Cleansing Balms
By Karencalladine
It is no secret that I am guilty of hoarding my beauty products, and cleansers are one of the products I am most drawn to. Over the cooler months, I tend to favour a cleansing balm for that little extra nourishment. These are all products that leave mu skin feeling soft and pampered. It also helps that a balm tends to be multi-purpose too. I thought I would share a few of my current favourites. Balance Me is one of my favorite brands. Their products just work for me. Cleanse & Smooth Face Balm is a cleanser I use when I want to exfoliate at the same time. It was reformulated a little while ago, so that the particles of oat powder are finer. I have to say I much prefer this texture, although I still wouldn't use it to take off eye makeup. The formula is very rich and nourishing as it contains camellia, kukui nut and rosehip oils with cocoa, mango and shea butters. It isn't suitable for vegans though as it does contain beeswax. The fragrance is citrusy. I love how bright and cheerful this smells on a miserable Winter morning. I am sure it won't come as much as a surprise to see this little gem pop up from Skin & Tonic, as I seem to have mentioned it lots on twitter and on my instagram feed lately. Steam Clean is one of my favorite discoveries from last year, and probably one of the best cleansers I have used. Made with 6 ingredients: Beeswax, Grapeseed oil, Thistle oil, Borage oil and essential oils of Eucalyptus and Spearmint. Fresh and minty, but incredibly gentle. I have also used a little of this on the kids chests when they have been full of colds. Simply divine.I think BalmBalm produce wonderfully affordable and high quality products, and their Rose Geranium Face Balm is a complete steal at just £6.99. It has a very subtle Rose Geranium scent, making this an ideal choice for someone who prefers less fragrance. Again this has a simple ingredients list; made with just Shea butter, Sunflower oil, Beeswax, Calendula oil, Jojoba oil and Rose Geranium oil.Beauty Balm by Lyonsleaf is one of the newest additions to my collection. This has the firmest texture of the balms when in the jar, but easily melts into oil when warmed between your fingers. It is rich in fatty acids and antioxidants thanks to the Babassu, Macademia nut, Jojoba and Sweet Almond oil. Most of these cleansing balms are better suited to dry skins, but Beauty Balm also works for oilier skins. The ingredients have been carefully chosen for their ability to rebalance the skin and the non pore blocking properties. I wish I had discovered this sooner.