Johnnynozitts Johnnynozitts
3 years ago

Recommendation for a good acidic cleanser

I've kinda ran out of options. I've tried things like Cerave, Eucerin, tried most of the stuff recommended here etc and whilst they clean well, they are far too drying for me if used only once a day. European acidic cleansers i find to be truly rubbish e.g La Roche Posay Toleriane Caring Wash, and their Dermo Cleanser both feel like pushing cream around your face that doesn't do much else

The Asian ones are somewhere in the middle, e.g Cosrx Good Morning pH cleanser cleans ok, but it eventually becomes irritating even if used infrequently

I can't not wash my face which is something i have already tried as my face is prone to redness when i don't on the cheeks and chin especially. Also tried just washing with water once a day with a micro fibre cloth and it just doesn't clean well enough as i will eventually start developing new black and white heads

I use BHA's infrequently but they don't seem all that effective for me anyways

Any suggestions for an acidic-ish pH cleanser that cleans well but isn't irritating?

Acne & clogged pores Uneven skin tone Sensitivity
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I've got really sensitive skin so I use a Miscellar wash in the AM, and a proper cleanser in the PM.

AM

Drunk elephant Miscellar wash (but for a cheaper option, I've heard the Simple Water Boost Miscellar wash is good)

PM

Face theory vitamin c cream cleanser C1, and then

Drunk elephant jelly cleanser

(Both are a bit pricey, but neither make my skin dry nor irritate it.)

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*Micellar

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Will look into some of these, thanks. Probably not Drunk Elephant though. Their stuff tends to be unnecessarily overpriced IMO :)

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Will look into some of these, thanks. Probably not Drunk Elephant though. Find their stuff to be unnecessarily overpriced with little justification for it :)

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I like the jelly cleanser, too, a very good option (but yeah, pricey)

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Or should I rather be honest and say "overpriced" rather than "pricey", hehe 🙃

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I see what you mean but I'm fussy af when it comes to ingredients & I love their formulas :')

The other options always have at least 1 ingredient I don't like, and or don't have the same refreshing, non-drying feel.

Also I like how their packaging looks on my cabinet lol.

But yeah I get your POV!

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Don't get me wrong - I've splurge on it too, it is a nice product for sure

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*splurged

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My all-time favorite is La Roche Posay Dermo Cleanser, I think it's the gentlest formula on the market, but I hear you that it didn't work well for you. Just a thought: maybe you could try using more product and remove it with a micro-fiber cloth? This might make a difference without adding to the irritation.

Another option would be a cleansing balm like Clinique's take the day off?: https://whatsinmyjar.com/product/clinique-take-the-day-off-cleansing-balm

You could also try an azelaic acid product once per day to speed up the return to normal skin surface pH after cleansing (it can also help with preventing/ reducing whiteheads).

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Hello Maria

Yes, i agree that the Dermo Cleanser is gentle, but it almost seems too gentle? In that it doesn't even feel like it's cleaning my face as i likened it to just "pushing cream around my face" i don't really feel for me that it does any cleaning, but i will try use more product and use the mechanical action of the microfibre cloth to see if that improves things. Thank you for the suggestion.

I feel some acidic cleansers are just too gentle to the point they seem ineffective for the task. For instance the quite basic pH Eucerin DermatoClean cleansers are one of the best i have used for cleaning my face properly, but no matter how little product i use, it turns me into a prune and its not dryness easily reversed with humectants and such, whereas i i don't really ever have the dryness issue with acidic cleansers, but its a dance between being eventually too irritating(in the case of the GoodMorning pH cleanser i suspect it's the witch hazel), or them being so gentle that they seem not up to the task..

I have Skinoren so i will try using that more frequently after washes and see if that improves things

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The thing is that often what feels to us like "proper cleaning" in reality means stripping our skin of oils too much. It is a little bit about breaking the habit of the "clean" feeling - it's in our head, and in reality it doesn't do our skin much good. Of course, the actual dirt, makup and sunscreen residue need to be removed, but the skin should feel like it has some oil left in it after cleansing. Basically, if you visually see no residue of makeup, dirt, and sunscreen after cleansing, the cleansing job is done... If your skin feels very clean after cleansing, you've cleansed too harshly

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Agreed

I know the difference between completely unnecessary "squeaky clean" skin absolutely void of lipids ,and sufficiently clean though..i'm lacking the latter and not after the former(hence why i use acidic cleansers other than the fact they don't dry me out)my issue is that my pores still feel a bit gritty like there is "shit" still in them

I've even been on Tazarotene for a bit and it hasn't really done much to improve that situation. As initially i thought i was dealing with a lack of cell turn over in my skin, but it didn't do much for me and i am reluctant to try Tretinoin

Kinda getting OT though. Thanks for the suggestions. I will give em a whirl next week

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Have you tried Fabulous Foaming Face wash by Bliss? I think you would love it!

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Have you tried Fabulous Foaming Face wash by Bliss? I think you would love it!

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