Angie asks: I’m interested in trying a mousse cleanser. I was going to try the Olay Definity Mousse Cleanser, but I noticed that the 3rd ingredient was butane; is it ok to wash you face with lighter fluid?

Right Brain replies:
Thanks for this interesting question Angie.  It never occurred to me but butane is an ingredient found in some lighter fluids.  First, NO it is NOT OK to wash your face with lighter fluid!  However, it is OK to use Olay Definity Mousse Cleanser even though it contains butane.  To understand why, we’ll have to explain a bit about aerosols and butane chemistry.

What is an Aerosol?

Olay Definity Mousse Cleanser is an an aerosol.  It is a liquid product put in a pressurized can that is easily dispensed by pressing a button (or actuator).  For more about aerosols, go back and read our series called Adorable Aerosols or better yet, download the Free Beauty Brains Basic Cosmetic Science Report.

So, for an aerosol to work there needs to be a propellant that forces the product out of the container.  In Olay Definity Mousse Cleaner, the propellant is butane.

Butane pushes out the product

Butane is a hydrocarbon that exists as a gas at room temperature and normal pressures.  But when you increase the pressure, like they do in an aerosol, the butane becomes liquid and mixes with other cleanser ingredients like surfactants & moisturizers.  When you press the button, pressure is reduced and butane (along with the cleanser) comes rushing out.  Immediately, butane turns to gas and disappears into the atmosphere.  Very little, if any, gets on your face.

Why Lighter Fluid?

Butane also happens to be flammable like many other quick evaporating liquids like alcohol.  This makes it useful as an energy source for lighters.  Fortunately, it will only catch fire when you expose it to a flame. This is true of almost all aerosol propellants.  It’s also the reason why in the United States, the FDA requires the following warnings on all aerosol products.

“Warning — FLAMMABLE.  Do not use near fire, flame or sparks.  Avoid spraying in eyes. Contents under pressure. Do not puncture or incinerate. Do not store at temperature above 120° F. Keep out of reach of children. Use only as directed. Intentional misuse by deliberately concentrating and inhaling the contents can be harmful or fatal.“

Beauty Brains Bottom line

While Butane is an ingredient found in lighter fluid, that is not the only thing it can be used for.  It’s quick evaporating characteristic makes it a great material for use in aerosol personal care products.  Of course, it also contributes to the build-up of greenhouse gases which if left unchecked could lead to disastrous, irreversible climate changes but that’s a whole different subject.

I was recently reading Dina’s post about Clarisonic on the excellent beauty blog Are You a Beauty? We’ve been asked about the product a few times on the Beauty Brains and have even gotten a sample from the company to review. All of the Brains tried it but we never posted a review for a few reasons.

Clarisonic evaluation

First, it cleans your face well. Your skin almost tingles when you’re done and that’s fun. However, it is a bit of pain to use. It’s just much easier to use an exfoliating product like St. Ives Apricot scrub and a daily facial wash. You pretty much get the same effect.

Second, it doesn’t really look good in my bathroom. You have to leave it on the charger when you’re not using it which means it’s on the counter top clashing with the fabulous decor.

Third, it’s not worth the money. $195 for this? Then another $25 for replacement brushes. I don’t know. If it gave results much better than regular products maybe, but it doesn’t. That money would be better spent on a cute pair of shoes.

Of course if you are curious feel free to click on this Clarisonic Brush for more information. Maybe you go for gadgets more so than most of the Beauty Brains. (Not counting Sarah of course).

Clarisonic recall

But this isn’t the reason for writing this post. The real reason is that Dina’s post reminded me of a letter the Beauty Brains recently received from the company that makes Clarisonic. According to them, they are recalling any unit that was made prior to July 2007 is being recalled. It turns out there is some kind of electronic problem in the handle that makes it get really hot. So hot that it might actually catch fire. If you purchased one before July 2007, be sure to contact the company to get a replacement.

Slique says: Is it true that Sodium Lauryl Sulfate (SLS) in facial cleansers is bad for your skin? I find that whenever I use a cleanser with SLS my skin will feel a lil’ bit dry.

The Right Brain responds:
Sodium Lauryl Sulfate and its cousin Sodium Laureth Ether Sulfate (SLES) are favorite topics here on the Beauty Brains. We’ve blogged before about how they are good cleaners, but they can dry your skin if you’re not careful.

Does that make sulfate based products bad? Not necessarily, because it depends on what else is in the formula. A well formulated product that uses sulfates in combination with milder surfactants or with conditioning agents that prevent the skin from becoming too stripped, are perfectly fine for most people.

