Natural vs "ordinary" skincare. Which do you use and why?

I was curious how many of you use natural skincare products, and what is your reason for doing so?

And who uses regular skincare (meaning anything from the drugstore, department store, dermatologist prescribed etc)?

What´s your "philosophy" when it comes to skincare?

I´ll go first.

I use regular skincare products. I strongly believe in using substances that have documented benefits for the skin in the long run (tretinoin, various acids used for peels, anti-oxidants etc).

Also, my skin is not sensitive at all, and I don´t break out from using certain products. I´m very oily on the T-zone and normal on the cheeks, so any cheap moisturizer will do. Overall, my skin is not flawless, but it´s very low maintenance.

To sum it up, I like skincare products that have scientifically proven benefits. I don´t like overpriced, overhyped department store products (I do believe that some expensive product lives up to their hype though. But I still wonder how much of the effect is in the user´s imagination).

I go for natural and organic because i find the formulas to be simpler, without unecessary ingredients. I do have a sensitive skin, which switches to combination from dry according to the season, and allergies, so i can't afford to buy just the nearest bottle labelled moisturizer.

My philosophy has become priority to the ingredients. I don't mind (within a certain limit) a higher price tag if it means quality and effectiveness. That's why you may find regular products from derm brands (La Roche Posay and Uriage), next to my Logona/Weleda moisturizer. I currently use Korres products, which are a good compromise. I also have a few DIY products, lately i've splurged in a small bottle of pomegranate extract.

I try to research online the ingredients list, reviews and prices, so that i avoid the hype over a product. I'm not that interested in expensive skincare, i think the one brand i'd like to try is Dr Hauschka, i'm very interested in their rose products.

I use skin care products that are scientifically proven as well.

Retin A for wrinkles, Neo Medrol for acne, and baking soda for exfoliating.

So many over priced, unproven skin care products have come and gone.

Natural or organic labels are silly to me - there's nothing natural or organic about skin care unless we are talking about oils. And you can purchase these for a heck of a lot less money at a health food store rather than a beauty counter.

Whats organic skincare? Is that like Korres?

Originally Posted by emily_3383 /img/forum/go_quote.gif Whats organic skincare? Is that like Korres? Yes, I think Korres is an organic brand. Some skincare brands claim to be organic, but only use a low % of actual organic ingredients...the whole thing is a bit confusing to me cause I haven´t looked into it at all

When I first read "organic" skincare I thought you meant, like green tea, oils, cucumbers on the eyes, lol, and such.

I use both, organic in the brand name sense, and real foods, as well as regular skincare items.

I change depending on how my skin is behaving and what it needs.

I use a regular mosturizer for my body, and I'm always cycling brands, Dove, St.Ives, Nivea, Neutrogena, Aveeno, Johnson&Johnson, Calgon.

For my face it depends, some things will work for a while, then they seem to stop.

Baking Soda is a good organic or natural exfoliator. I also like the regular St.Ives Apricot Scrub.

I generally do not use any lotions on my face, unless I really need to in the winter. Then I use Cetaphil.

When it comes to my hair though, I use alot of natural things, such as Bananas and oils, for moisture. I use regualr shampoo though, Pantene, Dove, Neutrogena.

There is no philosophy behind it, just what works for me.

Right now, I'm at the height of my DIY stuff so I'm completely experimental. I took the ingredients to my favourite moisturizer - the one I had used for 15 years and made my own dupe. I have been looking up some actives like co-enzyme q10 and matrixyl 3000 and added it to my mix. First and foremost - I have to make something that does not aggrevate my eczema. My simple silicone cream is working fine. I have shared it with a couple of friends and they love it too.

I have created my own colloidal oatmeal powder cleanser which works great for the morning. I make my own facial soap, oil cleansers for evening and my toner.

I use natural and organic products for my skin care. Mostly i use face masks and natural scrubs and other hair care products at home, in short i always use home remedies for my skin care, hair care and nail care.

The reason behind not using the chemical products and other drug-made product is that i have fear of side effects. Many times they give you only short time beauty in really very short time. But as you stop using it, you can see the side effects like pimples and acne etc.

So i believe that rather than facing the problems, it is better to go on natural way. I agree that it will take such more time than that but it is safe. After all when i use the natural face masks and scrubs and hair treatment, i just don't need to wear artificial make up. My skin look naturally smooth, shiny and beautiful.

I prefer natural over ordinary. I'd rather use rose water as a toner over some chemicals. However, natural doesn't always work for my skin. So for me, it's about finding a whatever works best for me. If it's natural, that's awesome. If it's ordinary, that's ok too.

I use a mixture of both. But the DIY in me is starting to raise up again. I do like that some ingredients have been proven beneficial, but it's the binders, fillers and other additives that make me nervous. So like Aude said, the simple ingredient list found on most "natural" or "organic" labels are appealing to me so why not just make it myself?

I use some DIY stuff. I prefer organic/natural stuff because my skin is a bit sensetive, and I don't want to use a product that will hurt me in the long run. Skin absorbs a lot of what you put on it, so if there are chemicals in your products, that goes into your bloodstream and puts pressure on your detoxifying organs that try to filter it out. I always check the cosmetics database before I get a new product so I can be sure it won't hurt me. Might seem fanatical to some, but it makes sense to me.

FYI :

Natural just means fro nature, versus a chemical product (or chemical version of an ingredient found in nature).

Organic can or cannot cover the same base.

Organic usually means a high content of natural products, and only a few chemicals are allowed, mostly for preservation purposes.

You may also find ecologically/environmentally friendly chemical products in these.

However, and that is its main problem, there isn't a specific definition of organic. Labels are independent and "private" and each has its own definition and list of what is accepted and what is not.

As for Korres, the products contain natural ingredients, i think i've seen a few parabens in my facescrub but that's about it. So organic, i'm not sure, but certainly natural.

Regular for me. I found that H2O+'s Oasis line works wonders on my skin and has a texture I absolutely love. Since I don't buy that "natural == automatically better" I just stick to whatever works. And for me it's H2O+.

Originally Posted by Turboweevel /img/forum/go_quote.gif Regular for me. I found that H2O+'s Oasis line works wonders on my skin and has a texture I absolutely love. Since I don't buy that "natural == automatically better" I just stick to whatever works. And for me it's H2O+. Natural is only better when you make it yourself. There are many product that I love because they work why switch if there is no guarantee that they will be better?

I use mostly natural products. Natural oils, essential oils, rose water, etc.

I try to eliminate the products that contain too many unnecesary chemicals.

I 100% only use organic and chemical free skin care products because I have sensitive skin.  Anyone who may be red or splotchy after putting on a face cream, should switch to organic cause that means your skin is not reacting well.

I slightly disagree, you react to something in the cream, maybe, but you can react to an organic product too, it's about what's inside, although it's true because of the junk you do'nt find inside, reacting to an organic product is less likely.

Originally Posted by leimei00 /img/forum/go_quote.gif

I 100% only use organic and chemical free skin care products because I have sensitive skin.  Anyone who may be red or splotchy after putting on a face cream, should switch to organic cause that means your skin is not reacting well.

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Originally Posted by magosienne /img/forum/go_quote.gif

I slightly disagree, you react to something in the cream, maybe, but you can react to an organic product too, it's about what's inside, although it's true because of the junk you do'nt find inside, reacting to an organic product is less likely.

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I agree.  If you are allergic to nuts, you'll be allergic to nuts whether or not it is organic.  sometimes its just the ingredients and not the process.