advice for dr hauschka treatments for dry, irritated skin
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Sat Dec 05, 2009 3:40 pm

Greetings!

I'm in my early 30's, male, and in the last year have developed severely dry skin. What began as irritation, dryness and flaking on my eyelids has now spread to my cheekbones, cheeks and chin. My face is hot, irritated, red and sore, feeling wind-struck and burned.

My dermatologist recommended a treatment of soap free cleansers and cortisone cream which had occasionally worked for flare ups, but in no way solved the problem. I began investigating more natural solutions, including regular treatments of a product called 'egyptian magic' and others, which all seemed to sooth the irritation, but not prevent the dryness from reoccurring.

With a combination of online research and several trips to Whole Foods, I am glad to have stumbled on Dr. Hauschka's line of skin care. I am on day three of an experimental treatment with Dr. Hauschka's products, and hope to get advice and answers to some of the questions that have arisen during the last few days.

My treatment consists of cleansing milk, facial toner, moisturizing mask, rose day cream. Around my eyes I use eye solace once or twice a day and weleda's wild rose intensive eye cream (i went over budget and couldn't get Dr. Hauschka's!). For extremely dry areas like my cheekbones and cheeks, I learned from the Dr Hauschka's UK website that mixing the moisturizing mask with the rose day cream was a good treatment for dry flaking and irritated areas.

At night, I've stopped using moisturizers, and only wash and tone as recommended. My face dries out quickly, and by 3am I awake to very chapped skin. I'm not sure what to do, and I trust that in time my oil production will return to normal, but currently, I am left very uncomfortable. Aside from patience, what do you advise? Can I rewash and tone?

During the day, my treatment of moisturizing mask and rose day cream gets me through the morning, but within a few hours, nearing the afternoon, my face again is dry, chapped and flaking. Should I reapply the rose day cream, or rewash, tone and moisturize? Or is there another holistic treatment that will better aid in my recovery?

Thank you in advance for your help!

free skin care · Sat Dec 05, 2009 9:57 pm

I used the Dr H method for a few weeks but decided that I don't agree with not putting anything on your skin at night as my skin needs some moisture. Also, the Dr H cleanser has quite a bit of oil in it, the toner has alcohol. I found the products too harsh, with the essential oils and the rose cream irritated my skin. You could try Jurlique calendula cream, it is quite soothing if you want to stay in the organic types. Did your doctor recommend anything to change in your diet to help? HTH

free skin care · Sun Dec 06, 2009 9:22 am

Please be careful with Dr. H. products because many have alcohol in them. Although many people will not be bothered by this, those with very sensitive/irritated skin like myself find the alcohol to be quite drying and irritating. Rose Day Cream is one of the very few Dr. H. products that do not contain alcohol.

I agree with harriet that you do need some form of moisture at night. You can try a little Emu Oil which is calming, soothing, moisturizing and contains anti-inflammatory properties.

I also agree with harriet that you must be careful with the essential oils in natural/organic products. These can be quite irritating to sensitive skin.

free skin care · Sun Dec 06, 2009 11:02 am

I actually find the Quince cream more hydrating than the Rose cream.

Sun Dec 06, 2009 5:34 pm

thanks for your replies so far! I'm very new to skin care, and have never made much of a fuss about it - a simple glycerine bar was my facial soap of choice for years and years. although it still aches, my skin does seem to be adapting to the new treatment and dare I say improving....

I stopped using the Eye Solace patches because they seem to cause additional irritation around my eyes - something to consider if you're experiencing irritated skin. The Rose Intensive Eye treatment is very soothing around my eyes, as is the Rose Day Cream on my cheeks. I've been applying that as needed for midday cooling - is that a no no?

My diet is balanced, and I've recently added additional Flax oil to my diet, although I haven't seen any change or improvement in my complexion as a result. I've read about bodily toxins and dry skin, as well as allergies, so once the holidays are over, I'll do a cleanse to detoxify, and also get an allergy test.

@harriet good to know that you tried Dr. H's products as well. Like you, I'll stick with it a little longer and see if it works and what all the fuss is about. If I can't stand night-time dry face, then I'll definitely get a light night moisturizer.

@leeleedeedee emu oil - weird! I like the idea of light oils so I just may give that a go. I was given several samples of nude brand night replenishing oil, and it smells and feels good, but for the two nights that I tried it, I felt more dehydrated at 3am than without any moisturizer. Maybe my skin is just not used to it yet?

free skin care · Sun Dec 06, 2009 5:47 pm

mountainboy wrote:

I was given several samples of nude brand night replenishing oil, and it smells and feels good, but for the two nights that I tried it, I felt more dehydrated at 3am than without any moisturizer. Maybe my skin is just not used to it yet?

I like Nude's Night Oil, and I'm going to start using it again. I would let it soak in, and then put a cream over it.

free skin care · Sun Dec 06, 2009 7:41 pm

hello,mountainboy.....I wouldn't consider Rose Day Cream a no no. It doesn't contain any alcohol and is truly a soothing cream. I've used many tubes of it myself.

