Oatmeal face mask FML

[pigonalipstick]

I have very sore red skin in winter, that is simultaneously so dry it looks like I've taken a cheese grater to the end of my nose, but also gets oily overnight so I wake up with spots. It's a joy.

Tonight I tried a homemade oatmeal face mask which promises to be natures skin saviour. Fuck me it burns, it stings, and now my face is redder than ever. It also made an almighty mess and I looked like a swap thing.

Did I do it wrong?! Or has this happened to others? What can save my skin now

What did you mix the oatmeal with ?

Nivea blue pot at night, SPF50 by day.

Try an egg beaten with a little bit of olive oil! Very calming.

hopefully someone with a bit more knowledge can come along quickly and get you on a better skin care track.
i would say you need to moisturize despite your worry about it being oily in the am.
i follow these fellows online, they have hour upon hour of video's discussing products (lucky for you dry skin is discussed first).
www.bing.com/videos/search?q=doctorly+extremely+dry+skin&&view=detail&mid=7C0F894682FC885E28817C0F894682FC885E2881&&FORM=VRDGAR&ru=%2Fvideos%2Fsearch%3Fq%3Ddoctorly%2Bextremely%2Bdry%2Bskin%26FORM%3DHDRSC3
it will take time sadly i expect a good month to sort this out.
i would not go for expensive but would go to pharmacy to see if a basic cream like eucerin or neutrogena (even see if sample sizes are available) can calm the skin quickly but safely.
i'm guessing the oatmeal led to lactic acid, and an acid burn.

I've not used this but raw egg is brilliant for healing skin.

My skin gets like yours in the winter, op. When it's really bad I leave it settle for a few days as it will react to everything.

Recommend the following:

Warm some sudacrem between your hands and apply before bed.

Unscented Rose hip oil And Lush dream cream before bed.

Honey and warm water

To save everyone time I've tried

• cerave
• cetaphil
• Nivea
• aveno
• oils
• vitamin c serum
• hyalauronic acid
• e45/ double base
• metronidazole

And probably many others!

Your skin will possibly be oily in the morning because it's ramped up the oil and sebum production because your skin is so dry, yet it's not being effective because your skin barrier is diminished.

Try epaderm, it costs next to nothing for the little bottle, and slap it on religiously throughout the day on the areas (nose) that you need it. Then at night time, put a good layer on and really massage in, and then top it off with slugging (slathering on a layer of jojoba / rose hip / moringa oil) to further seal in the moisturiser.

Your barrier will take 2-4 weeks to fully heal.

Step completely away from any topical actives - so no Vit c, retinoids etc.

Also, avoid any facial cleansers with SLS, sulphates or parabens, and get the most gentle shampoo too - those foaming agents are notorious for causing dryness and irritation.

What do you cleanse your face with? I'd use an emollient or oil to cleanse with until your skin has settled.

I have the dryness but get eczema spots rather than grease in the morning. Mine would have reacted badly to the oats too. Eucerin very dry skin stuff & their dermatoclean is all I use now.

In my experience don't do anything to your skin different to what you normally do - it will be reactive just now & likely to get worse rather than better.

an antihistamine might help (& I often resort to hydrocortisone)

Hope it settles quickly for you

There are no quick fixes. You need to stick with something and be consistent. I’m talking months, not days.

Keep it simple:

• Wear SPF50 every day. Doesn’t matter if you’re going out or not, wear.
• AM: gentle cleanse, moisturise, SPF50
• PM: double cleanse (oil cleanser followed by waterproof cleanser - Google methodology and products), moisturise.

