Face
washes and soaps tend to be quite harsh on the skin, as their function is to
remove dirt and grim and your skins own natural oils get removed in the
process. When selecting a face wash I
choose ones with a foamer in the packaging closure (lid).
Types of Face Cleaners in order of
preference
Micelle waters – these have a high water content
and use a surfactant to are water/oil emulsions and are gentle on the skins,
the dirt and grime is attracted to the oils, they feel refreshing and do not
need to be rinsed off and are time savers.
Read more here.
Cleansing lotions/balms/oils – these rely on oils
to attract the dirt and grime and effective and do not disrupt the skins
natural oil barrier. They are effective
and gentle and often contain plant oils making them natural. These are quite time consuming to use.
Cleansers/Gels – contain SLS/SLES (surfactants) as
these are very cheap and foam when in contact with water. Although surfactants originate from coconuts
to process and end product is far from natural.
They are known irritants and need additional chemicals to reduce the
irritancy. They strip the skin of its
natural oils and are not recommended for sensitive skins. Convenient to use and easy to rinse off.
Face Wipes – these revolutionised the cosmetic
industry, they are so convenient and quick to use. The surfactants used are gentle, but the
alcohols can be drying and they need a higher level of preservation ie MI and
MIT which do cause reactions with already sensitive skin.
Soap
bars – I am not a fan of these as the lye content is too alkaline (ph 9-12) for
our skin (ph5.5).
Alkaline products disrupt the skins natural oil
barrier leaving it open to irritation. Can
be used all over and are very cheap.
Foaming Component
This
is a clever packaging invention that turns liquids into foams, so it’s possible
to have a low surfactant (SLS/SLES) formulation yet still achieve mild creamy
foam. Without this component, the user
would have to put some gel onto the hands and rub together under water to
create foam. Surprisingly not too many
brands have adopted this technology the only other ones I have come across on
the High Street are: Superdrug own brand and Simple.
Ingredients
As
the foaming lid is delivering the lovely creamy foam, the formulations contain
lower levels of the surfactants that have the potential to cause irritation and
they tend to be very mild and gentle on the skin.
Witch
Hazel and Tea Tree which have cleansing and anti-bacterial properties – they
are in as low level extracts rather than effective active ingredients.
Tip
To
test the mildness of a face wash, leave the foam on the back of your hand for
about 10 minutes, if there is any redness or irritation - its way too harsh for
your face.
Rating
Value
for money – available from most Boots @ £3.59 for 150 ml
Effectiveness
– gently cleans the face without leaving a tight feeling (this indicates your
natural oils have been stripped)
Pampering
factor – mild creamy foam, faint hint of tea tree, non-irritating and leaves
skin gently cleansed
Recommended
– I would definitely use this type of component when I develop a face wash for
my own skin care range.