A Tale of Two Cleansers

If you're in the know with the latest cleansing trend, it seems there's been a transition from the traditional foaming cleansers to those with a more oily or balmy consistency. And that goes for all skin types. Out with the old belief that a cleanser's job is to clean with the skin with a thick foamy lather and in with the new that natural oils should be included to nourish.

As someone with a normal skin that suffers from dehydration, nourishment is key. I am not a fan of foaming cleansers, personally, even if the foaming agent is naturally-derived. I tend to swing towards balms, oils and milks. With a million and one options on the market today, it's so hard to know what to go for. I've tried a good handful from all different price points and thought I'd share two of my favourites.

1. Burt's Bees Orange Essence Facial Cleanser: This was about $10 for 120g, obviously purchased in the States. Burt's Bees products are much more expensive over here in the UK, but I still pay the price because I adore the products - this being one of them. This was (tube finished now) a 100% natural balm/gel cleanser, fantastic for massaging into the skin and removing with a flannel. It removed make-up, dirt and grime and really left the skin soft and nourished but without any kind of greasy film. It smells, as you would imagine of orange and feels really luxurious on the skin.

INGREDIENTS: Glycerin, olive fruit oil, limonene, oat kernel flour, orange oil, oat kernel oil, lanolin, aloe leaf juice, quillaja bark extract, sunflower seed oil, beta-carotene, tocopherol (vitamin e), rosemary leaf extract, soybean oil, canola oil, potassium sorbate, sodium benzoate

2. NUXE Melting Cleansing Gel: I purchased this in the M&S Beauty Hall for about £12 (125ml). It wont be to everyone's taste because of the very strong rose scent, but it doesn't really bother me or cause any irritation. It is creamier than the Burt's Bees cleanser and feels rather akin to slapping a thick moisturiser on your face to cleanse with. Again, I remove with a flannel. I find that this leaves my skin feeling really clean and fresh and bright. After having used it for the past 3 weeks I absolutely adore it and would recommend in a heart beat to someone who isn't bothered by the fragrance.

INGREDIENTS: Water, Rosa damascena flower water, macadamia seed oil, parfum/fragrance, coco-glucoside, acrylates/C10-30 alkyl acrylate crosspolymer, glycerin, benzyl alcohol, capryloyl glycine, sodium hydroxide, citric acid, allantoin, tetrasodium EDTA, dehydroacetic acid, soybean oil, beta-carotene, carrot root extract, tocopherol

Note - I almost always do a double cleanse in the evenings. For both of these cleansers, I use them by themselves in the AM (with a flannel still) and in the PM use as the second step on my routine after my Origins Clean Energy Gentle Cleansing Oil. That's just personal preference as I find an oil cleanser breaks down make-up and SPF best and then I can follow with these to cleanse and nourish my actual skin.

If you've got any recommendations, I'd love to hear about them! I hope some of you find this helpful.

Happy Skin Goodies!

So in follow up to my last post, a lovely box arrived for me earlier containing some gorgeous products that I am beyond excited to try! Reviews will follow in due course once I have given them a proper testing, but this is a kind of preview of the sorts of products you may want to try if you are opting for a more natural skincare regimen. Have you tried any of these?

For cleanser I am still using: Caudalie Fleur de Vigne Instand Foaming Cleanser (AM) and LUSH Angels on Bare Skin (PM). My moisturisers are also the same: Origins Vita-zing (some AM) and Oilateum Face Cream (AM & PM).

 Neal's Yard Rehydrating Rose Toner

 L'Occitane Almond Shower Oil | Lovea Argan Body Scrub

 Burt's Bees Citrus & Ginger Root Body Wash | Burt's Bees Milk & Honey Body Lotion

Dr. Bronner's Magic Soap - Eucalyptus

Eco Lips Mint Lip Balm + SPF 15

Weleda Sea Buckthorn Hand Cream

Save The Hands!

If you suffer from dry hands and cuticles, I may just have the solution for you :)!
A while ago I was perusing the Burt's Bees range in my local Boots and noticed their Lemon Butter Cuticle Cream in a cute little 15g tin. This stuff smells super fresh and lemony and works wonders at moisurising my cuticles. I massage it into my nail beds most nights and also after I have removed nail polish. It is enriched with sweet almond oil, beeswax and lemon oil amongst many other nourishing ingredients, 100% of which are natural - works a treat!

Next up is my nightime moisturiser. This Beeswax & Banana rich hand cream is super thick and creamy and does wonders at providing moisture to my poor, dry hands. It is very thick and greasy, so I tend to reserve this for night, but if I do use it in the day I try to avoid getting it onto my palms. The scent is really bizarre...there is definitely lots of banana in there, but this is combined with a tad of rosemary and something that smells a bit like rye bread haha! I am used to it now and it makes me feel sleepy whenever I smell it. Pavlov's dog or what?!