The excessive dryness on my cheeks is finally clearing, following Dr. Pickart's suggestion to stop the Exfol and use only diluted CP serum. I have also avoided washing my face, but have employed gentle steaming once a day.

How should I proceed from here? My eyes look a bit droopy, and my cheeks are fairly red. The rest of my skin is dry-ish but not to the point of tightness or pain.

I would like to include exfoliation again, and I'm not sure if steaming is adequate in the long term for cleansing.

sian
I'll offer a suggestion -
be advised I am hardly an expert -
I've only been using these products (mainly cp's bhos bhas and ahas) since january of this year.
that said...
my instincts say to use emu - or your choice of bho - only - for a day or two. i think this will soothe the redness/dryness.
after the short "rest", I'd add a small amount of copper, the same you're using now, only mixed with emu/bho. I would keep the copper away from the eye area for now - use just the oils here.

once the skin feels more stable, I'd start up again with the copper straight on the skin, and the exfol (maybe opposite ends of the day).
I would continue to use emu/bho thru-out.

I believe the oils will help.

you may want to find a gentle, ph balanced (not alkaline) cleanser - without harsh detergents.
it's tough to find a good one.

Thanks Bubble! I'll try that. It sounds very sensible.

What cleanser are you using right now? Do you use any other products?

my not-quite-abridged reply...

I've been using Diana Yvonnes "rosehip seed cleanser" for my face
(Ingredients: Purified Water, Olive Oil Castile, Vegetable Glycerine, Rose hip See Oil, Essential oils, Seaweed Extract. ph 5.5).
It is my understanding that she gets it from professional solutions - BUT w/o the detergents. (a word of caution - when you buy the product from professional solutions, even tho it doesn't state in their ingredients list- you MAY get the formulation with detergent (sls, sles?)

I've been looking into a cost effective cleanser for the body, and was curious about gentle clean. I recieved a sample, and liked it - but it's hard for me to purchase if I don't know the ingredients.
so currently I'm using dr bonners (almond). ph 8. I use it mixed with water in a foamer bottle - body only.

my main "aresenal" are my cps (cp serum, super cp serum - waiting on a super cop sample), bhas (exfol, 2% and 5% SA - both @ 1.9 ph -both diana yvonne products) aha (10% @ 1.9 lactic acid -DY), emu (clear and ultra - I do like SB emu too, but haven't repurchased).

I'm a simple girl. I like the diversity of the above products. I don't need a separate toner or a separate "eye" product. I can use these on both face and body - for beauty and/or healing. I can increase or decrease the intensity (namely the cps).
They're very versatile.

If I ever try a stronger aha, it would probably be on my body only - and maybe if I had to spot treat (definaely not all over) on my face. I'm not big on downtime or "peeling".

I also like SB's squalane - particularly around my eyes. emu tends to migrate into them (not the best thing for a nighttime reader). I'm waiting on the squalane/retinol gonna try that.

dmae
I like this product. DY has a 3% gel that I would recommend. This product is a bit pricey, so I've made my own potion from the bitrate and HA (hyaluronic acid) - may try the next batch w/ water.
I am very curious about the up-and- comming dmae product from SB.

dcx
marketed for undereye circles - but I've been using this for the darkness by my tear ducts. after a few months of usage, I'm so-so about this product.

I take supplements which include msm, vit c, efa's. (may add a little copper to the mix)

and...
I'll be trying out the folligen products
(all but the shampoo/conditioner).

fwiw
46 yo female with combination/dry skin (emu does help - in the summer I no longer feel the need to slather on "moisturizer").
larger pores in t-zone and time-honored lines on face. not too much sag.
long, somewhat thin, straight hair with a bit of silver.

Sounds good to me. Thank you for sharing.I'm eager to incorporate a couple more products, but I'm not sure which ones to go with. I know part of it is compensation from a loss. I can't complain too much. For an outdoors girl, my skin isn't bad.