My skin needs a microdermabrasion but cant afford it right now. what to do instead?

[hopingforfour]

Winter skin-ick! My hormones must be wacky because my skin feels terrible. Not like teenager pimples, just yucky skintone, sort of spotty sort of blotchy. And winter skin shows every imperfection. Not smooth and luxurious like I want it! (Right.) What do I do?

keep an eye on groupon, there may be deal that comes up for microdermabrasion.

exfoliate, exfoliate and exfoliate. Honestly makes a huge difference. Find one gentle enough to use daily and make sure you never miss it.

Liz Earle Cleanse & Polish.....love, love, love it!!

Try REN's Glycolactic renewal peel mask. It's really nice for dull and congested skin.

just came on to say groupon has a 75% off deal if you're near Oxford, 3 sessions i think for 30 something quid

v giood

Oh thanks so much ladies! Ill give these a try and see how it goes.

or try something I read on here which is AMAZING - crush some aspirin, mix with a bit of olive oil, spread on your face, leave a few mins then wipe off with a flannel...

honestly, try it - cheap as chips and fab

I use an Aapri one that someone on here recommended - the "blackhead clearing" one. It's brilliant. Boots seemed to stop selling it so I used something else for a while - then I found it again in a different chemist and it actually made a difference straight away as soon as I started using it again.

back when I had some bucks I used to use Keihls microdermabrasion scrub from Space NK. Was very effective, felt like I'd been sandblasted (in a good way. If there is indeed a good way to feel like that )

I also think the aapri one is fantastic!,I bought a tube in the reduced section in boots,wish I had bought more as its so good and cant find anywhere now.If you can find some would def recommend.

Clinique does an amazing scrub (Gommage Exfoliant) and it's slightly menthol, so get get a very clean feel.

Dermalogica - microfoliant is a great daily exfoliant or Eve Lom Rescue Mask is brilliant. If you can stretch to a facial MD Formulations Microdermabrasion isn't to spenny depends where you live but worthwhile checking out.

I use Boots No 7 microdermabrasion about £12 its really good leaves my skin smootth and soft

I use Boots No 7 microdermabrasion about £12 its really good leaves my skin smootth and soft

Olay Regenerist hot wash thing - can't remember what it's called but it's pretty good.

I use Body Shop microdermabrasion Vitamin C which has the tiniest of grains and smells gorgeous!

What is the difference between microdermabrasion and an ordinary scrub? My skin is quite sensitive but I do wonder if the gentle scrubs I use are making all that much difference?

I use dermoligica which is fantastic for quick fixes and makes my skin feel lovely and soft.

Oh coffeeicing thanks so much for the reminder! I had forgotten all about that one. I think the aspirin either has or works like a salasilic (sp?) acid, right? Do you know of a way to crush the aspirin evenly?

Some of these others sound really good too. Menthol one sounds fab.
Thanks ever so.

Gentle is the way to go with exfoliation. The grainier ones that feel like you're sanding your face down can actually tear the skin and cause inflammation and more spots as well as trauma to the skin. I find some of the Clinique ones are very harsh.

The Dermalogica Daily Microfoliant is great because it's very gentle and the exfoliation is based on the Lactic Acid which gently gets rid of dead skin cells rather than sanding them off. The instructions on the bottle are misleading though, it works best if you add lots of water and work it into a froth rather than a paste as it says on the bottle. The more water the better as it activates the ingredients. I learned this at my Dermalogica training so I'm not just making that up!

If you're trying the asprin method, yes it's main ingredient is salicylic acid. Best to crush it in a small pestle and mortar or if you don't have one of those, the method I use to crush cat tablets is quite effective... between two teaspoons.

yes I just crush it [aspirin] in a pestle and mortar, the Boots cheapo aspirin (16p a pack!!!) is quite soft and crushes easily.

Anyone else reading and thinking , honestly just try it - can't go wrong for 16p!

I've been doing the aspirin thing for a while now too, its amazing. I crush about 4 tablets with a few drops of water and leave on while in the shower, massage in and rinse off. Will try with the olive oil though.

I second the Dermalogica Daily Microfoliant - though am intrigued about the aspirin ... think I will need to experiment to compare!

Iirc Dermalogica Microfoliant contains salycilic acid, which is basically aspirin. It breaks down keratin bonds and so exfoliates skin. Can leave your skin a bit red though, and don't be too heavy with it.