Facial Cleansers

The secret to looking beautiful starts from having a clean face. Facial cleansers are mostly used to cleanse away dirt on our face. There are a lot of facial cleansers in the market and looking for the best one can be confusing. But what makes up a good facial cleanser anyway?

Skin-care experts say a good cleanser should rinse off easily without leaving our face feeling greasy. Facial cleansers should not dry or irritate our skin, burn our eyes or taste bad. . Facial cleansers should remove makeup without the need for scrubbing thus making our skin feel clean.

With so many facial cleansers in different forms, from foaming and fizzing liquids, creams, lotions, mousses, pads, cloths, wipes, and the classic- bars one is more confused than ever and may just end up using soap instead. But why should we use a cleanser instead of our good old fashioned bath soap? Facial cleansers are milder than soap and may contain moisturizers that help prevent our skin from feeling dry. Our facial skin is more sensitive than the rest of our skin which requires a special cleanser. 

So how then can we choose from the wide range of facial cleansers? The list below is just some of the suggestions made by skin-care experts:

• Ingredients of the facial cleanser and not the label. We sometimes tend to buy the high-end brands thinking that these are more effective. But skin-care experts disagree; they say that many low-cost brands are just as effective cleansers with the high-end brand. High-end facial cleansers often contain the same ingredients as low-cost cleansers.

Know your skin type. Facial cleansers were designed to suit the different concerns of our different skin types. If you have dry skin, you may not want a cleanser that exfoliates, as it could enhance the dryness.

• Again, INGREDIENTS and not the label. Facial cleansers that are labeled for dry or sensitive skin can sometimes be too harsh. Generally speaking, people with dry, sensitive skin should use creamy cleansers that are soap, fragrance free and void of any other harsh ingredients. Facial cleansers that contain lactic acid, glycerin or hyaluronic acid are good choices for people with dry or sensitive skin.
• Many facial cleansers labeled for blemish or acne-prone skin contains alcohol, witch hazel, menthol, camphor or peppermint, but these have no effect on skin bacteria. These ingredients are exceptionally drying and irritating to the skin, causing it to become more inflamed.
• Experts advise people with acne-prone skin to refrain on using any kind of bar soap, because the ingredients that keep bar soap in its solid form can clog pores.
• The more lather the more effective a cleanser is not true. Ingredients that produce lather can sometimes be irritants.

Facial cleansers are meant to clean, and not to prevent or reverse signs of aging. Moisturizers are best for anti aging as they stay on your skin all day, whereas cleansers are only in contact with skin for a minute or two.