Bonus? You can find two of these at the drugstore.
Oils have been my favorite way of removing makeup for a very long time and I fell in love with the concept of double-cleansing. Jojoba, Seaberry, Grape Seed and Vitamin E are some of my favorite oils to use for cleansing. With oils there’s not need to tug or pull on your skin and irritate it- makeup just melts away.
My dermatologist strictly forbid me from using oils on my skin a while ago, and even though I still use my favorite Argan and Skin Balancing oils as moisturizers, I don’t use them for cleansing, unless my skin feels incredibly dry.
What I’ve been loving though are cleansing balms. They’re usually just as gentle as oils and are just as good at removing all traces of makeup (although this depends on the formula). Clinique’s Take the Day Off is probably one of the most popular balms ones out there and it’s been a solid favorite for ages, but I have a few other ones I’m currently rotating.
One of my favorite balms is No7 Beautiful Skin Cleansing Balm. Here’s the thing though: it’s not the best at removing makeup. It will remove foundation, brow, cheek and lip products, but it’s a different story when it comes to eyeliner and mascara. The reason why I love it though, is because it leaves my skin feeling incredibly soft after I use it. Like, I-don’t-even-need-to-moisturize kind of soft. I love using this in the morning, because even though by 12 o’clock in the afternoon my skin is usually very oily, it feels pretty dry when I wake up. It’s almost like that uncomfortable kind of dry, and this balm brings instant relief to that tight feeling. Love that it comes in a tube.
My favorite out the three- It Cosmetics Bye Bye Makeup 3-in-1 Melting Cleansing Balm*. This one is amazing at removing even water-resistant products and once again, leaves the skin feeling soft and nourished. It’s formulated with ceramides (which I love in my skincare products), hyaluronic acid, collagen and peptides. It also contains a quite controversial ingredient- mineral oil. I’ve used mineral oil products as part of my body care as long as I can remember, I’ve also read a number of studies all of which found that mineral oil isn’t bad for your skin. Purified mineral oil (which is what’s used in skincare) won’t give your skin any conditioning/improvements like plant oils can, but it’s good for sealing in moisture.
Last, but not least, there’s Nourishing Cleansing Balm with Sweet Almond Oil and Cocoa Butter from Pixi*. This balm has a balm-to-oil formula and it’s the creamiest out of these three. It’s really, really rich and amazing at removing makeup, but you might not like it if your skin is very oily. I find that sometimes with this balm I need to do not a double, but a triple cleanse to get rid of the slightly oily residue. I love washing it off with a warm cloth- it feels amazing, especially when my skin feels very dry. A small amount is all I need to sue for my entire face and neck. This balm should definitely be used very sparingly.
As much as I love all three of these and will definitely continue to use them, I just wish they were all fragrance-free. The It Cosmetics 3-in1 Cleansing Balm does appear fragrance-free but fragrance is listed in the ingredient list (which sometimes is added to neutralize the scent of other ingredients, to actually make it appear fragrance-free). Thankfully, I don’t find any of these three irritating- it’s quite the opposite, actually. I just really, REALLY wish that all skincare products were fragrance-free. There are so many high-end products that are loaded with heavy fragrance that it just seems like a waste of money to splurge on them. Fragrance and dyes isn’t what will change or improve skin- only great ingredients will. You’d think that people creating these products would know that, right?
Do you like using cleansing balms? Which one’s your favorite?
*PR samples/gifted items
