Face washes for Oily & Sensitive Skin: Tried and Tested

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I am sure I am not the only one in this boat, but I have the hardest time finding a face wash that suits my skin. I have gone through several washes before I found one that worked, only to find out that the face wash was discontinued. Bummer. I have acne-prone skin and very sensitive skin. That really limits the face washes that I could use. I have a very hard time finding a suitable face wash, and it is no fun. Those are the days you wish you skin could corporate with you for once, right? Often, I find that either the face wash dries my skin too much or my skin has some sort of reaction.

I have gone through several face washes in the past few years and below you will find my pros and cons of each. Hopefully, I can make the face wash search process a little bit easier for you than it has been for me.

Before I go into the details of each product I have tried in the past, let’s start with what I look for in a wash. The first thing I look at are the ingredients. Personally, I like to use a product that is made using more natural products than chemicals. In today’s time, this is not as hard to find as it used to be. More companies are moving towards using less harmful ingredients. The less chemicals in the product, the happier my face is when I use it. At least, that is what I have learned about my skin.

The next thing I look for is the skin type the product is designed for. Now this is broken down into two categories. One, I look for whether the product is designed for oily, acne-prone skin or dry skin. Because this will make a difference and you do not want to get the wrong product. The best way to determine if a product suits your skin: try it out for a couple of days. Two, I look for whether the product was designed for sensitive skin. My skin practically reacts to almost everything. I typically start to break out and it is not a good look. This makes it very difficult to find a product that works for my skin, but the only way to find out, as I said earlier, is to try a new product. But don’t just go putting any and every product on your skin.

I had done a lot of online research and read a lot of reviews on different sites before I chose which product I would try out. Let’s begin with the reviews.

  

1. Neutrogena Oil-Free Acne Wash Pink Grapefruit Facial Cleanser

Buy the Neutrogena Oil-Free Acne Facial Cleanser

  

Why did I try this product?

The first face wash I ever used in my life. Why did I try this product?

                My mom recommended it to me. I was in high school and needed to start using a face wash, and for reasons you may know why. If you have been a teenager or currently are one, you know how much acne we get. Not very nice. The first person you usually go to for recommendations when you are dipping your feet, or in this case your face, into the world of beauty products is your mom. She has gone through this process and has the experience to give you recommendations. Plus, your skin may be similar to hers considering she is your mom. Although this is not always the case, but doesn’t hurt to give it a try, right? She recommended this one because it was the one she used.

  

What I think about the product?

                You can feel your face is being cleaned when you use it, and I had heard from a lot of people how great it is for those with acne-prone skin. It does not dry out your skin, which is a plus because despite having oily skin, I don’t want it to become dry. As I got older, most likely due to the changes happening in my body, I started to notice my skin started to breakout as a result of using this product. Not with acne, per se, but with smaller, little red bumps. I realized my skin was not taking this product well, and I was having some sort of reaction. Quite possibly due to a change in the formula of the product that I was unaware of had occurred. So I moved onto the next wash.

  

2. Aveeno Smart Essentials Daily Detoxifying Scrub

Buy Aveeno Smart Essentials Scrub

  

Why did I try this product?

                I decided to try this product after seeing a commercial for the lotion on TV. That’s how they get you! Those celebrity endorsed commercials. I tried out the lotion and I loved it, and it is still the lotion I use to date. So, I thought to myself, why not try other products by this brand. I might like it, too.

  

What I think about this product?

This product is available on the shelf at my Walmart. I can easily buy some when I need it and it is not that expensive. I got the face wash and took it home that night and tried it. I loved it. It washed my face and reduced my acne. And the best part, suited my sensitive skin. No reaction. I thought to myself, I found the perfect face wash. This is the one I am going to purchase from now on. Until, Aveeno decided to change up the recipes for its products and they discontinued my favorite face wash and released a new one. The new product, not a big fan. It was not the same. It didn’t work the same as the old one. Why would it when they changed the recipe? Now I was back to square one, what face wash to use?

I began searching for products that were similar to the old Aveeno face wash. And after lots of research, I realized there was none. I had to go back to researching other brands. I began searching for face washes made with natural ingredients and products suited for sensitive skin. I knew I was narrowing my options of finding a face wash by a lot. But that was what I wanted, and it was what I was going to find. Even if it took several days of searching Google, reading reviews, and comparing products.

  

3. S. W. Basics

Buy the S.W. Basics Set

  

Why did I try this product?

During my search for a new face wash, I came across this one. The reviews for this product were really good and a lot of the individuals said they had sensitive and acne prone skin, and this product did wonders. So, I found myself thinking why not give this a shot? I needed a face wash. Not to mention, the cleanser and toner are all made from natural ingredients.

The cleanser was made of three ingredients: organic rosewater, organic vegetable glycerin, organic tea tree oil, and the toner made with 5 natural ingredients: water, organic apple cider vinegar, organic witch hazel, organic clary sage essential oil, and organic sandalwood essential oil.

  

What I think about this product?

I purchased it and tried it out for a few days. This product was different than the past face cleansers I tried. It was in liquid form instead of the usual cream like form. You needed to use a cotton ball to apply.  Which in the beginning, you are excited to try the new product and don’t mind it at all. But as time goes on, you don’t want to buy more cotton balls and then stand there, soak the ball, pat your face, soak the ball some more, pat your face and keep repeating until you feel you cleaned your entire face.

But, knowing how hard it was to find a cleanser that met my needs, I tried it for a few days. The smell was great. The natural ingredients did not hinder the smell. After a couple of days, I started to feel that it dried out my face and my skin was reacting to it. Darn it! My money went to waste again on another product that is just going to hang out on my shelf until someone decides to use it or it expires. I just can’t get myself toss it out so quickly after spending money on it. So, it is sitting on the shelf with the others, and I found myself back to searching for a new face wash. Back to square one.

  

4. Garnier SkinActive Exfoliating Face Scrub with Green Tea, Oily Skin

Buy Garnier Face Scrub

  

Why did I try this product?

I decided to try a new tactic to finding a face wash. Instead of searching on google and ordering online, I just walked into my local Walmart, headed to the beauty products aisle, and searched the shelfs for the face washes that were available until one caught my eye. The Garnier one was the first to come into my line of sight.

The information on the bottle intrigued me to learn more. It said it was made from natural ingredients. Check. It was vegan friendly, which is not something I look for, but good enough for me. And it said it was for sensitive, oily skin. Check. Check. Check. I didn’t bother reading any reviews or anything on this product this time, because we all know how well that has been going. I just bought it.

  

What I think about this product?

The color of the wash when you squeeze it out is not the most visually appealing, but that did not stop me from trying it. Most things in nature that are good for you are not always the most appealing to your eyes but tend to be the most beneficial to you. So, I ignored the color and gave it a shot.  Since the product used a lot of natural ingredients, it made sense why it was a clears brown color. When you squeeze a small amount onto your hand, it has a different feel to it than other face washes. Most face washes are a creamy substance that are smooth, but this one had small little dots of something in it and you could feel it on your hand. It definitely had a non-smooth texture, but this still didn’t gross me out.

I liked it was not liquid and all I needed was the face wash, my hands, and a face. No buying accessories, like cotton balls, in order to use it. I applied it to my face, followed the instructions, and then rinsed. My skin felt so clean, smooth, and best of all no reaction.

  

Conclusion

Now I don’t know about you, but my mom feels that because I am her daughter, what works for her should work for me. But that is not always the case. We all have different skin, and one product that might suit one individual might not work for another. The only way to find out is to give it a try yourself. I hope I was able to provide some insight on these few products, and I wish you the best of luck in your face wash search.

  

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