Facial Washes

Hi,

This probably seems like a silly question, but what facial washes are people using?

I always used anti-acne washes like clean n clear or clearasil, but stopped using them when i became pregnant as heard they were not good. I also read that anything containing sallycilic acid is also bad.

So then I moved on to a Simple face wash which contained no 'nasty chemicals' but then discovered it contained vitamin e which is another no no for pregnancy.

I bought another wash yesterday which wasn't supposed to be for problem skin and found that it did contain sallycillic acid.

Everything else contains a dizzying array of chemicals. Or else they contain herbs/aromatherapy stuff which I am also suspect of.

I'm not bothered about my complexion, I just want something that I can use conscience free to keep my face clean!

Interestingly, though, my ob says its ok to use hand sanitiser which is 60% alcohol because very little gets absorbed in to the skin, so wouldn't the same principle apply to facial products? In some ways, aren't they better because you at least wash them off.

Any suggestions of 'safe', readily available facial washes I can try?

Kazzam

I didn't realise that you needed to watch out for face washes in pregnancy.... oops... can you tell me more about what you need to watch out for? Is this a definite thing everyone should be careful of, or just a personal preference type of thing?

I use a nivea facewash which has kept my skin really good.

Haha mrsh I didn't realise either! I've just been washing myself as per normal with lots of perfumey smellies to make myself feel prettier!

Then again, if they wrote us a list of things we CAN do during pregnancy it'd be a lot shorter than the list of things we can't....will be watching with interest

I had no idea about vit E. I use to rub vit E cream all over my tummy every day to moisurize and avoid stretch marks, Oops!

I know you should try to avoid nasty chemicals like colouring your hair for an example but I have heard it's not very likely to effect the baby it's more because you get more sensitive when pregnant and more likely to react badly yourself.

I like using natural products anyway and trying to use ecofriendly when I can.

If you go to a health store like health 2000 or hardy"s I'm sure they can help you find a facewash that suits your skin and is safe to use.

I hope I haven't caused panic...I read somewhere in my first pregnancy about not using anti acne products, and have seen other people post on forums about it.

But I agree it doesn't make sense. If a hand sanitiser with 60% alcohol is safe to use as minimum amounts are absorbed through the skin, then why would there be any problem with a facial wash.

when I searched the internet on vitamin e there is a big debate about it - the main issue is taking too much orally ie taking vitamin e supplements is bad but there is no real conclusion on using it topically. I just thought it would be best to avoid it.

Have decided that pregnant women are just an easy target for the health police - two recent articles in our british paper were that eating fast food in pregnancy has been linked to their offspring developing heart disease in later life, and drinking fizzy drinks has been linked to premature labour. It just seems as though there is always some new study out there to make us feel bad. As if the occasional burger or lemonade is really going to be a big, big deal??!!

Kazzam

i have goats milk soap which is natural and good for acne but i also still use my st ives apricot scrub daily which has 2% sacilic acid in it

if you research it like i did after hearing this from someone earlier in my preg youll find that face washes are fine as they are washed off as soon as they are put on, what they dont recommend is in facial masks or leave on creams and also definately not to ingest as some acne treatments are pill form...the stuff has to be on for a long period to soak through the skin...

The absorption of these active ingredients is very minimal - and they are safe to use in pregnancy - they wash on and wash off - and while they claim to work miracles only touch the skins surface without penetrating the dermal layer - I use nutrogena wash in the clear bottle and I love it and it smells so clean - have used it forever

I worked in pharmacy for many years and have never once heard of any issues in pregnancy - the only side effect I have heard is some women find their skin is more sensitive during pregnancy -usually because of dryness - so you could just change to a cream cleanser if thats you

Edited by Raspberryjam