In which I am deranged about skincare

There was some discussion on Twitter today about skin care, which is a topic of ABIDING INTEREST to me.  It always has been - since I was a middle schooler and gave myself my first serious breakout trying to replicate the insanely gorgeous skin of my gym teacher, using seventeen layers of whatever moisturizer I found in the cabinet.

God only knows what it was: my mother does not do skincare - she refers to all my products, collectively and disdainfully, as Your Emollients and uses alcohol straight on her face, despite my screams of horror.  Like most (all?) daughters, I went t'other way.

When I was in my 20s I thought I had rosacea.  You know why?  Because I didn't understand my skin, I bought into any and all claims of all products (while claiming to disbelieve them all, of course).  I thought you needed a Skin Care Regime with Products.  I used glycolic products, retinol products, salicylic acid products.  I gave myself a red raw face and thought it was my natural one.

There are folks who can use anything - crisco and lysol if they want and every treatment product that comes along - and thrive.  I am not one of them. 

I started out writing an email for the interested but really, I can go ON and ON about this.  Blog post makes more sense. 

This is most likely useful for people with sensitive and dry/normalish-to-dry/normalish-to-oily skin with some breakouts.  Acne is a completely different kettle of fish and one I have been lucky enough to not have to cope with.  People with extremely oily skin I know nothing of your woes, please to forgive me for not including you. 

Know thy face.

The great and life changing discovery I made a few years ago is that my oily skin was in fact DRY, with superficial oiliness as a response to being DRY and then getting dried out with all my OILY SKIN treatments.  Which are DRYING.

I went for a facial and she looked down at one point and said - you know, I always think of you as oily but your skin is sucking in everything I throw at it.  From talking to people I have formed a theory that most - not all, there is definitely oily skin out there, the lucky unwrinkling sods - slightly oily people are probably not actually oily.  We have a culturally imposed desire to be squeaky clean, but skin is NOT and we dry the shit out of our faces in pursuit of a manufactured idea of what natural feels like.

 I had to get used to/develop a tolerance for a slight amount of surface resistance from moisturizer but eventually that stopped happening and I break out way less, have way fewer reactions to things since I started doing less.  Oil keeps us supple and protects us from irritants.

If you are mysteriously oily and sensitive (which NO ONE makes products to address) I suggest washing your face, putting on a fairly thick layer of moisturizer and going to fold laundry for 15 minutes.  If when you look in the mirror you have more or less absorbed everything you are probably not oily in truth.

Lesson: Check your assumptions

The first rule of skin care is STOP THAT.  No, seriously.  Lay off with the treatments and scrubs and twice daily whatevers. The more prone to irritation you are, the less you should do.  Hands off.  Stop.  Nein!  Skin care companies are trying to sell you things and the more troublesome your skin is the more they can sell you.  It's a perpetuating sales cycle.

My dermatologist laughs at me for only liking hippy products, but I stopped breaking out regularly (the hormonal breakouts are a separate beast) when I stopped putting shit on my face every five minutes.  I stopped getting red and irritated when I stopped using three kinds of chemical exfoliant a day. 

Lots of people (including my dermatologist) think the first rule is wear sunblock.  I loathe sunblock - they all make me break out if I wear them for a couple of days in a row and they feel like plastic on my skin - and don't wear it daily, only when I'm out in the sun.  I wear a hat and don't get a lot of sun anyway.  I cannot advise you to follow my lead on this.  But if you're having unexplained breakouts maybe try a different one.

The second rule of skin care is - know what you're putting on your face.  Vitamin C is awesome, salycilic acid is awesome, glycolic acid is great, Vitamin A/retinol also, etc, etc.  But if you're using all of them...you are possibly - probably - frying your skin. 

Bias: I loathe drugstore skin care products because I have never found a line that didn't make me irritated and red in 6 weeks to 6 months.  I've not tried most of the departments store products because I went hippy style when I started throwing money at this.  If you have something that works for you, ignore me.

What works for me is cleanse (I use soap with rhassoul mud in it, so it ex-foliates as I wash. Which I do in the shower. Because I am lazy), anti aging treatment, a spray of quasi-toner (quasi in the sense that is has no alcohol in it), moisturizer.  If I'm wearing makeup I use an oil cleanser and a warm washcloth to remove it at night, otherwise I wash my face in the morning only.  Because I am lazy and also, it seems to work pretty well.
Occasionally I do a more intensive ex-foliation and a deep cleanse or anti aging treatment. But not on a regular schedule - I go by what my face looks and feels like. 

