|
|
The Grossest Cleanser You Will Ever LoveDec 21 '00 (Updated Jan 05 '01) Write an essay on this topic.I wrote this review only to find that for some reason no new opinions can be posted under Cetaphil Gentle Skin Cleanser. So I am putting it here for now. I'll move it as soon as that category opens up again. Anyway, it's not entirely out of place here: Cetaphil has just about become my skin care travel kit, since it makes other products unnecessary. The Problem Don't ask me what my skin type is. Oily in summer, dry in winter, usually perched precariously in between, my skin is irritable as anything, with a tendency to break out in dry, flaky reddish patches if you even look at it wrong. For years I had been limping along using a little of this and a little of that on my skin, without ever having much success. My mainstay was a cleansing bar for sensitive skin, which worked OK most of the time but tended to overcleanse and to leave my pores feeling clogged after repeated use. Just as the bar was running out, I happened to read a rave review of Cetaphil by prfstars*. So I marched down to the store and got myself a bottle. The Solution Cetaphil is a strange animal. It seems to be a colorless, odorless emulsion of different waxes in water. The manufacturer's product page says Cetaphil is pH-neutral and non-comedogenic or non-pore clogging (a lot of products claim that, but in this case it's true). It was formulated for acne patients using extremely drying medications who needed a mild cleanser that wouldn't irritate their skin. Cetaphil is soap-free, so it doesn't lather on your face. It feels more like a lotion than a cleanser. [Well... to be honest it feels a little foul, kind of like spreading a light coat of watered-down Elmer's glue on your face and then going for a walk in a warm mist; but then again, a lot of facials feel like that too. More on this in a bit.] The most important thing is: Cetaphil works. I've used it now in all kinds of weather from hot and steamy to below freezing. Either way my skin is as soft and smooth as the proverbial baby's bottom. We're talking dewy, glowing skin with invisible pores, the kind you haven't had since acne started rearing its ugly head around age twelve or so. The other day on the elevator at work, a woman I had never met before complimented me on my skin. That's how well this stuff works. Before I found Cetaphil, I was sort of a borderline moisturizer user. My skin would get dry, then I would start applying moisturizer daily, and for the first couple of days I would notice a dramatic improvement, but soon after that grease and pimples would take over and I would have to give it a rest. Now I've stopped using moisturizer: my skin is petal-soft without it. [Please note: I never use words like "petal-soft" unless I really have to.] Some people recommend using baking soda with Cetaphil to exfoliate at the same time that you clean. It does work, but I find it unnecessary since Cetaphil already does a good job of lifting away dead skin cells. One nice feature of this product is that you don't need water to use it. You just spread it on your skin and either rinse it off with water or wipe it off with a tissue or a damp washcloth. I used paper towels with good results on an airplane. In fact, it's important not to get your face wet before applying Cetaphil. I did this at first and found that my skin was beginning to get dry and flaky again. When I went back to applying it to my bare, dry skin, the problem went away. Another nice feature of Cetaphil is the price. I paid $14 for a 16-ounce bottle at my shockingly expensive neighborhood grocery store, and most of you will pay more like $10. At the rate I'm using it, I figure it will last at least six months. Plus, it cut my expenditures in the moisturizer category to near zero. Best of all, for me, buying Cetaphil doesn't require going anywhere near a department store cosmetic counter, which is this shopophobe's own personal version of hell. The Downside The only downside: yes, Cetaphil is exactly as gross and slimy as everyone says it is. I am convinced that this stuff was invented by Beavis and Butt-head. Can't you see it now: "Hey Beavis, huh, huh-huh. They're gonna smear it all over their faces, hhhhhhhhuh." "Yeah! YEAH! [snicker]" Well, whatever. To me it's worth a little ickiness to get Neiman-Marcus skin at drugstore prices. And that's what Cetaphil will do for you. *You can read it too at: http://www.epinions.com/beat-review-54E-152CA6F2-39F39A17-prod5  |
| Read all comments (4)|Write your own comment |
|
Ads by Google
|
