What's with the microbeads?
 

So, I ran out of my normal Neutrogena face wash, and decided to try something different. I got this new St. Ive's cream face scrub - Apricot Radiance - that, among other things, claims to have "Gentle microbeads".

The cream part of the cleanser was awesome - left my face smooth and tight and tingly. But the microbeads... AIEEEEEEE!

I know microbeads help with exfoliation, but I thought they were supposed to dissolve, or break apart to release oils or moisturizers, etc. Oh no - not these. Even though I followed the directions to "avoid contact with eyes", I *still* got them in my eyes and spent the last few minutes of my shower flushing them out.

And, to make matters worse, I finished my shower, dried off, and got dressed, and then felt something weird in my eyebrows. Microbeads! And then something faintly scratchy on 3 of my 4 chest hairs. Microbeads! And ... well, let's just say "further south" and leave it at that. ;)

Why? Why? Why? :shrug: I had to go take another shower just to get them off!

Anyone else have any grooming product disasters?

New reports are that microbeads aren't good, they are too harsh and put tiny tears in your face. The best thing is to use a gentle cleanser, with either a washcloth or a very soft brush. That provides plenty of exfoliation. Then perhaps get a toner, which will further exfoliate and clean your pores. I wouldn't even exfoliate every day, your skin needs to have it's natural oils on it for at least a little bit every day, it helps it heal and provides protection.
:wavey:
I've been reading about how you shouldn't use microbeads for years, where have you been? :laugh:

Well that explains why they added the "gentle microbeads" disclaimer then. :laugh:

But I seriously had no idea they were bad, or that they didn't dissolve or break open. Now I'll have to clean my shower again tomorrow, too - unless I want to just pretend I'm at a very sandy beach. (EDIT: As opposed to, you know, the kind of beach with NO sand. :rolleyes: Maybe I should just cut my lossed and go to bed. :D )

Ah, yes, the sandless beaches. One of my most memorable vacations! :laugh:
um, yeah, if they feel sandy? they are probably not that gentle.

Aveda makes a great gentle exfoliant. It's a liquid, so isn't abrasive to your skin. I like it but sometimes I like to use a salt scrub to really GIVE 'ER! :lol: I've never experienced microbeads, but having them in my pubes would hardly be my idea of a good time!

Neutrogena has a new face wash line that works great. It's like $25 but it comes with face wash and two lotions. The face wash exfoliates but sooooooooooooo gently---and cleans too.

If that is too much, the best is aveeno. Their exfoliating face wash doesn't clean as well as the Neutrogena IMO but it's very gentle.

oh my... i had the same problem with this stuff... i went to the store, they were out of my usual facial cleanser, and i saw all these ads and displays for this st ives apricot radiance so i thought "well lets try it then" no no no... first off, i don't have sensitive skin, but it BURNED my face. i had to use green tinted makeup for a day to mask my red face... RED! and those microbeads are awful! i don't have chest hair, but they did get caught in my hairline and when i rinsed my face some of them somehow got in my armpits and stuck in there! i found them while drying off after the shower. terrible!

also, my roommate got a free sample of it somewhere, tried it, and hated it too... it needs to just go away.

Thanks for the heads up, I will NEVER use that.

Yikes!
 

Nixxxed - make sure you see a doctor if your vision seems affected or your eyes still hurt after a day or so. These things can cause corneal abrasions.

I love Neutrogena. I've always used the plain ole' orange liquid, and never had a problem. $25 sounds a little steep, though.

Aha! I knew I couldn't be the only person with the same microbead problems. Thanks for sharing! :xoxo:

It says it has Salicylic Acid - could that be what burned your face? I don't know what that is, but like I said - the cream part of the cleanser worked awesome for me.

And I don't much about makeup, but where in the world did you come up with green-tinted foundation? :shrug:

Do you mean the St. Ives Apricot scrub with the ground-up apricot pits as the exfoliating agent (comes in an orange tube)? Yeah - that stuff ripped me to shreds the one time I tried it.

I only had bad acne in sporadic fits in high school, thankfully. But I remember what it was like, and I'm so glad things like ProActiv are now on the market (plus a few others). People make such a big deal about it improving your looks - but it was never about that for me. Acne hurts and itches and oozes and is just a big pain!

Yikes - I hadn't even thought of that. Well, the Tube O' Microbeads is already in the trash, and I haven't noticed any vision impairment today (thankfully). I'm glad I used it in the shower - if I had just been washing my face at the sink, getting the out would've been hell. :nod: