Finally The End Of My Facial Moisturizer Search, I Hope....

When the facial moisturizer I had been using for many years was discontinued I knew I was in for a long and not so fun search for a replacement.  Lots of hours of searching online products and ingredients and a few trials that did not go well.
Finally I thought I had found a good replacement until I was almost at the end of my second bottle and suddenly my skin rebelled.  At first I thought it was just the air pollution (it can get bad this time of year and my skin reacts badly to it) but it wasn't just that. My poor skin was red and irritated, with eczema that was so itchy and dry....lets just say it was not fun.
Usually if I can get past two weeks of using a product without any problems I'm good but there is the odd time that it all goes horribly wrong some how.
So after a couple of months I was back to searching, thankfully I found one possibility.  After all the usual patch tests I crossed my fingers and started using it on my face once a day for a week and then twice a day.  It's taken some time but my skin is no longer peeling and the irritation has greatly improved.

My first try was with The Ordinary's "Natural Moisturizing Factors + HA" because I've had some success with their products in the past.  It all went well at first but unfortunately I ended up having to stop using it.
So what did I eventually end up with after all those months?  A product called "Glacier Soap Face Cream, Face Cream For Sensitive Skin".  It was originally developed by a father for his daughter who had eczema.  So it's made specifically to be nice and gentle for eczema and irritated skin with natural soothing ingredients.

If your trying to find new products for your sensitive skin, her are a few suggestions.

1. Read the ingredients to make sure the ingredients in the product you are going to try are not ones you are allergic or sensitive to.

2. Avoid the top known skin irritants such as the following: Fragrances, lanolin, parabens, benzyl alcohol, propylene glycol, iodopropynyl butylcarbamate, formaldehyde-releasing preservatives*, MCI/MI, Vitamin E and other essential oils, acids such as glycolic, malic, lactic and ascorbic acids.

  (* Formaldehyde-releasing preservatives include ingredients such as DMDM hydantoin,glyoxal, bromopol, sodium hydroxymethylglycinate, and imidazolidinyl, diazolidinyl & polyoxymethylene urea.)

3. Patch test for a couple of days before applying to larger areas including the face.

4. I usually find the fewer ingredients in a product the better, since there will be fewer ingredients that have the potential to irritate.

And finally, one last tip. If you have left over facial moisturizers that you can no longer use try them on your hands and feet.  Most people tend to be less sensitive in these areas. This way they aren't sitting in the back of your shelf taking up space or simply going to waste.

Sources & Links:

ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

webmd.com

theordinary.com/

glaciersoap.com/

safecosmetics.org