Face Balm...

Last week something truly unbelieveable happened. Well unbelieveable for me, I imagine this sort of thing happens to everyone else more regularly. I ran out of facial cleanser. Out, gone, as in nothing in the house I could use to wash my face. It had been such a long time since I'd run out of a whole genre of skincare that I was blindsided. I needed to run out to the drugstore to troll for a replacement. Immedeiately.

I have normal to combination oily skin and have come to find in recent years that all of the super harsh scrubs and foaming cleansers I used to reach for actually left my skin really stressed and dehydrated. As a result I've been reaching for creamier gentle cleansers that also leave my face feeling clean.

I was walking up and down the skin care aisle and just couldn't find anything that didn't advertise how foaming, or deep cleaning it was. I love a good deep clean, I do, but these days if I use anything that strong on a daily basis my face goes apeshit. I'm not sure whats happening to my skin as I get a little older but it certainly is changing. I tend to avoid anything with harsh detergents or lathering agents, not because of any publicly percieved health risk, but because they over work my skin. I had been using a hot cloth cleanser from Boots No. 7 I got at Target but sometimes I felt the ritual of it took too much time and I felt like I used a ton of product everytime I washed my face. I did, however, really enjoy the premise of a cream cleanser, or a cleansing balm product. As I shopped for something new I really focused on the ingredient list to find something my skin would appreciate.

Burt's Bees Orange Essence Facial Cleanser with Orange Oil

Now this is a cleansing balm, but as you can see it's merely labled as a facial cleanser. The problem with that is if you are in the market for a cleansing balm (like I was) you would have to flip this over and look at the ingredients to know what you're getting. If you would like a full list of ingredients (I tried to photograph the tube but the round shape made reading it nearly impossible) check out the Burts Bees website (link!).

It has a very oily, vaseline-like texture and applies to the skin in very much the same way. If you are sensitive to greasy textures on your skin, you may not like this at first but once you add water the whole experience changes.

It doesn't lather. Now when I bought the product this is how I was hoping things would go. There was nothing on the package, however, that indicated that the emollient balm would break down like this. The first time I tried this one my face I was blown away. It doesn't spread easily when you first get it on the skin but as it warms it moves like butter. It does feel very heavy but the oil components in the cleanser breaks down dirt, oil, and makeup better than anything I've ever tried. A little bit of massaging and it can break down even the most long wearing products. Once water is added it turns into this beautiful milky texture and leaves your skin feeling so clean.

I was so impressed. This left no film on the skin and a week of use later (once a day) my skin looks bright, clear, and plump. Its also helped to even the tone and texture of my skin, which was a pleasant suprise. As you use it the cleanser also creates a warming sensation on the skin. After reading some reviews some people descibe this as a burning feeling which I suspect is a result of some people's heightened sensitivity to citrus oils. (As orange oil is the feature ingredient.)

This was so hydrating and provided a nice supplement to the rest of my skincare routine. The added oil in this can result in some congestion  if overused so I would only reccomend using this as an evening cleanser unless your face is especially dry. I also reccomend a weekly scrub and/or mask, depending on your skin, to avoid any build up on the skin. Even if you suffer from an oilier skin texture this could be a nice choice for you. Adding products to your routine that offer more hydration can actually help to regulate any oil over production. ( Most oily skin is caused by dehydration causing the skin to overcompensate.)

I had been using the same products on my skin for so long that going to the drugstore and randomly selecting something new to try has been so much...fun. I know thats strange, but the fact that the item in question happened to work beautifully only adds to my enjoyment.

It may sound out of the ordinary, the idea of  a cleansing balm, but if you are looking for a gentle, hydrating, cleanser I encourage you to give this one a try. It's around $8 at most drug stores and the fact that it comes from a more naturally inclined brand is really just a bonus for me.

Have you ever tried a cleansing balm? Is it something you would ever gravitate towards?

xoxo

Molly