Special product found in boring packaging! (Dermalogica Special Cleansing Gel)

Member Name: glitter_princess

Product:	Dermalogica Special Cleansing Gel
Date:	20/11/08 (292 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Cleans skin without stripping it of moisture; good for combination skin

Disadvantages: Boring packaging

One of the most important items to get right in your skincare routine is the type of cleanser you use - I've been through lots and my current favourite is Dermalogica's Special Cleansing Gel. This was recommended to me by a Dermalogica specialist as I have combination skin and wanted something that would be gentle enough not to strip the moisture from my skin, but strong enough to tackle my more oily patches.

Dermalogica are not my usual type of skincare/cosmetic company - to quote from their website: "Dermalogica is founded on the belief that good skin care is not about pampering or luxury...any more than brushing your teeth or washing your hair is! Call us no-nonsense, but we believe that consumers want results, not frilly packaging or overblown hype. And we've found that consumers and leading skin care professionals alike in over 40 countries agree!" Now I like my products to be much more about pampering so this "basic" philosophy didn't really grab me. However, having been incredibly impressed with their Multi-Vitamin Power Recovery Masque, I was more than willing to give this one a try.

The Special Cleansing Gel is a soap free product - I wouldn't dream of putting soap anywhere near my face! It contains natural Quillaja Saponaria (which has foaming anti -inflammatory properties to cleanse toxins and debris), Lavander Extract for gentle cleansing, and Balm Mint to cool and calm the skin, reducing any red or blotchy patches. Like all Dermalogica products it also has no artificial fragrance or colour.

The packaging, like all Dermalogica products, is very no-nonsense - grey and white colour scheme and a plastic cylinder bottle with a flip top lid. It's very practical - the style of lid means that you can dispense the smallest amount and minimize wastage, there is no leakage and the plastic means that you can easily keep it out by the sink or even in the shower without the bottle becoming damaged.

The gel itself is clear in colour and fairly unremarkable looking. There is no artificial fragrance added, but you can detect a lavender and tea tree scent, giving it a rather medicinal feel. For someone who loves their smelly beauty products I have to admit I do miss a lovely citrus smell to wake me up in the morning! The faint smell doesn't linger on your skin though which is good as I hate when body lotion smells sit alongside your perfume.

To use simply pump a tiny amount of cleanser into the palm of your hand, about the size of a pea will do your whole face, and rub gently in your hands before working the gel into a deep cleansing lather and apply to your dampened face and throat. Rinse with warm water and pat dry with a towel.

The cleanser foams up nicely and doesn't overfoam so you can see exactly where you are applying the cleanser. The process is quick, taking about a minute, so good for a quick morning routine.

Like all Dermlogica products this isn't cheap - for a 250ml bottle expect to pay about £20 from Dermalogica reselling salons, or from online discount stores for about £17 - it pays to shop around! I bought mine from hqhair.com for £17. Although it is undoubtedly expensive, it really does last forever. I am notoriously stingy with the way I apply beauty products and my 250ml bottle has lasted me over 2 years! For a normal person I would expect this to last them about a year using it morning and evening, but you can certainly get a lot more use out of it if you are careful!

For my combination skin I find this to be a great product - true to its claim it manages to cleanse my skin thoroughly, leaving it feeling clean and refreshed without any tightness, but is gentle enough that it doesn't irritate any dry patches I have.

Dermalogica recommend this for normal and combination skin - normal skins can probably get away with a cheaper cleanser and I suspect it might even be a bit drying for normal skin, but for difficult combination skin this is a godsend!

Summary: A great cleanser for combination skin