Obagi ZO Skin Health Review: Week 4 and Beyond

We made it through three weeks of our Oabgi ZO Skin Health trial before disaster struck. No, we didn’t have a major breakout, but our luggage that we had packed it in was stolen off the street while we were packing our rental car for a road trip. (We still haven’t quite gotten over the loss of our month old Marc Jacobs bikini.) Thus our trial ended a little earlier and more abruptly than we planned on.

We realize that our experience is unique and that many of our criteria for evaluating skincare products may be different from yours. That said, our feelings on the Obagi ZO Skin Health are decidedly mixed. While we did see a reduction in brown spots, we never got over missing a rich, creamy moisturizer. Throughout our 30s, we’ve tried a wide range of skin care products, probably more than is good for us, truth be told. While we do have some favorites, nothing has ever given us miraculous results. Given that we’re not looking for or expecting anything major, we tend to prefer products that we enjoy applying—they feel good going on and have a light scent. (Right now, we’re really enjoying the Kate Sommerville Nourish products and the Prescriptives Vibrant-C moisturizer.)

Beyond the tactile aspect of the Obagi products, the jury is out on how our skin was actually looking. We went for a B. Kamins Diamond Radiance Facial at the Tribecca Beauty Spa five days after we suddenly stopped using the Obagi products. Our aesthetician was very critical of our skin and told us we had “double skin” on our forehead (we’re not even sure what this means, nor did we understand her explanation) and said our skin was extremely irritated.

The facial started with a Deep Detox Microstimulator with ginger and clove that is supposed to remove impurities and improve circulation. It was very tingly and hot on our face, more so than other chemical peels we’ve used in the past. That was followed by the most painful extractions we’ve ever experienced—and we’ve been getting facials since we were 15.

Next up was a soothing facial massage with cucumber and mango serum, then a second mask: Radiance Rejuvenating masque, which smelled like peppermint and features green tea extract.

We realize that our skin was still getting used to the Retinol in the Obagi products and this may not have been the right facial at the right time. With our skin in the process of rebuilding itself, we should have taken it easy. Our face was red for a few hours after the facial.

A day later, our skin was super soft—and flaky once again. We lived with it for two days, then decided to go back to our tried and true Prescriptives products for an at-home facial. Our skin has been in good shape ever since. Was it the Obagi products? The B. Kamins facial? The Prescriptives regimen? A combo of all three? We're not sure.

In the meantime, the people at Obagi were kind enough to take pity on the theft of our luggage and sent over another starter kit. Hope volunteered to test it out, to give you another opinion on the products. We’ll see how her experiences compare.

Click here for the reviews from week 1, week 2 and week 3.