I’m a man in my 40s. I’ve tried fancy creams in the past and they were nice but I always reverted to using Nivea soft because I could buy big pots that were cheap and last a long time. I’ve been told that cream is nice for the body but not recommended for the face. What would you recommend for a daily use, that’s not too expensive? I’m based in the UK.
Not sure how expensive it is in the UK but Cerave is my go to brand for good quality skincare at a reasonable price. Specifically, I like their daily and nightly face moisturizers and body cream.
Another commenter recommended The Ordinary and while I haven’t personally used it, I know a few people who really like them too.
No.7 👍🏼
In case you’re feeling patriotic, they’re based in the UK. It won’t break the bank. I don’t know your skincare preference but I prefer the No7 Future Renew™ Damage Reversal Night Cream and the No7 Derm Solutions Daily Lightweight Moisturizer during the day. Most of the gentlemen I know prefer the lightweight moisturizer.
Maybe you can get a sample and try it out first to see how you like it.
Aveda is also very good and a little pricier. If it matters to you, they are owned by Estée Lauder (along with Clinique, MAC, Origins, etc.). Good Luck!
I no longer use greasy moisturizers at all and I have very sensitive dry skin that needs help.
Hyaluronic acid is dirt cheap and works by attracting moisture from the air, rather than a coating of something greasy.
I mix a half gram into 300ml distilled water, some lavender oil just for a pleasant scent, and a few drops of a leucacidal preservative made for cosmetics (i make big batches cuz lazy and it prevents bacterial growth). A half kilo bag is maybe $25 USD so I have a lifetime supply.
Even in our insanely dry climate I no longer get itchy inflamed skin in the winter. And it’s super easy to just spray it all over after a shower.
👍🏼 Great tip, thanks!
I like the DIY idea thanks!
I have no idea how good this advice is, but I’d upvote just for the username and use of non-ASCII characters.
Thanks I’ll have a look!
That’s exactly what I don’t want to do ha ha. I just want one simple product I’ll use from time to time, can’t be bothered to have a skin routine…
You can ask about a single product there, skin routines are not mandatory
My go to is anything with Ammonium Lactate in it. 12% minimum.
Major is the brand I use currently. A 14 ounce bottle is around 13 dollars. A lot of others jacked up price during covid.
I’ll just quote the important bit of the sales pitch: “ACTIVE INGREDIENTS: This skin smoothing lotion is specially formulated with 12% lactic acid and neutralized with ammonium hydroxide for a pH of 4.5 to 5.5. Lactic acid is an alpha hydroxy acid and a natural humectant for the skin.”
There’s good qualities to this brand and similar from my own experience with this active ingredient. And some bad.
Good:
1: I have Ichthyosis vulgaris kinda like eczema but much less severe with a shitty name. This stuff melts dander flakes and keeps more from being visible all day long until I shower or sleep. God send for me to keep up appearances.
2: The lactic acid creams are day long hydrating, but lets your skin breathe still. Not a big moisture barrier. Won’t feel uncomfortable wearing it even slathered head to toe. Can cover face.
Bad:
1: The active ingredient increases skin UV absorption. Be mindful of that, you can burn more easily without sun screen.
2: Weak acid, so there’s a burning feeling applying it. I’m used to this and don’t feel the burn anymore unless it gets in my eyes or a wound.
An alternative is another I could recommend for dry skin havers: An extreme moisture capturer Dry Patch Body Butter by Dr Ebre. Do as the name implies, little problem spots. This stuff is intense. If you cover your whole face your sweat will get stuck to you and won’t evaporate at all. Don’t do that. 21 dollars for 8 ounce yes, but it clearly works. Lasts forever since you’ll learn quickly to be conservative with its application.
If it works for you, why change it? Cream vs. lotion vs. moisturizer or whatever is probably 50% thickness and 50% marketing.
I was told the Nivea face cream doesn’t let the skin breathe which makes things worse. And my skin is not the best so looking at alternatives
Gotcha. My aesthetician (who I must explain helped me save my adult-acne-ridden skin) suggested Neutragena Sensitive Skin Moisturizer with a separate physical sunscreen on top. Reddit swears by Cerave, but she says their method just strips your skin’s natural moisture barrier and then attempts to add it back, so she was not a fan. I’m not sure if Neutragena is available in the UK, but when I was there a few years ago and my luggage was delayed, I bought something that had “simple” or “nature” (or both?) in the title and was a white and light green label, and it seemed comparable.
Thank you that’s helpful I’ll look into it!
I use products from the “Cerave” brand (Loreal). It can be found almost everywhere in Europe, online or not and they have cheap prices with various stuff like moisturizing cream (with or without sunscreen), soaps in big bottle and other more specific creams.
If you just want to wash your self and moisturize it that’ll do the job without thinking too much about it, and they have a uk website.
Thanks! Cerave is definitely a good brand! Not the cheapest stuff but I appreciate it’s a balance.
e.l.f Holy Hydration face cream. I’ve been using this since I gave up Kiehl’s face cream a few years ago (they’re owned by Nestle, and fuck Nestle). Fragrance free and you only need a thin layer to do the trick. e.l.f Holy Hydration face cream
https://theordinary.com/en-au/category/skincare/moisturizers
Pick from these
Try low SPF sunscreen lotion.
That could work, thanks!
I’m in US and rec cerave moisturizer as best from personal use.
