**REVIEW** CeraVe Healing Ointment

 This won't be a long review. I just wanted to point out what a great product this is.

I got my first jar of CeraVe Healing Ointment from a dermatologist in Anchorage more than 5 years ago. It was meant to be used for my psoriasis breakouts and it does help. However, I learned that the ointment also makes a great daily treatment for dry skin in general. And it makes one of the best night creams for my face during the super-dry winter months here in Iowa.

The active ingredient is petrolatum (46.5%) but it's not as greasy as Vaseline, in my opinion. I cannot use Vaseline on my face as more than a wipe-off type of cleanser or makeup remover. When I leave it on my face, it irritates my skin. The CeraVe ointment doesn't have that effect.

In addition to using the ointment as an overnight mask when my skin is extra dry, I also use it to moisturize my feet. I will apply the ointment and then put socks on for an hour or so until it's all absorbed. I use the ointment as an after-shower treatment on my dry but still-damp skin. I have even used it on my scalp in a pinch when I am out of my regular hairdressing product.

What I like most about using the ointment on my face is that it eventually absorbs so that I don't have an oil slick on my skin. I have used it after using hyaluronic acid serum or in addition to face cream. That might sound overboard but the air in Northern Iowa gets extremely dry during the winter. I have to run a humidifier constantly just to keep the apartment air feeling balanced. Weirdly, the summer months are so humid that I run 3 small dehumidifiers that I have placed around the apartment. Crazy, right?

There's a reason that I'm only just now talking about the ointment after using it for the whole 6 years I've lived in Iowa. Recently, I was considering buying a moisturizer to use as an overnight treatment. The product is one that I got in a subscription box a long while back. When I thought of buying a bottle to use at night, I got the shock of my life when I saw the price.

The product is a melting moisture mask from Dermalogica. It's excellent stuff. I mean, it's really good. However, it costs almost $41 per ounce. No lie. 

I have an app on my phone called Price Cruncher and it showed me that the Dermalogica mask is  372.28% more expensive than the CeraVe cream. That's wild.

But the price wasn't the only reason to choose the CeraVe over the Dermalogica. I'm pretty sure that if I wanted the mask badly enough, one of my brothers would get it for me. But... the truth is, the Cerave works better. Or I should say that the effects I get from the CeraVe last longer.

When I got the Dermalogica, I didn't realize how pricey it was. Thankfully, I never used it on a daily basis - just when my skin was extra dry. By the way, if you have some and think that the can is empty, chances are, it's not. I have been able to coax use after use from what I thought was an empty can. All I do is pump-pump-pump the dispenser and little worms of the cream will come out. That can have been "empty" for weeks! And one benefit to the product is that it takes very little to treat the entire face.

10 pumps of "empty" can

The bottom line is that, if you can easily afford the Dermalogica, get it. It's something that can be used around the clock and it certainly is worth every bit of the positive hype. The CeraVe is something that I use on my face only during the driest weather or as an overnight treatment. 

Would I buy the Dermalogica (in addition to the CeraVe) if I could afford it? Probably. It would be nice to have a mask that works so well that I could wear winter and summer.

Another good thing about the CeraVe is that it comes in a variety of sizes so you can get a small tube to try it out or a larger jar once you fall in love. The Dermalogica is a one-size/one-price deal. I wish I could remember which subscription box that I got it from because I want to write them a thank you note!

For now, I am in love with the CeraVe. I put just a little on my face when I go to bed. When I wake up in the morning, my skin feels so soft and supple that I keep touching my face. 

Peace

--Free

NOTE: The CeraVe is also available from Walmart and other stores. If you ever get any, make sure to compare prices everywhere. I'm going to be getting a purse-sized tube soon.

Disclaimer: I am not paid or compensated in any way for the products I review. Prior to 2018, I did receive some items 9at a discount or free of charge) in lieu of doing a review. However, since then, every single thing I review is bought and paid for with my own money, personal (non-sponsored) gift cards, and/or gifted to me from family and friends and not in return for doing a review. Nothing is sponsored.