Good, but not for sensitive skin (Neutrogena Wave Power Cleanser)

Member Name: cg1anon

Product:	Neutrogena Wave Power Cleanser
Date:	08/08/09 (170 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Gives skin a tighter, softer feel

Disadvantages: Not so good for sensitive skin

A few weeks ago I was given a Neutrogena Wave. The retail price for the starter set, which includes the Wave itself, a battery and 14 pads, costs around £12.99. If I hadn't been given it, I would not have paid that much as I don't have that kind of budget for cleansers. The refill packs, containing 30 pads, cost around £4.90.

Now usually I'm very loyal to my usual skincare brand, Avon. But as this was a bit of a novelty, and free, I thought I may as well give it a go.

A little bit about the cleanser first. It is a sort of wave shape, which fits well into your hand. It takes one AA battery and vibrates on 2 different speeds, one for gentle cleansing and one for deeper cleansing. To begin cleansing, you take a new pad from the small plastic bag (there are only a few pouches in the bag as they look like they would dry up rather quickly), and place it on the flat surface of the Wave. This part of the Wave is very rough and holds the pad on like Velcro. You then run it under a tap for a few seconds to 'activate' the pad, and press the small button to switch it on. You press once for gentle cleansing, twice for a higher speed deep clean. Then you rub it in circles all over your face. Once you've finished you remove the pad, throw it away and rinse the cleanser off your face.

The first time I used the cleanser I was getting over a cold and when I rubbed it over my nose it tingled so much it made me giggle. I had it on deep clean for the first time, and had the vibrations going for about 2 minutes. I wasn't very impressed with the amount of lather, there wasn't really any lather except on my nose where there was a tiny little bit. It made my skin feel nice and soft, but when I rinsed it off my face felt extremely tight and quite numb. My skin afterwards did feel and look softer, which I was happy with.

I continued using the cleanser, morning and night, for about a week and a half, flitting between deep and gentle cleans depending on what I'd been doing (deep clean after spending the day gardening etc). After five days I noticed quite a few spots appearing on my face. As a teenager I had the usual trouble with spots, but for quite a few years now I've had quite good skin, with the occasional (once every couple of months) spot appearing for a day or so. Here I got four or five appearing on the same day, and lasting several days. Obviously I can't be sure they were caused by the Wave though. However, after 8 or 9 days the skin on my face felt extremely dry, and on the tenth day I had some skin peeling on my face. I am sure this is because of the cleanser.

Immediately after cleansing my skin always felt taut and clean, but as the days wore on the condition of my skin deteriorated and I felt I had to stop using the product. I was a bit disheartened, as it is a really fun product and works well, but my skin was not compatible with it. I think that if your skin is not at all sensitive, this could be a fantastic product for you, but if not I would say to steer clear unless they bring out refill packs for sensitive skin.

To finish, the Wave worked well at cleansing my skin and made it feel softer from day one, but turned out to be too harsh for my skin. The price is quite steep, especially when you can only use the Wave with the expensive refill packs. If and when the price comes down and they bring out sensitive pads, I would be happy to buy these and perhaps use them a few times a week, rather than twice a day. Three stars I think.

Summary: A good buy but only if your skin is not sensitive.