Cleansing the Soul: Dish On Your Favorite Cleansing Products and Methods

Paula's Choice as a brand has afforded me the luxury of being able to pick out things about my skin that really bother me-- some major and some minor-- and then obliterate them systematically. It's really quite exciting for me, because I've never encountered a line of products that work so well for me personally and can be relied upon time after time to be effective. Each morning when I get up and look in the mirror, I see positive progress, so of course I look for every chance I can to share the love.

Paula's Choice Hydralight One-Step Cleanser (8 oz- $17, 16 oz- $25)

That brings me to the Hydralight Cleanser, which is my great white whale of cleansers-- a crystal-clear, hydrating, non-stripping gel cleanser that really doesn't foam up at all (though it does say on the label that it's lightly foaming, I haven't seen any). It's the perfect simple gel that is gentle on my skin but really good at removing impurities, dirt and makeup. No stinging, no suds, and no unnecessary ingredients. Once or twice a day, I massage the gel into my damp skin until it turns a dingy milky color. 

But what makes the Hydralight Cleanser doubly effective is if you use it with a really good cleansing cloth. I favor the organic cotton muslin cloths from Ginger Chi (pictured below) with this cleanser. I like the precise size (a large rectangular shape as opposed to the usual medium sized squares of many other kinds), the medium weight of the cotton and the not-too-finely-woven texture of them. I find that once dampened with warm water, they pick up the cleanser and dirt on my face with just two rinses and passes. Light circular massage feels invigorating-- but not at all rough. With some experimentation, I've found that the right cleanser with the right cloth gets you The Perfect Cleanse. If anything deserves capitalization, it's The Perfect Cleanse. Not gonna go all-caps on you, but imagine it with reverberation. Ah, that's good.

Ginger Chi Organic Muslin Face Cloth Set ($14 for 2)

With all of the cleansing lotions, oils, liquids, grains, powders, creams and balms out there reaching a critical mass, cleansing has more than its share of the buzz in the skin care world. New and exciting cleansing methods and products from every corner of the world are being popularized and adopted every day. I must admit, I'm pretty fascinated by all of it. What I'd like to know is, what do you do for cleansing? Do you have special products or cleansing methods you like to use?

[...soon, I'll probably post my entire skin care regimen just so you can all see my level of skin-obsession. It's something I hope I can get all the beauty bloggers I know to do too. Who doesn't want to peek into the product cabinets of other like-minded women?]

*All products featured in this post were purchased by me for my own personal use. If you'd like to give Paula's Choice a try, click through to their site via THIS LINK in order to receive $10 off your first order, and I get a $10 credit too, for referring you!*

5 Problem-Solving Skin Care Products You Need Right Now (All Under $40!)

It's time for my newest short-list! This time, it's all about inexpensive solutions to common skin-care issues that I'm occasionally plagued by. Below, you'll find products that are new to me and quite impressive-- and everything can be had for under $40 (sometimes well under $40).

Ginger Chi Argan Wrinkle Roller $20

Ingredients: Argan oil, rosehip oil, hemp oil, vitamin E, rosemary oil, frankincense, geranium, German chamomile, fresh ginger oil, myrrh oil

One of the biggest surprises of the year so far for me has been the brand Ginger Chi. I'd heard the name before, but had I known how gorgeous and reasonably priced their products were, I would have jumped on them when I first heard of them. Their closely-edited selection of ginger-based, natural skin care products are so tasty, you'll have trouble choosing just one, so I made the sacrifice and did the work for you. (I know, I'm very self-sacrificing like that).

Ginger Chi Argan Wrinkle Roller is comprised of simple, organic, powerhouse ingredients that frankly, is just not available anywhere else in this exact combination. And it is this combination that works so well against wrinkles, blemishes, acne scars and much more. The rollerball packaging allows precise application of the product directly to the areas that need it, which is a nice bonus. Very neat, and nothing wasted. Argan, rosehip and hemp oils... just saying those words together out loud gives me a tingle at the base of my spine. If you love a smartly blended facial oil, buy this. Then, snag one or two of Ginger Chi's great little sets so you can try the rest of the line.

Wild Naturals Manuka Honey Eye Serum $39.95

Key ingredients: aloe gel, sodium hyaluronate, glycerin, Vitamin E, manuka honey, cehami, vitamin E, retinyl palmitate

Not long ago, I expounded on the virtues of micro-micro brand Wild Naturals' only other product, their Manuka Moisturizing Cream. I've been waiting very excitedly for this eye serum to come out. Not only is it fabulous, but it's not just for the eye area. I heartily recommend that it be used on the entire face and neck. It's not a sticky gel, nor is it loaded up with silicones to create unnatural texture. It's soothing, cooling and comfortable on the skin while it's firming and toning. It blends and layers well with other products, and it's brilliant on its own. If you have sensitive eyes or sensitive skin in general, this gel-serum is a must-have. It works wonders on puffiness and brightens the entire eye area-- any time of day.

First Aid Beauty Ultra Repair Liquid Recovery $38

Key Ingredients: Glycerin, red algae extract (Ahnfeltia Concinna), oat kernel extract, hyaluronic acid, propolis, feverfew, licorice root extract, green tea leaf extract

I've been quite enjoying several First Aid Beauty products lately, and am really smitten with this one. It's meant to heal and smooth troubled skin, meaning: acneic skin, sensitives, rashes, clusters of hormonal breakouts, dry patches, psoriasis, and the list goes on. When you've got skin that has a compromised barrier, you just can't use very many things. Of the things you CAN use, even fewer don't hurt, sting, or itch when you do use them. That's why Ultra Repair Liquid Recovery rules. It's got the consistency of a toner, and you just pour some into your cupped palm, bring your hands together, then pat into the skin. It's helped me to heal areas of my facial skin that couldn't tolerate anything else. I love it so much that I'm now using it every day to keep my skin hydrated without needing to use much else on top. Sometimes, creams and oils can't do the job that a liquid can do. And I suppose that is the main reason why I've cleared a space for this one into my daily regimen.

HandcraftedGoodies on Etsy Hemp & Organic Cotton Facial Cleansing Rounds $12.50 for 25

I love these super-soft hemp/cotton rounds! They have a slightly different texture on each side. One is really soft but is still absorbent, and the other is a bit more exfoliating, but still soft. They're washable, eco-friendly and very inexpensive. I use them for toners, cleansers and masks, then I just collect the used ones in a mesh bag and toss it in the washing machine. Super easy, and NO lint that you get with disposable cotton rounds! There are several makers of these on Etsy and elsewhere, but I use and love the ones pictured here, by HandCraftedGoodies on Etsy.

Yu-Be Foaming Skin Polish $18 for 7oz

Key Ingredients: walnut shell powder, bamboo stem extract, green tea, panax ginseng, ginger root, rice bran wax, geranium, glycerin, camphor

Japanese brand Yu-Be is the maker of one of my all-time favorite lip balms, so I was really excited to try their very popular body scrub. Its scent is very mild, yet incredibly, enticingly fresh, and it's a fairly low-foaming formula. I happen to think foam is a bit overrated, so it's actually perfect for me. It's pretty intensively exfoliating, so I won't be using it on my sensitive facial skin, but it feels so wonderful everywhere else. It leaves my skin feeling softer and silkier than pretty much every other body scrub I've tried, so it's a slam-dunk. If you are prepping your skin for swimwear, self-tanning, shorts, a cute minidress or generally just going out in public with any measure of your skin exposed, treat yourself to Yu-Be's Foaming Skin Polish.

Samples of Wild Naturals eye serum and Yu-Be polish provided by respective companies for my consideration. All others were purchased by me.