To exfoliate you can use chemicals (acids) or mechanicals (scrubs). I've used both and I think the acids are more effective and less aggravating. Use your fingers to gently massage away dead skin. Or use a large sponge for a little abrasiveness.

Drug store brand liquid acne cleansers containing salicylic acids are actually pretty good. Clean And Clear, and Neutrogena have sal. acid formulas. Murad products contain glycolic acid. Estee Lauder Fruition contains a mixture of AHAs - I don't remember which, it's very expensive but lasts a long time. It's not a cleanser, it's a treatment.

Avon True Pore-Fection Skin Refining Cleanser contains sal. acid, glyc. acid AND bentonite - I love it. Buy it online and buy multiples - Avon discontinues products and introduces new ones all the time.

Masks containing bentonite (it's the greenish clay - make sure the ingredients call out bentonite), include Queen Helene's very cheap Mint Julep mask. It smells like toothpaste and it's almost all bentonite so it's very strong. It sucks everything out of your skin. Too strong for daily use. On the other end of the price scale is Borghese's Fango Active Mud mask. A more refined mixture of ingredients but a lot more expensive too. Good thing is you don't need much.

Thanks Gina. I hope I will be able to easily find one of those products. Wouldn't an acne cleanser be drying on normal-to-dry skin?

Jen

The Neutrogena brand (orange color) is quite mild - too mild for me. So you might try that one. All of the formulas contain the max saliclyic acid allowed - 2%, and that's not very strong at all.

If you have sensitive or very dry skin, the Queen Helene mask will be too drying, as will Fruition. You may want to try the mask just on problem spots and not your whole face. You can use an acid cleanser or cream as needed. You may want to alternate it with your regular cleanser or cream instead of using it each morning and evening.

I just learned that the Olay Daily Facials Hydrating Cleansing Cloths (for Normal to Dry skin) that I've been using for years contain salicylic acid. I use them only at night to wash my face and remove eye make-up. Now I'm wondering if I should not be using them every day. I have an occasional blemish now and then but I don't consider that to be a problem. However, my nose and forehead get oily so I wonder if I should be using one for combo skin instead.

I'm older, and don't really break out but I use salicylic acid everyday. It seems to even out my skin tone and shrink my pores.

While were on the topic, a couple years ago a I used a salicylic acid cleanser that had aloe in it. I remember not being able to find it when I ran out. Can't recall what brand it was though. Does any one know of a salicylic acid cleanser with aloe? I just loved it.

If you think glycolic acid might be of interest or use to you, and want to find out more, feel free to visit www.all-about-glycolicacid.com .
I don't sell it, the site is just a collection of articles on Glycolic Acid (as you may have guessed from the site's name ;> ). (You can click on the Articles1, 2, 3 & 4 links on the top right for a list of more.)

Here is a link that might be useful: All About Glycolic Acid