Recently I’ve broken out in tiny zits on my face. No one else can see them, but I can, and it’s sent me into panic mode. I have always prided myself on the near-flawless condition of my facial region. I made it through puberty with nary a pimple in sight.
I say recently, but it isn’t. Since late 2009, when I was working a very stressful job for people who pretty much fired me for whistleblowing (all types of illegal to do…wish I’d thought about that then though…), I had some tiny tiny pimples on my forehead. I thought after losing my job and moving on with my life that they would go away, but those lil buggers never left.
After the birth of my son this past October, they returned full force. Again. No one else saw them, but I scrutinized my face for every perceived blemish every night. I hated them, and I hated my face.
I have random people ask me from time to time how I manage to have such awesome skin.
Here’s my secret, which I’ve recently started doing again: Noxzema. I love this stuff.
I rub it all over my face and let it sit until my face stops tingling, about 10 minutes. Then I take a washcloth and run it under water as hot as I can stand. Using gentle, circular motions, I wash it off my face. I love how smooth and refreshed it makes my skin feel. and now that I’ve started using it again, I’ve seen a drastic improvement in my face over the past three nights. It tightens my pores, smoothes and soothes my skin, and even helps out with the redness in my cheeks. Here are some other facial tips (stop snickering, you pervs…):
I rarely wear makeup. I know people who wear makeup every day. And while I love how the right makeup will return my face to its once porcelain, non-freckled tone, I don’t like how it clogs my pores. It makes me feel like someone put Saran Wrap on my face…my skin can’t breathe. I’ve tried almost every foundation known to man in almost every form…powder, liquid, cream, mousse, and they all suffocate my skin. Oxygen is really important for healthy skin.
I don’t use lotion on my face…not even water based. When I wash my face, I use either Ivory or Dove. Both moisturize my skin well and don’t require the use of an additional moisturizer. I don’t even like water based lotion on my face, because the crap still clogs my pores. My face likes to breathe, and not just through my nose. I can understand though, that some people have horribly dry skin and need lotion. I’d advise sticking to water based lotions. I do, however, use water based lotions on the rest of my body. I love lotion.
I don’t use facial lifters, skin firmers, etc. I have a few fine lines on my face. But after a Noxzema treatment, they are visibly reduced. I don’t mind little lines here and there. I’m 29, not 12. Also, unless you resort to plastic surgery/injections/etc, you will never have as smooth of a face as you did when you were younger. Get over it and age gracefully. You don’t have to put up with horrid wrinkles…but a couple of barely there fine lines aren’t going to kill you. Take care of your face and you’ll look great. Trust me.
For those of you with the time, here is the routine (nightly) that kept my skin awesome through puberty and my pre-mommy years:
- Fill your sink with hot water. The hottest your tap can provide.
- Place your face over the sink and lay a towel so that it traps in the heat (I always allowed a little space that I could breathe in fresh air.
- Keep your head there for about ten minutes. The heat opens up your pores. This is important.
- Take Noxzema (the original cream in the blue tub) and apply to your face. Don’t be afraid to rub it around. You should be rubbing. Oh, yeah…you don’t have to hold your head over the hot water. In fact, go ahead and drain your sink. You’re done with that part.
- Read a book or do something for ten minutes.
- Take a washcloth (should be a little rough, but not like sandpaper) and wet it with hot water. Using circular motions, gently clean the Noxzema off your face.
If you have horribly dry skin, wait another 10 minutes to allow your face to rest before applying your moisturizer.
It might take a day or two to notice results, but I usually notice them right away.
...and Baby Makes Six... 
Not once have I ever used noxema in all my years of acne problems. I too can relate to a stressful job with all of my kids(3). I am going to make a commitment to go this route and see if it’s my “golden ticket”. I love your blog.
Here is a list of my musts and must dos for the at home fine tuning of the skin. I have the http://www.riiviva.com at home microdermabrasion tool. It’s magnificent. It also saves me $250 per session. I do the plum and onion recipe for my acne. I know it sounds different but a girl can never have too many ideas. I do the tooth paste dab for any pimples and of course the cool yogurt facial.
Yey, you have a new follower now. Woot woot.Thanks girl and keep it coming. GirlPower
Jenny, thank you so much! Please keep me posted on how it works for you!
Very interesting blog. I look forward to further entries. I won the fight with acne after 4 years. Yours.
