Homemade skin-care for the itchy

August 20, 2010 7:52 PM

What resources would you recommend for making lotions, cosmetics, etc., for super-sensitive skin?

I have extremely sensitive skin, especially on my face, and get allergic rashes from most lotions, makeup, soaps, toothpastes, laundry detergents, and toilet paper. This problem developed about age 40 and has been gradually getting worse in the 5 years since then. I've been using Cetaphil to wash my face and Physician's Formula moisturizer and makeup, but I'm pretty sure I'm now getting a rash from the PF foundation (and possibly the PF lip balm). I'm starting to think that maybe it's time I started making my own skin-care products and I'm looking for some MeFi advice on this.

What I'm looking for is a book(s) with reliable, simple recipes for skin-care products that I can make at home. I've been looking and the problem that I keep running into is that these kinds of books either tend to rely on pre-made "bases" that I know will give me problems or they focus on essential oils and aromatherapy. I can't emphasize enough that my skin reacts to almost everything; no way can I use something like essential oils on it! I need simple recipes with few ingredients--that means fewer potential irritants. And definitely no scents.

I would also LOVE to find any more information about problems like mine; my allergy doctor has been less than helpful and I've really been on my own in dealing with all these allergies. It would be wonderful to find a website, book, or something to help me with all this. I'm also considering seeing a dermatologist.

Thank you to everyone in advance for your help!

posted by WorkingMyWayHome to health & fitness (13 answers total)

I've started using sweet almond oil to cleanse if I wear makeup. Days I don't (which are most days) I simply use water. My moisturiser is from one of those market stalls with soap - it's ingredients are: olive oil, emulsifier, distilled water, glycerine, grapefruit seed extract and vitamin e. Even without cleansers, I need to moisturise after cleansing which is why I've got it around. We're switching to soap-free cleansers as well since my daughter is getting eczema. This is all new for me - I've always had sensitive skin but it's just gone beyond sensitive recently so I'm trying ANYTHING just so I stop breaking out/having odd rashes.

If I could be bothered I'd make my own from olive oil, rosewater, beeswax and borax (recipe here).

With makeup I'd try mineral stuff but I am at the point where unless it's a photo op or bigwig meeting I go barefaced.
posted by geek anachronism at 8:09 PM on August 20, 2010

I had some skin sensitivities for a while several years ago, and I found Paula Begoun's website really useful. She's a dermatologist, and her site and books have lots of info about cosmetics ingredients as well as product reviews based on allergen content. She does sell her own line (I liked several of the products), but she recommends lots of other products as well, at every price point.

I also remember seeing Cosmetics Database linked somewhere a while back; they score everything under the sun based on sun protection, allergens, carcinogens, etc. I found it a little doomsday-ish (it seems that just about everything will kill you . . . ) but their stringent standards are at least good for pointing you toward products without irritants.
posted by ella wren at 8:10 PM on August 20, 2010

Straight argan oil is phenomenal. Jojoba oil works pretty well, too. They're also great for your hair. I used to be involved with a small ma and pa shop that made products from these oils, and they were amazing.
posted by GnomeChompsky at 8:18 PM on August 20, 2010

I've got super sensitive skin, too -cetaphil bothers my skin, and I've found aveda's all-sensitive moisturizer the only one I can tolerate. Bare Minerals makeup, though, has worked really really well for me. YMMV. Not really answering your question, though.
posted by purenitrous at 8:24 PM on August 20, 2010

Looking back at old AskMeFi questions on similar topics, it seems that the mineral makeup does irritate some people, especially those with dry skin (like me). I will try Paula Begoun's site, though; another possible route for me, other than making my own, is trying some higher end products. What holds me back is the fact that trial-and-error using that stuff could get really expensive.

I made my first batch of facial moisturizer the other night and that worked out well--just almond oil, grapeseed oil, water, stearic acid (emulsifier), aloe vera gel, and a little baking soda. I got the recipe online, but I've had mixed results with online recipes, so I was hoping for a book with better-tested formulas.

Thanks so much for the great ideas so far!
posted by WorkingMyWayHome at 8:45 PM on August 20, 2010

Coconut oil is cheap and probably the best moisturizer I've ever used on my body.
posted by Sara Anne at 10:18 PM on August 20, 2010

Mineral makeup formulations do vary amongst different brands. The Bare Minerals makes my face itch, but I tried a more expensive mineral foundation called Pur 4-in-1 that doesn't bother me a bit. It's also the nicest-looking foundation I've ever worn.

