I’ve always been pretty no-nonsense when it comes to body and facial care products. I don’t want to spend much time on my beauty regimen, but I try new things from time to time and add them to my permanent routine if I see results. While I was researching sunscreens for my recent post, I realized I wanted to reevaluate my whole beauty process.

I started by thinking about my body care routine, because it’s the least problematic area for me. I don’t have issues with the skin on my body, except in the winter when it gets extremely dry. I’ve tried various shower gels and other body cleansing products but only bar soap makes me actually feel clean. I think this might be partly psychological because I’m sure the other products do actually clean, but I always feel like they are leaving a filmy residue on my skin. I don’t like to use the commercial soaps because they are too drying and have scary ingredients, so I’ve been using the 365 brand unscented vegetable glycerin soap in the shower. 365 is the Whole Foods store brand. (I don’t know how my skin care regimen became an ad for Whole Foods, but as you will see it is. I know there are other places to get natural products, but I go there every week for groceries anyway so I end up buying their products.)

I need to wear a body lotion because my skin is dry otherwise, even in summer. I’ve gone through quite a few lately trying to find one that is without fragrance and has natural ingredients, but am having a hard time finding one I like. The ones with the most natural ingredients don’t have the right consistency; lotion should be creamy, not watery. Currently I’m using 365 Body Lotion in Citrus/Grapefruit because it doesn’t have an unscented version. I like it, but I’d rather it didn’t have a fragrance.

My face is definitely harder to take care of than my body. I have oily skin but once I wash it it gets very dry so I need to use moisturizer. It’s been getting drier and drier every year so I keep changing my products in the hope I can find something that works perfectly. I don’t like using commercial bar soap or even the glycerin bar soap on my face because it is too drying so I use a creamy cleanser. I use the same one twice a day: in the shower on a Buf Puf sponge for exfoliating and then at night on a washcloth. I’ve been using A-D-E creamy cleanser for dry/sensitive skin. It’s a natural fruit oil cleanser. It does leave my skin dry, although not terribly dry. I’d love to have skin that was in the middle of the spectrum but mine is oily if I don’t wash it and then dry after I do. I love this product, but I’m still hoping to find something that isn’t as drying. I’m not sure if that will ever happen, but I’m going to keep hoping.

Until my skin miraculously stops drying out, I’m going to use this moisturizer because it is the perfect thickness and smells like jasmine, which is one of my favorite scents Jasmine Moisturizer. I love it. When I find a good moisturizer with sunscreen I will switch this so it becomes my night moisturizer, but for now I wear it all day.

So I’ve talked about face and body, which are the two main areas for beauty routines. I’d say my body routine is fine and can stay the way it is, but my face routine can probably use some tweaking. I should look into products that will clean my oily skin adequately without drying. I know ones exist that claim to do this, because I’ve tried them, but I haven’t found one that works. That’s okay, it seems like it was about time I thought about this!