Hi. Sorry long time no post. Last week was just a mix of no time and low motivation. So I've been wanting to talk about my favorite affordable cleansers for a while. I'm a cleanser junkie which you should know by now. I tend to double cleanse at night and single cleanse in the morning. I couldn't pick just three so here's four of my favorites all $12 and under. The Inkey List makes some really nice products. The Oat Cleansing Balm is one of my favorite cleansing balms. It's under $10, removes all your makeup and it emulsifies. Think of it as a balm cleanser in a tube. This is fabulous for sensitive skin as it has soothing colloidal oatmeal, oak kernel oil and sweet almond oil plus it's fragrance and essential oil free. Because it emulsifies those who can't use a cloth to remove oil based cleansers will find it's also good for them (rosacea patients). It's definitely more balm like so it can leave some residue as do most oil based cleansers. This is less solid than a jar based cleansers so those who live in humid climates may notice a little separation now and then, I shake mine again real well and it solves that issue for me. I actually haven't gotten to review it fully so coming up one day. This is a night cleanser for me to remove makeup.
The Ordinary Squalane Cleanser is a gel-oil balm cleanser. I love a gel-oil balm. These are the ones you see marked as a gel to oil to milk. They are fabulous for a morning cleanse or can be used at the first or second part of a double cleanse at night. So that have a great variety in how you can use it. Gel-oil balms emulsify and tend to not leave as much residue, or any at all. This one has a nice glossy lush texture. It's got squalane and glycerin plus is fragrance and essential oil free. It's also great for sensitive skin, very affordable and removes makeup. If you like oil based cleansers this one has an amazing texture for the price. It rivals many more expensive ones on the market. Apply both this cleanser and the Oat Cleansing Balm to dry skin, massage, then add water to emulsify and rinse.
Moving into gel cleansers is the Good Molecules Rosewater Daily Cleansing Gel. This is a fabulous low pH, gentle, non-drying gel cleanser suitable for daily use. It has a cool bouncy gel texture and smells like aloe mostly (even though there is no aloe), it's ultimately really light and not much of anything. This has gentle surfactants, glycerin, rose flower water and pineapple fruit extract. Don't expect a strong rose smell, it's as I said not much of anything. What I love is the nice glass bottle, affordable price, low pH (5.5) which is good for a healthy skin barrier and gentle non-drying nature. It's the best cheap gel cleanser I've come across for daily use so far. The Inkey List Salicylic Acid Cleanser is easily one of my favorite discoveries this year. The texture is a really light gel cleanser, it has no scent and is very affordable. It's got 2% BHA or salicylic acid which is great for unclogging pores and maskne. I find it non-drying and a great way to have BHAs in my life more often than a leave on toner or serum, which can be a little drying for my drier skin. This is a cheap substitute for iS Clinical Cleansing Complex. It's well worth putting yourself on a waiting list to get it. I use mine in the shower once a week to keep my pores clear. Acne prone or oily skin can use it more often.
Top Middle-The Inkey List Salicylic Acid Cleanser
Far Left-Good Molecules Rosewater Daily Cleansing Gel
Far Right-The Ordinary Squalane Cleanser
Bottom Middle-The Inkey List Oat Cleansing Balm
