Monday 22 February 2016

My Favourite 5 Cleansers for February 2016


Here are my current 5 favourite cleanser that I've been using the most for the past few months.

How I cleanse

First I wet my face. Use about a tea spoon of water all over the face, you want to feel damp rather than wet to give slip when you use the cleanser. Apply cleanser to face and massage for a minute as this gives time for the active ingredients to work and get the blood flowing. Massage upwards along the cheek and jaw and in circles on the forehead and middle of the face to follow the muscles. I often use a muslin cloth in the evening but you can use a flannel or just water. Pat dry with a towel. Do this twice a day.

Nip + Fab Glycolic Cleanser

This is a good light cleanser, one I often use in the morning. It has a refreshing citrus scent and includes olive oil to leave skin balanced and hydrated but greasy or oily,  a great no nonsense cleanser with a pinch of glycolic acid. 
 
Id recormend this for any skin type. £8 but you can often find it half price.

Vichy Normaderm Deep cleansing purifying gel

Another light cleanser that I mostly use in the morning. I can't describe the scent, its not offensive or bad but its not my favourite. It contains salicylic and glycolic acid although it won't be anywhere as affective as a leave on product. Its a stronger cleanser but its not necessarily drying.

It recormend this for normal to oily. £11

Super Facialist By Una Brennan Anti Blemish Cleansing Wash

This is a great brand that feels and looks more expensive then it is. Its a great not drying and non irritating face wash. It contains both salicylic acid and vitamin B3. It leaves skin feeling clean and is wonderful and great for a relaxing facial massage, a cleanser I wouldn't want to take off. One of my favourite all time cleansers I couldn't recormend this more.

It recormend this for normal to oily. £8 and its more than worth it.

Dr. Organic Tea Tree Face Wash

Containing organic tea tree this is a great and affordable way to invest in organic skincare. Its one I use when I break out. It smells of tea tree and is gentle on the skin.

I recormend it for normal to oily skin. £7.

Naturally Radiant Brightening Hot Cloth Cleanser

Another wonderful smelling thick cleanser. I use it whenever my skin is dry or irritated and it very gentle and leaves the skin feeling perfectly moisturised. The cloth is a bit harsh the first time you use it but its leaves the skin feeling incredibly smooth. After the first use I knew that I was hooked. It does contain cocoa butter but in a cleanser its awful for acne although I find I do have to limit my use of it thought. 

Id recommend for dry skin. £6 but often half price in Superdrug, again: more than worth it.

Tuesday 16 February 2016

Best BHA: Stridex or Paulas choice Clear


BHA's should be the basis of any acid tone for oily skin, acne and clogged pores. A BHA is salicylic acid and it clears pores, works on discolouration (red or brown marks) and reduces inflammation. Products can range from £1 and up but today I'm going to be comparing 2 alcohol free options.

Alcohol and denatured alcohol (alcohol denat) is in many cheap products, the problem is it damages and irritates the skin but also dries out skin which leads many people to think it helps with acne (it doesn't). If you've ever used a product with alcohol after shaving or on broken skin you will know it hurts. Alcohol is best avoided especially when high up on ingredient lists, avoid products where you can feel you face getting tighter.

Stridex Max VS Paula's Choice Clear

Stridex (£8) is sold in many US drug stores, sadly only available on Amazon in the UK. It does contain irritants such as methanol and detergents (ALS).  Get them here.

Paula's Choice (£22) is sold only online. As far as irritants go... its a clean slate!

How to useStridex is pre soaked pads, for PC you need to soak a cotton round. I usually only soak half a cotton round as I find that's enough to wet my face and not waste any. Use both after cleansing before anything else.

How it leaves the skin feeling
Stridex does leave my skin feeling dry, although it doesn't irritate much but I find using an AHA cream over to sting more then usual. PC is a different story, it could be water for all I know as it doesn't dry me out at all.

Effectiveness
I used stridex first for a month and found it did help a bit towards acne control but it didn't really work enough. PC on the other was great, after about two weeks I noticed I wasn't breaking out even though I had run out of benzoyl peroxide.

Conclusion / TLDR
PC is the clear winner. There's not much to say other than it left my skin looking great without drying or irritating. After using this I will definitely try the stronger strength or use their original BHA liquid.