On my ever lasting quest for gorgeous, glowing skin I’ve slowly been traveling down the organic road in regards to both food and beauty products (more on my internal beauty regimen later). It occurred to me that my face and body probably doesn’t need 600 harsh products being slathered all over it and that doing so is probably doing more harm than good. Since this realization, and the horrible bout of acne I was cursed with over the past few months (thanks to my body adjusting a new birth control), I’ve vowed to baby my skin as much as possible . While I still do use quite a few different products on my face daily (one step at a time for this product junkie) I try to be a bit more ingredient conscious before making a purchase.

Now onto the actual product. I was introduced to the Desert Essence line this past summer by my health crazed friend Morghan who raved about their oh-so popular Thoroughly Clean Face Wash made with tea tree oil and geared towards those with oily, acne-prone skin. However I found that it dried the hell out of my skin. Then one day months later while happily shopping the beauty aisles of Whole Foods I came across this bad boy, which as you may have guessed is the Thoroughly Clean Face Wash’s gentler counterpart.

Desert Essence Gentle Nourishing Organic Cleanser for dry and sensitive skin is a ” pure, organic facial cleanser made especially for dry sensitive skin. Formulated with aloe, chamomile and cucumber extracts to leave skin feeling moisturized.” It contains no sulfates, harsh chemicals, dyes or fragrances just organic, vegan goodness.

In simple, normal human terms this gluten free, biodegradable cleanser contains:

• Organic Apple Juice
• Organic Coconut Oil
• Water
• Potassium Hydroxide
• Organic Sunflower Seed Oil
• Organic Sesame Seed Oil
• Organic Jojoba Seed Oil
• Organic Sweet Orange Oil
• Guar Gum
• Organic Aloe Leaf Juice
• Organic Chamomilla Recutita (Chamomile) Flower Extract
• Organic Cucumber Extract
• Organic Watercress extract

This product does NOT participate in or use:

• Animal derived ingredients or testing
• Parabens
• Artificial fragrances/dyes
• Petroleum Compounds (meaning no mineral oil, paraffin, or petrolatum)
• SLS (sulfates)
• PEGS, PPG, MEA, DEA or TEA (not going to lie, not quite sure what all of those are)
• Glycols
• Phthalates

What I like about this product is that is that it’s pretty amazing at removing all my makeup, especially when paired with my Clarisonic. I found with some other organic and natural facial cleansers I’ve tried that this wasn’t always the case. There’s not much foaming action due to the lack of sulfates but I’ve learned that more suds don’t necessarily mean the job is getting done correctly. Since adding this into my revised skin care routine I’ve noticed a smoother complexion, fewer break outs, and a thorough clean feeling after washing my face. It’s a great feeling to see no left over makeup on my cotton round after using my toner.

I also really love the texture and scent. I’m no fragrance expert but this just smells amazingly fresh and citrus-y. The texture is also very light yet still a bit creamy and a little goes a long way, I use about a pump to a pump n’ a half morning and night. I would suggest shaking this a bit before using it though since the oils tend settle at the bottom. I get a weird sense of satisfaction each time I shake up my bottle knowing all those fabulous essential oils will soon be cleansing my face.

Too bad this isn’t scratch and sniff.

The cons that come with the product are very minimal when compared to the pros. The first being that this does not feel too great when it gets into your eyes, as in it feels slightly like my eyes are on fire. I want to accredit the Potassium Hydroxide to that. After doing a little bit of research on that ingredient I was able to find out that it is used in many natural and organic cleansers used to replace the sulfates, it was given a “low level of health concern” rating on www.TheGoodGuide.com (you can read more about that HERE) .

The second being the price for amount of product. I believe I paid $13 something for a 6.7 Fl Oz at Whole Foods. I’ve since then found out I was being ripped off and can get this product anywhere from $7 to $9 online, this was of course discovered after re-purchasing. Also, I’m not sure if it’s due to the popularity of the original Thoroughly Clean Fash Wash, but you can get almost double  of that product for the same price. Rude.

Lastly, I think the pump feature could use some work. I don’t mind pumps, I actually prefer them, but instead of the usual turn one way for close and the other for open there’s a little plastic piece you put around the pump so that it won’t move. Small, unattachable objects and me don’t mix as I’m the Queen of miss placing and losing things. Luckily, I’ve somehow managed to not lose this..yet.

Well, that’s all folks. If you’re in the market for a new face wash, or have been eyeing anything up the Desert Essence line I would most certainly recommend this product. After all it has passed the re-purchase test, something I seldom do.

Are there any great natural and/or organic products you love and recommend?

xx,

Mariana