It’s about consistency and there are no miracle products. However, some tips that might work:

• Apply hyalauronic acid to wet skin. Not damp and never dry or you’ll destroy your skin. Hyalauronic can hold many times its weight in water and will pull moisture into your skin, but you have to give it something to pull. Applying it to dry skin just means it pulls moisture out of your skin.
• CosRx snail mucin is great for moisture. Again, apply to wet skin.
• If you’re using either of the above, let them sink in for a minute and then seal with a rich moisturiser. Possibly follow with a light facial oil.
• Don’t use anything scented on your face.
• Try ‘slugging’ once a week Do your PM moisturising routine as normal and then seal with a non-comedogenic occlusive. Surprisingly, Vaseline (petroleum jelly) is great for this. However, if the idea of putting it on your face is a bit much, Google alternatives. The idea is basically to lock the products onto your face and prevent moisture evaporation. Don’t do this more than once a week!

Finally, do not put any more DIY masks on your face. These can be great if you know what you’re doing, but you don’t. Please don’t experiment on your already upset skin.

@RishisProudMum I should have clarified that those are things I've tried over the last three winters. The only one that helped was metronidazole but it was in spring so May have been a coincidence, and I can't get a drs appointment any more

I've tried slugging in the past with Vaseline and I was just smothered in spots constantly!

Have tried applying by to wet skin, applying moisturiser all day, only one a day. Tried hot cloth cleaning, oil cleaning, micelles water, cerave cleaner, no cleansing. I'm just at a loss completely

My go to product is sudocrem - I use it for sunburn, bites, cuts and scratches, spots, dry skin and on and on. I swear it even gets rid of wrinkles.

This is always my go-to for sore and sensitive skin. LRP Cicaplast Baume

my skin doesn't like hyaluronic acid.

I really struggled with my skin being super dry especially in winter and acne etc then went on to use dermalogica stuff. I have a really gentle cleanser, I use a mousturising oil every night before a moisturiser and only exfoliate every few weeks if I absolutely need to. During the day I use a lighter serum, moisturiser and then a different spf moisturiser and that's made a huge difference for me. I found that using the same really gentle products consistently worked better though the odd time I'd use a garnier sheet mask. I stay away from any other types of face masks. It's pricey but a little product goes a long way and tbh for me is worth it because I go makeup free now whereas before I could never have left the house without it so it's been a big change.

I sometimes get painful dry skin on my face in winter - I rub unscented lip balm stick on it before bed. Just on the really sore bits, not everywhere. It's usually calmer in the morning. If it's really bad and still sore in the morning I rub the stick on my finger and rub it into the sore bit until it's not visibly lip balmy.

Rosalique is good for sore red end of noses.

Your op made me think of this cream:

www.damesanddimes.co.uk/products/skin-barrier-repair-cream

I spend a lot on skincare normally but this, which is moderately priced and from a small business, is one of the most effective things I’ve tried recently. Helped loads when I’d trashed my skin barrier with too many actives/menopausal changes last year. And she does tiny sample sets.

Might be worth trying to see a dermatologist, op.

And wondering if it might be rosacea

How long have you tried these things, though? Like I said above, you need to stick with something and be consistent. I’m talking months, not days. You seem to be doing a lot if chopping and changing, that doesn’t really achieve anything (except upsetting your skin).

And some things are meant to be applied to wet skin (like hyalauronic acid) and some dry (Tretinoin, for example). Some cannot be done too often (slugging) and some need to be done twice a day. It’s not a mix and match situation.

Were you using it on dry skin?

Nope. Used it on damp skin as per all the instructions. And I persisted for a while as so many beauty writers claimed that all skin types benefited from it, but my skin just didn't get on with it.

I’ve always found the ‘damp’ thing to be a bit misleading, it needs to go on wet skin. Leave to sink in for a minute and then follow with the rest of your PM moisturising routine (it can’t be used on its own).

I’ve never met anyone who it didn’t work for if it was used properly, but I suppose nothing works for everyone. I hope you found stuff that works for you.

You say oils but not sure which in particular. I've found Bio oil overnight to be really good and my skin is a bit like yours. It feels really greasy when applied but by the morning it's sunk in and my face feels really soft and hydrated. Rosehip oil is also similar.