Hmm, not sure I agree about bar soap? Source? I notice that nearly every dermatologist recommends Cetaphil (sp?). I am a big fan of the pump liquid Noxzema.

PS Hi! : )

My dermatologist recommended Cetaphil for my son, which is in a pump bottle that I get it at Sam’s Club. For bar soap, maybe Aveeno? Dh, who travels a lot, always takes the sample size toiletries (our kids’ school collects them for local homeless shelter). Ds loved the bar soap for his face, said it worked well with his skin, so dh would give him the face soap. I think it was aveeno. Now, however, he uses the liquid Cetaphil, based on the derm’s recommendation.

In general, bar soaps are not good for your face because they have a higher pH and are drying. My dermatologist recommends this:

Thank you for the recommendations! I have used cetapyhl and it caused terrible break outs. I must be super sensitive. Maybe I will just try and find the liquid soap I had used before. I just thought I would get your thoughts on various bar vs. liquid soaps and what has worked well for you.

Many thanks!

Amy

DH has super sensitive skin, and we use Jergen's bar soap. It's gotten harder to find at the supermarket and CVS so we buy it on Amazon.

I've also used Dove (no scents/senstive) in the past.

I am fortunate that I have pretty good skin. I also use Olay or Neutragena face cloths to remove makeup. But I use the Jergen's in the shower or if I don't have to remove mascara.

I love Clinique's Rinse-Off Foaming Cleanser. It's gentle and rinses off with water.

I've used Dove white bar ever since it came out in the 50's sometime. My mother's dermatologist suggested it for her gorgeous but sensitive skin. She came from a family of beauties and they all swore on Dove until they all passed away.

It's the only bar soap I use.

Amy, what was the liquid soap you were using?

I had trouble with Cetaphil, too, and my dermatologist told me never to use bar soap - whatever is in it that makes it a solid can be a problem. I like both Vanicream Gentle Facial Cleanser and CeraVe Hydrating Facial Cleanser.

I'm with Rhizo and Gscience. I have been using Dove forever fro my dry skin.

I use Dove sensitive skin bar soap on my face and body. Used to use the scented but changed just because. There was a short time in life I used Ceraphil but saw no difference.

I know you only asked about soaps but sometimes soap and diet aren’t enough. My face started really wacking out this past year for various reasons and I started using otc benzoyl peroxide. My face is clear now and I’m looking forward to the day the discoloration marks are gone. I know you said your skin is sensitive but maybe you could use a low dose. ? (2.5%)

It’s been said to use an antioxidant cream a half hour after using the bp. I currently don’t because I haven’t taken the time to research products.

In the past when my face would moderately break out I had success using retinol (otc) and 14% glycolic acid. They make different strengths.

Not a bar soap, but I use this, it's inexpensive, non-irritating and good quality:

I love the Alba Botanical pump - my face loves it and it’s cruelty free.

Honest Company Sensitive Baby Wipes. They have no irritants in them, and also work well for removing make up, and leaving skin soft, without any tightness or dry feeling.

I second Bluebell's recommendations. Vanicream Gentle is very well liked on r/SkincareAddiction, along with the Cerave Hydrating that I use.

Do you wear foundation and eye makeup? For almost a year, I've used an oil for a first cleanse, then Cerave Hydrating cleanser, at night. Clinique Take the Day Off Balm is loved by many and Angie at HotandFlashy did a great video featuring it. I use mineral oil (unscented baby oil) for my first step. I'm not in a place to buy Clinique regularly.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xgIqtDDonfA&frags=pl%2Cwn

A Reddit guide

https://www.reddit.com/r/SkincareAddiction/wiki/guide_to_oil_cleansing

I'm 48 with dry skin that tends toward dehydration. Since Jan., all of my skincare leaned in the direction of repairing, then maintaining my moisture barrier. Oils and products that enhance hydration are my mainstays. Drinking a lot of water does NOT fix dehydrated skin if you haven't controlled TEWL (transepidermal water loss). Also, breakouts are a symptom.

I've added some things that don't work well if the moisture barrier is stripped. So far, so good!

