I’m a self confessed skin care addict, Mr B had to buy extra bathroom storage when I moved in at the start of the year…! However I’ve realised that when it comes to cleansers they are some that I have repurchased over and over and always come back to. These are the tried and trusted ones that I know won’t break me out or cause irritation (disclaimer – I have combination/dehydrated skin).
Superfacialist ( By Una Brennan) Vitamin C Cleansing Oil Buy here
I love the whole Superfacialist range but the cleansing oil is the stand out product for me and I’ve lost count of how many bottles I’ve been through. I use this as a first cleanse in the evening to take my make up off and it deals with waterproof mascara effortlessly, and with no eye irritation, and leaves my skin feeling hydrated and clean but not stripped. I’ve learnt over the years that despite having an oilier skin type my skin responds so well to products with natural oils in them, as it seems to keep it balanced. The inclusion of Vitamin C promotes that all important glow and as an added bonus it smells gorgeous! I’ve tried to incorporate more products with Vitamin C in them recently as part of my wedding skin care prep due to the glow they give and have my sights on some of the ‘The Ordinary‘ Vitamin C products to try next! This range is most easily available at Boots and more recently Sainsburys and also includes cream cleansers and facial oils all at a really affordable price point.
Oskia Renaissance Cleansing Gel Buy here
This is again a multiple repurchase and one that I start missing if I don’t have it in my cleanser stash for too long. This is NOT a cleanser to take your make up off due to the price and the fact that it contains treatment elements in the product – you’d simply be washing money down the plug hole! Rather this is a second cleanse in the evening or morning cleanse product. I tend to use it in the evening after removing make up, massage it into my skin and then leave it for a few minutes to allow the pumpkin enzymes and Vitamin A to work their magic. This gives a definite glow to the skin, leaves it soft and nourished and is easily washed off with warm water as turns milky on contact. Whilst it’s called a cleansing gel I’d say it’s more of a hybrid between a gel and balm cleanser and is perfect for really working into the skin as an ‘at home facial’. Aesthetically it gets top marks too, being a gorgeous rose coloured and scented balm. It is on the pricier side but as a top tip if you sign up to Oskia’s website they usually send a discount code for your first purchase – you won’t regret it!
Balance me cleansing balm Buy here
This product works well as a first or second cleanse as it has multiple ways to be used. It is the most ‘balm like’ of the three and really needs to be worked into the skin to remove make up and then taken off with a hot flannel otherwise it will leave a residue on the skin. It also contains oatmeal grains as an manual exfoliant and is brilliant if your skin doesn’t love chemical exfoliants (glycolic, Vit A etc). It really ‘polishes’ your skin and leaves it amazingly soft and clean and is also brilliant at removing waterproof mascara – although you do need to watch out not to get the oatmeal grains in your eyes! The inclusion of sweat almond and rosehip oils add a nourishing property to the cleanser and aid with removing any stubborn make up. This is one of those products which doesn’t get reached for as often as my cleansing oils as takes a little more effort but whenever I do use it I kick myself for not using it more often! As an aside Balance Me have recently reformulated all their packaging and seem to have sent TK Max a lot of the old packaging styles, so its worth a look next time you are there as it will be heavily discounted!
It was really tricky to narrow down this blog to just three cleansers as there are so many more I love, but these three have been tried and tested and really perform. My top tip if you are new to cleansing is to try and avoid anything which foams or contains Sodium Laureth Sulfates (SLS), especially if you have spot prone skin or dry skin as these type of cleansers will just strip your skin of any natural oils and encourage increased oil production. Your skin really will thank you for using products which nourish and treat – give it a go and let me know how you get on!
Jess X
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