Lately I've been using Cetaphil. I bought a pump jar at Costco so it wasn't much $. I've used Cetaphil cleanser for years to wash my face in the shower at night. It seems to do a good job of removing makeup.

Im anxious to hear what the dermatologist says this week about my face and her recommendations. It's my first visit to one. I made the appt. to have her check a red spot on my nose to see if it's cancerous or not but I'm also interested in a general assessment and the best way and products to care for my skin. I'll report back if she recommends any specific moisturizers.

I'm presently using two by Avalon Organics: Vitamin C Renewal Cream during the day, and Brilliant Balance Ultimate Night Cream at night. Neither will break the bank. I also like Jason's Ester-C Creme, but some say the formula has changed. I don't know if that's true, but I used it for years until I ran out recently.

My daughter gave me several Estee Lauder products for Mother's Day, including a moisturizer I could never afford in my wildest dreams. I told my mirror to expect great things, but somehow I doubt that's gonna happen. :-)

I'm another one who washes my face with Cetaphil--ever since the early 1990s, when an elderly woman with beautiful skin told me about it. I think I tried their moisturizer some years ago, but at the time it was a lotion, not a cream, and didn't do the job for me with my very dry skin. They might have something different now.

I use Cetaphil cleanser also. On my face when I use a moisturizer I go with the old standard my mom and grandma used Oil of Olay. It's reasonably priced and works pretty well. My arms have changed as I aged very dry skin all the way up my arms. I use Johnson and Johnson cocoa butter cream lotion it's in a brown tube, thick and creamy and smells wonderful. My husband likes Gold Bond lotion for his hands and arms. It also has a nice scent.

Every so often when reading threads containing health and nutrition recommendations, I feel the need to add the reminder: We are all different.

Although I eat nuts, avocado, and olive oil regularly, if I added the butter, lard, and coconut oil Grainlady recommends, I'd soon be dead or undergoing heart surgery. My father was the same way. Probably so was his father.

I admit my family is unusual that way. But I'm sure we're not the only ones.

I use a cream by St. Ives... been using it for years and LOVE it. I also have had oily skin all my life... it is a natural wrinkle reducer when your skin is oily I think. The St. Ives cream really seems to soak into my skin and I feel hydrated all day. I used to watch Dr. Oz and he had it on one of his shows as a cheaper alternative to really expensive moisturizers. He was right on!

I also use Cetaphil cleanser and moisturizer. I also use a tablespoon of plain baking soda with the Cetaphil as a facial scrub in the morning. Try it, feels good and works well. A spoonful of baking soda in the palm of your hand, then a squirt or two of cleanser, and mix into a paste with a little water. Scrub well.

I use Neutrogena Hydro Gel under my makeup...my skin is changing from totally oily to combination dry/oily and I'm 69. I also use Noxzema for cleansing.

Oh, gosh, that Neutrogena Hydro Gel--I loved it! There are two kinds; I used the Gel-Cream for dry skin. It wasn't a lasting moisturizer for me, but I loved the way it re-hydrated my winter skin. The price went up, so I didn't replace it when I ran out, but maybe I'll put it on my Wish List.

two25acres. I think you will need to figure out what your skin can handle. I am allergic to many products so am not of much help. But I can't use Cetaphil, Cerave, Clinique anything. I can't use acids/retinols/C etc. Nothing is harsher on my skin than "natural" products.

I have naturally extremely dry skin - always have had - plus rosacea (Irish heritage). Actually, I can't use anything by Estee Lauder. It does make things difficult.

I understand exactly what you mean about trying to save money on skin care. I am at the point where I am trying cheaper products on my neck and keeping the more expensive products for my face.

Basically I am at the low end of the high end - the products without acids. I wish that phase would end. I just need very rich hydrating and moisturizing products with a fragrance masker that I am not allergic to. I am also allergic to anti-histamine.

Hair is an issue as well. My natural auburn hair greyed in my 20s and I would now be totally iron grey - which does not go well with my pasty yellow toned skin. Goldwell colour works for me - but it gets expensive having it done professionally. It is a good thing that I do not get highlights. I have very thick, wavy hair - if you watch The Outlander, my hair is like Jamie's - same colour too. I wear a lot of hats. Red fades and the hats cover the roots.

Using a hydrating serum or cream before your moisturizer will definitely help. Then there is sunscreen. I need to use one that is not drying and does not turn yellow on my clothes - or cause a rash.

I hope you find something. It will be hit or miss. Some people can use the cheapest drug store products and look great. Unfortunately I am not one of them. I am all over the map and keep a spare of everything in the closet pending reformulation which always happens.

