Let’s Talk: Cleansers

When I first started getting into skincare, I had pretty terrible skin. I turned 23 and all of the sudden I started breaking off all across my face. I thought that I needed to strip my skin of all moisture to dry out the acne and that would make it all go away. It did not. After over two years of searching, I have found that I have a type of cleanser that suits my skin.

For my first cleanse, I want an oil-based cleanser. It needs to be able to break down my makeup (including my hard to remove mascara) without feeling like its stripping my skin.

For my seconds cleanse, I find that I am a little more open. I like oil, gel, & cream based cleansers. My main goal is cleansing my skin without ever making it feel tight. I want it to feel soft and moisturized, but not so thick that it feels like it’s almost clogging my pores instead of cleansing them. I hate cleansers that make my skin feel so devoid of moisture that I have to immediately put an oil or moisturizer on just so it feels better. I just don’t think that’s good for your skin. It feels almost damaging.

These are the 3 cleansers that I just can’t get enough of recently:

• First Cleanse
  • Tatcha Pure One Step Camillia Cleansing Oil ($48.00)
    • This is my go-to first cleanse. The Tatcha Cleansing Oil gently melts away impurities, even waterproof makeup, leaving behind pure, silky soft skin. There is no tugging on my skin and is gentle enough to use on my eyes. It does not contain mineral oil, so the liquid emulsifies completely and does not leave a residue on your skin.
• Second Cleanse
  • Oskia Renaissance Cleansing Gel ($33.70)
    • I heard so many people talking about how amazing this cleanser was for years. I thought it was all just hype and that it couldn’t possibly be as great as everyone said it was. Boy was I wrong. I love it. The Oskia Renaissance Cleansing Gel melts with contact to clean and balance with a variety of vitamin-rich ingredients. I use it as my second cleanse to help deep cleanse my skin while still leaving it soft and visibly radiant complexion.
• Do It All
  • Jordan Samuel Plie Treatment Cleanser ($20.00)
    • Like the Oskia Cleanser, the Jordan Samuel Cleanser just seemed incredibly hyped up. I ran out of another cleanser and thought I would see what it was all about. My favorite thing about this cleanser is that it works as both a first & second cleanse. The gel to oil formula contains olive, jojoba, and grape seed oils that help to remove every trace of makeup. The sugarcane, apple and willow bark extracts gently exfoliate your skin to leave it hydrated and soft.

Honorable Mentions:

• First Cleanse
  • Tata Harper Nourishing Oil Cleanser
  • Clinique Take The Day Off Cleansing Balm
  • Shiseido Perfect Cleansing Oil
• Second Cleanse
  • Caudalie Gentle Cleansing Milk
  • Tata Harper Purifying Cleanser

What are your favorite cleansers?