Third rule of skincare is do as little as possible to get to the point you like.  This is not unlike the First Rule.  It bears repeating.   It's an ORGAN, your skin.  Would you reflexively rub your liver with jojoba beads and a mild acid twice a day? 

NOTE: If you're allergic/sensitive to something find out ALL the names for it and check your ingredients.

This is a great resource for irritant information.

The Fourth rule of skincare is that the first thing you do after exercise is splash cool water on your face, the salt and sweat is going to make your skin irritated and blackheady.  Some kinds of irritation are well served by an ice pack after exercise, or by running a wet ice cube over your face for a minute after you've washed it and before you moisturize (kind of a pain, but interesting) (I ignore this rule all the time and every once in a while it bites me in the ass.  It's good practice though)

Things I like:

www.zerozits.com   She's extremely passionate, but her products were great and she's not wrong about cosmetic companies.  I still use her biologic refining mask when I need a deep cleanse and I have for ...15 years?  It's good shit, but her complete system proved to be more complicated than I could keep up with (the icing totally works but man, it got old.  And cold).  Her home glycolic treatments were great too, if you like messing around with that stuff  (I say 'were' because I am still working though old stock and have not ordered in probably 5 years) (Do as I say not as I do: 5 years is a LONG time to keep a mask or treatment product.  Not recommended).

I'm a big fan of Dr. Haushcka's philosophy and I've used the cleansing paste and toner very happily.  In the end their moisturizers are a little rich for me, but I recommend a sample kit if you are on the dry side of dry.  They talk a lot about preserving the acid mantle of your skin, which is, I think, the same thing I had to learn above:  Stripping your face is bad for it, so get used to a little feeling of oil on the surface.  You adjust quickly, but also, I think your skin just starts feeling suppler and less tacky in a few weeks as it finds some zen.

I LOVE the sensitive skin Rhythmic Conditioner (I call it the Box o' Money), which is a few drops of some magic voodoo liquid that will make your skin calm and happy and pretty.  I liked the Intensive Treatment 3, which one uses for a month to make your sensitive skin less angry with life, but not enough to buy it again.  I keep the Box o' Money on hand and use it as needed.  

My skin-saving Holy Grail turned out to be Daybreak Lavendar Farm in Ohio.  Until I decided I needed to add some anti aging things 6 months ago, they were my sole source of skin care for 2 years next month, which is a lifetime record for skin care product loyalty. 
Fill out the questionaire here and then pick and choose from the recommendations.  I used a combination of the Calmez Vous for ruddy skin and the Fit Face system for about a year and after that found that my skin looked pretty great - and remarkably reduced in blackheads - with just the two soaps (you use them together), a spritz of the greentea&rose toner/prep and a light spray of moisture (in the summer.  In the winter I use emu oil straight).  Which is so easy even my lazy ass can keep up with it. 

I like their serums and things for more intense moisture, but didn't notice much effect on fine lines.  For me Daybreak is best for straight daily skin care.

I am beginning to cautiously reembrace made-in-the-lab technology as my skin ages.
My first budget experiment with anti-aging was with the Boots No 7  Protect and Perfect which is actually pretty great.  I could see a difference for sure and keep it on hand. 
Presently I am having a love affair with Perricone Cold Plasma which is NOT budget at all but I love with all my heart.   It doesn't make me break out and I swear its doing amazing things to my face in terms of skin clarity and firmness.

The Fifth rule of skin care is add ONE (1) product at a time and give it a week or two. Especially treatment products, which are more likely to cause irritation.  If you start 3 at a time how are you supposed to know what combination of things is messing your face up?  

Wash your face gently. Moisturize it gently. In beginning maybe only once a day.  Almost anything will take a month to show serious change, so be a bit patient.  Small breakouts are not uncommon during transitions (big ones are another matter) - it takes 6 weeks to make a pimple, so the ones you have in development already might need to heal.