I had the same issues. Boots Botanics Organic Facial Oil. I'm on my second bottle. I also use Yes To Carrots Nourishing Daily Facial Cleanser too. My routine is simple now. I mix an spf with the facial oil for day. And I do like Roc at night with more facial oil. My face glows in the morning, and I haven't had trouble with dry skin since.

I've used plain old Nivea Soft for years. I switched to Shiseido a year ago and saw no difference so I went back to Nivea Soft.

eccentric - have you ever tried zinc oxide cream as an spf? When my daughter was a baby, she got rashes from everything. I could only use one kind of soap on her, and not any sunblock I tried worked. A friend told me about zinc oxide cream, in a tube, to use for spf, worked great.

I have used Mary Kay for years and I really like it.

I like Clinique Moisture Surge...they make a lighter one and a heavier duty one. But I also find I wake up with nice skin when I use the Neutrogena Rapid Wrinkle Repair for night. It not only makes my skin look better, but it feels better too.

Thanks everyone, I think I will try a few of your suggestions and see which works best.

Aveeno Positively Ageless works well for me.

My dermatologist recommended CeraVe. I use the moisturizing lotion on my face, morning and night -- haven't tried the one with sunblock. I slather the moisturizing cream (in a jar) all over the rest of me after I bathe. (And I do mean *slather*.) I know the cream is intended for the face, but I don't care. I like this much better than Lubriderm or any oil.

She also recommended Cetaphil body wash, but it leaves a sort of greasy feel. I was told to avoid hot baths -- not doing that either. (Bad patient.) Maybe it I 'cut' the Cetaphil with baking soda, like Sushipup...

Who has something good for the cuticles? Mine want to take over my nails. I can't push them back without bleeding -- even after a bath -- and then they won't stay back. There's no 'give' there.

At 75, my skin is too thin. Well, *I* am too thin, too.

BTW, it's my understanding that we have skin to form a protective *barrier*. This means none of the products you put ON your skin go much beyond the surface. Some of the products 'rough up' (destroy) the top layer of cells so that they slough off faster (the 'glow'), but a 'moisturizer' can really only put a layer of protection between your skin and the drying air. 'Moisturizers' that promise more should probably all be labeled "Hope" or "Faith" or "The Power of Positive Thinking" because our protective layer of skin won't let them penetrate. They can only help keep drying air away from whatever moisture is IN the skin.

I'm using St. Ives too, I guess the same one as share_oh mentioned. I cannot remember where I saw it recommended, but I did see it somewhere, probably Allure's website, so I bought a tub of it and I really do like the way it feels on my face and that's not a simple task for me. I cannot stand the feel of lotion/moisturizers on my face. They either itch, smell weird, break my face out, burn my eyes, leave a strange taste in my mouth or something that bothers me. This one does not. I will post a link to the product: St. Ives Timeless Skin cream Best thing is that you can buy it at Walmart and it's cheap!

Correction: I am actually using CeraVe moisturizer in a pump jar from Costco.....not Cetaphil as I indicated in my post. I am using Cetaphil cleanser.

i'm using skin care products from Paula's Choice. So far, they have been working well.

If you add an oil on top of your current moisturizer, you should notice a huge difference. I'm 56 and use moisturizer daily, but, before I added a serum and Rosehip, coconut, OR Argan oil to my regime, my skin was never hydrated no matter how much I used. It look dry. It felt dry. It itched. It flaked. And, it wasn't soft. I've been using one of these oils with a Vitamin C serum (Marshalls/TJMaxx) for a year and it hasn't been dry since. It also feels very soft and smooth. Give it a try and see what happens. Results are relatively quick.

debo_2006~ The Boots Organics Oil I posted above has Rosehip oil. I truly think that is what has made my skin so much better with the dryness. I use Edens Garden carrier oils & essential oils for my dh's frozen shoulder, and have thought about just buying the Rosehip oil for my face. I just love it!

Reporting back:. I just got back from the dermatologist. I am using the products she uses herself! Cetaphil cleanser and CeraVe moisturizer. The only suggestion she had was to get the CeraVe AM moisturizer because it has SPF in it.

Her office does sell a line of skin care products and I was afraid she might try to entice me to buy and was pleasantly surprised when she said I was using the right products...best of all they are available at drugstores and Costco and are not expensive.

Chisue:. I really like Nivea Coconut body wash. I have dry skin and I don't feel itchy, even if I don't put moisturizer on after I shower. It even worked well in the winter. I ran out and used some argan oil body wash I had for a few days and was itchy so quickly ran out to get more Nivea.