Natural (but inexpensive) face creams?

BotticelliBrit

I'm really trying to be more natural with my skincare products as well as my hair products and am looking in to some face creams that don't break the bank.

I've come across these and wanted to know your thoughts:

Nutriganics™ Smoothing Night Cream:
Aqua (Solvent/Diluent), Glycerin (Humectant), Dicaprylyl Carbonate (Skin Conditioning Agent), Cocos Nucifera Oil (Emollient/Hair Conditioner), Olea Europaea Oil (Emollient), C12-16 Alcohols (Emollient), Orbignya Oleifera Seed Oil (Emollient), Silica (Absorbent), Cera Carnauba (Stabiliser/Viscosity Modifier), Glyceryl Stearate Citrate (Skin Conditioning Agent), Hydrogenated Lecithin (Skin Conditioning Agent), Palmitic Acid (Surfactant), Benzyl Alcohol (Preservative), Potassium Sorbate (Preservative), p-Anisic Acid (pH Modifier), Salicylic Acid (Preservative/Hair Conditioner), Xanthan Gum (Viscosity Modifier), Tocopherol (Antioxidant), Sodium Phytate (Chelating Agent), Parfum (Fragrance), Sodium Hydroxide (pH Adjuster), Linalool (Fragrance Ingredient), Citronellol (Fragrance Ingredient), Medicago Sativa Extract (Fragrance Ingredient), Buddleja Davidii Extract (Skin Conditioning Agent), Plantago Lanceolata Leaf Extract (Natural Extract), Sambucus Nigra Flower Extract (Natural Additive), Thymus Vulgaris Extract (Natural Additive), Malva Sylvestris Flower Extract (Natural Additive), Sodium Benzoate (Preservative), Limonene (Fragrance Ingredient), Alcohol (Solvent/Diluent), Vitis Vinifera Bud Extract (Skin Conditioning Agent), Citric Acid (pH Adjuster).

Aloe Soothing Night Cream:
Aloe barbadensis (Aloe Vera Gel) (Skin Soothing Agent), Glycerin (Humectant), Pentylene Glycol (Solvent), Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride (Emollient), Butylene Glycol (Humectant), Elaeis guineensis (Skin-Conditioning Agent), Glyceryl Stearate Citrate (Skin-Conditioning Agent), Isononyl Isononanoate (Emollient/Skin Conditioner), Myristyl Myristate (Emollient), Octyldodecanol (Emollient), Sesamum indicum (Sesame Oil) (Emollient), Squalane (Hair & Skin Conditioning Agent), Cetearyl Alcohol (Emulsifier), Cetyl Alcohol (Emulsifier), Butyrospermum parkii (Shea Butter) (Emollient), Aqua (Water) (Solvent/Diluent), Panthenol (Skin/Hair Conditioning Agent), Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer (Stabiliser/Viscosity Modifier), Xanthan Gum (Viscosity Modifier), Bisabolol (Skin Soothing Agent), Avena sativa (Absorbent).

Weleda Iris Hydrating Facial Lotion:
Water (Aqua), Simmondsia Chinensis (Jojoba) Seed Oil, Alcohol, Hamamelis Virginiana (Witch Hazel) Distillate, Glycerin, Glyceryl Linoleate, Hydrolyzed Beeswax, Magnesium Aluminum Silicate, Calendula Officinalis Extract, Iris Germanica Root Extract, Xanthan Gum, Sodium Beeswax, Fragrance (Parfum)*, Limonene*, Linalool*, Citronellol*, Geraniol*, Citral*. *from natural essential oils

claudine191

I've had excellent luck with Keys MetaCare. I blend it with my sunscreen during the day, and wear it alone at night. It feels very balancing.

BotticelliBrit

claudine191 wrote: »

I've had excellent luck with Keys MetaCare. I blend it with my sunscreen during the day, and wear it alone at night. It feels very balancing.

I'll look it up!

claudine191

I just ordered more, plus the Luminos Face Cream. A splurge, but vanity prevails sometimes.

ldymrmlde

I wouldn't use any of those. For me, they contain too many ingredients. My skin is sensitive so I am careful what I put on it.

I use Ayurvedic products from an etailer on Etsy. Her name is Zria.

She has a great polypeptide cream that works for my skin. She also has samples too.

sixelamy

I'm looking for one myself. All of them I've tried recently leave my face feeling kinda gunky, ew. Out of the ones you listed, I'd personally try the aloe one. There's drying ingredients in the other ones, that may or may not cause any problems. Hopefully the crosspolymer won't clog pores. I don't know what it is exactly, but it seems any hair product with any polymers clog my pores and I break out.