Stay hydrated, eat your veggies, avoid mineral makeup and heavy foundations, especially if you're prone to blackheads.  If you like eye cream, go for it.  I can never remember to use it, so I've stopped buying it.  And THAT's the Sixth Rule Of Skincare.  Know Thyself.  If you love 26 steps, buy into whatever system or program you find effective.  But if you KNOW you'll not keep it up, find a simple cleanser/moisturizer that makes you happy and embrace it.  There are people who use old fashioned cold cream and a warm wet washcloth and have great skin - I'd totally try that if I were looking for a really simple routine and didn't have products I liked already. 

There is no one true path.  But be nice to your face, give it some time and hydration and don't believe the hype.  And exfoliate.  I INSIST.

 

 

 

This is most likely useful for people with dry, normalish-to-dry or normalish-to-oily skin with some breakouts.  Acne is a completely different kettle of fish and one I have been lucky enough to not have to cope with.  People with extremely oily skin I know nothing of your woes, please to forgive me for not including you. Know thy face. The great and life changing discovery I made a few years ago is that my slightly oily skin was in fact DRY, with superficial oiliness as a response to being DRY and then getting dried out with all my OILY SKIN treatments. Which are DRYING. I went for a facial and she looked down at one point and said - you know, I always think of you as oily but your skin is sucking in everything I throw at it.  From talking to people I have formed a theory that most - not all, there is definitely oily skin out there, the lucky unwrinkling sods - slightly oily people are probably not actually oily.  We have a cultural desire to be squeaky clean, but skin is NOT and we dry the shit out of our faces in pursuit of no surface residue.  I had to get used to/develop a tolerance for a slight amount of surface tackiness from moisturizer but eventually that stopped happening and I break out way less, have way fewer reactions to things since I started doing less. Lesson: Check your assumptions The first rule of skin care is STOP THAT.  No, seriously.  Lay off with the treatments and scrubs and twice daily whatevers.  Those people are trying to sell you things and the more troublesome your skin is the more they can sell you.  It's a perpetuating sales cycle. My dermatologist - who I dislike and need to replace - laughs at me for only liking hippy products, but I stopped breaking out regularly (the hormonal breakouts are a separate beast) when I stopped putting shit on my face every five minutes.  I stopped getting red and irritated when I stopped using three kinds of chemical exfoliant a day.  The second rule of skin care is - know what you're putting on your face.  Vitamin C is awesome, salycilic acid is awesome, glycolic acid is great, Vitamin A/retinol also.  But if you're using all of them...you are possibly - probably - frying your skin.  Bias: I loathe drugstore skin care products because I have never found a line that didn't make me irritated and red in 6 weeks to 6 months.  I've not tried most of the departments store products because I went hippy style when I started throwing money at this.  If you have something that works for you, ignore my rantings. What works for me is cleanse (I use soap with rhassoul mud in it, so it ex-foliates as I wash. Which I do in the shower. Because I am lazy), prep with a spray of quasi-toner (quasi in the sense that is has no alcohol or witch hazel in it), anti aging treatment, moisturizer.  If I'm wearing makeup I use a oil cleanser to remove it at night, otherwise I wash my face etc in the morning only.  Because I am lazy and also, it seems to work pretty well. Occasionally I do a more intensive ex-foliation and a deep cleanse or anti ageing treatment. But not on a regular schedule - I go by what my face looks and feels like.  Third rule of skincare is do as little as possible to get to the point you like.  It's an ORGAN, your skin.  Would you reflexively rub your liver with jojoba beads twice a day?  If you're allergic/sensitive to something find out ALL the names for it and for check your ingredients. This is a great resource for irritant information: http://www.zerozits.com/miva/merchant.mvc?Screen=CTGY&Store_Code=SSC&Category_Code=Article_AcneDetective Things I like: www.zerozits.com   She's a lunatic, but her products are great (I have heard that she is sometimes slow to ship. I'm using old stock so I don't know) and she's not wrong about cosmetic companies.  I still use her biologic refining mask when I need a deep cleanse and I have for ...15 years?  It's good shit, but her complete system proved to be more complicated than I could keep up with (the icing totally works but man, it got old.  And cold).  Her home glycolic treatments are great too, if you like messing around with that stuff. I'm a big fan of Dr. Haushcka's philosophy and I've used the cleansing paste and toner very happily.  In the end their moisturizers are a little rich for me, but I recommend a sample kit if you are on the dry side of dry.  They talk a lot about preserving the acid mantle of your skin, which is, I think, the same thing I had to learn above.  Stripping your face is bad for it, so get used to a little feeling of oil on the surface.  You get used to it quickly, but also, I think your skin just starts feeling suppler and less tacky in a few weeks.  My skin-saving Holy Grail turned out to be Daybreak Lavendar Farm in Ohio.  Until I decided I needed to add some anti aging things, they've been my sole source of skin care for 2 years next month, which is a lifetime record for skin care product loyalty.  Fill out the questionairre here: http://www.daybreaklavenderfarm.com/beautifulskin4me2/profile.html and then pick and choose from the recommendations.  I used a combination of the Calmez Vous for ruddy skin and the Fit Face system for about a year and after that found that my skin looked pretty great - and remarkably blackhead reduced - with just the two soaps (you use them together), a spritz of the rose toner and a light spray of moisture.  Which is so easy even my lazy ass can keep up with it.  I like their serums and things for moisture, but didn't notice much effect on fine lines.  For me Daybreak is best for straight daily skin care. I am beginning to cautiously re embrace technology as my skin ages. My first budget experiment was with the Boots No 7 Preserve and Protect which was actually pretty great.  I could see a difference for sure and keep it on hand.  Presently I am having a love affair with Perricone Cold Plasma which is NOT budget at all but I love with all my heart. It doesn't make me break out and I swear its doing amazing things to my face in terms of clarity and firmness. The fourth rule of skin care is add ONE (1) product at a time and give it a week or two. Especially treatment products, which are more likely to cause irritation.  If you start 3 at a time how are you supposed to know what combination of things is messing your face up?  Stay hydrated, eat your veggies, avoid mineral makeup and heavy foundations, especially if you're prone to blackheads.  If you like eye cream, go for it.  I can never remember to use it, so I've stopped buying it.  And THAT's the Fifth Rule Of Skincare.  Know Thyself.  If you love 26 steps, buy into whatever system or program you find effective.  But if you KNOW you'll not keep it up, find a simple cleanser/moisturizer that makes you happy and embrace it (you still have to ex-foliate though. I INSIST. Keep those dead skin cells turning over. Use an ex-foliating cleanser). I loathe sunblock - they all make me break out if I wear them for a couple of days in a row and they all feel like plastic on my skin - and don't wear it daily, only when I'm out in the sun (this is one of the reasons my dermatologist hates me).  I wear a hat and don't get a lot of sun anyway.  I cannot advise you to follow my lead on this.  But if you're having unexplained breakouts maybe try a different one. Um.  That's all I can think of.  Reply Reply to all Forward

