It isn't often i like to use the term "Holy Grail" as with all beauty products I am constantly trying to find something new, especially with skincare, but this is bad for your skin (or so I have been told) and so I have been making an effort to stick to a routine which I adopted during my Roaccutane treatment.
That full routine can be found here in one of my YouTube videos, but it has changed a little, so I thought I would tell you about one item in particular which hasn't changed, and I don't think ever will. That would be Cetaphil Gentle Skin Cleanser.
I started using this after seeing it mentioned on several websites about looking after the skin while on accutane treatment. Since I have been on accutane my skin has been both dry and oily, in that I get a lightly oily T-zone and in general my skin feels a little tight after washing, I class it normal/combination, usually it is more towards normal but if I react to something it is definitely combination. I wouldn't really class it as dry as the tightness is barely noticeable and a light moisturiser sends it away.
Because of the way this facial cleanser works it is absolutely perfect for sensitive reaction/acne prone skin, this is a non-lathering face wash, soap free, fragrance free, and non-comedogenic. The soap free part can be a bit weird at first if you are used to looking like a yeti when you wash your face, but I think it is because this face wash doesn't lather that my skin isn't so dry and tight that it is uncomfortable.
Originally I got hold of it in my local Lloyds Pharmacy which was frankly a bit of a pain, as said pharmacy isn't in the town I work in, it is in the opposite direction and the one I frequented most stopped stocking it (cue annoyed Georgie having to travel to a different one, though it did mean I could combine it with visits to see my Grandma!) A few months ago I heard that Cetaphil were going to be stocked in Boots stores, but I checked mine and it was nowhere to be found, leaving me a little disappointed as I love to stock up on my points! However the other week I was looking for an intense moisturiser for a friend, and I spotted them in my local tiny little Boots near work, angels may have started singing when I saw it.
This cleanser isn't cheap at nearly £9 a bottle, but the soft, gentle but clean feeling it leaves is definitely worth it. I haven't a clue how it would work with a Clarisonic type device if you have one, but I probably wouldn't recommend it as the whole idea of the cleanser is that it doesn't break through any of the skins natural barriers or alter the pH balance while it cleans, meaning that the skin stays all hydrated. I only use this in the morning (usually in the shower) and literally tip some into my hand and move it around my face and then rinse. Simple! A bottle can last me a couple of months using it like this.
So my current bottle is getting low, before work the other day I sauntered into my tiny Boots store to have a nosey at the makeup and see if anything new had made it into branch, and I grabbed a bottle of cleanser as an afterthought, went to pay and found out not only do they now carry it, but Cetaphil is included in 3 for 2 offers! So I stocked up. These bottles will probably last me 6 months or more, so the £18 I spent (doesn't sound like much, but it's not payday yet!) will be worth it in the long run.
Have you ever tried any Cetaphil products? What do you think about them?
xo :)