On todays episode of EVERYTHING I OWN we’re looking at second cleansers. This is one of the categories of my skincare collection that it turns out I have the most. When I started peeking around it’s like I was finding them in every nook and cranny.
To make everything easier, I have broken down my second cleansers into categories: Foaming, Oil, Cream and Exfoliating.
FOAMING
These are my lease favorite type of cleanser. I was told that I needed to use a foaming cleanser in order to clear my acne. But that just makes the assumption that everyone with acne also has oily skin, which is just not the case. I know many people swear by them, but I have yet to find a foaming cleanser that doesn’t leave my skin feeling drying or stripping in some way. That “squeaky clean” feeling is something I just refuse to have. For that reason, I never find myself reaching for any of these types of cleansers. If I have to choose one out of all of my foaming cleansers to use, it would be the Neogen Green Tea Foaming Cleanser. I find it to be the least drying of this category. If you have oily skin, I could see this type of cleanser to be helpful, but for my dry skin, they just don’t work.
OIL
I love to use oil as a first cleanse to remove all of my makeup. I only have one company that I use for a second cleanse that is oil based: Votary.
Now I have a general rule about oil cleansers: they must emulsify with water then it’s not allowed on my face. Votary is the ONLY exception that I have for that rule. They’re a thicker oil that feels luxurious. It’s the kind of cleanser that you take your time with. I like to give myself a massage for a few minutes before removing it with a warm cleansing cloth.
These thicker oil cleansers are amazing for all skin types, but especially dry skin types. Votary has multiple oil cleansers based on what your skin needs. I have the Clarifying Cleansing Oil as well as the Rose Geranium & Apricot Cleansing Oil. Both I absolutely love, but I find the Clarifying version to be slightly better for my skin needs.
CREAM
Cream cleansers are my favorite type of second cleanse. In general, they deep cleanse while being incredibly hydrating. My current favorite is the LixirSkin Electrogel Cleanser. I also love the TruFora cleanser. It thick and creamy and just feels luxurious to use.
I picked up the Liz Earle Cleanse & Polish while I was in London and haven’t really used it much. Every time I have used it I’ve enjoyed it, but I just have so many to get through that it kind of got pushed to the back of my collection. The Royal Fern cleanser is a newer love. It’s slightly more gel than cream, but I love it none the less. I don’t think there’s one in this category that I wouldn’t recommend.
EXFOLIATING
This is one of my least used types of cleanser. It’s not that I don’t enjoy them, but I’ve been trying to cut back on my physical exfoliating products. A few times a month I will reach for one of these to gently beff away any dead skin.
My favorites are the Tata Harper Regenerating Cleanser and the Tatcha Polish grains. Both are gentle enough to be used every week without being nervous of over exfoliating the skin.
Although I do like these cleansers, I just don’t find that I get enough use out of them. So after I work my way through these, I don’t think that I’m likely to purchase any more exfoliating cleansers. I find I can get a similar result by using a gentle exfoliator so there no need to have both.
What is your favorite type of cleanser?
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