I’m a firm believer that if you want to invest in any kind of skincare, you should start with the first step: nontoxic, clean face cleansers. You don’t want to put a bunch of serums and moisturizers on skin that isn’t clear of dirt, oil, and other impurities.
I first heard of “clean beauty” a few years back but to be honest, I didn’t pay much attention to it. It sounded nice but it wasn’t a top priority for me. It wasn’t until I was diagnosed with cancer that I decided to take a look at my lifestyle habits and see how I could live healthier, in a way that made sense for me.
I began eating more plant-based meals. I took a look at the products I used in my home. And I looked at the products I put on my skin.
What we put on our skin goes into our body.
Our organs aren’t all internal. The skin is actually our largest organ. So with knowing that, I really tried to experiment with clean skincare. Honestly, looking back – I don’t know why I didn’t start looking into it sooner!
What I’ve learned is that ingredients that are found in conventional more “name brand” products can potential be harmful to our health. There are a lot of ingredients that are used like parabens, fragrance, SLS, and so many more that are irritants and endocrine disrupters. The key advice I have to anyone interested in clean skincare is to become familiar with Environmental Working Group’s Skin Deep database. I have probably spent hours of my time looking up ingredients and researching different products. Here is a breakdown example of what you may see for a product that has potentially harmful ingredients:
With all of that being said, these are a few different types of nontoxic, clean face cleansers, along with some of my favorites. I’ve tested these and love them. Of course we all have different skin types so you may have to do a little experimenting on your own and find what works best for you!
Types of Face Cleansers
Micellar Cleansers
Gel Cleansers
If my skin is feeling particularly oily I will reach for a gel cleanser. The ones that I use typically feel like it “strips” away all the oil and leaves my skin feeling really fresh. It’s a bit thicker and many have exfoliating properties too. My favorite for a while has been the Indie Lee Brightening Cleanser. I use this about 2-3 times a week.
Oil Cleansers
Speaking of oil, if you have oily skin you may think you need to stay away from oils – but what I’ve learned is that oil attracts oil. I love using an oil cleanser after micellar water.
Milk Cleansers
This is a new one that I recently tried and I loved it. It’s not “sudsy” like a soap but it has a creamy, (hence “milk”) like texture. It feels really good when I have sensitive skin, especially if I’ve been outside all day. It doesn’t feel like it strips away moisture and natural oils from my skin like gel cleansers can sometimes feel. One of my current favorites is the Cocokind Oil to Milk cleanser.
Those are my top cleansers for now! I’ll be updating this periodically as I experiment with new products but hopefully this will give you a good base from which to start as you experiment with clean skincare.
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