Now wash your face!

A good cleanser should remove make-up effectively & your skin should feel comfortable and/or pleasant. It should also not upset the pH balance of the skin. A facial wash or cleanser may vary from liquid to semi-solid. There are different preparations recommended for specific skin types, but if you have an oily skin, for example, but prefer a creamy cleanser, that is ok, as long as it’s an oil-free cleanser and doesn’t irritate or worsen your skin.

Cleansing Gel

Predominantly for oilier skin types.

Combination to oily skins may use this.

Many people prefer gel cleansers as they feel that the “soap/foam cleans” more effectively. This is not necessarily the case as cream/milky cleansers can clean as effectively minus the foaming agent (commonly sodiumlaurethsulphate or sodiumlaurylsulphate).

Cleansing Foam

Predominantly for oilier skin types.

Combination to oily skins may use this.

Cream Cleanser

Water-in-oil emulsion.

Vary in texture

Dry and mature skins

A mousse-like texture is better for mature skins as it won’t “drag” the skin

Milky Cleanser

Oil-in-water emulsion

Up to 90% water

For young, normal &combination skins

Some may contain a detergent element but this would be too drying on an older skin.

gel-to-foam based daily exfoliator

Exfoliating Cleansers

I’m not really fond of these. No, I don’t like them. But if you prefer them, make sure that the beads are tiny, and don’t feel too rough (“scratchy”) on your skin. 

If you have acne or pustules (spots/pimples containing pus) I would recommend that you do not use this form of cleanser as it may irritate your skin and may cause the bacteria which causes the infection (and therefore pus) to spread.  They may be in a creamy base or a gel-to-foam base. Exfoliating twice weekly with a facial exfoliant is adequate. I will cover exfoliation in a future post.

cream-based daily exfoliator

Medicated Cleansers

These are most commonly prescribed/recommended by dermatologists and other medical professionals. Generally, these are more for oily, congested skin types as they may be very degreasing contain anti-bacterial ingredients.

Cleansing bars

This looks like a regular bar of soap, sometimes a bit smaller, but is specifically for cleansing your face. This is my least favourite cleansing preparation, along with daily exfoliants, mainly because I am a hygiene enthusiast. To me, a cleanser in a pump-bottle is most hygienic because you're not physically touching the product, and it is not constantly in a damp/moist/wet environment. I have the same issue with hand-washing. When you use a bar of soap for any reason, firstly you're touching it with your hands (which may not be clean) and little particles from under your nails may go onto it. My second issue is that it's constantly moist or in a moist environment. Moisture is breeding ground for micro-organisms, especially bacteria. I also don't like picking up that slimy brick of soap. Not many people have the time or patience to rinse the bar properly and put it in a suitable place or container where it can "drain" or drip-dry and then clean the container regularly. High-maintenance anyone? If you're willing to take the necessary steps to keep a cleansing bar as sanitary as possible, then there's no real problem using this form of cleansing preparation.

Cleansing lotion

Although it has "cleansing" in it's name/title/description, and is part of the cleansing process, it is not actually a cleanser. This is another term used for a toner. A very "watery" fluid used AFTER cleansing.

When I think of a perfect cleanser, I envisage a soap-free, oil-free silky liquid, that leaves my skin feeling smooth, soft and comfortable as if I had just woken-up, minus the puffiness.

Miss B