So that made us curious – how many face washes DO use sulfates? A quick trip to Drugstore.com shows that none of the top ten brands used SLS, but we did notice that 7 of these 10 used other sulfates to some degree.

So if you’re looking for sulfate free and you want to pick a good face wash, here’s the list of ten face washes ranked from least expensive to most expensive (based on cost per ounce) with all the cleansing agents spelled out .

Skin Milk Face Wash - contains little sulfates

Cost: $0.66/oz

Surfactants: Stearic Acid based soap, Glycereth 26, Cocamide DEA, Sodium Laureth 13 Carboxylate, PEG 100 Stearate, Sodium Laureth Sulfate

Comments: Stearic acid soaps give a whipped creamy kind of foam.

Olay Foaming Face Wash for Sensitive Skin - contains little sulfates

Cost: $0.75/0z

Surfactants: Sodium Myristoyl Sarcosinate, PEG 120 Methyl Glucose Dioleate, Sodium Lauroamphoacetate, Disodium Lauroamphodiacetate, Sodium Trideceth Sulfate, Sodium Laureth Sulfate, Cocamide MEA

Comments: A surprisingly low cost formula considering the range of mild surfactants.

Seabreeze Naturals Foaming Face Wash - contains a lot of sulfates

Cost: $0.75/oz
Surfactants: Sodium Laureth Sulfate, PEG 120 Methyl Glucose Dioleate

Comments:

Basis Clean Face Wash - contains a lot of sulfates

Cost: $0.92/oz
Surfactants: Cocamidopropyl Betaine, Sodium Laureth Sulfate, Lauryl Glucoside, PEG 7 Glyceryl Cocoate, Sodium Cocoyl Glutamate, PEG 8, Glyceryl Laurate, PEG 200 Hydrogenated Glyceryl Palmate,

Comments: The combination of betaine and laureth sulfate is one of the most popular mixtures for shampoos.

Neutrogena Deep Clean Facial Cleanser - contains sulfonates, not sulfates

Cost: $1.08/oz

Surfactants: Sodium C14-16 Olefin Sulfonate, Cocamidopropyl Betaine, Sodium C12-15 Pareth-15 Sulfonate

Comments: This formula will certainly deep clean since it uses sulfonates, a class of surfactants as stripping, if not more stipping, than any of the sulfates.

Purpose Gentle Cleansing Wash - contains moderate sulfates

Cost: $1.08/oz

Surfactants: PEG 80 Sorbitan Laurate, Sodium Laureth Sulfate, Cocamidopropyl Betaine,

Comments: This is essentially a baby shampoo formula.

Desert Essence Thoroughly Clean Face Wash - contains no sulfates

Cost: $1.15/oz

Surfactants: Castile Soap

Comments: No sulfates to be found but pure soap can also be drying to the skin.

Nature’s Gate Deep Cleansing Foaming Face Wash - contains a lot of sulfates

Cost: $1.20/oz

Surfactants: Sodium Laureth Sulfate, Disodium Laureth Sulfosuccinate, Sodium Lauroyl Sarcosinate, Cocamidopropyl Betaine, Cocamide MIPA,

Comments:

Biore Pore Minimizing Foaming Face Wash - contains moderate sulfates

Cost: $1.66/oz

Surfactants: Sodium Cocoyl Isethionate, Isethionate, Sodium Laureth Sulfate, Decyl Glucoside, Cocamidopropyl Betaine

Comments: Isethionates are very rich foaming and mild to the skin.

Kiss My Face Organics Jump Start Exfolliating Face Wash - contains no sulfates

Cost: $3.25/oz

Surfactants: Decyl Glucoside

Comments: A mild, corn based cleanser but certainly not worth almost 3 times more than Biore, the next most expensive product.

The Beauty Brains bottom line

If you’re looking for a sulfate free face wash, the relatively low levels of SLES in and Skin Milk and Olay look like they’re the best value.

What’s YOUR favorite way to clean your kisser? Leave a comment and share the products you like with the rest of the Beauty Brains community.

Sherry’s peroxide predicament: I have extremely oily skin and have experimented over the years with several different face washes in an attempt to find one that cleanses deeply without over-drying. I have discovered that botanical based gel washes followed by a moisturizer rich in dimethicone work best in my case. I have also discovered that mixing in a little hydrogen peroxide with my face wash works even better. It completely removes any traces of excess oil and makeup without drying me out completely, and it’s completely eliminated my occasional breakouts. I’ve been using this cocktail with great results for a few years now with no problem. Is this safe for my skin?

