using aqueous cream as a face moisteriser?

[Reastie]

I'm fed up with skincare. I have really sensitive skin, very red face (think I have what do you call it beginning with 'r'), my face is sort of dry yet greasy at the same time, and most moisturisers bring me out in spots.

I put a thread on here a few months ago about recommendations for a new moisteriser and tried a couple and researched about the recommendations, but I'm fed up of spending money on creams which end out just giving me spots (most recent ones tried no good for my skin).

The only brand which seems to work with me is Dr Hauskha, but the road day cream is too heavy for me, and rose day cream light over the past couple of years feels like I need a bit more than it offers (maybe my skins just getting old?).

I was reading after some online searching the other day an article in a paper about what dermatologists use on their skin and they were talking about aqueous cream, saying how good it was and most creams sit on the surface of the skin whereas this will actually moiserise the skin. So I've started trying it.

Has anyone else tried it as a face cream? I think she [in the article] may have been talking about using it as a body lotion rather than a face cream, it wasn't clear (although I use it as a body lotion already in any case).

It's a bit greasy for the day so I'm wondering if the best route to go is Dr H rose day cream light in morning and aqueous cream at night (I also use Dr H cleanser and toner) but this is go against the Dr H concept of not moisturising at night (from what I understand) so maybe I'm spending a small fortune on Dr H just to go against their principles and it might not work so well.....I'm really confused by it all and quite like the idea of something cheap and effective! I did try using DrH day cream light at night but I just used so much to feel like the skin was moisturised, it was too expensive to do! Have tried other products in Dr H range but none so good as the rose cream.

That was just a bit of mental discussion there wasn't it

I wouldn't, it's a soap substitute more than a cream & it has high levels of sls that can cause irritation.

have you tried using just coconut oil on your face. You can buy it in supermarkets or holland and barrett in a jar and you only need a tiny bit. Its lovely and doesnt feel greasy. just natural and lightweight

Ahh, I didn't know that fluffy

bran no I haven't tried coconut oil, although I have massages and I know the lady that does it uses coconut oil for that. Would you use it in the morning or just at night? I have trouble enough getting make up not to wipe off with the shiny/greasy face (which, yes, somehow is dry too....)

I've been using it for about 8 years it's great. Only thing my sensitive skin will accept

I second coconut oil at night. I find it makes my skin really soft. Have you tried Aveeno cream for the day? It can be used for mild eczema but I use it on my face when it feels extra dry in the day. It absorbs beautifully but feel really silky. I use the one with oatmeal in it.

God, no. Never use aqueous cream as a moisturiser. I use it to wash with in the shower but putting it on my dry skin irritates and makes my eczema worse. Much worse.

After years of spending a fortune on Dermalogica products, I have recently discovered Simple replenishing moisturiser. It's been a revelation. Cheap as chips and my skin is as good (or better) than with Dermalogica.

Just wondering what you are cleaning your face with? Could the cleanser be too harsh / too frequently applied so that no moisturiser has a chance rectify.

it shouldnt be used as a moisturiser and shouldnt be left on the skin.

www.eczema.org/aqeous

young I'm using Dr H cleanser, which is super gentle and the best I've found (so far)

wow ilove thanks for the link. My GP told me years ago when I said my hands reacted to aqueous cream when I was going through a bad patch 'how can they react to aqueous cream, it's only really water' and looked at me disbelievingly, so now I always think of it as the most gentle option, maybe not.

harry yes I keep thinking about aveeno

Now, looking at coconut oil, is there a difference between types? I can find virgin, raw, fractionated, refined, solid, liquid and lots of other weird descriptions

I used Aqueous cream as a cleanser with a wet cloth - brilliant for soothing sensitive skin. I also used it to dab on dry bits as moisturiser with no issues. I didn't have eczma or anything though just skin that had reacted to a perfumed product.

It's dirt cheap so try it.

Is argon oil any better/worse than coconut oil?

there are other emollients without sls so you could try one of them instead

Op, even GP's prescribe it as a moisturiser

Not gp's who are mumsnetters obviously because they are all awesome & know what they're doing.

Aqueous cream irritates mine and DD's skin more, but I use her Doublebase as a moisturiser on my face when my eczema flares up. It doesn't feel very luxurious, but it seems to work well. I don't like scented stuff anyway, so it suits me.

I use solid coconut oil but I'm sure any would do (?). It is hard to initially get out of the pot

Best brand I've found for problem skin is La Roche-Posay (you can get it in Boots). They do various ranges inc for sensitive and oily skin types. The Effaclar Duo is THE BEST thing I have ever used for clearing up skin - you would use it as a serum before one of their sensitive moisturisers.

I wouldn't have thought there was much difference in moisturising qualities between coconut and argan but I think coconut oil smells amazing.

As everyone's already said, aqueous cream is soap substitute not a moisturiser.

It's notorious for making ezcema and dry skin worse.

The first thing a dermatologist usually does is tell you to bin the aqueous. And they don't even suggest it as their favourite soap substitute anymore.

However the belief it's mild is very widespread in both the general public and professionals. I think I've read the same article as you (was it a Daily Mail one?) and was shocked to see one of the dermatologists say aqueous.

There are many v effective moisturiser out there - Doublebase is ace - just they come in unbelievably dull packaging and look industrial and the over-priced cutesy jars of face cream seem so much more appealing! However Diprobase and Doublebase - or Astral and Nivea - are going to be just as good at moisturising as anything more fancy.

coconut oil also has natural antibacterial,anti viral and anti fungal qualities, so imo its the best out of the oils. I would certainly give it a try for a while and see if ut helps before going for anything expensive

coconut oil also has natural antibacterial,anti viral and anti fungal qualities, so imo its the best out of the oils. I would certainly give it a try for a while and see if ut helps before going for anything expensive

DD has epaderm on prescription, would that work?

I must find this article to show you re: the dermatologist recommending aqueous cream.

here is the article . Yes, sorry it's Daily Fail, I don't read it, honest! It came up on a google search.

I started using Aveeno a few years ago when I was having a terrible skin flare-up and it is lovely. It rubs in really easily, isn't greasy and a little goes a long way. I use it on face and body.

Yes, that's the one I read. I was really surprised, especially with the E45 as well - I meet loads of people who think E45 is the most powerful moisturiser around and has special medical qualities, bollox it is.

On the other hand once you get past the Dr Nick Lowe advice, the rest of it is spot on.

Superdrug Vit E moisturiser is really good (they have loads in the range including day and night creams and body creams). Doesn't leave me greasy or irritate my very sensitive skin and doesn't cause me to get breakouts. I get what you mean about dry and greasy at the same time as my skin is similar at different points in the month according to my cycle but the Vit E stuff sorts it right. As a bonus, it's vegetarian and vegan friendly, not tested on animals and is cheap and often on offer.