Be PROACTIV with your skin condition
Written: Apr 10 '05
|
Product Rating:
|
|
|
Pros: Getting super smooth skin I dreamed of. Safe for sensitive skin...everything is a pro
Cons: None...it's a little pricey but you truly get what you pay for!
The Bottom Line: Get at least the 3-piece system. With a money-back trial, what do you have to lose, besides rough skin?
|
|
|
| erikausaf's Full Review: Proactive Solution Renewing Cleanser |
I think it is silly to try to write a review on just one part of a set of products. But I have searched and apparently this is the way to review these products...one at a time. So I will start with the Renewing Cleanser (aka Step 1).
I have always had bipolar skin. For a week I will have several small bumps on my skin. In another week I will get the kind of breakouts that make you want to scrub your face till the blemishes just give up (I know, I know, you're not suppose to do that). Then for another week my face goes into remission where parts are oily and other parts are overly dry. I have tried the "don't wash too much" thing, the "wash frequently" thing, the "use super strong products on each individual blemish that burn so bad you cringe" thing...you get the point. Finally I had given in to the fact that my skin will never be baby's-butt smooth and I bought more expensive cover-up makeup.
Enter the infomercials. I have a slight impulse buying problem...at the same time I am cheap. So initially I just took the "If it's too good to be true then it probably is"¨ thought-process to the Proactiv infomercials I saw. Then I moved to a sub-tropical location where the humidity wrecked absolute havoc on my already finicky skin. One night while working the midnight shift by myself at work, I saw a well trusted expert on everything (Jessica Simpson :)) informing me that I could have skin like hers with Proactiv! I looked online at their website (http://www.proactiv.com) and figured it was worth a shot. I ordered the "5-Piece Deluxe System" that came with two free bonuses (more on those later) and in approximately 2 weeks I had my handy little box of skin care.
I joined the Proactiv Club. This means that every 60 days I will get a new box in the mail and I will be billed automatically. The price of the 5 piece set is $117 retail or $59.95 if you join the club. The five items I receive are the
1. Renewing Cleanser (which this review will specifically get to soon!) (4 fl oz)
2. Revitalizing Toner (4 fl oz)
3. Repairing Lotion (2 fl oz)
4. Daily Oil Control (I can't find the size of this on their site, I am guessing 1 fl oz)
5. Oil-Free Moisture with SPF 15 (Same as above, I guess 4 oz)
If you order the Renewing Cleanser by itself the cost is $12.95 for members and $16.00 for non-members.
$$ If you are planning on giving these products a try, I HIGHLY recommend joining the club. It's free. Once you log in, they have a very user friendly webpage that lets you change your shipping frequency (I am about to deploy to Iraq so I just changed mine to not ship until I get back in October). So you could easily *join*, order your stuff then cancel your membership if you wanted, still getting the *membership price* Really, their webpage couldn't be easier (once you log in! Before creating a user name and password it¡¦s like watching the infomercial on your computer. Log in to get the real information) $$
On to the Renewing Cleanser!
The bottle says,
"Directions: Use morning and night. Apply a small (dime-sized) amount to dampened skin and gently massage. Rinse thoroughly with warm water, pat dry. Follow with Revitalizing Toner.
Active Ingredient: benzoyl peroxide 2.5%.
Inactive Ingredients: water (aqua), magnesium aluminum silicate, glyceryl stearate, PEG-100 stearate, disodium dimethicone copolyol sulfosuccinate, sorbitol, dimethyl isosorbide, polyethylene, tridecyl stearate, neopentyl glycol dicaprylate/dicaprate, tridecyl trimellitate, cetyl esters, anthemis nobilis flower extract, sodium hyaluronate, sodium PCA, propylene glycol, xanthan gum, imidazolidinyl urea, methylparaben, propylparaben, fragrance (parfum).
Warnings: When using this product, using other topical acne medications at the same time or immediately following use of this product, may increase dryness or irritation of the skin. If this occurs, only one medication should be used unless directed by a doctor. Do not use this medication if you have very sensitive skin or if you are sensitive to Benzoyl Peroxide. This product may cause irritation, characterized by redness, burning, itching, peeling or possibly swelling. Keep away from eyes, lips and mouth. Avoid product contact with hair and dyed fabrics, including carpets and clothing, which may be bleached by this product. If going outside, use a sunscreen. Keep out of reach of children. If swallowed, get medical help or contact a Poison Control Center right away."