Fore Brain’s free radical reply:
Sherry, it seems that most of the ingredients in your skin regimen are quite safe with possible exception of hydrogen peroxide. Although not totally conclusive, scientific evidence points to the fact that long term use of hydrogen peroxide on your face may result in skin damage. The quick answer is that if you are concerned about wrinkles and skin damage, hydrogen peroxide may not be for you.

A little about hydrogen peroxide

Hydrogen Peroxide (aka H2O2) is the liquid you get in a brown opaque bottle at the pharmacy, and for years has been used for all sorts of bleaching as well as an antiseptic to clean wounds. However, as of a few years ago, this practice has been discontinued since hydrogen peroxide was deemed too harsh for wound treatment. This is probably indication that it can’t be that good for your face either. The primary concern with hydrogen peroxide is its oxidative effect when it contacts other materials. The oxidation is what kills the bacteria; however, as per recent discoveries in free radicals and skin damage, it may also result in skin cell destruction and premature skin ageing. The free radical theories can get pretty complicated but I’ll try to explain it in simple terms.

Free radicals are just lonely

A molecule like hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) is basically a water (H2O) combined with an oxygen (O) and it takes energy to hold that extra oxygen molecule onto the whole structure for several chemistry-related reasons that are too advanced for the scope of this article. The bottom line is, when the hydrogen peroxide molecule touches other materials, it gets a chance to fall apart to a more relaxed state of H2O (water) and the O (oxygen) that it nearly always takes. The problem however, is that oxygen molecules like to travel in pairs, and the newly released oxygen molecule will look for another oxygen to attach itself to. While the oxygen molecule is alone and looking for its pair, it is quite unbalanced, and can result in damage to the cells, DNA, as well as other cell components. The lone oxygen molecule looking for its partner is an example of a free radical.

Unfortunately, according to this theory, when we apply hydrogen peroxide to our skin, on a very tiny molecular level, it breaks down into water and the lone oxygen molecule that causes damage to the skin cells resulting in premature aging. (This kind of damage also happens normally with time from effects of the sun or the environment.)

The Beauty Brains bottom line

So is an acne spot treatment of hydrogen peroxide once in a while going to ruin your skin? Probably not. However, long-term use over large areas of skin (ie. your whole face), is something I wouldn’t recommend if you want your skin to stay healthy for a long time. If you do want some tips on how to manage your oily skin without the use hydrogen peroxide, check out this site.

Fun Fact: Highly concentrated hydrogen peroxide is often used in rocket fuel because of its oxygenating abilities!

References:

Meneghini, R., (1991) Iron homeostasis, oxidative stress, and DNA damage. Free Radical Biology and Medicine, 23, 783-792.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hydrogen_peroxide
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oxidative_stress
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reactive_oxygen_species

Joan’s Worried About Her Spa Indulgence: I just had a wonderful spa facial using Guinot products and I splurged and bought the cleanser. I know I probably overspent, but I did like the feel & smell of the product, as well as getting a recommendation from an esthetician (as opposed to a salesperson at Macy’s). Can you tell me anything about it?

The Right Brain lets her down easy:
Well Joan, as we always say, if you like what you bought and you can afford it, then you made a good purchase. But since you asked, here’s what we really think:

Based on the ingredient list you sent us, this Guinot cleanser appears to be a decent, but high-priced, cleanser. The salons we looked at online charged an average of $30 for Guinot cleansers which seems like an incredible amount of money to spend on something you rinse off your face. This product doesn’t appear to give you anything special that’s worth that high price tag. Using the ingredient list you sent us as a guide, let’s take a look at their formula:

Ingredients:

Water, glycerin, sodium lauryl sulfate, hydrogenated vegetable oil,coco-Betaine, disodium lauryl sulfosuccinate, cetearyl alcohol, sodium cocoyl isethionate,zea mays starch,coco-glucoside, PEG-7 glyceryl coconate,stearic acid, glycol distearate, mica, glycine soja oil, PEG-120 methyl glucose dioleate, fragrance, hydrogenated castor oil, linoleic acid, titanium dioxide, triethanolamine, acrylates/C10-30 alkyl acrylate crosspolymer, citric acid, propylene glycol, trisodium EDTA, glycine soja sterols, butylene glycol, aloe barbadensis leaf juice, magnesium chloride, magnesium nitrate, usnea barbata extract, tocopherol, methlchloroisothiazolinone, methlisothiazolinone, red33, red4

