When it comes to the art of face washing, us ladies take it pretty seriously. We carefully select our skin care products and practically give ourselves a facial in the morning and night. We do this ritual in the morning to look and feel refreshed and awake (even when we likely got less than six hours of sleep). And then we wash the day off of our faces in the evening, removing all traces of makeup, as well as any dirt and excess oil.
But a cleanser is a cleanser, right? Don’t they all do the same job? Hardly. There are formulas for all different skin types from sensitive to acne-prone to combination to dry to oily and even those of us with rosacea. You can choose from bars or pumps, mild or deep cleansing and take your pick from exfoliating, creamy, foamy, or even frothy. You’ll see that these skin care products will help you put your best face forward every day.
Clinique Liquid Facial Soap, $15
Average rating: 8.7
Why: “I have tried many, many facial cleansers and now have been using this exclusively since I first tried it a couple of years ago. I have combination skin that is prone to both dry patches and blackheads/clogged pores. This is the only cleanser I have found that does a wonderful job of keeping my pores clean, but does not strip my face and leave it crepey or scaly looking. It is by far the best that I have tried. I am totally satisfied with it!” Betty P.
Mary Kay Creamy Cleanser 2, $12
Average Rating: 8.8
Why: “Until I found Mary Kay Creamy Cleanser 2, I thought I had dry skin. My face used to feel tight after washing it, but since [I started using this], my skin is always soft and moist. In fact, I have combination skin type. I’ve always been very allergic so before I found Mary Kay Creamy Cleanser 2, I couldn’t use anything without getting ‘itchy.’ I’ve been using it for at least 24 years now and I’m now 50 and everyone thinks my 14-year-old daughter is my sister!” Claudia P.
Ambi Complexion Cleansing Bar, $1.99
Average Rating: 8.9
Why: “This cleanser leaves your face refreshed and revitalized without removing your natural moisture. An excellent product with a great fragrance also.” Shanita
Philosophy Purity Made Simple One-Step Facial Cleanser, $20
Average Rating: 9.1
Why: “The size of a dime is all you need to dispense from the bottle in order to remove every trace of makeup, dirt and the most stubborn, sometimes hard-to-remove, waterproof eye makeup. This cleanser has never failed me. It always leaves my skin feeling totally clean, fresh and not dry or stripped in any way. I try different cleansers, well, because I am a beauty blogger, but always go back to Purity. The scent is very light, and I truly look forward to using this at the end of the day to help my skin feel totally refreshed and totally clean.” MakeupSearcher
Dermalogica mediBac Clearing Skin Wash, $33
Average Rating: 9.1
Why: “After the first use I could tell a difference in my skin. It is awesome! I have extremely oily adult acne skin and after using this wash, the tone and texture of my skin was fabulous. The smell is pretty awful, but with results like these how can I hold that against the best cleanser I have ever used? And trust me I have used them all.” Kate L
Cetaphil Gentle Cleansing Bar, $4.49
Why: “I have VERY sensitive skin — prone to dermatitis, redness, dryness, etc. You’d never know it, though, because of my skin care regimen. This is the only brand that lets me keep my skin smooth and dewy every day.” — Rachel Moran
For women to know... 