New Buying Guides
New Categories: Tires, Acne Treatment
We recently published two new buying guides to help you make an informed decision about which acne treatment to put on your skin and which tires to put on your car.
The plunge in outdoor temperatures and the return of indoor heating may be the moment to reassess your own private war on acne. Our new buying guide to acne treatments notes that the effectiveness of any given cleanser depends in part on your skin type and how it reacts to different ingredients. No acne treatment, even those produced by well-regarded brands like Neutrogena, earns 100-percent positive reviews. Regardless of the formula, some users' skin reacts negatively even as it works beautifully for others. Almost all acne treatments contain salicylic acid or benzoyl peroxide, two ingredients known to be effective blemish fighters but also somewhat irritating; the latter, in particular, can leave your skin feeling chafed and dry.
In general, people with dry and sensitive skin face the biggest dilemma when it comes to acne treatment. Our new buying guide notes that one strategy for warding off acne while keeping your skin hydrated calls for using an oil-free moisturizer. Our favorite acne remedies all sell for less than $7 and include spot treatments like Clean & Clear Persa-Gel 10 Maximum Strength 1, and cleansers, like Noxzema Triple Clean Anti-Blemish Pads, that also have some preventive benefits. Check out the new buying guide for the full results of our research.
While you're at it, don't forget to take a look at the findings in our new buying guide on cheap tires, which covers both all-season tires and winter tires. (Heads up if you live where there's lots of snow -- winter tires may be a very good investment.) Using data provided by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's Uniform Tire Quality Grading System, Cheapism reports that the best all-season tires have a tread-wear rating of 600 or higher, traction grades of A, and temperature ratings of A or B.
The best cheap all-season tires we found are General Altimax RT and Falken SN211, which sell for less than $60 a piece. Our new buying guide draws on customer reviews of cheap tires, which lead us to conclude that high-quality, low-cost tires keep a good grip on the road, provide a smooth ride, and don't blow out easily. Winter tires cost more than all-season tires, and the two we like are Michelin X-Ice Xi2 and General Altimax Arctic, which are priced at less than $75 a tire. These brands perform well in snow and stop when needed in icy conditions. When winter's over, though, it's time to move on. Snow tires can drag in warm weather -- and sound irritatingly loud, to boot -- so a set of good all-season tires is a must-have component of automotive gear.
