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Best facial wash/scrub under $50?

I've been using most of the drug store brands, mainly Bull Dog Grooming's line of facial products and it's just not working for me. I really don't feel like my face/beard is getting cleaned or softened. It's about $8 for either 5 oz tube so while I'm not breaking the bank, I'm also not seeing/feeling the effects of the product.

I used to use Lab Series back in the day when I used to shop at Macy's stores, but never felt they worked for me either. I'm going to shell $200 each of Tom Ford's line of skin care products. They're overpriced to me.
 
I don use face wash or exfoliating products anymore. Glycerin soap applied with a brush to do the scrub (any brush will do) followed by cold rinse and witch hazels in my daily routine, YMMV.

I already have the brushes and the soap is dirt cheap, pH balanced and vegan friendly.
 

ajkel64

Check Out Chick
Staff member
I don’t usually use a facial scrub/wash but on occasion I have used some Nivea facial washes and scrubs and found them to be quite good products. I do like the whole Nivea range of Mens products though. I think the scrubs/washes are probably around the $10 to $15 range. This is a guess though.
 
In my 70's, with mild rosacea and/or dermatitis on face & head, and the best soap I've ever used as a face soap, pre-shave face wash or shampoo bar is a bar of Grandpa's Pine Tar soap. For me, it works better than any scrub or Neutrogena facial bar I've tried. I buy them by the 8 or 12 pack on Amazon. As the old saying goes, if you can get past the smell, you've got it licked.
 
Head Blade exfoliating Head Shed and THERATREE Therapeutic Exfoliating Scrub with pumice mint essential oils and tea tree work for me. The latter one also has neem oil. Its minty but has a tinge of an allium like scent. With white willow bark also for the salycilic acid.
Between uses of these maybe once a week, I use pet shampoos.

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I alternate between Mama Bear's gylcerian bar soap applied with an old boar brush and Marlowe's 121 exfoliating soap.
 
Well, I use a veritable armory of products and like trying new ones. However, I approach this scientifically and try to totally eliminate subjective emotion.

Since moving to the southern Gulf Coast where the heat & humidity can border on the insane, I have had to rethink all of this. Due to sweating profusely I often get "sweat" bumps on my forehead. I have found that to eliminate this I need to use a salicylic acid face wash of which any will suffice. However, there are a few that are better in that they contain other acids, mainly glycolic. Here's a good overview:



I can highly recommend this one:


Recently, I have been using this French cleanser and am beyond impressed!!:


I use this one post shave as the acids in it not only exfoliate wonderfully, they prevent ingrown hairs:



Don't be alarmed that these are marketed for acne sufferers as those qualities work perfectly for aging as well as oily skin and as aforementioned they prevent ingrown hairs. I cannot stress enough just how incredible these products are for not only cleansing, but removing fine lines and making one look youthful again. Science has truly progressed.
 
I doubt you would find a dermatologist recommending a facial scrub.

Use chemical exfoliants like salicylic acid, alpha hydroxy cream, or retinols in place of scrubs. Hyarulonic acid might also be useful, and it's available in alot of products, or in serums (I got some off Amazon for 4 bucks).

My skincare routine has been getting milder and milder over the years- I used to use Dial liquid soap, which was fairly harsh stuff, then I switched to Cetaphil. Recently I've been experimenting with alcohol-free toner or micellar water in place of even using Cetaphil. I still use something like Everyman Jack or Barbasol face wash, or some leftover shave cream as a pre-wash before shaving, though.
 
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My go-to face wash is Liquid Neutrogena. Very reasonably priced. I also like Nivea or Neutrogena Men's Face Wash in the blue tubes. They're all so effective I don't see any reason to try anything more pricey.
 
i like kiehls facial fuel and scrub. Works great and i love the mint after feel of the face fuel. Then the face scrub is nice and gritty, reminds me of the pumice from fast orange soap i use on my hands in the garage. Highly recommend those. I’ve used lots of face washes but always wanted a scrub to go with it. Seems like jack blacks and kiehls were my best options. Went with kiehls because they’ve been around forever, even though my gf says they animal test. Jack blacks doesn’t animal test, but is newer if you want to go that route. YMMV
 
I've been using Every Man Jack's Face Wash for the past 8 months or so and like it quite a bit. I had tried their face scrub, too, but didn't feel I needed the exfoliating beads.


Amazon.com: Every Man Jack Charcoal Face Wash, Skin Clearing ...




For the past week I've been trying WSP's Face Soap and so far the results seem promising.
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I occasionally use a CeraVe face cleanser (with salicylic acid) with really good results. I use it 2 or 3 times/week, and there's another CeraVe moisturizing face wash that I use daily. You can probably get an 8 oz pump bottle of the former + a 16 oz pump bottle of the latter for no more than $25-$30 combined.
 
My wife swears by Kiehls so I’ve tried a slew of these. The one I’ve liked the most is the “black” bottle series which is called (hunt hunt) age defender. Its got natural black exfoliant scrubby things ( lava clay) in it so works really well without having to worry about sending weird plastic things down the drain etc. Actually my wife liked this one so much she ended up buying a bottle for herself so passes all bars so to speak.




avi
 

Ron R

I survived a lathey foreman
I recommended this over at another thread and I find it cleans the face gently and cleans and hydrates the whiskers.
A bar of this soap is not that expensive and with a shave brush it seems to last and last and I'm one of these days going to try shaving with it.

Interesting Thread, I have been using CeraVe hand bar soap for last 7-8 months and have nothing but good things to say. It is a gentle cleanser that I use for mostly cleaning my eye area because I suffer from bouts of dry eye certain times of the year. I found that if I brush wash my whole face it actual softens and cleans my whiskers also and makes shaving easier. I'm still on my same bar of soap because it is amazing what a shaving brush will lather this soap up like (you need very little )and it feels good and I have not had any issues with dry eye either. If you have not washed your whole face with a soft shave brush you are missing a very enjoyable experience with no soap burn to the eyes and a healthy face feel IMO. This Soap also has Hyaluronic acid in it's formula.


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I brush wash my whole face with this stuff and enjoy it. They claim amazing good results that I agree with!

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Ingredients list, not sure about all these different chemicals but the soap is gentle to my face. Hydrating the whiskers is important for close shave.
Have some great shaves!
 
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