New window Print all Expand all Collapse all Forward all Translate conversation Sponsored Links 2010's Top Wrinkle Creams Look 10 Years Younger In Days! Guaranteed To Work or Money Back www.WrinkleCreams.com/Special-Offer Meaningful Beauty® The Official Site to Discover Cindy Crawford's Secret to Flawless Skin. MeaningfulBeauty.com/OfficialSite Best Hydrating Moisturizer Award-Winning Luxurious Face Lotion Regain Youthful Firm & Radiant Look www.Lancome-USA.com Pure Green Tea Face Mask Facial cleansing mask purifies, softens and revitalizes skin www.FemmeScience.com/GreenTeaMask Order Natural Face Wash We Have Fruit Pigmented & Vegan Products. Free Shipping over $50! www.100PercentPure.com Cellex-C Huge selection of Cellex-C products Free shipping $49+ Great prices! www.skincarepavilion.com Proactiv® Acne Cleanser Now Faster & Gentler Than Ever. Only $19.95 and Get a Free Gift! Proactiv.com/NewProactiv Tips For Great Skin Real Beauty & Gillette Venus® Are Teaming Up To Give You Beauty Tips. RealBeauty.com/GilletteVenus More about... Skin Care Tips » Beauty Tips for Dry Skin » Skin Beauty Secrets » Acne Masks » About these links

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Comments

[Zoe]

I realize I am quite late to this party, but I remembered reading it last November and went in search of your links. I have begun investigating the Daybreak Lavender Farm products but I was hoping to ask a question about make-up. You advise that people prone to blackheads not use mineral make-up. Do you have any advice on what to use instead? There is so much out there to choose from and almost anything that is described as organic or natural is a mineral make-up. Thanks for all this information - it has been so useful. I am going to try the ice thing tonight!

