. everything burns my face.. I use nutrogina (sp) lite daily face cream... (small blue tube @ walmart about $8) they also have a night cream but i find its to heavy.

I dont wear make-up daily.. but when i do i clean my face with the complements brans (store brand) blue gel facial cleaer

I have used Pro Active for the past four years, and I love it.  I have not had any break outs since, and it never caused my skin to dry out.  Ever since I started using it, I have been complimented on my skin.

I use the Elmline products from the Elmwood Spa, they are incredible, but I'm sure you could find something similar for less, but you have to be careful with some drug store brands as they have alcohol in the cleansers that can dry out your skin further. Dove would be a good brand if you can still find their face products anywhere. I have both sensitive and combination skin with dry cheeks and forehead. I use the sensitive skin cream cleanser, it feels just like a moisturizer. You massage it on and then just rinse with warm water. For moisturizer I use the sensitive skin moisturizer which has a sunscreen in it. I like the feel of it, not too greasy but very moisturizing.

I had the same problem directly after surgery. Although I never tried out my hypothesis, I personally believe I could have been a human sander with how dry my forehead was. My doctor said it could be a vitamin issue, although I can't remember which one, but I ended up clearing it up with an exfoliating scrub and moisturizing face wash. I like Neutragenia personally because I find it removes oil and gives moisture without being too heavy. I exfloiated as best I could to get the dry skin off and then wash with their basic moisturing face wash (in the orange tube) and then used body butter on my face until it got better and then switched to a basic moisturizer for the face once it got back to normal just to keep it up. If it's really bad, you could look into products like vitamin E oil (I believe this is the one for dry skin). One tip if you are applying moisturizer, no matter where on your body is to do it with your skin still damp. This takes longer for it to absorb but allows more moisturizer to get in over time and keep moisturizing for a long period. I hope this helps.   

Oh yeah! I forgot about exfoliating. I also use the Elmline exfoliating scrub, twice a week in the winter and otherwise about once a week. It's great for sloughing off dry skin!

I started using Clinique about a year ago - have tried many, many cleansers over the years but Clinique is the only one that has made a difference for me.  I don't have major acne but have small breakouts and dry skin - the moisturizer (in yellow cube bottle) is seriously amazing!

The absolute best product line I've ever used is Paula's Choice.  It's available mail order only.  For most of the first 50 years of my life I've had oily/combination skin with frequent breakouts.  Within a few weeks of using these products, my skin has been almost breakout-free for several years now.

They have hypoallergenic, scent-free products for every skin type, and they offer specials and sometimes free shipping as well.

The company was started by Paula Begoun who wrote the 'Don't go to the cosmetics counter' books.

Even if you don't want to try their products, they offer thousands of product reviews on the site, and they haven't steered me wrong yet:

http://www.cosmeticscop.com/

One other tip I found years ago, and it costs almost nothing: mix about a spoonful of salt into a spoonful of olive oil to form a paste.  Gently rub it on your  clean face (or any other dry skinned part of your body) and then rinse off.  Your skin will feel amazing and it is virtually hypoallergenic (unless you're allergic to olives, I guess).

Good luck with it!

Sharon

I recently bought a hemp cloth at a Rexall drug store and use it without any soap or cleaner and it feels really good. I use Loreal day and night cream that I bought from Costco. I have always had normal skin with the odd pimple during PMS time. The night cream may seem heavy to you but since it is winter it is a good idea to use the night cream as well.