Colin asked me what the blue tub of Noxema was for. I told him that it’s how your skin stays so lovely. We’ll see. I have never had much luck with any product.
Oh I hope it works as well for you as it does for me!!! And thank you for saying my skin is lovely!!! 🙂 Can’t wait for our beach trip with the families!
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Being 13 you know all that happens then but being a male this stuff works I’m really happy with the results
I always saw my grandma and mom and sister use this chalky stuff and now I use the (blemish free) Noxzema! It’s great the sunburn on my cheeks had went away within a moments notice and the book I decided to read was Cujo! A Stephen king Classic well thanks again for this I’m happy with my skin and you should be too! What other things should I do to prevent break outs and have movie star perfect skin?
Josh, thank you so much for your comment, and may I say that it’s refreshing to have input from a boy?
Well, you’re a 13 year old male, so make sure that anything you use on your face isn’t too harsh.
If you have normally dry skin, I’d use a good water-based lotion on your face for moisturizing. I’d recommend Oil-Free Neutrogena for Sensitive Skin. What you’d want to look for is something light and non-greasy.
If you have normally oily skin and are prone to breakouts, definitely stay away from oil-based lotions. I have combination skin…some patches are oily (nose and right under my eyes), some are dry (jawline, chin, and that triangle between my eyes to right above where my glasses sit on my nose). In addition to the things I outlined in my post, I also wash my fave with either Dove or Ivory. Both are gentle soaps that are strong enough to cut down on the oil, but gentle enough that they moisturize my dry zones, and gentle enough that I can use it every day.
The important thing to remember is that the skin on your face (and for ladies who don’t wear shirts with neck-hugging collars, the skin on your chest) takes a daily beating, more so than the skin anywhere else on your body. Your face is the first place to show signs of aging. I know everyone buys into the whole “Oh this expensive cream is made with crushed Antarctic diamonds and rhinoceros tusk (not a real product, lol!) so it MUST be good!”
No. The best skincare products I have found aren’t expensive at all. Soaps can be harsh on your face, so I use the gentlest ones I can find, like Dove or Ivory. I try to stay away from astringents and products like Stridex (Stridex, incidentally, made me break out worse, and after some web searches, I’m not the only one it does that to). My go-to makeup remover for what the soap doesn’t get is Clean & Clear Foaming Makeup Dissolver. I moisturize after a shower to lock in the moisture my skin absorbed in the shower.
And for the girls out there…you really want to be kind to your face? Don’t use makeup every day. Makeup, even the lightest, airiest ones that claim they will moisturize, will still clog your pores. Some types are worse than others, but don’t kid yourself, you are putting a product on your face that inhibits your skin’s ability to breathe. If you’re prone to breakouts, makeup *will* make it worse. It’s a vicious cycle, because you’re applying the makeup to cover up the breakouts, which leads to more crap getting in your pores leading to more breakouts. It might be ’embarrassing’ to go without, but resist the urge to cover. Be good to your skin and it will be good to you. I take pride in the fact that I don’t have to wear makeup, even at 30. I can if I want to, and I do sometimes, but there is no cosmetic need for me to do so.
Also eat healthy. Junk food won’t lead to breakouts, there are many studies out there that prove this. But junk food is not as rich in the vitamins, minerals, and nutrients that your body needs and uses to be at its optimum. Your diet will affect your skin. If you don’t eat healthy, you’re robbing your body of the ability to heal, to revitalize, to be completely amazing. Junk food is okay in moderation (because who doesn’t love a cheeseburger or a greasy piece of pizza?), but you’ve got to eat healthy stuff too.
Hope this helps you, and remember, you’re young, so if there’s ever a time to start taking care of your skin and your body, it would be now! You can easily get into habits and routines that are good and healthy for you, and those habits will stay with you as you grow. 🙂
Noxzema is the ONLY thing that works! For real! Everything you had to say about the pores needing to breathe is soo true, and I am glad to hear someone else identify. Also, same here with lotion… No matter what lotion I put on my face it clogs my pores – HORRIBLE. That said, I do have a few little areas of dry skin and absolutely need to moisturize. I found my miracle… Coconut oil (organic pure unrefined) with a few drops of theraputic grade lavender steam-distilled from France (lavender’s region of origin, making it properties and potency much greater). The antibacterial, antioxidant etc properties of these two combined have aided in keeping my skin moistured and clear of angry pores. Hope this helps, as it has done for me! 🙂
Coconut oil works extremely well for a moisturizer. I know it seems counter productive but it works on all skin types (dry, oily, normal, and combo) I use it nightly and a little goes a long way. Since using it I hardly ever get pimples unless I’m super stressed out. I’m 30 now and most people don’t believe me.
