I recently got an email asking me which cleanser I might recommend for someone with combination skin. She did not want a cleanser that would dry the skin, and is using retinols on her skin. That got me to thinking about the cleansers in my life. I use lots anti-aging stuff on my face, and also have oily/combination skin. I tend to hop from brand to brand, trying the latest and greatest, but I do have my faves.

First, there is my fave Dove Beauty Bar. I often use this in the morning to wake up my skin. It’s gentle and does not dry my skin at all. You can read my review here.

I also like a gentle foaming cleanser. These are usually in pump bottle, and produce a soft bubbly foam that is gentle on the skin, but gives it a thorough cleansing. I find them great for removing make up and oil as they give a clean feeling, but not a tight dry feeling. Lately I have been loving Avène Cleansing Foam  as it’s designed for skin tends to shine, yet doesn’t strip the skin or irritate it. It is soap free, and has glutamic acid to control sebum and purify the pores. It does have moisturizing properties as well as the famous Avène thermal spring water which iss soothing and non-irritating. A 150ml bottle is around $20.

I recently got a sample of Avène Cleanance Cleansing Water, which is a micellar cleanser. I still can’t get my head around using only this to remove make up, but I do like it to refresh my skin in the morning and wipe away the shine before applying my potions and lotions. It doesn’t seem to be on their website yet so I guess watch for it where Avène is sold or online. So far it’s the nicest micellar cleanser I’ve tried. I like and trust the Avène line for my skin as well. Again, hard to find shopping info on this but a 400ml bottle is around $20.

Then, when I feel I need to deep clean and purify my pores, I like a gel cleanser. It should come as no surprise that I love Skinceuticals Purifying Gel Cleanser (here is the link for finding Skinceuticals in Canada) as much as I do. It is pretty much scent free, and while it does lather a bit, it’s not a big soapy lather. It purifies and has glycolic acid for deep cleaning those pores and mild exfoliation. One of the things I like about Skinceuticals Purifying Gel Cleanser is that even though it deeps cleans and makes my pores feel squeaky clean, it still doesn’t make my skin feel dry or stripped. It is perfect for me when my skin is feeling oily (hormones, anyone?), when I happen to be wearing more make up than usual, or in hot sticky weather. It does not irritate my skin at all, and actually is one of the gentlest cleansing products I own. I will always have this in my routine. A 240ml bottle is around $32 and a little goes a long way.

And then there is the creamy cleanser category. If you read my blog you know I am a lover of Nivea (the feel! the scent!) and I recently got some Nivea Q10 Plus Cleansing Milk. And – I love it! Those of us with oilier skin can be worried about applying a creamy product to our face anytime, let alone when cleansing. But, the bottle says “effectively cleanses and purifies skin” so I thought I’d give it a try. The instructions are to apply to your face, cleanse, then rinse with water, so you know right away this isn’t an old fashioned heavy cold cream, as it emulsifies and rinses with just water. What I like to do if I happen to be wearing more make up than usual, is to apply it, then take a clean face cloth soaked in warm water, and gently soak and wipe the cleanser away. Nivea Q10 Plus Cleansing Milk has such a lovely spa-like scent to it, and then using the warm cloth pressed into my skin- ahhhh it just feels so luxe and wonderful. My skin feels lovely and clean and without a hint of dryness. It also does not break me out at all or irritate in the slightest. Nivea is available at drugstores and a 200ml bottle is around $10.

So there you have it. I have, use and love all of the products above. I might as well mention cleansing wipes that I use for travel, but that’s a whole other post.

What are you favourite cleansers? Do you prefer gels, foams or creams?