Here’s a breakdown of the major ingredients by function:

Solvents/Carrying Agents:

Water, Glycerin

Surfactants/cleansers:

Sodium lauryl sulfate, hydrogenated vegetable oil, coco-Betaine,disodium lauryl sulfosuccinate, sodium cocoyl isethionate, coco-glucoside, PEG-7 glyceryl coconate, PEG-120 methyl glucose dioleate,hydrogenated castor oil

Ingredients that sound good but don’t do anything:

Zea mays, glycine soja sterols, aloe barbadensis leaf juice, usnea barbata extract, tocopherol,

Thickners/opacifiers:

Stearic acid, glycol distearate, acrylates/C10-30 alkyl acrylate crosspolymer

Whitening agents/appearance modifiers:

Mica, titanium dioxide

Control agents/Processing aids:

Triethanolamine (neutralizing) citric acid (pH control) propylene glycol, butylene glycol, magnesium chloride, magnesium nitrate

Preservatives:

Methlchloroisothiazolinone, methlisothiazolinone, trisodium EDTA

Colorants:

Red 33, Red4

Smelly stuff:

Fragrance

Sodium lauryl sulfate is a classic cleanser which is used because it provides decent foam, it’s relatively mild, and it’s very inexpensive. The other detergents are good examples of more mild, upscale cleansing agents. Nothing here that seems to indicate anything special, but certainly more costly than the run of the mill mass market formulas you’ll find in your supermarket or drug store. This doesn’t mean it performs any better, but they are making an attempt to use more upscale ingredients.

Probably just as good, but cheaper:

Everyone has their fave products, but here are some comparable cleansers (based on looking at their ingredients) that you might try if you want to save a few dollars:

St. Ives Clear Pore Cleanser

Neutrogena Fresh Foaming Cleanser

Garnier Detoxifying Cream Cleanser

From The Beauty Brains Forum Member: Karen

What’s pink and white and vibrates all over? If you’re Sarah Bellum, you probably have an X-rated answer. But if you said the Neutrogena Wave Power-Cleanser, then you may have discovered a fun and effective brand new gadget you can use to clean your face.

According to Neutrogena, it’s called the Wave because it’s “the next wave in cleansing.” Information from its marketing company says it will “take your skincare routine to a new level” by sweeping away layers of dead skin cells. But do you really need to go to the next level? What’s wrong with simply washing your face to maintain healthy skin as you age?

Exfoliation Nation

To answer these questions, we have to talk about something today’s beauty-conscious woman thinks about as part of her personal skin care regimen that her mother probably didn’t. That something is exfoliation. Exfoliation, simply put, is the process of removing dead skin cells from the outer layer of your skin. That might sound harsh but exfoliation is actually a natural process of the body. When you’re under thirty, your skin sheds its dead epidermis about every 25 days on its own. Once you hit 30, however, this process slows down. That’s not a good thing if your goal is beautiful skin. If that top layer of dead skin cells stays put for too long, your complexion may appear dull and uneven. It can also feel rough or dry to the touch.

Exfoliation is an important step in your cleansing routine to expose younger skin underneath. If you do it regularly, you can improve your skin’s texture and help stimulate the production of new cells and collagen. The shedding process also unclogs pores to prevent blemishes from forming and allows your skin care products to reach deeper into the epidermis for better results. Additionally, it provides a smoother surface for your foundation to glide evenly over your face. Simply put, if you want healthy and radiant skin, you need to exfoliate.

Scrub-a-dub-dub

But who should do your exfoliation? You have choices. You can go to an esthetician and pay for her professional services. You can also do it yourself at home using a microdermabrasion kit or a facial scrub. Putting your skin in the hands of an esthetician might be a safe choice but it’s also an expensive one. On the other hand, do-it-yourself microdermabrasion kits can be intimidating if you don’t have the confidence or experience using them. I use facial scrubs, the simplest of the choices, but I’ll admit that I haven’t always had good results. That’s because my skin is prone to redness and excessive vascularity. My experience has been that if I apply too much pressure, my skin becomes red, blotchy, and hypersensitive. This is sometimes referred to as “Angry Face Syndrome,” and believe me, it’s nothing to smile about.

Love the Wave!