[LizzyA]

I second the Paula's Choice products, they're really, really good. I've obeen using only her products for years. She covers every skin type. Do check her out. She knows what she's talking about and she critiques other companies' beauty products. It's amazing what these companies try to bamboozle us with!

[Victoria]

Hello. I got to your blog through the Yarn Harlot's blog, and wanted to comment on this post.

I have really nice skin, maybe one or two pimples every couple of weeks that go away pretty quickly. I've had many people ask what I use on my face to keep it nice. My response? Uh, water.

I wash my face with soap maybe once a month. Otherwise, when I shower each night, I run water over my face and use my hands to "clean" it instead of a washcloth, which is rough. I can feel the oil being removed, but not all of the oil is gone... when I get out of the shower, my face is clean, but not dry and splotchy like it was when I used "cleansers."

I also wanted to say that your logic here is the same as what's behind the "no-poo" movement. You probably have heard of it--it's where you don't use shampoo on your hair--ever!

I sort of went no-poo a month or two ago, only using shampoo once a week and water the rest of the time. But, it only helped a little. I have been completely no-poo for 2 weeks and have seen drastic improvements in my hair and scalp.

I used to have a very crazy scalp--horrible dandruff, itching, more than flaking, more like peeling, sores, ick! Almost all of that has completely vanished!

I realized that my scalp is sensitive, just like my face. When I stopped using cleansers and moisterizers on my face, it got better... so it made sense to stop using shampoos and conditioners on my hair/scalp.

Just wanted to say that your post made a lot of sense to me. :)

[cindyf]

All those expensive systems are such a con trick! I had the worst skin ever when I was spending the most cash. Now I use Neutrogena soap and whatever moisturiser I need, but only on the dry, tight spots. Neutrogena gets make up off and rinses without a trace. I'm constantly buying bars to introduce people to it.

Great, interesting post.

[Claudia Conner]

I was with a group of African-American women last week and the subject of beautiful skin came up. They spoke of people who had beautiful skin and by turns remarked that the women with the most beautiful skin used: olive oil, lard, or Crisco. Sitting there listening and looking at the women who were talking, I noticed that they all had beautiful skin.

[Awfulknitter]

Good advice! I still sometimes get sucked in by the claims that skincare companies make - the one that gets me is when they claim that a produce 'refines' your skin finish, when what actually happens is that my skin goes matte, tight and dry (well, I like one of those things).

I would also add that if you get a change in your complexion, it may not be resolved by a new product - it's useful to look for the outside influences first (weather changes, dietary influences, that time of the month...)

On the subject of sunscreen, have you tried Paula's Choice products (www.paulaschoice.com)? I've been using the non-greasy SPF 15 for a couple of years now, and I think it's genius - it has the texture of a regular moisturiser, none of that heavy or filmy feeling that sunscreens usually have. (And I love the cleansers too, they're gentle but really effective.) You can get sample sizes and see what's good for you (and the sample sizes are great for travelling too).

[Shelagh]

Love this post - thank you. I ordered from Daybreak and am expecting shipment tomorrow. One question: why avoid mineral makeup? I thought Bare Minerals was all the rage because it was good for your skin?

[Rainy]

I am loving the rhassoul and POM bars from Daybreak, thank you SO much for blogging about them at a time when I was sort of frantic and OMGWTFskin??? and open to trying new products.

Simple is good, and I'm noticing a positive change in just a few days. Thank you!

[Gina]

Great information. I used to manage an Origins counter, and I would always tell women to stop over doing it in terms of cleansing, exfoliating, etc.

After 40, I found most skincare lines too fragrant for me. Happily, I can still tolerate Origins (and the lines that opt to use essential oils vs. chemical fragrance), nevertheless, I'm always looking to streamline my routine. Also, I'm always checking ingredients for parabens, PEG, PG, etc.

For the question re: shampooing less -- I broke my need to shampoo frequently by biting the bullet and waiting one full week. I also switched shampoos. Many of them container SLS, and that dries the hair and the scalp. If it lathers, it's drying. Research Burt's Bees, WEN, etc. for non-lathering, non-SLS shampoos.

[Allyson]

It's wonderful when you find a skincare regime that works.

Can you help me devise a routine that doesn't make me feel like I have to wash my hair everyday? The dry shampoos seem to work great but after about 3 hrs I am itchy, itchy!