Simple. For sensitive skin. Get it at the grocery store/Target. I ALWAYS have their wipes. I swear I have the most sensitive skin ever. My mother, who is 82, has never ever used soap on her face. And, for 82 she has excellent skin. I will be 55 in another two months and I really don't have even crows feet. Genetics and zero soap, ever. Go get yourself some Simple products. Even my daughters like them.

I like the classic Ivory bar soap! :)

I’ve been happy with the Simple brand of soap (liquid) and moisturizer. Very gentle and it removes makeup well.

Thanks everyone. I am going to give a couple of these a try!

I have never had dry skin. Sometimes oily but it really isn't dry.

It is funny bc I cannot remember the brand of cleanser that I used that worked well for me. When I go to the store I think I should recognize it. It is funny how you use something for so long and never pay attention to the brand. That or my mind is going. I am under a lot of stress so I will blame it on that. ;)

Clinique Facial Soap

I buy the "3 Little Soaps" in the Mild formula (they last a long time)

I use a lavender goats milk bar on my face and body. The liquid cleansers are fine for me during the hot humid summer, but harsh and cause scaley patches in the winter. Send me a message and I will gladly cut off a slice from a new bar and mail it to you for you to try!

I also have sensitive but oily skin. Aveeno bars with colloidal oatmeal I did very well with. Also Clinique's soaps, they have a couple of formulas I think. Now I am dead cheap and lazy and I use Yardly oatmeal soap but my skin isn't as sensitive as yours. I like Aveeno products pretty much overall, for a less expensive option.

Not a bar but I would also recommend Cerave - https://www.cerave.com/our-products/cleansers/hydrating-facial-cleanser. I use it without water followed by a makeup wipe. Odd but seems to work. My daughter has sensitive skin and really likes Simple's Cleansing Oil http://www.simpleskincare.com/our-products/product/hydrating-cleansing-oil.html.

No one needs the added stress of fussy skin! Hope you find a good solution.

OCM can be for all skin types. It does a good job of lifting makeup and sunscreen. Using one of the gentle cleansers afterwards removes most of the oil but there's enough to provide a light occlusive to slow TEWL, if the routine is simple.

My dry skin was oily because of dehydration. Harsh products for "oily skin" were the culprits because I had no idea what was happening. I think that I finally have it in the normal range. My teen daughter also uses hydrating products. That's especially important since she uses some OTC products for breakouts and they're drying.

All of the above can be shortened to:

Use hydrating products that your skin likes. Then, your skin won't get oily or dry. Breakouts reduce. It feels, and looks, really good!

I don't think bar or liquid matters, necessarily. How your skin reacts to certain ingredients is the important thing.

I love CeraVe Hydrating Facial Cleanser. My husband gets a little oily and he uses the formula for normal/oily. I used cetaphil for a long time, but then my skin needed a bit more moisture. I have never used a bar soap on my face. I use rosehip oil after washing my face for moisturizer. Sounds weird, but it does not leave my skin oily.

I have always had sensitive skin too and find bars are drying for me. Especially now that I am old. I tried CereVe and hated it. My face did not feel clean. I took a wash cloth and ran it over my face and actual makeup and dirt came off after I had supposedly washed my face. DD said she had the same experience.

In fairness, I almost always use a cleansing oil before I use a liquid cleanser. I massage it in, including my under eyelids. The one I use is Bobbi Brown and 3 squirts is plenty. It lasts a long time. I know some people who use evoo. Then I use a mild gel cleanser by Revision. There are other cheaper products I’m sure, but this one is mild and works for me. Aveeno is a good product known to be mild.

Amy, I would look for something gentle, made for sensitive skin.

I've used Olay Foaming Face Wash for Sensitive Skin for years. Started having trouble finding it in the pump bottle, so I stocked up with an online order. Now I can't find it anywhere. Guess I'll be looking for something new when my supply is gone.

I use Cera Ve foaming facial cleanser. I don’t wear foundation so I don’t have a problem cutting through makeup. I use something else to remove mascara before I wash my face.