Recently, Neutrogena’s Wave Power-Cleanser with Deep Clean Foaming Pads came into my life. I’ve used it every night for one week and now I’m hooked. Here’s what I like about it:

• It delivers the perfect degree of gentle exfoliation that never damages my skin
• It’s fast and easy to use: I just attach a pre-dosed, single-use, textured pad to the top of it, run it under water, press the button, and glide it gently over my skin
• The gentle vibrating motion and tingly-cool foam gives my skin a nice, healthy glow rather than excessive redness
• My skin immediately feels softer and the dead skin cells that were problematic near my nose and chin are now gone
• It’s ultra light and comfortable to hold
• It can be used at a sink or in the shower
• It only takes up as much space as a bar of soap
• It’s been gentle enough for me to use every day

On the back of the box, Neutrogena says this device is clinically proven superior to manual cleansing in three ways:

1. 100% of women showed significantly deeper pore cleansing from its penetrating cool foam
2. Its massaging, vibrating action opens pores to remove dirt, oil, and makeup and stimulates the skin’s surface
3. You’ll see immediate softer, smoother skin after just one use

While I can’t substantiate their claims, I did find the Wave to be one cool little gadget for consistent and gentle exfoliation with a click of the button. It requires a single AA battery included with the starter kit, as well as a two week supply of single-use, disposable cleansing pads. It comes in pink, turquoise, or apple-green color schemes. And the price? The starter kit sells for $12.99 and a 10-pack of refills pads is $7.49.

So now you know why I’m excited about my new pink and white vibrating gadget. Sarah Bellum, on the other hand, might have an entirely different story to tell you.

Have YOU caught the Wave? Leave a comment and let us know. Or, you can start a thread and talk to Karen directly in the Beauty Brains Forum. And if you’re interested in getting free goodies of your own, join the Forum now and show us you’ve got what it takes to be a Beauty Brainiac!

Angela asks: I recently read about Plank’s Cor Soap and I’m intrigued. Does it live up to its claims? Is this bar of soap so fantastic that it’s worth $125? Thanks for any answers you may be able to provide. Here are the claims:

“Cor utilizes the unique properties of silver…and its healing properties speed cell growth and repair. Cor also contains four different types of Collagen; Chitosan, to even out skin tone and balance oil levels; and Sericin, a silk extract, to lock moisture in and keep UV rays out. This one product cleanses, removes makeup, evens out the skin tone, fades sun spots, maintains the skin’s natural moisture factor, replenishes lost
collagen, and has UV protection.”

The Right Brain CORresponds:
Hang on Angela, I’ll answer your question as soon as I finish this phone call. “Hello? Yes, I’d like to buy 10,000 shares of Plank, the company that makes Cor soap. Why? Because they found a way to convince people to spend $125 on a bar of soap and I want a piece of that action!” Ok, now that I’ve gotten that out of the way, let’s look at ingredients you asked about.

Cor’s Silver Bullet?

The antimicrobial properties of silver are well documented (it works by denaturing the sulfide bonds in bacterial proteins, according to at least one theory.) However, these properties are more relevant to wound care than skin cleansing. As we recently blogged, you don’t need to use antibacterial soaps because regular soap does a fine job as long as you wash properly.

Collagen can’t cut it

Collagen is an important structural protein that gives the deeper layers of your skin structure. Since it’s a very large molecule, collagen can’t penetrate the skin from the outside. So a soap or skin lotion with collagen does nothing to replenish the skin’s native collagen.

Chitosan is questionable

Chitosan is an effective film former and can be part of an effective moisturizing lotion formula.  But at best it’s questionable that it can do anything to to “balance out oil.” At worst, chitosan can’t be delivered from a rinse of product so it won’t do anything from this soap.

Silk is not sun safe

Sericin is not an effective UV absorber. Protein molecules just don’t work that way. Secondly, since this is a rinse off product, there are very few sunscreen ingredients that can be delivered from a rinse off product. (See our previous post on Freeze 24/7 for an example of a rinse off sunscreen that really works.

The Beauty Brains Bottom Line

The ingredients used in Cor do not justify its high price tag. Furthermore, some of their supposed benefits (like fading sun spots and providing UV protection) border on being drug claims yet their not using active ingredients that will deliver those benefits. But if you’re determined to throw your money away, you can get a sample of Cor soap for mere $12.

David’s Dilemma: For quite some time, I’ve been using High Endurance Body Wash by Old Spice, and decided to cut some steps and pick up the “new” Hair AND Body Wash. While in the shower I checked out the ingredients and they seem to be the EXACT same as the body wash. I read your post about similarities between body washes and shampoos, but are these formulas the exact same? Did I just pay for the words Hair AND Body wash? Please tell me they are slightly
different, besides the color of the liquid.

