Skin Cleansers

The most basic step of skincare is cleansing. This single product can make or break a skincare routine. But with the range of products available out there, it's often difficult to find what's appropriate for our needs. Being a beauty junkie, I have tried an awful lot of different products ranging from cheap drugstore brands to high-end expensive ones. Here is some information on what products to choose to suit your specific needs, as well as the flaws and qualities of different types of products.

Let's face it, most of us would rather do without the extra step of using a makeup remover before washing our faces properly. It doesn't take long, true, but it means buying and additional product and it feels long and tedious (especially when on those late nights when even brushing your teeth is too much of an effort). That's when you need a multitasking product that will tackle your make-up as you wash your face! There are two types of products out there that will do a good job to clean away the daily grime without leaving a single trace of that deep black eyeliner and mascara: oil-based emulsions and lathering cleansers.

Oil-based products work because the oil part clings to dirt and makeup while still being easy to rinse off. The science of it involves polarity and so on, but we won't get into that here. Being made out of oils, they are usually recommended for dry or sensitive skin. These are the gentlest cleansers out there as they will not strip the skin of its natural moisture or leave your skin feeling tight. In fact, some people might not even need moisturizer after using that type of cleanser. Not all oil-based products excel at removing make-up, though, so it is a question of trial and error. 

One of the best product in this category is Philosophy's Purity Made Simple. It is an excellent cleanser made with essential oil which acts as a make-up remover, cleanser and toner. It is non-irritating and won't sting if you get it in your eyes. This is gentle enough that it was the only cleanser my skin tolerated while I was on Retin-A, it is very soothing and reduces redness. 

Another good product is Lush's Ultrabland, which is a mix of peanut oil (allergy sufferers be warned), honey and rose water. It has a creamy solid texture and has to be melted in your hands before being applied to skin. It is very effective at removing most make-up, but I find it has some trouble with certain brands of mascara. Also, this one is meant to be used on dry skin and then wiped off with a towel and warm water. A bit less effective than Purity Made Simple, but a good alternative nonetheless for those who prefer more natural products. 

Another category of cleansers which does a good job at removing makeup is lathering cleansers. Those usually contain lathering agents such as sodium laureth sulfate (a surfactant) which is usually absent in oil based products. While this makes sure you get a good amount of bubbles it also means it's a more drying product. In spite of that, not all cleansers in this category excel at removing makeup. A trial and error approach is needed in this case to assess their efficiency at removing your usual makeup. One cleanser may be fine for someone with light makeup while it won't remove somebody else's waterproof mascara. Products marketed for acne-prone skin usually are pretty good at removing makeup and other impurities on skin.But those might be slightly irritating for people with dry or sensitive skin and you will have to apply a good moisturizer afterwards unless you have very oily skin. Applying moisturizer is important. If you strip your skin with a cleanser it will produce more oil to compensate for its lost protection. Two of my favorite products in this category are Garnier's Fresh cleanser and Neutrogena's Pink Grapefruit Facial Cleanser.

For those of us unfortunate enough to be plagued by acne, blackheads or whiteheads, our skincare routine is a constant war against those unsightly problems. For people with moderate outbreaks and non-cystic acne you don't need both a medicated cleanser and treatment, as this would overdry your skin. There are a lot of options out there in a very large array of retail prices. While you might think that the top of the line acne cleanser that retails for 90$ is more effective than your run of the mill drugstore brand, it isn't necessarily true. They all contain the same active ingredients to treat acne. While the more expensive products might contain added moisturizers and antioxidants, they probably won't work any better. The only difference is that they might be less irritating than their cheaper counterparts. If you can afford it, go ahead. If your budget is restricted, it's best to invest on a good moisturizer and scrimp a little on the cleanser. After all, it only stays on your face for a few seconds while you wash while your moisturizer stays there all day or night.

What you need to look for is either chemical exfoliants like glycolic or salicylic acid (AHA and BHA) which will increase cell turnover (this prevents pores from getting clogged by dead skin cells), benzoyl peroxide or sulphur, which both act as drying and antibacterial agents. That's the core of anti-acne regimens, that's what works to clear your skin. The rest is just additionnal bonuses that you don't really need. I find that glycolic acid and salicylic acid mixes work very well for blackheads while benzoyl peroxide work wonders for cystic acne and blemishes. Sulfur is usually more potent either as a mask or spot treatment.

For those with sensitive skin, look for cleansers with lower concentrations of the above ingredients and with added moisturizers. Once your skin becomes used to one concentration (especially with the acids) you can work your way up to a higher concentration. Although from personnal experience they do more work as treatment lotions than as cleansers. One good way to approach this is to use a salicylic acid cleanser paired with a glycolic acid lotion. With benzoyl peroxide you might notice more irritation and be careful as it will bleach towels and pretty much anything else it comes in contact with (so don't put it liberally in your hair). For those products it is especially important to keep them out of reach of pets as salicylic acid and benzoyl peroxide are very toxic to them. Make sure you wash your hands with regular soap after washing your face so you don't contaminate them. 

To look glowing it is important to exfoliate your skin on a regular basis. While clear, normal, and sensitive skin can go with only once every week or so it must be done more often for congested and oily skin. This is also a necessary step to keep blackheads at bay. While there are cleansers which offer exfoliating properties with AHA, they have already been discussed in the previous section. That leaves physical scrubs. There is a myriad of different scrubs out there with different abrasives ranging from nut shells to jojoba beads and pumice stone. Then within each source of abrasive there are different sizes of particles which give a different effect.

For sensitive skin it is best to stick to rather weak abrasives like ground almonds, jojoba beads and rice bran. They will still smooth skin nicely but they don't have that scratchy gritty feeling. Next in strength is salt and sugar. Those are surprisingly effective and they last a good time before they melt under the shower. They are usually marketed in body scrubs and are less likely to be found in facial cleansers. Then you have ground nutshells and seeds, most commonly apricot kernel and walnut shells, followed by pumice stone which is probably amongst the most abrasive products in home facial care.

Particle size makes a big difference in the effect the product will have. Very small powder like particles usually give a smoother feel and don't feel as scratchy. This holds true for nutshells and pumice stone. For salt and sugar it has to be either extremely fine or very coarse, although the coarser ones are rarer. This will avoid having small red scratches all over your face. For jojoba beads the size does not matter much as it is a very soft exfoliant and is not likely to scratch at all.

One product which gets a good 5 stars in my opinion is Yes to Carrots's facial scrub normal to dry skin. It has apricot kernel powder, which does not scratch at all, and it contains lovely ingredients such as dead sea minerals and carrot juice. Plus, it won't dry out your skin and it is shock full of natural extracts to keep your skin happy.