In Praise of Ocean Salt (+ one question)
A little background first: I am another one of those "combination/oily/sometimes dry/acne-prone" face types that was immediately sent down the Herbalism/Tea Tree Water route, but while Herbalism took care of my acne, it left my face coarse - big pores, little bumps, etc. The scent of AOBS bothers me and it didn't feel as effective in cleansing my skin, so, after consulting the tags here, I cracked open a container of Ocean Salt.
At first look, it's understandable that OS would be considered too coarse to use as a cleanser. I myself am a veteran of St. Ives's Peach Exfoliating cleansers (back before I started taking medication to regulate the hormonal component of my acne), so I was prepared for a serious scrub, but instead the level of grit is a lot like rubbing table salt on my face, and is as such a lot more tolerable than ground walnut shells. The salt too melts away after a little scrubbing and rinses clean but a little dry, making a Tea Tree Toner follow-up ideal (Tea Tree Toner rules, just saying). I like the way Ocean Salt leaves a citrusy, slightly booze-y smell on my face. It makes a good morning pick-me-up.
Now to my question: So I've been using Ocean Salt twice a day (morning and night, with bursts of Tea Tree Toner for oiliness in between) for about five weeks, and when I went in to get another pot yesterday, the SA told me Ocean Salt was too harsh to be using as often as I was (though, honestly, I had been without any problems) but I like to keep my skin care routine real simple, for financial reasons, time reasons and, with all due respect, because I don't really get you guys who are using five or six different products in a week just in washing your face (I bet you're getting awesome results, it's just not my style). So, what do people think of using one of the bar soaps on the face? I received a chunk of Sea Vegetable on a previous trip and, looking at the ingredients, thought: "hey, this has a lot of things in it that are found in other face cleansers... why not use this in the evenings?"
I look forward to hearing your thoughts. Thanks in advance.
At first look, it's understandable that OS would be considered too coarse to use as a cleanser. I myself am a veteran of St. Ives's Peach Exfoliating cleansers (back before I started taking medication to regulate the hormonal component of my acne), so I was prepared for a serious scrub, but instead the level of grit is a lot like rubbing table salt on my face, and is as such a lot more tolerable than ground walnut shells. The salt too melts away after a little scrubbing and rinses clean but a little dry, making a Tea Tree Toner follow-up ideal (Tea Tree Toner rules, just saying). I like the way Ocean Salt leaves a citrusy, slightly booze-y smell on my face. It makes a good morning pick-me-up.
Now to my question: So I've been using Ocean Salt twice a day (morning and night, with bursts of Tea Tree Toner for oiliness in between) for about five weeks, and when I went in to get another pot yesterday, the SA told me Ocean Salt was too harsh to be using as often as I was (though, honestly, I had been without any problems) but I like to keep my skin care routine real simple, for financial reasons, time reasons and, with all due respect, because I don't really get you guys who are using five or six different products in a week just in washing your face (I bet you're getting awesome results, it's just not my style). So, what do people think of using one of the bar soaps on the face? I received a chunk of Sea Vegetable on a previous trip and, looking at the ingredients, thought: "hey, this has a lot of things in it that are found in other face cleansers... why not use this in the evenings?"
I look forward to hearing your thoughts. Thanks in advance.