I just discovered that the Pur does contain bismuth oxychloride which some women find irritating so apparently that is not the ingredient in other makeups that bothers me, so maybe it's not the best one for you to try. But some mineral makeups don't use it, just google 'mineral makeup itching' and you'll come up with lots of info on ingredients.

As for the cost of trying different makeups, some of the makeup companies will send you free samples that you can order from their website. Also, Sephora will accept returns of used products with receipt and ID in store. They also include a return label when you order online and you can ship it back free using that label.

As for skincare products, experiment with various oils. I like jojoba and coconut, as mentioned above. Avocado oil feels really good on my skin too. Have you heard about the oil cleansing method? Lots of women swear by it.
posted by Serene Empress Dork at 2:26 AM on August 21, 2010

Oh, and I also wanted to mention that I frequently wash my face with nothing but plain warm water and a washcloth with no ill effects.

And that I've rediscovered plain old Vaseline which I find works better than lip balm (I carry a purse-size tube with me and have little jars all over my apartment!) and it also helps soothe the flaky dry skin patches I get in the winter. It's 100% petroleum jelly (can't get much simpler than that) and claims to be hypoallergenic.
posted by Serene Empress Dork at 2:35 AM on August 21, 2010

The very active boards at Makeupalley (free, but registration req'd) have lots of people swapping recipes for diy/natural skincare products. They can be hit-or-miss, so you'll have to make liberal use of the search function, but I've gotten good suggestions there. Great user-submitted product review database, too.
posted by Bardolph at 9:26 AM on August 21, 2010 [1 favorite]

I don't have any specific recommendations for recipes, only that switching up your products more frequently may help you avoid developing sensitivities. As for ingredients, I use jojoba for the oil cleansing method, and make lotion based mostly on jojoba and shea butters. I find that there's lots of good information about various ingredients, plus a recipe database, at From Nature With Love. I also like this blog for formulating info.

I will not purchase any mineral makeup from a retailer that does not sell samples or provide ingredient lists. I've found Silk Naturals to have a good, mix your own color formula, and I've also been pleased with the quality of Lumiere. Neither use the possibly irritating Bismuth Oxychloride, and their prices are for more reasonable than those of mainstream brands. They also have very basic ingredient lists.

Re: Paula Begoun: take anything she says with a grain of salt until you do further research. She makes the argument that "crude oil is as natural as any other earth-derived substance" when defending the use of mineral oil (beauty myth #12), and then in the next paragraph (beauty myth #13) says "Fact: Whatever preconceived notion someone might have or media-induced fiction someone might believe about natural ingredients being better for the skin; it's not true, there is no factual basis or scientific legitimacy for that belief." Um, didn't you just undermine your previous point? So yeah, there's decent information in some cases, but do some fact checking before taking it as gospel.
posted by oneirodynia at 5:54 PM on August 21, 2010

Thanks for the tip, Bardolph; I'll definitely check that out.

I've looked into oil cleansing, and I don't think it's for me; hot water and a washcloth are two things I definitely can't use, I'm afraid.

Thank you all for your comments.
posted by WorkingMyWayHome at 12:32 AM on August 22, 2010

WorkingMyWayHome: I've looked into oil cleansing, and I don't think it's for me; hot water and a washcloth are two things I definitely can't use, I'm afraid.

So delicate as well as sensitive? I'd very much go with cold cream then - no heat and you can be as gentle as you need removing it.
posted by geek anachronism at 2:37 AM on August 24, 2010

Follow up: I've stopped using the Cetaphil cleanser and have found the irritation has gotten much better; I also became sensitized to my homemade moisturizer and have given that up. I'm also going to switch to Physician's Formula lipstick, as I can no longer tolerate my Avon one. I saw a dermatologist and was given samples of a cleanser call CeraVe; I'm using that for the moment, though I'm not very optimistic about it as it contains many of the same ingredients as Cetaphil. The dermatologist also told me to take a Zyrtec or Claritin every night and gave me a prescription for Oracea, a low-dose antibiotic that reduces inflammation in people with Rosacea. We'll see how it goes. I'm still looking for a book that will help me make my own products, though, so I'd welcome any advice on that.
posted by WorkingMyWayHome at 3:58 PM on October 22, 2010