While you can get away with skipping a step or two of your beauty routine from time-to-time, cleansing is definitely not one of them. But with dry skin, even the thought of lathering up can be painful. Unlike harsh cleansers, the best face washes for dry skin are designed to wash away the day without stripping your face of vital oils.
It may take you a while to part with that ultra-foamy cleanser you’ve used since high school, but that squeaky clean feeling is actually a sign that your cleanser is stripping away your skin's moisture barrier. When it comes to getting a gentle but thorough cleanse, oil-based cleansers are major winners. They dissolve effectively makeup, dirt, and grime without drying you out, and some even leave behind a protective layer after rinsing. Gel-balms and mud-foams are great option if you can’t get used to something without a bit of a lather, especially if they’re formulated with hydrating ingredients like olive milk and shea butter.
As with any step in your routine, it's important to use skin care products designed for dry skin. Once you've found a face wash that leaves your skin feeling moist and clean, you may just discover a your new favorite step in your beauty routine.
1An Incredibly Hydrating Oil Cleanser That Melts Off Makeup Completely
Julep Bare Your Face Age-Defying Cleansing Oil, $28, Amazon
Though this cleanser is oil-based, it rinses clean without leaving behind any residue or film. And, it has a fantastic reputation for effortlessly removing makeup — even the stubborn waterproof kind. It’s also a treatment product of sorts as the formula contains coffee bean oil to invigorate and promote skin cell turnover and rosehip seed oil to repair and nourish the complexion.
2A Gentle Milky Cleanser With Anti-Inflammatory Properties
REN Evercalm Gentle Cleansing Milk, $23, Amazon
While the name of this cleanser sounds like a gentle lullaby, truth be told this milky, moisture-rich wash soothes and protects the skin while removing impurities. Calming arctic blackcurrant seed oil, seabuckthorn berry oil, and calendula make this cleanser a great choice for sensitive skin.
3A Nourishing Cream Cleanser That Maintains The Skin's pH
La Roche Posay Toleriane Hydrating Gentle Cleanser, $15, Amazon
This may look like an ordinary cream cleanser, but the formula is truly impressive. A mix of prebiotic thermal water, ceramides, niacinamide, and glycerin works together to cleanse, hydrate, soothe, and protect while maintaining the pH level of the skin. Reviewers love how it also removes makeup and leaves their skin silky smooth.
4A Hyaluronic-Rich Cleanser That's Free Of Parabens, Fragrance, & Common Irritants
Hada Labo Tokyo Hydrating Facial Cleanser, $12, Amazon
A favorite brand in Japan — and just about anywhere else people can get their hands on these fantastic products — Hada Labo Tokyo infuses a hearty dose of moisture-binding hyaluronic acid into each of its products, and this nourishing cleanser is no exception. Free of chemicals, dyes, and fragrance, this formula provides multi-layer hydration while effectively removing impurities and makeup.
5An Antioxidant-Rich Balm Cleanser That Melts Into An Oil On Your Skin
Banila Co Clean It Zero Resveratrol, $22, Amazon
Though it’s oil-based, this deep cleansing balm comes in a sherbet-like formula that dissolves makeup and impurities while leaving skin silky smooth. More than just a cleanser, resveratrol, the same antioxidant in wine, helps protect the skin from free radicals. Note that a little goes a long way, so no need to apply gobs of product to experience awesome results.
6A 'Life-Changing' Cleanser That Leaves Skin Silky Smooth
Paula’s Choice Moisture Boost One Step Face Cleanser, $17, Amazon
This one-step cleanser and makeup remover rinses clean and leaves skin silky soft. It starts as a milk, but lathers up just a bit when massaged into the skin. Dry skin reviewers call this fragrance and dye-free wash “life-changing.”
7A Makeup-Removing Gel Cleanser That Calms Redness & Inflammation
Dry and rosacea-prone skin can easily become red and sensitized — but this cleanser/makeup remover helps to calm inflammation with vitamin-rich rosehip oil. It also keeps skin even and glowing thanks to the addition of antioxidants and vitamins A, E, and K. Oh, and bonus points for the pretty millennial pink hue.
8A Mud-To-Foam Wash That Delivers Immediate Hydration
Glamglow Thirsty Cleanse Daily Hydrating Cleanser, $18, Amazon
This unique mud-to-foam formula makes truly makes cleansing fun. But seriously, texture aside, the results-driven formula comprised of rare Brazilian yellow clay, coconut water, olive milk, and Teaoxi olive leaf powder needs no other word than amazing to describe the results. This cleanser deep cleans, but it also provides an instantaneous moisture boost that’s noticeable after just one use.
9A Concentrated Gel-Balm Cleanser With Healing Properties
EVE LOM Gel Balm Cleanser, $50, Amazon
This may be more than you pay for your average cleanser, but it’s super concentrated, so you don’t need to use as much as you would with a more viscous formula. The balm-like consistency turns milky when it comes in contact with water, and it feels absolutely amazing on the skin. The formula is unique in that along with clove, chamomile, argan and olive oils to hydrate and calm, it also has antiseptic properties to heal and purify.
10A Brightening Cleanser That Removes Dead Skin Cells
The Face Shop Bright Light Cleansing Oil, $10, Amazon
This ridiculously popular reviewer favorite brightens up the complexion with rice water. The natural ingredients derived from rice hydrate and gently exfoliate dead skin cells, which is the reason for the glowing complexion it leaves behind. Reviewers love how it thoroughly cleanses while leaving the skin feeling soft, not stripped.
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