I have seen that some people have a problem with the benzoyl peroxide ingredient. I don't know the differences between the types of peroxides so I won't try to pretend to understand what the fuss is about. Apparently, this stuff can really dry out your skin. But I have yet to use a cleaner that doesn't dry your skin to some level...it's the OIL I want to get rid of afterall!
So I excitedly read through the "Face the Facts" guide that came with my new purchase (a BS free bonus if I ever saw one! It's a booklet about their products! It was interesting to read but they really shouldn't call it a free bonus! I would've rather gotten just the one bonus (a ¡"Refining Mask") and then gotten this booklet as a surprise in the shipment!) and went home to wash my face.
The website states that the Renewing Cleanser is a "unique oil-free formula contains smooth, tiny grains to gently exfoliate dead skin cells and other impurities, plus prescription-grade benzoyl peroxide to penetrate pores, attack bacteria and heal blemishes fast."
The Renewing Cleanser was easy to use. I use it in the shower in the morning and then again in the afternoon when the humidity starts to peak. The instruction booklet says to use this twice a day (or if dryness occurs, once a day working back up to twice a day as your skin gets use to it) but I honestly only usually use it in the morning. You can feel the little exfoliating beads as you scrub your face. The little granules are so small that no matter how hard I scrub my face, it doesn't seem to *overly* cleanse or dry it out.
When I saw that the toner is the very next step, I thought it was their clever way of hucklebucking people for more money, why would you need to use toner right after cleanser? But low and behold, the cotton ball with toner gets dirty even immediately after cleaning. ~This is interesting to me because I must not be as facial-product savvy as I thought. Apparently you are supposed to use toner after cleaning. I use to always just clean and use toner for the between-the-clean times. *I am savvy NOW though (thanks to one of my super cool bonuses that comes with ordering a set of products!!), so don't let my old ignorance sway you from regarding my opinion as smart*
Back to the cleanser, I have used this product alone two or three times before (I forgot the other parts at home when packing my gym bag before work) and I can feel that this cleans better then other products I have tried (like every other product available!). It is important to make this a daily regimen. If I skip a day or two, I don¡¦t notice my skin feeling any different. But the next time I wash my face and use the products I can definitely feel a difference. It is also important to know that while some people get noticeably healthier skin right away, you are suppose to use this for at least 60 days before giving up on it if you don¡¦t see results. That is why they give you a full 60 days to try it out (more on that below). I felt and saw a difference immediately. So did my friends. I have never experienced any peeling or had any adverse effects. And I have very sensitive skin. This stuff has absolutely no fragrance at all.
This product has not overly dried my face at all. In fact, I should cancel the Oil-Free Moisture with SPF 15 lotion because it is the one product I hardly use (besides that free bonus gift booklet I haven't used after the first time!). Of course, it is so humid here that I don't think anyone could have dry skin! If anyone has ever used these products and does develop dry skin I would highly recommend getting the Oil-Free Moisture lotion. I brought it along when I went back home on leave a few months ago and it proved invaluable. Since this product was designed to be used with the other products, it is difficult to say how well this product works on its own. The cotton ball with toner DOES have stuff on it after cleaning after all.
The 3-piece system costs $49.95 for non-members and $39.95 for members. I would highly recommend trying this out if you have any problems with your skin at all. It is well worth the money (even for a cheap person like me). They have a 60 day money back guarantee. They will accept even completely empty bottles back and refund your money if you are not satisfied.
I will review the other products as soon as possible. Until then, if anyone has any questions about this or the other products, I will be more then happy to answer them.
Recommended:
Yes
|
|
|
|
Epinions.com ID:
erikausaf
|
|
Location: Military base in the far east
Reviews written: 8
Trusted by: 3 members
|
|
|
- Add to My Yahoo!: 
- Add to Google Homepage: 
© 1999-2009 Shopping.com, Inc.