There are probably millions of cleansers out there for every possible skin care need, so which do you buy? First of all, remember that for any ingredients to be effective on your skin they need to be left on for more than a minute so stop looking for cleansers that offer lots of benefits like acne-fighting or anti-aging – they dont stay on your skin long enough to work. The main job for a cleanser is to…clean your skin. Any extra benefits that you want should occur AFTER cleansing when you apply your treatment and moisturiser. Having said that there are two types of cleansers that actually have skin care benefits and i’ll list them right at the end of this post.

To establish which cleanser would be best for you, you need to know what your skin needs. It can be dry, normal, a ‘combination’ of normal/dry and oily or just plain oily. Here’s a good starting point for each skin type.

Dry – Cetaphil Cleanser.
The bog-standard cleanser and cult favourite of dermatologists around the globe. It’s cheap, plain and highly effective. This creamy white cleanser will get rid of anything on your face while leaving it feeling moisturised. Moisturises skin and preserves your natural moisture barrier. This comes highly recommended for sensitive skin or skin that’s prone to redness and reactions because it’s simple in formulation.

Normal – CeraVe Cleanser.
Another cult favourite and similar to Cetaphil, this will keep your skin squeaky clean and irritation free.

Combination – See above or Clean and Clear Exfoliating Daily Wash.

If you have combination skin, you’re likely to have clogged pores and/or acne due to excessive oil production. The cleansers above are great for acne-prone skin as they preserve your skin’s natural PH level and they won’t irritate your skin. However, oily skin tends to require regular exfoliation because oily skin builds up a layer of dead skin cells which can then, in turn, clog your pores. I have combination skin and the Clean and Clear Daily Exfoliating Wash worked really well for me. It contains very gentle beads to soflty scrub or ‘exfolaite’ dead skin off your face, revealing brighter skin underneath and dislodging blackheads. I used this until I switched to AHA cleansers and cleansing oils which i’ll discuss below.

Oily – Md Forte Glycolic Cleansers

This is one of my all time favourite cleansers. MD Forte Glycolic Cleanser I contains 12% glycolic acid which chemically exfoliates your face. I highly recommend Glycolic cleansers in general because they’re one of the few cleansers that actually DO benefit your skin. They act fast and dissolve all of the dirt, oil and dead skin on your face which is great for normal and combination skin types and especially good for oily/acne-prone skin. Continued use should yield a more even skin tone.

A word of warning though, while glycolic products are gentle – some people may find that they irritate their skin. When you use a glycolic cleanser expect some mild tingling/stinging but if your face looks red or irritated after use – glycolic cleansers arent for you. In this case just use a regular exfoliating product like Clinique 7 day scrub – another favourite. Never use both glycolic products AND face scrubs – it’s overkill.

Also, if you use a glycolic cleanser after shaving it will fucking STING so only use these if you haven’t shaved on the same day.

All skin types – Cleansing Oil (DHC, MAC, Shu Uemura…)

This is probably the most useful kind of cleanser and I think everyone should have one. The oil cleansing method originates from Japan and works on the fact that oil is a much better emulsifier than water or soapy cleansers. You apply cleansing oil to dry skin and as you massage it in, it sort of melts and collects up all of the dirt, grime and oil on your face which you can then easily rinse off with water thanks to the emulsifying agents in the cleansing oil. No oily residue.

In addition to this, it’s the only fool-proof way to remove sun screen and cosmetics. Sunscreen is notoriously difficult to remove but cleansing oil can make quick work of it meaning there is no potentially clogging film left on your skin. In addition to this, guys that wear cosmetics should note that this is a one-step makeup remover too. This will remove every last trace of your tinted moisturiser or concealer or mascara… whatever you wear better than anything else.

Another word of warning, cleansing oils are known to dry out skin slightly so be wary of them if you have dry skin.

So that’s it, your guide to cleansers! Remember, most cleansers don’t do much because they don’t stay on the skin for long enough so you just need something that keeps your skin hydrated and clean. Those with oilier skin need to exfoliate regularly to prevent the build up of dead skin, do this with gentle face scrubs or glycolic cleansers. Cleansers containing glycolic acids are great because they exfoliate and brighten up your skin and can also help calm down acne. Cleansing oils are great do-it-alls, they remove anything you may have on your face; sunscreen, moisturiser, oil, dirt, makeup…whatever. You only need one cleanser but you may have two depending on your skin needs. I, for example, have a cleansing oil to remove everyday grime and a glycolic cleanser to exfoliate. This is a guideline so go ahead and try and test cleansers before settling on one you like!