Choose the right cleanser to match your skin.
When I think of cleanser, a milky white lotion comes to mind, but these days you could just as easily be selecting an oil, a gel, a butter or a foam wash. Then there's the choice of ingredients to negotiate and whether you like to wipe or wash off the product.
Once you decode your skin type and decide your preferred cleansing method, you'll quickly narrow the field. As a guideline, generally the thicker and creamier the product, the more it will suit drier skin. A lotion or gel is a good all-purpose choice and oil, especially natural plant oils, are bemusingly effective at regulating oily skin.
Foams are now available for all skin types, recognising that many women like to use them in the shower. They are often prescribed for oily or combination skins. Exfoliating scrubs are another option for oily and young skin, but do be careful to avoid anything too harsh as skin may react and go into oil overdrive.
Anyone with sensitivities - or skin that is just going through a rough patch - should avoid product overload and keep things simple. Soap is a drying no-no which strips the barrier layer of skin. Chemists sell good basic alternatives.
If you want to keep your skincare to one brand - which makes sense given they're designed to work together - then check what the cleansing options are, as they have broadened considerably in the last year or two. Some cleansers now incorporate anti-ageing and whitening ingredients, but you get more bang for your buck in this area by investing in less-diluted serums. Cleansers' main task is to remove dirt, makeup, bacteria, sweat and pollutants.
I've always preferred to spend my money on a good foundation or moisturiser rather than getting too technical about cleansing, but skin experts tell me it is too important an area to skimp on. That doesn't mean you have to buy the most expensive cleanser you can find, just one that doesn't dry or clog your skin.
Renowned facialist Eve Lom tells her London celebrity clients that cleansing properly is the single best thing they can do for their skin. She advocates taking the time to massage product in and then to rinse it off thoroughly. She advises against toners and says anyone with oily, erupted skin should also skip moisturiser.
Alana Riley, founder of Oxygen, a Nelson-based natural skincare company, advises always applying your cleanser in upward circular strokes to help combat gravity and to improve blood circulation.
This approach of incorporating massage into cleansing underpins many French beauty regimes, where lymphatic drainage techniques are built into the daily routine. German natural skincare brand Dr Hauschka also encourages its clients to spend time pressing the flesh.
Looking back, I think I've been guilty of too quick a wipe down and of using overly rich products for needs. These days I opt for a light lotion to remove makeup and a gentle lather in the shower. A friend swears her skin is much the better for double cleansing, first with oil, then with a lotion. I'm too lazy to do this every night, and worried about oil drips, but perhaps it is time to take a few minutes more to freshen the face.
1. Bobbi Brown Extra Balm Rinse $125
Ideal for dehydrated skin, this luscious cleanser with olive oil reminds me of lemon honey and smells as good. Massage on dry skin and rinse with warm water. Comes in a large, handsome glass jar.
2. Dermalogica Pre Cleanse $81
The oil-attracts-oil maxim means this cleanser is the first step to ridding your skin of impurities. It certainly does this effectively, but unlike many other brands with oils, Dermalogica recommends a follow-up with a second cleanser to suit your skin. This leaves you feeling like you have had a professional clean. (At salons or see dermalogica.co.nz)
3. Antipodes Grapeseed Butter Cleanser $47
Recommended for oil-prone skin. Plant-oil rich, with nourishing cocoa butter and olive, this all-natural cleanser takes its name from the antioxidant-rich Vinanza grape extract from sauvignon blanc grape seeds. Smells soothing and comes in little glass pottle. Antipodes also makes a cream cleanser with avocado oil which is suitable for all skin types ($40). (antipodesnature.com)
4. Christian Dior Purifying Foaming Cleanser $67
Dior has mixed biotech and botanical in its latest cleansing ingredients, using an extract of crystal iris in this foam for normal or combination skin. The texture is thick out of the tube, but works into a lather with water. Velvet peony extract is the key ingredient in a choice of cleansing milk or foam for dry or sensitive skin and pure lily extract is added in an oil or cleansing water suitable for all skin types.
5. Elemental Herbology Cool & Clear Facial Cleanser, 100ml, $83
This gel-type cleanser smells of lavender oil and contains olive and green tea extracts. It is free of synthetic fragrance, colour, mineral oil, sulphates and paraben preservatives, but presumably less kind on the carbon footprint than buying New Zealand-made alternatives. (meccacosmetica.co.nz)
6. Grown Facial Cleanser with Geranium Leaf, Bergamot & Rose-bud $44
Gentle gel cleanser for dry, sensitive or combination skins with plant and nut oils.
This Australian company, started by two New Zealand brothers, takes care that its packaging avoids leaching and has recently lowered its prices, making a convincing natural choice more affordable. (Stockists include Smith & Caughey's or see grown.com)
7. Jurlique Balancing Foaming Cleanser $63
Established Australian natural skincare company offers a gel that lathers up gently to help balance and hydrate skin. Contains calendula, daisy and peppermint for a fresh feel with a lightly citrus smell. (From Smith & Caughey's and the Downtown Aromatherapy Centre.)
8. Oxygen Cream Cleanser $35
For normal to dry skin, this glass bottle contains apricot kernel and jojoba oil and olive extracts.
The suggested twin is a toning mist. Cleanse the exterior, while soothing the interior with its refreshing aroma. (oxygenskincare.co.nz)
9. Eve Lom Cleanser $149
To use this cult cleanser as intended, massage the gloop in with the pads of your fingers to stimulate the lymphatic nodes to drain congested areas and eliminate toxins. Wring hot water from the supplied muslin cloth and press it to the face for five seconds to activate the product's essential oils. Then rinse in warm water and use a series of circular motions to help exfoliate and wipe away makeup from the face three times. Finally, rinse in cold water and apply cloth to the face for five seconds to encourage pores to close. This cleanser contains lanolin, mineral oil and cocoa seed butter. One of the ingredients is hops, but I'm not sure why it smells like whiskey. (meccacosmetica.co.nz)
10. Shiseido Ultimate Cleansing Oil for Face/Body $40
Does a good job of getting off stubborn makeup. It is mineral-oil based, with a pleasantly mild added fragrance.
* Shiseido is one of a number of bigger cosmetic companies now making an oil-based cleanser.
11. Chanel Mousse Confort Rich Foaming Cream Cleanser $69
For normal to dry skin, this goes on creamy and foams with water, with a recommendation to massage before rinsing. Includes the waxy extract of the tulip tree, which is said to mimic its effect in nature of attracting pollutants to the leaf surface where they are washed away.
12. Evolu Relaxing Creme Cleanser $37
Suits all skins, including mature and sensitive types and has the bonus of removing eye makeup also.
It's a gentle natural product that is pH balanced and includes apricot kernel oil, calendula, and calming geranium and St John's Wort. (evolu.com)
Stockists: Brand counters or as stated above.
