Best men's facial cleansers?

I found Zirh very very harsh and actually made my acne much worse. I got the best results using slightly more gentle stuff. I’d go for the Elemis range. It’s slightly more pricey than Zirh but it’s very effective.

As a nurse in a derm office we recommend Dove cleansing bar. It doesn’t contain soap or anything harsh, it’s inexpensive and it doesn’t dry out your skin. Makes your face as soft as a baby’s behind (OK, maybe not the best analogy).

I should have read the details to your question…my bad. You should look in to getting a prescription Benzoyl peroxide wash from your primary care doc. It’s cheap and very effective for acne. Be careful with scrubs…they can do more harm than good as far as acne-prone skin. Moisturize with an oil free product such as Neutrogena.

I’ve used Phisoderm for a face cleanser (pH balancer), and Tea tree oil for a natural topical astringent. Natural seems to be the thing that works for occasional breakouts and flare ups from shaving.

I do not want to deal with prescriptions. I would prefer a product I can buy in the store, thus why I looked at Nivea or Neutrogena. Only product I would consider buying online is Joe Grooming.

@ccrash3: Do you think a scrub few times week with a daily cleanser and moisturizer would worsen my acne? I have very very mild acne. I only have a few blemishes and a few inflammed pimples (no white-heads).

If a picture helps, I’ll post.

Cetaphil is great for washing your face at night.
Head to the store and look for an OTC wash with benzoyl peroxide.

Unit:
I don’t believe a scrub is going to benefit acne-prone, oily skin on your face. Chest and back acne is different and could benefit from occasional, gentle exfolliation. Since you don’t want to deal with a RX, take thetmie’s advice and buy an OTC wash with benzoyl peroxide. People tend to want to treat acne with abrasive washes, scrubs, etc. but that only encourages more oil production. Wish you lived near me…I’d give you samples of stuff to try!

Any OTC cleanser with BP would work? Would that treat blemishes or would I need an additional product for blemishes?

Also, how would I switch from
Proactiv to an OTC? I don’t think a sudden switch would turn out well.

Oh yea, what are some products that have BP in it? I only know of Clearasil.

Would a face wash with salicylic acid work or must it have BP?

Dermalogica Cleansing Gel.

No tricks or chemicals, just really, really high quality face wash that doesn’t send your face’s natural balance into a tailspin.

They also make one with a gental salicyic acid if that doesn’t do the trick for you. Honestly its great stuff if you just have mild acne.

Your best bet would be a six month course of oxytetracycline from your doctor. Then find a cleanser that agrees with your skin. Benzyl peroxide can be effective but it is a powerful exfollient and will leave your skin dry and irritated if you aren’t careful. Dry irritated skin is also prone to acne except it’ll be really painful too.

Can I get Dermalogica in stores?

@lightlyseared: I don’t want to deal with prescriptions.

I plan on using a facial moisturizer with whatever I use. Would saliyc acid work or BP (or both)?

seconded on the Cetaphil.

@unit I wouldn’t rule out the possibility of a short course of antibiotics. I had acne well into my 30’s and felt the same way however after haveing tried every skin care regime, diet and new age voodoo possible I relented and after one course of antibiotics over 2 months I was spot free.

In the meantime, don’t whatever you do use saliyc acid and benzyl peroxide at the same time. Both work by stripping the top layers of skin and if you use both together for say a week you may end up like I did with chemical burns to your face. (Painful and unatractive).

As for Dermalogica you may find it in big department stores but ussually it’s sold in salons. Otherwise you could probably order it online.

When starting a new skin care regimen, one’s skin may seem to get worse before it gets better. Consider that you may have the start of pimples deep below the surface that you can not see or feel yet… so they need to run their course, which the cleanser should help reduce.

My son just started using the Proactiv after trying prescription strength treatments for his severe acne. There is improvement, but his skin is far from clear at this stage. The redness and scarring takes quite a while to clear up. So I recommend being patient until your supply of products runs out. Then make a decision.

As an adult with a lot of breakouts, I liked the Neutrogena Anti-Wrinkle/Anti-Blemish cleanser. But I’ve recently started using Obagi products, and my skin is much clearer after 4 weeks. I am using the Condition and Enhance system in conjunction with Microdermabrasion treatments. They are expensive but effective – regardless of your gender.

I personally tried this product besides all the cleanser stuff. You might need to check out this “deep active cleansing mask”. This product contains Kaolin, (an extract from a special New Zea Land clay found on the foothills of the Southern Alps) which absorbs oil and gently pulls out grime from your skin. Kaolin’s mildly drying and disinfectant properties also help heal blemishes and inflammations, and prevent new ones from forming. Recommended to use it once in 2 weeks time, but I used it once a week for the first month. I can see the result that my face not so oily and less acne, and I am happy with the result.
Hope this will help.

Dermalogica… They have all the answers.. It’s worth spending a bit on your skin