The Left Brain’s sobering reply:
David, I always wondered what the average male thinks about in the shower. But I never suspected that the answer is “Old Spice!” (The Spice Girls, maybe, but Old Spice?) Anyway, to answer your plea, yes they are SLIGHTLY different. For a comparison, here are the ingredient lists.

Old Spice Body Wash Ingredients

Water, Sodium Laureth Sulfate, Cocamidopropyl Betaine, Sodium Sulfate, Fragrance, Sodium Lauroyl Sarcosinate, Lauryl Alcohol, Decyl Glucoside, DMDM Hydantoin, Lauryl Glucoside, Tetrasodium EDTA, Citric Acid, Polyquaternium 10, Green 3, Green 5, Red 33

Old Spice Shampoo + Body Wash Ingredients

Water, Sodium Laureth Sulfate, Sodium Sulfate, Cocamidopropyl Betaine, Fragrance, Sodium Lauroamphoacetate, Citric Acid, Sodium Benzoate, Polyquaternium 10, Disodium EDTA, Methylchloroisothiazolinone, Methylisothiazolinone, Green 3, Red 33

3 differences between body wash and shampoo

First, there is a slightly different combination of the main detergents. This should make the shampoo version foam a bit more. Second, the shampoo version has less conditioning ingredients in it so it could be a bit more harsh on your skin. Third, they’ve changed the preservative in the shampoo using an ingredient called Kathon instead of DMDM Hydantoin. (You already pointed out the color difference!)

The Beauty Brains bottom line

There really isn’t much difference. In fact, I would suspect that if were given the products on a blinded basis, you wouldn’t be able to tell a difference between them. So yeah, you pretty much paid for the words. The regular body wash would work fine as a shampoo too.

Evie Asks:
I read that antibacterial soaps aren’t any better than plain soap. Does that mean the Dial has been lying to me?

The Right Brain replies:
According to a University of Michigan study, antibacterial soaps are no better than regular soap when it comes to killing bacteria. Even worse, Triclosan (the antibacterial agent in typical hand soaps) may even help some bacteria develop resistance to antibiotics like amoxicillin.

Is Anti-bacterial soap really pro-bacteria?

The study, published in the August edition of Clinical Infectious Diseases reviews 27 studies conducted between 1980 and 2006, and found that the kinds of Triclosan-based antibacterial soaps sold to consumers were no better than plain soaps for removing bacteria and for preventing symptoms of infectious diseases.

Furthermore, the study, led by U-M School of Public Health’s Allison Aiello, found that e-coli bacteria could survive exposure to the low levels of Triclosan used in consumer products.

Was Dial lying?

Not necessarily. Triclosan is recognized to be an effective antimicrobial agent. In fact, hospitals-grade products use Triclosan at higher, more efficacious, levels. But apparently whatever testing was done by Dial (and other companies that sell antibacterial soaps) didn’t fully reflect real world usage conditions. Remember, the FDA does not control the amount of Triclosan in antibacterial soaps for consumers nor do they regulate any testing. According to the article, this U-M study is the first time the effects of these soaps were studied clinically.

What does this mean for you?

Don’t be lazy when you wash you hands! Regular soap and water work wonders as long as you don’t skimp on the scrubbing. But if you’re still bothered by bugs, consider using a hand sanitizer like Jao. (It’s made with essential oils! It’s expensive! It’s Jao!) According to the researchers, alcohol-based products like this are not an issue.

Jennifer has a question about using facial cleansers as moisturizers. I`ve heard a dermatologist say to use Aquanil to cleanse and to moisturize any dry patches. I use a product called Cerave as a cleanser and I`m wondering if it`s okay to use that as a moisturizer? I`m worried that using a cleanser/detergent on my face might irritate it or cause redness.” The Left Brain responds:

I totally agree with you Jen - it doesn’t make sense to leave ANY detergent-containing product on the skin as a moisturizer. Especially one like Aquanil that contains Sodium Lauryl Sulfate. The Cerave product looks like it would be a pretty mild cleanser because it doesn`t contain any of the standard harsh detergents, but some of those ingredients could be irritating too if left in contact with your skin. You’re better off finding a mild lotion and using that to moisturize.

What`s most puzzling to me is this: why would any dermatologist recommend using a detergent-containing product as a moisturizer when there are so many excellent facial lotions on the market? Has anyone else in the Beauty Brains community heard this recommendation?