Reddit reviews Holika Holika Aloe 99% Soothing Gel, 8.5 Ounce

I love the fact that there are quality brands that do lovely packaging--not so much in purchasing for me, but I've made a couple of gift baskets and it really makes a difference in presentation. Would much rather have this in a gift basket than say anything from Cosrx.

Holika Holika has an aloe gel that I've seen recommended a lot in /r/Asianbeauty.

Also want to say... Moisturize! Like a lot. Your skin heals so much better if it's well moisturized.

You cleanse first and then moisturize. You want a gentle cleanser, possibly from a brand considered safe: Cetaphil, Vanicream, Aveeno, CeraVe.

And a no-frill moisturizer, perhaps from one of the brands above (I'll add to the list The Ordinary Normal Moisturizing Factors, First Aid Beauty Face Moisturizer). I'd suggest Vanicream Lite Lotion, it's supposed to be light and I haven't seen too many people have bad things to say about it. People with oily skin also use aloe gels. There's Benton Aloe Propolis Soothing Gel, or Holika Holika Aloe Soothing Gel.

And if you care about anti-aging in the long run, add a sunscreen step for the AM. I suggest Klairs Soft Airy UV Essence or Suncover SPF 30 if you can get it (they don't ship to the Americas atm). If you have oily skin and find the sunscreen on top of the moisturizer makes you too oily or you like to save time, you can even skip the moisturizer in the morning, just wash and put sunscreen on your face if that works for you. And moisturize in the evening.

Adding in Holika Holika 99% Aloe Soothing Gel! It's enormous, cheap, and incredibly soothing and cooling. At first I just used it if I got too much sun or wind, but now I've started integrating it into my daily routine, and my skin is loving it! It gives a nice, fresh cooling sensation when it goes on, then dries matte without any stickiness and helps keep redness at bay.

There were a bunch of product recommendations for the Holika Holika 99% Aloe Soothing Gel in the gift thread the other day. Definitely looking forward to buying it. But you might not get it in time so I would recommend using a heavy moisturizer and drinking lots of water!

You sound a lot like me, I had perfect skin before I turned 20, now a few years later I too am taking spironolactone 100 mg. I also look pale and tired haha. I see you're using phloretin CF, that has a lot of alcohol in it. Have you considered CE Ferulic? Similar price point I believe. I hate cerave/cetaphil, I use Elta foaming facial cleanser once a day (in the AM I use bioderma sensibio micellar h2o). For looking "poreless" not really but something that has helped a lot is biologique recherche p50 lotion. It is an active so you can't go too hard, but I love it. I also use prescription tazorac, a retinoid. What helps my skin stay hydrated is using many layers of mostly Asian Beauty products, ones that contain aloe, propolis, hyaluronic acid, snail mucin, etc. and spraying rose water in between. If you're interested in specifics let me know! I will say my favorites are the vita propolis ampoule, this aloe gel, this sake toner, and this snail essence

Dr. Lin Daily Hydrating Gel is a popular one. It's not 100% aloe, but I've used it and it looks just like aloe vera gel (no fragrance, totally clear, gel texture), which makes me believe it's mostly aloe. Aloe vera alone isn't very hydrating, so this moisturizer has hyaluronic acid and glycerin to help add some moisture to your skin. It's pretty lightweight.

Holika Holika 99% Aloe Soothing Gel is another popular one.

If you don't like those, I will say that aloe vera is really really easy to grow at home :)