Some oils are much more moisturizing than others. Some are more suitable to oily skins (like Hazelnut) others to drier ones (like Macadamia.) As you experiment with oils you will certainly find that out for yourself. I personally have always liked Emu because it sinks into the layers of the skin and is deeply moisturizing.

Good luck with your progress!!

Mon Dec 07, 2009 9:48 am

Good news that on day three of no night moisturizers, my skin doesn't ache as much at 3am. It's definitely dry, which could just be a sign that I'm getting used to the treatment. By morning, my skin is still very dry and flaky. I dread shaving, but do look forward to the morning treatment. Moisture!

I'm sticking it out a little more.

@leeleedeedee thanks again. I guess when I referred to rose day cream as a 'no no' I meant: could I apply the cream midday, without washing and toning, like the morning routine?

free skin care · Mon Dec 07, 2009 11:51 am

Hi mountainboy....I don't see any reason why you couldn't apply the Rose Day Cream as often as you feel you need it. The ingredients in Rose Day Cream shouldn't harm you in any way if you should apply it several times a day as needed. I used to apply it up to three times a day when my skin was at it worst (ultra dry/sensitive/ over-reactive) without any harmful/irritating effects.

I'm very glad things are starting to improve for you. Keep us posted on your progress.

Mon Dec 07, 2009 2:48 pm

I posted the same question to dr hauschka's support, and their feedback was helpful too.

To alleviate my late night and morning dryness, They suggested using a rejuvinating or moisturizing mask (for 20min as directed) before bedtime.

The also recommended their night treatment for 28-30 days as I get used to the change. Not sure I can justify the expense, but if the discomfort persists, I just might.

Thu Dec 10, 2009 3:08 pm

Hi Mountainboy,

I have very dry skin myself and have been using the cleansing milk, facial toner and rejuvenating mask followed by rose cream. I find that even that's not enough sometimes. I will often apply Vit. E oil in the very dry spots later in the afternoon. At night, I use the Rhythmic Night Conditioner. I've been using it for two weeks now and have noticed an improvement in my color and my skin just feels more comfortable. I can't say that it has helped the dryness, but then I live in a cold climate so that could be a factor. I recently bought a humidifier and have increased my fish oil intake. I'm also taking flax oil (2 tbsp a day). The most important thing is water of course and avoiding diuretics.

Have you tried using the mask at night yet (rejuvenating or moisturizing?). If so, has it been helpful? I think I'll try the rejuvenating one tonight. I have sensitive skin prone to acne flare-ups every once and a while so I've been told to avoid the moisturizing cream/mask, because it causes the sebaceous glands to overproduce oil which can lead to acne. Ironically, however, I have dry skin...so I'm not sure what to do. In any event, I'm hoping the night conditioner will balance out the oil production.

I'd recommend to you to give the hauschka a fair chance. It may even take a few months before the body knows what to do. I know for me, in the past, not using moisturizer at night was the best thing for me. My husband doesn't use moisturizer and needs only to apply a little almond oil in the morning and then he's good to go for the rest of the day! I wish! I think his skin has improved a lot, though, since forgoing the night-time ritual of putting on moisturizer. Sometimes less is more, I guess.

Thu Dec 10, 2009 3:27 pm

@spencer for the past two nights i've been using the moisturizing mask before bed. my skin has greatly improved, and the soreness has almost completely subsided.

Along with Dr Hauschka's Moisturizing Mask, last night i tried a bit of Nude Replenishing Night Oil with a touch of Dr Hauschka's Rose Day Cream on top to help protect areas of severe dryness. I realize this goes against Dr Hauschka's advice, but it definitely helped me through night discomfort. I awoke to a soft, flake-free face. Once my face has settled a bit more, I'm willing to cut night moisturizers out completely.

I've also been using Dr Hauschka's Cleansing Milk as a shaving cream. I find that even though it has alcohol in it, my face is pretty well cared for. The Facial Toner afterwards makes my face feel about as comfortable as it's ever felt.

During the day, I still notice moments of dryness. Small, isolated areas of prickly itch spots. For these, I visit the washroom and apply a spot of Rose Day Cream, or Intensive Eye Cream to soothe. If I notice visible dryness or flakes, I soak the areas delicately with a moist, tepid cloth, pat dry then follow with the Rose Day Cream.

free skin care · Fri Dec 11, 2009 9:31 am

There are a lot of people who disagree with the theory of no moisturizers at night, especially my dermatologist. But whatever works for you is the most important.
I prefer the rejuvenating mask over the moisturizing one, and i leave them on all night.
It helps when you're skin is really dry.
The Quince is a good day cream.
It sounds like getting your skin back to a proper hydration level first is the most important and then normalizing.
Decleor has good balms too if you ever decide to branch out. You might check out the anqelique or rose for overly stressed skin. The essential balm is excellent too.
Adding omegas and flax seed oil is good along with green drinks and water.
Good luck to you.

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