Help! How Do I Choose a Cleanser?

Do you wash your face every morning? 

If you answered yes, than you are on your way to a flawless make up routine. How can I explain this better? Imagine painting over a dirty wall, or dipping your fingernail in oil than trying to paint it. Smugh! It’s a disaster! It’s the same with make-up. Applying foundation to a well washed and hydrated face helps give that flawless look we all want.

So which Cleanser do you pick? Should you get the supermarket kind, expensive mall kind, the QVC special? Should you get the one with exfoliating beeds, or the astringent, or the acne one? Should I get the more expensive one? Should I go orangic? Choosing the right facial cleanser is a battle between you and the infinite questions that can arise. Sometimes it takes a few trys to get the right one. So here’s some basic rules! Remember your type of skin? Start with one that is specific for that skin type. Flip the bottle over and look at the ingredient list. Try to avoid things on this list:

1. Parabens, the preservatives in cleanser, such as ethylparabaen, propylparaben, butylparaben, isobutylparaben, isopropylparaben and benzylparaben can also irritate your skin and can be risky. Using this product daily can be linked to cancers and reproductive problems. (Are you pregnant? Then please avoid these products!) http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16097138)
   
2. Triclosan, an anti-bacterial product used in many things like hand sanitizers, toothpaste and Cleanser, is mostly harmless on its own, but, when you mix it with bleach it becomes a carcinogen! You must be thinking "Well I don’t generally brush my teeth or dip my hands in bleach before I wash my face." Or do you? The Chlorine in Tap water is sufficient to cause this reaction! Try opting for essential oils that have shown anti-bacterial properties. http://www.anapsid.org/triclosan2.html
3. Nitrates and Nitrites! Avoid Petroleum Derived Ingredients such as DEA (diethanolamine), MEA (momethnanolamine) and TEA (triethanolamine)  (Try saying that 10x fast). These products have been considered a carcinogen by the EPA. And if you are pregnant Stay Clear of These. Have you ever heard of Blue Baby Syndrome? BBS can be fatal, nitrate concentrations accumulate and impair oxygen delivery to tissues causing blue skin tone. Early signs can include blue lips, nose and ears. Increased exposure to these products by pregnant women can cause BBS in infants (afterall they are even found in water). http://www.epa.gov/teach/chem_summ/Nitrates_summary.pdf
   
4.  Fragrances are just going to irritate your skin and may cause allergic reactions. Try a fragrance-free cleanser.
5.  Sodium lauryl sulphate (this detergent is actually used in labs as a standard to irritate skin).

So to recap you’re going to find a product for your skin type (or if you already have this at home), flip it over and see the ingredients and avoid the ones on the list (paraben-free, fragrance-free, etc..). Then try it and see how you feel.