caramix3a

I'm with ldymmide with the assessment of those products posted by the original poster as being way too complicated. That's the trouble with many so-called natural items in the beauty world. However, there are people who are formulating beautiful and wonderful natural items that are simpler, but still have good things in them. I checked out that Ayurvedic line and it looks wonderful, and consciously crafted.:)
That said, if one is into DIY at all, it's surprisingly easy to craft a couple of things that will take one a long way, especially if one just wants to cleanse, tone, and moisturize, which is basically all that very dry, very reactive skin should be doing anyway. Most of the time, the heavy anti-aging stuff is contra-indicated for any kind of reactive skin anyway. My own skin isn't super-dry(even at age 67 I still have some oil in it)but it can be dehydrated at times, and it's also reactive. So I do have to be careful what I use. Last month, I got into using a mixture of coconut oil and raw honey as a facial cleanser(LOVE it!), and for years now I've been making my own body butter out of unrefined shea butter, coconut oil and a bit of vegetable glycerin. Sometimes I use this on my face when it needs a break from other products. But you know, I'm never tempted by commercial body lotions and creams because I like what I make much better. Cheaper too. There's a whole world out there on either finely-made natural creams and oils, and a ton of info about DIY too. Even if one picks up just one recipe that works for one for part of one's routine it's worthwhile, and increases one's sense of self-reliance.

claudine191

Nix the Luminos. Too sticky. Perhaps it works for those with dry skin.

Makes a nice but pricey hand cream, however.

blulight

Earth Science Almond Aloe unscented is good. Not a cream, a lotion, but gives good moisture, with very small amount, and the bottle is so big it can be used on the body too, or just the body/hands if it doesn't work out for the face. I haven't used it on its own, as I always apply a drop of some oil over moisturizer, to seal in moisture, so don't know how it would be alone. My skin is normal tending to dryness as I get older for the record. I can break out from some products, but haven't from this.

I've tried Andalou Naturals samples of their face creams, and they were very good too, good ingredients, moisture, and no break outs.

In eye cream thread I rec'd an eye cream from ingredientstodiefor.com, and also used some of their face creams/lotions/oils, and they are great. They are sold as bases, but I just use them alone, don't add anything, they are fine to me as they are, their AHA products are awesome. They are cheap, sample sizes last me forever, the only expensive thing is shipping, so that can be a con.

BotticelliBrit

Thanks for the suggestions blulight! I'll look in to Earth Science and Andalou

eveum

Scanned through the ingredients list, alcohol, perfume and irritating oils. You wouldn't put a drying alcohol on your hair, and hair is dead. Skin is a living organ. All bad and/or completely unnecessary for healthy skin.

Products or ingredients labeled as "natural" can be just as irritating and harmful as synthetic ones. It's quite irritating to see hair and skincare companies exploit consumers by labelling the same old harsh chemicals to appear more natural and thus "safer" or gentler, I've seen Aveda list 'coconut derived cleansing agents' on the back of their shampoos, nope it's just regular sodium lauryl sulfate. I've seen Aubrey Organics list Natural grain alcohol on their conditioners, nope it's chemically just ethanol.

I don't mean to rain on anyones parade or tell them that they shouldn't bother with only using natural ingredients. Just make sure you know what you're buying because most companies with this sort of product either completely try to confuse the customer by dressing up cheap potentially harmful or damaging ingredients on the ingredients label as being associated with nature, or cram essential oils and perfume into their products to convince the customer that it's made from natural ingredients and that somehow makes it superior.

The Body Shops Aloe range has a few very gentle products. I have not used all of them but I can vouch for the facial washes and cream cleansers.

ltlangeli

I have lupus and very sensitive skin. The Garden of Wisdom is a DIY in Arizona that is beyond wonderful. They are at www.gardenofwisdom.com

frckls

I wholeheartedly agree with Idymrmlde, caramix3a and eveum.

Many of the self-proclaimed "natural brand"s aren't really all that and charge an arm and leg with so-so and, often, irritating ingredients. Natural doesn't necessarily mean gentler and "chemical" really isn't that bad.
I used to be in the "natural" bandwagon but it did little-to-none and messed up with my skin. I ended up switching to products with "chemical" ingredients, but far gentler and works the way I want them to. I'm not against "natural products" per se, but I'm much more selective, just as with any other types of products I slather on my skin. Often case, the simpler the ingredient list, the better.

If you want to look into more natural skincare products, I'd suggest Silk Naturals and SkinActives. They both make amazing face and body products, with true-and tested, well-documented actives and ingredients. They always warn customers of potential irritation of some ingredients on several more potent actives.
Karen of SN is a very nice lady and other girls in the forum (Jen, especially) will help with the choosing. SA has quite a moody owner, but as long as you don't get to speak with her, they have nice CS.
ASDM Beverly Hills is another good one, but I haven't tried their products.

The brands that would be more largely available in retail with decent list of ingredients are Dr. Organic (more in UK and EU, though you can order from Holland & Barrett) and Yes To line.

caramix3a

I'm also in agreement with frckls about at one time trying to be "all natural" and not having it work. I did have to go back to some drugstore stuff, as it seems that I do best with that, and a couple of simple DIY natural things like I mentioned above. Often, a basic drugstore product does a better job for about a third of the price as some pricey natural product does. However, if one does really love said natural formulation and it agrees with one's skin, by all means use it.:)