Morning Cleansers

When you have picky skin, finding a right cleanser can be quite challenging. My ideal cleanser is gentle enough to use around my eyes, it’s non-drying, preferably fragrance-free and leaves my skin feeling smooth and well-balanced.

 I’m not asking for too much, am I? I have a few cleansers that I use in rotation; I have my morning favorites and ones that I only reach for during night-time (some of them, I use both mornings and nights). I wake up with my skin being on the dry side, so I can’t always get away with using some of my favorite cleansers (like CeraVe’s Renewing SA Cleanser), here four that I reach for the most:

Eve Lom Morning Time Cleanser– a heaven-sent for those with dry skin. This cleanser has a balm, but easy to rinse formula. It glides on the skin very smoothly leaving it feeling soft, smooth and nourished. You massage it in your dry skin, leave it on for two minutes and then rinse it off with water. It’s formulated with papaya fruit enzyme that gently exfoliates, brightens, decongests and minimizes the appearance of pores. Egyptian chamomile oil that softens and soothes and clove oil which helps encourage clearer skin. Eucalyptus oil keeps skin radiant and glowing while hops oil provides toning effects. Carrot oil, or pro-vitamin A, stimulates collagen production. The only downside is probably the price. A 1.6oz bottle is $22.00 and 4.1 oz bottle is $60.00 (although you can get it on amazon right here for $43.00).

No 7 Beautiful Skin Cleansing Balm– I already reviewed this cleansing balm (right here) and while it’s amazing for removing makeup, I love using it in the morning as well. The main reason for this is that most of the time when I wake up my skin feels as dry as paper. This cleansing balm leaves it feeling smooth and supple, while being very gentle at the same time. Most of the time when I use this, my skin feels so well-balanced that I don’t feel the need to moisturize it (but you know, I do it anyway ;) ).

Soap and Glory Peaches and Clean– I recently wrote about this cleansing milk right here. Once again, great product for removing your makeup, but love reaching for in the morning as well. The main reason being, once again, this doesn’t dry out my skin, but it also leaves my complexion feeling very refreshed and energized (something I can definitely use at 6.00 am) and it also has that lovely, super fresh peachy scent that is just so refreshing, you can’t help but wake up. I usually prefer fragrance-free cleansers, but this one is not overwhelming at all so I really don’t mind it.

Acne.org Gentle Cleanser– this, right here, will always be number one, my favorite cleanser of all time. It’s fragrance-free, it’s gentle, it foams nicely and really just glides on skin. It’s non drying and suitable for all skin types. This cleanser has replaced my beloved Cetaphil- and although I still use Cetaphil from time to time, I like the Acne.org Gentle Cleanser much, much better because of how nicely it foams. I use this around my eyes as well, it’s not irritating at all and I never let myself run out of this stuff. A 16 oz bottle lasts me for ages (I’ve had this one since May) and it won’t cost you a fortune (it’s around $11.00). I really love every single Acne.org product I’ve tried and if you’ve always wanted to give them a try, but weren’t sure if they’d work, trust me, they do! I was  convinced to try their products by one of my readers a few years a go, and they became staples in my skincare routine ever since then (their BP Gel and AHA lotion are fabulous too).

What are some of your favorite cleansers to use in the morning?