[seizuresalad]

I have, for 3 years or so, put nothing but oil on my OILY face. I cleanse with Lavitton water soluble oil cleanser, and use jojoba or coconut oil as a moisturizer. Period. No more acne, no more oilies. Skin looks awesome, and once in a while I get tempted by some lovely thing at Sephora, and I always regret it. The whole "anti comedogenic"/oil free myth is total and utter bullshit.

[Lynn]

Um. I do absolutely nothing, except sunblock in the summer when I'm out in the sun. I don't even use soap or any other cleanser on my face, I must confess. Aside from the wrinkles that go with being 57, I like the way my face looks.

[dulcian]

I've read your blog for a long time and lately have been nodding in agreement more and more vigorously every time you post. :-) Thank you for being so candid and insightful!

Little by little I have been discovering that the first rule of skin care for me is to get out of the way of my body's natural processes. I stopped using sulfate-based shampoos and silicone styling products, and my scalp doesn't produce nearly as much oil now that I'm not stripping it every day. Same goes for the oil cleansing method for my face, which another commenter mentioned above. I have good skin genes anyway, but after an OCM cleanse my face feels and looks fantastic.

The latest revelation was anti-perspirant. Ever since I was a teenager, I would always noticeably sweat through my clothes - it got so that I couldn't buy shirts without seriously considering how badly the large wet spots at my sides would show in whatever fabric it was. I used stronger and stronger anti-perspirants with no real improvement. Finally about a year ago I started using a natural deodorant from Lush on the recommendation of a friend, and after just a few days my body adjusted to the absence of pore-blocking chemicals and stopped overproducing perspiration. I can't tell you how relieved I was not to be so constantly embarrassed, nor how mad I was at the beauty industry for convincing me there was something wrong with my body all those years.

Less is most definitely more (except apparently when I am commenting on a blog post, sorry).

[elizabeth]

I had a similar discovery, possibly due to a comment during a rare facial - that my oily face was in fact dry. Come to think of it, a facial was also where I discovered that I was not, in fact, acne-prone; I just have a ruddy complexion. (I thought it was acne brooding under the skin all those years and couldn't figure out why I was 30 and still suffering.)

I am still looking for the right regimen, but at least I better understand my own skin. :)

[Sara]

I'd be interested in your take on this:
http://www.theoilcleansingmethod.com/

I get super dry skin in the winter when hello, all air is cold and dry. This is a new development for me (last couple of years). I'm one of those who uses whatever soap is handy in the shower and that's that as far as skin-care goes. In the winter? I suddenly need moisturizer. This winter? I have been using almond oil. Straight out of the bottle. I tried the castor oil/other oil method a few times and really liked it. As soon as I develop a routine, it'll probably be that. Until I see how it works for 6 weeks or whatever at least. So far, I've tried it approximately 4 times, and that was at the end of last winter.

Now, I do the soap in the shower thing, with almond oil on my face after. It also has reduced the ingrown little facial hair things that I so dearly love. (No one ever mentioned whiskers to me as a getting older thing. Damn.)

[Caro]

I feel like such a hippy now! I wash my face with a facecloth only, no soaps, and moisturize morning and night. Other than those hormonal times, I seriously have no troubles at all. Great information here. Thanks for pulling this all together!

[tinebeest]

With you on all those things, but I was fortunate enough I did not have to find it out the hard way.

I've never had much trouble with my skin. I've never used many products, either. I had the odd spot as a teenager, but I certainly did not have trouble skin. At some point I started using hippy products (from Lush) on my skin. Seven years later, I am still with them, though I have evolved through a few different products as my skin has changed over the years.

I don't know if that is why I still look so young that recently I got asked for my ID trying to buy a pint in the pub. I've been old enough to do that for a decade and a half... Now if only the grey hairs would keep their heads down!

[Anne]

Good post. I agree with the concept of less is better, like some weekend days when I don't wash my face for one day at all, and it ends up happier than when I do wash it every day. My current favorite moisturizer is called Face Pudding, from Bar Maids (bar-maids.com). They vended at Sock Summit last year. I loved that their business card is a drink coaster and decided to give them a try. I use the stuff with 20% emu oil. It has definitely lessened my incidence of breakouts. Now I'm off to click on your links!