When “they” (the experts) talk to the public about skincare, they almost always refer to cleansers, sunscreen, and moisturizer. They chat about what can happen if you if you don’t use a daily cleanser (clogged pores and breakouts), forget the sunscreen (sunburn, premature aging, skin cancer), and skip the moisturizer (dry skin). What they sometimes fail to discuss, however, is what can happen if you don’t test a patch of your skin prior to applying a new moisturizer. If you are allergic to the product, the results can initially cause more of an irritation than a relief.

Thinking I was a smart and economical shopper (and a broke college student), I bought a bottle of good smelling and inexpensive moisturizer from my local dollar store. I figured that hey, it was moisturizer; they all probably have relatively comparableingredients. I didn’t give it much more deliberation than that. That was my first gaffe in my usually stellar record of proper skincare.

I brought the bottle home, and after my shower the next morning I slathered my legs and arms in my new moisturizer, basking in how good the stuff smelled. I had a crazy day of classes ahead of me, and again, never gave another thought to the moisturizer. As far as I was concerned, my skincare routine was complete for the day. That’s when the pure evilness of the moisturizer reared its ugly head, for the duration of my last class of the afternoon.

It was a pretty unnoticeable reaction at first-my skin itched, and I scratched it. It was something I didn’t note at first, until it became irksome enough for me to roll up my sleeve to see what was going on. Staring back at me was a red, puffy, hive-covered patch of angry skin. I mentally shook my fist at both the dollar store for selling me the tainted allergy-inducing moisturizer, and myself for saving a whopping $2.99 on a bottle that I would now throw in the trash. Wasn’t such a money-saving decision after all.

I spend the next five days battling my hivey rash. It was insanely itchy, and I couldn’t even follow my regular skincare routine of applying a daily moisturizer (one I wasn’t allergic to) for fear that I would aggravate the condition further. I took hydrocortisone with me and instead slathered that on my skin four to five times a day. I kept my arms and legs totally covered, even though it was early May, because of how gross it looked. I decided that the next time I purchased something from the dollar store it would be something that wouldn’t involve any kind of close contact with the product. From then on, the dollar store was my go-to for only things that I knew wouldn’t be so evil. Another lesson? Test your skin before using a new moisturizer.

Is there something else you would like to know about skincare? If you want to learn more about skincare tips and how a moisturizer can assist you, contact Likewise Skincare today!. Check here for free reprint license: When Moisturizer Turns Evil.

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