So I must admit when I started surfing this forum I was amazed at the number of people who can read the back of a product label and know what’s good for your skin and what will cause you to react badly. Not only amazed, but I must admit jealous & envious. When I read the back of the label I start to glaze over (think of Charlie Brown, the teacher’s voice, wah-wah-wah, wah-wah-wah) at the scientific names (Caprylic/capric Triglyceride, Butylene Glycol, PEG-8 etc.) and start to speed read to find something I recognize (Vitamin C, aloe, glycolic acid etc.) or rather, something in plan English. I realize I need to know what the heck all of these ingredients mean, so I’m looking to you for guidance. I’ve googled some definitions of ingredients and that was somewhat helpful, but I’m looking for a better resource.

For example, I’m thinking of trying Dermalogica’s Essential Cleansing solution because it is a lotion based cleanser and has a small amount of Salycic acid (this could be my HG cleanser), but I’m not sure about the Safflower oil. Why? Because I recently tried Ponds Extra Cold Cream with mineral oil and it started to enlarge my black heads…augh! And I’m not sure about the rest of the ingredients in there…are they going to be ‘good’ for me or ‘bad’ for me.

Let me know how you got started and / or what I should be doing to decode the back of the little bottle.

Signed,
Your Young Jedi ;D