A great face wash a 2:1 ratio of coconut oil ( or olive oil, or avocado oil) and castor oil. You massage it in for about three minutes and then take a wash cloth run it under the hottest water you can stand wrong it out and stick it on your face blotting around the nose and problem areas leave it covering your face until it starts to cool. Repeat two more times with the wash cloth and then wipe away any excess oil. Gets rid of my black heads instantly and doesn’t make my face dry feeling afterward. I do that about two – three times a week. ( it might make you break out at first but if you keep it up it really does clear your face up) the days I don’t use that I just use a mild soap ( purpose face wash works great). And if I feel the need to exfoliate I take a pumice stone to my face. I do think I’m going to try noxema as it seems a lot of people swear by it. Also those of you with oily skin I highly recommend using an oil as a moisturizer. It will help balance out the oil your body is producing. If you keep using products that are oil free or for oily skin your skin will just continue to over produce oil. Go out and buy some coconut oil ( or use what ever natural oil you have in the kitchen ( olive oil works well DO NOT use canola oil or vegetable oil or anything like that. Stick with olive oil, coconut oil, and avocado oil and you will see you’re oily skin stop being oily. And remember a little goes along way.
Thank you i just got mines today
So i hope it works 😁🙏
I’ve been diagnosed with severe rosacea. I’ve spent HUNDREDS of dollars on fancy cleansers and creams to simply “manage” my condition. One day my mom said “what about Noxzema”? Well, I’m 42 now, and I still have rosacea (it’s hereditary and has no cure). The other day, I was taken for 23-25 yrs old by 3 different people in the same day! My secret? Well, I don’t wear makeup or any moisturizers to speak of. I use….wait for it……..NOXZEMA. Yes! The inexpensive blue tub has outperformed anything I’ve tried. I thank the gods for it everyday. 🙂
Or it may be good genes and/or hereditary. I am 44 years old and I have severe rosacea also. My whole face is extremely red (cheeks, chin, sides of nose, forehead). There is no way I would go without wearing some cover up for this redness. When I wear moisturizers, they do burn me so I do use very light Coconut oil. As for Noxema, the ingredients are not the same as the original blue jar when it was manufacturered by Noxell and even Proctor and Gamble. I loved and have used Noxema since high school but the current ingredients are terrible and very drying on my skin. I have tried so hard to love Noxema but now the product is terrible on my skin. This is my opinion only.
I just started using noxema today. I will come back in a week to let you all knowc if i see a difference..Also I would like to let you know that my acne is horrible, and I have a good bit of dark spots. Hopefully this old school regimen, wiil help me out..see you guys in a week.
So did it work?
Reblogged this on Living Through My Music and commented:
While I don’t really have acne – knock on wood – I have noticed a few random undesirable spots show up on my face now and ten. Mainly since having children. I never had acne as a teen, and I too can claim that I rarely wear makeup. Why? Because I have to no reason to wear it 95% of the time. I’ve been married for 20 years, and really don’t go out very often. As I’ve told other people in the past, if people don’t like the way I look, they can stick it where the sun don’t shine. I may have a few dark circles from lack of sleep, and a few lines as well, but I don’t consider my face unpresentable.
This is a great routine to adopt. Noxema has been around for ages, and I’ve recently started using it. It not only cleans the skin nicely, but it feels great!
Thanks to the original author for this.
I’ve used noxema for years. I love how it makes my face feel, and I love how it smells. I’ve always been told I look at least five yrs. Younger than I am! I don’t wear any makeup at all.I believe in natural beauty.
“Get over it and age gracefully” I love it lol. Growing up I had eczema on my face and I’ve tried prescription after prescription to get it under control. When I finally got one that worked it left my skin oily and prone to acne. I wasn’t the most popular either way. I tried this method and noticed a difference right after I washed the Noxzema off. So thank you. Now when I see old classmates in the grocery store or downtown they are amazed with how my skin looks flawless
I am a fifteen-year old guy with combination skin. I have used Noxzema every day since I was seven and have flawless skin. My great-grandmother first introduced me to Noxzema. I tried the towel and hot water to open my pores and the few blackheads I had under my eyes and on my nose were gone within a week. Definitely going to continue this practice.