Is St Ives good for your skin reddit

TL; DR: St. Ives Apricot scrubs really that bad? Any good recommendation for replacement?

Hi,

I recently bought St. Ives Apricot scrubs because I was looking for a new scrub to replace my Clean & Clear blackhead eraser scrub. I saw a lot of positive reviews about St. Ives Apricot scrubs on Walmart, Amazon, etc. I've been using it for a few weeks, and I feel I see a lot less blackheads now. I used the scrub when I took a shower.

However, I was surprised to see all negative comments I see about St. Ives Apricot scrubs on this subreddit. Is St. Ives Apricot scrubs really that terrible? (or did they recently 'fix' the bead problems?) If it is, any recommendation to replace St. Ives scrub?

I am currently using Stridex max strength pad also.I've tried Oxy and Clearasil clearing pads, but I feel I had worse results than Stridex.

I've been a member and lurker of this sub for over 2 years now. One of the first things I learned is the Apricot scrub is a big no no. It gives microscopic tears and it's HORRIBLE for your skin.

This year, I saw more posts challenging the accepted notion of "microscopic tears". I also saw posts encouraging members to share their beloved skincare tricks that go against the grain. St Ives scrub was mentioned on that thread as well. As we all know here, YMMV is an important golden rule. For over 2 years, I've been afraid to try this scrub based on the memes, bad reputation, and shaming. I want better skin, not worse and we all know st ives is a bad idea, right?

So...a few days ago, I decided to try it. I just had to see the effects for myself. I have very oily combo skin. My breakouts usually consist of small cc clusters and then a couple of smaller pimples. I get them on my forehead and cheeks. This sub has helped clear my skin, but I still get break outs if I'm not consistent...or when I sleep in my makeup for a week straight repeatedly (I know! Bad me!). Anyway, I had a breakout and rough texture that was not subsiding no matter what I did. My usual tricks were not helping much. That's when I decided to try the scrub.

The scrub is fragranced and smells nice. When I used it, I noticed how gritty it was so I used light gentle circular motions. I made sure I wasn't pressing down hard. My skin was already aggravated and I didn't want to make it worse with harsh force. I really focused on my rough cheeks and then gave the rest of my face attention. It was surprisingly relaxing and fun. Around a minute or two I rinsed it off and omg, WOW! While rinsing, it felt sooo soft! After drying it, I kept touching it. Despite my recent bout of roughness, my face is usually very soft, but this was next level. My face did feel a bit irritated/slight stinging afterwards, but that happens with my Ole Henriksen scrub and power peel as well, so I knew it was fine. My face looked really glowy. The scrub did pop/remove the tops of a few smaller white heads I had. I applied moisturizer, rosehip oil, and then too cool for school's pumpkin sleep pack to my face and went to bed.

I kid you not, in the morning when I woke up, most of my spots were gone! The really inflamed pimples had shrunken down very small. I was shocked and upset I didn't take pictures. I didn't expect it to work. I honestly expected a horrible outcome. I use chemical exfoliation regularly and a couple times a week I use a small silicone face scrubber as a manual exfoliator with my face wash. None of that got me the result I saw with st ives. My luxe ole henriksen scrub doesn't do what I experienced with st. Ives.

I know st ives is considered bad on this sub, but if you haven't tested your own mileage, you might be missing out on something helpful. I'll probably use it once every 1-2 weeks. It works.

Edit: Apparently my sleeping in makeup comment for a week wasn't explained well. I was still doing a morning skincare routine daily/removing it. I'd just sleep in my makeup repeatedly for a week, clean in the morning, then reapply.

Current Routine

AM: CeraVe Foaming Cleanser for Oily/Combo Skin, Pixi Glow Tonic, Elf Eye Cream, CeraVe Moisturizer with 30 SPF

PM: Micellular Water from Soap and Glory, CeraVe Foaming Cleanser for Oily/Combo Skin, Pixi Glow Tonic, Elf Eye Cream, Jergen’s All-Purpose Face Cream

Before: AM & PM: St Ives and Jojoba Oil = relatively clear skin. I had a bit of a strawberry nose that has cleared up, I believe due to a better moisturizer, but everything else has gotten significantly worse.

Posted byu/[deleted]9 years ago

I used this scrub for years and I never broke out. I come to this sub for help with my oily skin and SF/blackheads, and, of course, the first thing I read was that St Ives is bad for you. So I stopped using it, and I started breaking out like I'm 13 again (I'm 22). Days after I stopped using it, and continuously there after, I've been breaking out basically every week. Its no ones fault that my skin routine isn't perfect, and that I cling to groupthink too easily, so I obviously can't blame a loosely connected anonymous group of redditors. But still, Google fails me. Other than anecdotal testimony, I cannot find any sort of evidence of these claims that its so horrible for your face.

Is St. Ives a good brand for your skin?

Can you use St. Ives everyday?

Does St. Ives clog pores?

Is St. Ives a good exfoliator?