I always come back to this inexpensive Trader Joe's oatmeal and honey bar soap. It has almost no fragrance and doesn't dry my skin out, even in the wintertime. I also have good luck with Kiss My Face olive oil bar soaps in any variety, but it's a little more drying for me. tj's soap

I have a mild case of rosacea and part of that is really sensitive eyes. I use a combination of Clinque products and Aveeno products with no problems

In the winter, when the air is very dry, I adhere to my Dove only routine but pat on a little coconut oil in the morning and night after washing. I use it on my face, neck, chest, elbows, hands, and feet. No, it's not greasy and doesn't clog pores (just the opposite on me).

I do use a makeup remover wipe, mostly to save my own wash cloths, but I wash the oily residue off afterwards. I've been buying Neutrogena wipes and like them very much, but am not sure it makes much difference about the brand.

All my facial products are either Orlane or Caudalie. Lately, I have been using the Caudalie foaming cleanser to clean my face.

Wow! You all are a wealth of information. I just found my face cleanser yesterday. It was packed away in a bag.

I use was Cindymac uses. It is Olay for sensitive skin. It is a foaming cleanser. Mine doesn't foam though. Not sure why they call it that.

I think my face is already looking better! Fingers crossed it was just the terrible soap I was using for a week.

Am I the only one who doesn't like liquid soaps for the face or body? I use liquid soaps in the kitchen and bath for hand washing, but I do not like them on my body.

Nope, I much prefer bar soap for face and bathing. The only exception is Clinique foaming cleanser which I occasionally use to remove heavy sunblock and makeup. Otherwise bar soap all the way.

I was reading that for some who cannot use bar soap bc it dries out their face... it helps for it to contain glycerin.

I'm still pretty oily/combo even at my age.

I used to like bar soap but it got too drying for me. Even Dove.

Amy I am glad you figured out your facial cleanser. Olay seems to make a lot of good products. I may have to try that one. Sometimes packaging changes and it is frustrating to go try to find your ‘old’ favorite thing when it has simply been repackaged and is unrecognizable.

it is frustrating to go try to find your ‘old’ favorite thing when it has simply been repackaged and is unrecognizable.

^^^This is so true. Somewhat related, the lotion company redesigned my face lotion container, putting the same amount in a taller, pump bottle. Do they think I think I’m getting more product now? No, I can read the label and see I’m getting the same amount, probably at an increased cost, and only the bottle is bigger. And now it doesn’t fit as nicely in a quart sized baggie for travel. Doesn’t anyone in that company fly and put their toiletries into a baggie for TSA checks? Why couldn’t they leave well enough alone? I’ve kept an old pump bottle and refill it for travel.

hhireno - perhaps the manufacturer was no longer able to get the same packaging and had to switch suppliers?

perhaps the manufacturer was no longer able to get the same packaging and had to switch suppliers?

Interesting idea, maybe that’s why they did it but I still think it was to make us think we were getting more product. All I know is the new bottle takes up more room in my quart sized travel baggie and that is mildly annoying. When packing, every inch counts. I was glad I still had an old bottle to use for travel.

I found any french mill soap or gel bar works well. Not much of a face make up gal. No reason, pretty even skin tones here. Never cared to cover the freckles. My father was having a heck of a time in his 60's with random itching. Dermatologist suggested he not shower daily and if he needed to, avoid soap of any kind on a daily basis. FF 20 years, I am almost there but took the Docs words to heart. So my face gets washed with the same soap as in my shower which at the moment is a french mill generic. Itching/drying can be brutal with some brands. Ivory was our mainstay growing up but at about 25 it was apparent it was too harsh for my "aging" skin. LOL!! I wouldn't touch anything by Johnson and Johnson. Years ago when taking new baby classes we were told of the fallacy of their "no tears" soap and then the baby powder law suit. Thank the Lord I believed the nurses and not the commercials on these items!!! Fool me once, shame on you, fool me twice shame on ME. Never going there!!!

CindyMac,

Just read your comments, and thought I'd try your Olay facial cleanser. FYI,

it's in stock at Walmart. Thanks for the recommendation.

Late to the party, but glad you found your facial cleaner. A dermatologist recommended Basis or Purpose to me when in my twenties. I prefer Basis and have used it for years. It is usually found with the cosmetics, rather than with regular bar soap. (I just did a search and see they both contain glycerin as you mentioned above.)

Dermatologist rec Cerave and I love it.