Why You Need A Cleansing Balm In Your Life

I’ve never been one of those people who leaves washing my face until right before bed and because of fatigue and sheer laziness, either fail to do it or resolve it half-assed with a wipe. It’s a process I get out of the way before 9pm. But for the last few months it’s been something I look forward to doing, and that’s because I’ve discovered cleansing balms. My gateway to this occurred when I had a facial with Sharon McGlinchey, founder of MV Organics. She applied her Gentle Cream Cleanser to my skin while it was dry and followed up with a warm, water-soaked cotton muslin cloth to wipe it away. In addition to feeling incredible, the act has other benefits which she realized once she started doing it to herself. “Not only did I no longer need to exfoliate all the time or use hydroxy acids but my skin was no longer dry, tight or blotchy and my skin was for more plump and far more hydrated,” she says. Since then, I’ve been faithful to the technique and fully support it right into summer.

Just think about it: between sunscreen, makeup, sweat, sebum and general city filth, cleansing balms, which are solid at room temperature, swiftly break down everything once they’re massaged onto your face. “You are, in effect, dissolving the top layer of the pore, so when you remove the balm, that should come away with it,” says Alexandra Soveral, a facialist based in London, England, whose Angel Balm is in heavy rotation in my bathroom lately. “It opens the pores, allowing the balm as well as the dirt and grime to be removed,” she says. Truly, there isn’t a more satisfying way to wash the day away. And as McGlinchey says, “It’s such a respectful way to cleanse.”

Check out our gallery of cleansing balms:

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Why You Need A Cleansing Balm

Beautycounter Cleansing Balm
($94, beautycounter.com)

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