Reddit reviews EltaMD Intense Face and Body Moisturizer for Very Sensitive & Dry Skin, Long-Lasting Moisturizing Lotion, Fragrance-Free, 2.8 oz

I don't have pictures of my pre-ScA skin, so those are the earliest ones I have.

Current Routine

AM

• water+konjac sponge
  
• GoW Salicylic Acid 2% serum every other morning
  
• sebamed clear face care gel
  
• Bioderma Photoderm Max Ultra Fluid
  
  

  PM
  

  
  

• DIY cleansing oil (94.4% high linoleic safflower oil, 5% cromollient SCE, .5% optiphen)
  
• GoW Lactic Acid 8% exfo pads every other night
  
• Clindamycin Phosphate 1%
  
• sebamed clear face care gel
  
• high linoleic safflower oil
  
• EltaMD Intense on and around my eyes and my smile line area

Hi! Due to the recent drama around here, a lot of the sidebar links take us to nowhere right now. The sidebar is usually a lot more welcoming! I think the mods are working on finding alternative sources of info, but in the meantime, here's a really good breakdown of how to evaluate your current routine to see how you might want to go about changing it, and here's sort of a crowd-sourced list of things the members here recommend, separated by skin type.

Until the beginner guides routines get retooled and put up, the search function might be a good place to start looking for recommendations, as well as sister subs like /r/AsianBeauty, /r/skincareaddicts, and /r/skincareaddictionuk, and outside sites like MakeupAlley and Beautypedia (although be aware of the bias towards Paula's Choice products here).

Now, as for your specific routine, you have a few options: you could look for a new cleanser and/or moisturizer, or you could add a few steps to your routine to level up on moisturizing. Which of these you choose to do and why is completely up to you, but here are a few common considerations among those whose skin feels dry or irritated.

• 1: your cleanser might be drying you out. Generally, the closer your cleanser is to skin's natural pH (around 5.5), the less it will disrupt your skin's barrier function, which helps protect your skin from bacteria, irritation, etc. I'm not familiar with your cleanser, but if it's above 5.5, this might be what's happening. Off the top of my head, commonly recommended cleansers at pH ~5.5 include: CeraVe foaming cleanser (found in most drug stores), CeraVe hydrating cleanser (ditto), Hada Labo Foaming. You can find more if you search this sub and places like /r/AsianBeauty (who have a spreadsheet color-coded by pH) and other subs linked here on the sidebar.
  
• 2: you want a heavier-duty moisturizer. This is pretty self explanatory. You might need something with more emollients and occlusives in it; emollients make your skin softer, while occlusives form a barrier over your skin to prevent water loss. Look for things with mineral oil or petroleum jelly (occlusives) and things like fatty alcohols (cetyl, stearyl, cetearyl) and oils for emollients. A lot of people on the sub like to recommend CeraVe in the tub or CeraVe PM as a starting point, but be aware that some people have negative reactions to fatty alcohols. EltaMD's Melting moisturizer is usually a safe bet, since it includes so few ingredients, and my all-time favorite is DML Daily Facial Moisturizer. Again, these are the things I can think of off the top of my head since I've used them, but the sub search will bring up plenty more.
  
• 3: you might want to keep your current products and consider adding in more steps to your routine. Like they say, if it ain't broke, don't fix it, right? If you know your current products aren't breaking you out and feel like your skin just needs a little push over the edge to get to Happy Moisture Land, you could just add in a step or two to your existing routine. One of the easiest changes would be to slap on a thin coat of Vaseline or Aquaphor at night after cleansing and moisturizing; these both act as occlusives to prevent moisture loss overnight. If that's not enough, you could also add in a humectant between cleansing and moisturizing. Humectants help to retain moisture, and they pull up water from the dermis to the epidermis. Common humectants include glycerin and hyaluronic acid, so ideally look for products with those in the ingredient list--you often find them in things categorized as toners (although, as a side note, beware of any toners that contain alcohol, which can be drying). Some people have bought vegetable glycerin from the store and love it, while others prefer light serums with hyaluronic acid, such as this (also available at Ulta with different packaging), this, or this. Finally, you could also include a separate emollient step, like incorporating a facial oil before your moisturizer. You can get a great sample pack of oils from Garden of Wisdom, or you can pick up something from a Whole Foods, a vitamin store, or any kind of natural foods store. Popular oils include jojoba, sunflower, safflower, coconut (this breaks some people out in a major way, though), rosehip, and meadowfoam.
  
  Anyway, this has turned into a comment of gargantuan proportions, but I hope this helps you in some way, shape, or form. In general, I really recommend using the search function, as there are droves of information on products, on pH-related stuff, on emollients/occlusives/humectants and what products contain which, etc. Don't forget to patch test any new products before putting them on your entire face, just to make sure they play nicely with your skin. I'd also be remiss if I didn't suggest adding in a sunscreen, but that's a topic for a whole different novel-sized comment.
  
  *Edited to add in a missing link

What moisturizers have you tried? Which one is working out for you right now (only making it red for 30 mins?). It can be helpful to compare ingredient lists of products that work/don't work

The adapting to products that irritate you really only works with actives like ahas, bhas, retinoids. If you're getting irritation from ingredients that give you contact dermatitis, you shouldn't be using those ingredients/products at all. Any ingredient can give you an allergic reaction, the more you use that ingredient, the more likely you are to get a reaction (this is especially true with fragrance, but can happen with lots of other ingredients).

Vanicream is a good brand for sensitive skin, the lite Lotion and moisturizing cream for sensitive skin have very bland formulas. Avene has a line of products for sensitive skin that is good too. You don't have to use a cleanser if you find it irritates your skin, just rinsing with water is fine. Using just Vaseline afterwards can work well. I recently purchased this moisturizer from Elta MD. The ingredients are simply petrolatum and paraffin. It's basically just their own version of Vaseline, but I kind of like it better. It melts into my skin and is less sticky.

If you want to experiment with using the moisturizer you're using now in the PM, then I suppose it wouldn't hurt to try it. Honestly though, normal moisturizers shouldn't cause any redness & it would be preferable for you to find a moisturizer that just simply calms & moisturizes your skin without causing any reaction.

Not as far as I know.

The tube is only $10 off Amazon and lasts quite some time because you don't need much. It's got a melty texture, like warms up really fast like coconut oil, but it's not liquidy if that makes sense?

My skin has been ok for me so far. I have had bad skin and suffered from acne for over 17 years. I think I finally found what works for me and I have already checked with my Dr. to make sure I can continue my normal skin care routine. I do have some chest acne but it's not too bad.

I did notice that many of the ladies on here have commented about dry skin. I had dry skin too for a looong time (pre-pregnancy of course). I tried so many moisturizers. Drugstore to high end and nothing worked. Then, some one on makeup alley suggested this!

It is a game changer! Very few ingredients, lasts forever as you only need a pea size amount and very affordable!

I also use a clarisonic every other night and it helps a lot. I know that is a pricy item and I probably would not buy one just for pregnancy but it works for me so I wanted to throw that out there.