Esthetician Recommended Facial Cleansers
The secret to clear, healthy, radiant skin is having the correct skincare routine for your personal skin. And part of a great skincare routine is using a well-formulated cleanser. So often the reason for problematic skin is that you are using a cleanser that isn’t good for your skin. I’ve done the research for you and picked out 6 of my favorite cleansers that I would recommend to my facial clients. Enjoy! 💦
scrub me secret: just recently I decided to test out this cleanser from a brand that I really like, and I had heard great things about the cleanser. Unfortunately, something about the cleanser made my skin react in the craziest way! I had pimples and texture all over that took me weeks to remedy. This was a little reminder for me to stick to cleansers that I know my skin loves.
A gentle, creamy, gel cleanser:
JOSH ROSEBROOK COMPLETE MOISTURE CLEANSE-
What I love about this cleanser is that it’s a creamy gel texture that foams a bit when you add water and wash your skin. I’m a sucker for a product that gets creative with plant-based ingredients and this cleanser is just that! It contains healing honey, nourishing jojoba & broccoli seed oil, rose petals, calendula, and SO much more.
I really like this product as a daily cleasner for normal/dry, aging, sensitive, and normal/oily skin types.
My favorite exfoliating cleanser:
KALOS ALPHA LYRA BUFFING CLEANSER-
I came across this product years ago and really fell in love with it. It’s a gentle exfoliating cleanser that I find great for once-daily use. The reason I recommend this cleanser is that it’s one of the only AHA/BHA products I’ve come across that works for so many different types of skin. This gel-based cleanser contains a small amount of glycolic acid, 2% salicylic acid, and little soft jojoba beads that work together to gently exfoliate and decongest. Ingredients like hibiscus petals, lavender water, and calendula are really healing for the skin and a nice way to balance the active AHA/BHA.
This is a great cleanser if you’re looking to add exfoliation and decongestion to your skincare routine. Replace your current PM cleanser with this.
A creamy cleanser for anyone and everyone:
BYBI MILK MELT CLEANSER-
This is one of my personal favorites. I’ve mentioned it in a few other blog posts, including my “Favorite skincare items under $30” blog post. This creamy cleanser is super soothing but also gets the cleansing job done. It’s such a nice daily cleanser for those who tend to get dry, red, and bumpy skin after cleansing with other cleaners. My skin loves this product.
This cleanser is best for dry, sensitive, normal/dry, and aging skin types.
A gel cleanser for breakout-prone skin:
INDIE LEE PURIFYING FACE WASH-
Typical salicylic and benzoyl peroxide cleansers not doing the trick for clearing your breakout-prone skin? I often recommend this cleanser to my clients and peers who struggle with breakouts and/or congestion but haven’t found an acne cleanser that works well for their skin. This product uses clove, burdock root, citrus, and rose Damascena to treat and clear pimples and congestion. Depending on your oil production, you can use this cleanser once or twice daily.
I love this cleanser for normal/oily, congested, acneic, or breakout-prone skin types.
A soothing and cleansing facial bar:
SCRUB ME BALANCING BAR-
A facial soap bar made by me! Typical soap bars are way too harsh for facial skin and contain ingredients that aren’t good for our skin’s barrier [on the face]. This soap bar is formulated a bit differently, with rich oils like babassu, sunflower, castor, argan, and sweet almond at a ratio that gives it a creamy more gentle cleanse. These creamy suds are safe to use for our face and also contain calming oats and kaolin clay. This is another cleanser I use personally.
This facial bar is great for most skin types.
A perfectly balancing face wash:
PCA FACIAL WASH-
This popular gel cleanser contains super gentle lactic acid that both softens skin and helps it retain more moisture. While the ingredients list isn’t chocked full of plant-based ingredients it does read fairly clean at 3 out of 10 on the EWG-certified website. I’ve used this cleanser for my clients in my skincare studio for years and it works for many different skin types. I like it because it keeps the skin’s Ph balanced, helping your complexion look more clear and healthier.
This gel cleanser is great for most skin types.
The quality of skincare and the ingredients that go into each item are important to me and help me determine if I think a product is good for the skin or not. Actually, I first started making my own skincare items because I felt like I had limited options at the time (a decade ago 👵🏻) because I was searching for skincare items that didn’t contain artificial and skin-sensitizing ingredients like parfume and fragrance oil. Now, in 2023 we are lucky to have so many great skincare items to choose from and I love doing the research and finding out what’s best for all of you!