TruSelf Organics Clear Skin Foaming Cleanser; Relinquish The Foam Once More!

Foam. I wash my hands of it. Or, don't wash my hands, or my hair, or my face with it, as the case may be. Foaming cleansers are something that have been heavily on my avoid list for some time, and for good reason, too. As foam is usually a result of sulphates and other astringent chemicals, I figured trying an organic foam would offer the same sense of clean without all the nastiness. I was wrong. Enter saponified oils.

Saponification is the process of converting oils or fats into soap. While the process will differ from brand-to-brand, you can read an extensive overview of saponification on Dr. Bronner's An Overview of Soapmaking article or on good old faithful Wikipedia. Saponification can be used to create soft, hard and liquid soaps from a completely natural chemical reaction. All three of which can lather, offering a foaminess not too dissimilar to that created by chemical sulphates. 

Foaming cleansing agents are exceptionally powerful at removing oil, dirt, grime and anything that's generally a little tough to remove. The trouble is, when you use something that super strength on your skin, you are often at risk at removing essential oils and moisture as well. This can result in a disturbance of your skin's acid mantle, meaning your pH balance will be off-kilter. Ever wondered what that tight, dry feeling is after using a foaming cleanser? That's the disruption of your acid mantle, and that's not good.

The TruSelf Organics Clear Skin Foaming Cleanser is absolutely caustic on my skin. This sud-ridden froth lathers straight out of the pump-dispenser and leaves my skin with one of the nastiest, most uncomfortably tight sensations. It strips my skin past the bare bones, stealing away all my natural goodness and leaving me exposed and disturbed.

This liquid soap comes in a magical pump-dispenser that does all the foaming for you before you've even started. From the first pump you are supplied with a bubble mass with which you are to move around your face. It stings, oh how it stings. As you roll the soap around your pre-wetted face, the suds begin to multiply, converting you into a monstrous bubble. At this stage, my skin is already inflamed, I'm the sensitive type, I've gone beyond tingly and my skin is screaming out. There's difficulty in removal as the suds continue to breed and burst as I attempt to wash them away.

This cleanser is dangerous.

After finally removing all the foam, my skin is just outright irritated. I'm blotchy, I'm red. This isn't an allergic reaction, this is just an extremely corrosive cleanser. I feel dry now. My skin is alone and stripped bare. I layer on moisturiser on top of facial oils on top of hydrating mists, but nothing is doing the trick. My skin has been exposed and it's not something you can simply re-nourish.

This cleanser removes any nutrients from the natural barrier of my skin in an attempt to make sure I'm thoroughly clean. It's harsh, it's corrosive, it's stripping, it's skin-tightening, it's something I will be ostracising from my routine indefinitely. No. Organic does not mean skin-friendly. Foam is never, ever, friendly to my skin.

I contacted TruSelf Organics regarding the corrosive nature of their cleanser, I was told I could return the cleanser and receive my money back. How compensatory! When I brought up I lived in the UK, and the cost of return P&P would actually be greater than the worth of the product itself, I was effectively shown the door and asked to leave. It's good to see real-honest brands looking after our skins and our well-being.

AVOID? YOU BET. BOYCOTT FOAM? ABSOLUTELY!

Balance Me Pure Skin Face Wash: The Ultimate Cleanser for De-Gunking Pores

There are two words, which, without fail, always make my skin crawl. 'Face Wash'. There, did you feel it, too? 'Wash' often implies sulphates, surfactants, chemicals and all manner of harsh foaming agents designed to strip my skin of all its natural oily goodness.  But, with a 98.7% natural formula, Balance Me Pure Skin Face Wash manages to create a gentle and moisturising lather which effectively clears skin without over-stripping. 

In order to create that lather, the Balance Me Pure Skin Face Wash contains decyl glucoside and lauryl glucoside (both natural sugar-based co-surfactants), which are both derived from coconut and fruit sugars, used for their foaming and conditioning properties. The way this cleanser foams is unlike any other, as it is bound inside the lovely moisturising gum, which aids in the retention of skin's moisture.

When I say foam or froth here, I'm not talking about bubbles and suds, I'm talking about a gentle creamy lather that leaves a gum-based residue. The cleanser has a sticky gelatinous quality to it (a parallelism to which, I'm not going to draw out loud), but when it is activated on skin it becomes soft and slick, like a nice thick mousse. The gummy consistency leaves skin supple, instead of the usual tight and stripped sensation given from other foaming cleansers.

Now, this is where Balance Me Pure Skin Face Wash really comes into its element. This cleanser is absolutely bloody brilliant at de-gunking pores. My pores literally transition from grey and clogged before use, to clear and empty after use. Any build-up or grime that is trapped in my pores is instantaneously and gently whisked away effortlessly, leaving me with the ultimate clear complexion. This is the most effective face wash I have ever used, bar none.

When it comes to removal, the cleanser is partially water resistant, meaning water appears to just slip off. So, this is another job for our friend, the trusty flannel. I have used this product around eyes, but they were closed tightly. It is recommended on the tube to keep eyes firmly shut when using. Those are explicit instructions. You've been warned.

The scent of this product is fairly chemical. It has a somewhat acidic, burnt fragrance to it that is fairly unpleasant. Not unpleasant enough to stop me from using it, but it's definitely something to be aware of. However, when you weigh up a few fleeting moments of a disagreeable scent, versus utterly unclogged skin, there's only one clear winner here.

As you might have guessed, this is definitely something I want in my routine. It's clearing, moisturising, cleansing and the most effective product I've found for unclogging pores. Essential.

The Balance Me Pure Skin Face Wash can be purchased from Balance Me at £11.00 / 50ML. Alternatively, a value size is available at £16.00 / 125ML here, and a sample size at £3.50 / 15ML here.