All about Cleansing Balms: what they do and how they work.
It's been a little while since I discovered cleansing balms and got to the task of creating my own range of amazing Cleansers. Since cleansing balms are still a relatively new concept in skincare, but are becoming more commonplace in beauty stores and skincare counters, lots of people have lots of questions about what cleansing balms are and how they work. Hopefully, I'll try to answer your questions in this months blog and if you have anymore questions that I've not covered - do leave a comment and I'll get back to you.
What is a Cleansing Balm?
Cleansing balms are oil based cleansers that are applied to your face to remove daily dirt and grime. Some cleansing balms also get to work at removing your make-up. Unlike traditional cleansers that use surfactants to foam and wash away the day, cleansing balms have a thicker balm texture that includes oils and sometimes waxes too. These balms are massaged into the skin where they break down make-up and draw out impurities from the skin without stripping away the skin's natural oils.
How do Cleansing Balms Work and are Cleansing Balms Best for your Skin?
The issue with traditional cleansers is that they strip away your natural oils when washing. Surfactants which foam and cleanse do nothing to nourish your skin.
Cleansing balms work in a completely different way to the cleansers you might be more familiar with.
A cleansing balm is a type of skincare product designed to effectively remove makeup, dirt, oil, and impurities from the skin while providing nourishment and hydration. Unlike traditional foaming cleansers or makeup removers, cleansing balms have a thick, balm-like texture that melts upon contact with the skin.
The main components of a cleansing balm typically include plant-based oils, emollients, and sometimes waxes. These ingredients work together to dissolve makeup and impurities, including waterproof formulas, without stripping the skin of its natural oils. Additionally, cleansing balms often contain antioxidants and botanical extracts to help soothe and condition the skin.
Will a Cleansing Balm Block Pores?
Asking if a cleansing balm will block pores is a valid question, after all, cleansing balms are oil based and clogging pores with excess sebum is just one way to cause blackheads and breakouts.
Whilst I can't speak for other brands who make their own cleansing balms, the Wild Venus cleansing balms use a variety of specialist ingredients and non comedogenic (non-clogging) oils which are extremely effective at cleansing and helping improve your complexion. Our cleansing balm formulas will effectively wash away the impurities from your skin and will leave your pores fresh and toned whilst also helping balance out your pH levels.
Many companies will create a one size fits all cleansing balm for their customers but Wild Venus has created 4 different varieties to suit different skin types.
How to use a Cleansing Balm
Wild Venus’ Natural Cleansing Balms are easy to use and only take a minute or two.
If you’re using this as a Eye Make Up Cleanser then you can use any of our natural cleansing balms except for the Exfoliating Cleansing Balm as this is a little bit too aggressive to use around your delicate eye area.
INSTRUCTIONS
To cleanse your face: Take a small amount, the size of a blueberry, using a fingertip or little spatula if you’re fancy, massage this into your skin, splash a bit of water to help it massage into your skin. Work this into your skin for as long as you like, adding water as you go. When finished, rinse away using water, or maybe using a gentle konjac sponge too. Pat dry and feel how amazingly soft your skin feels!
To remove eye makeup: Take a tiny amount and massage gently around your eye area. Try not to add water at first. As you massage this, it will feel heavy on your eye, but it works by allowing the oils to break down the make-up rather than stripping it off. Once you can see the make-up start to break down around your eyes, you can start to add water and continue massaging, rinsing away the cleansing balm leaving your face completely make-up free, beautifully soft and radiant.
Why are Wild Venus Cleansing Balms so Darn Good?
There’s a couple of reasons why Wild Venus has the best cleansing balms we can find on the UK market. Firstly, we create 4 different types of balms which you can choose depending on your skin type, time of the month or even depending on the time of the year! Our skin is in constant motion and under daily challenges such as hormonal disruption and environmental stressors and that’s why we’ve created 4 different cleansing balms which you can alternate between to suit you when you need it the most.
Secondly, our handmade cleansing balms are a one step cleansing routine. You may have tried other cleansing balms which require two steps as they dont emulsify or bond with water - this means that the first application of using another brand's cleansing balm can leave a film on your face which you then need to do a double cleanse to wash this residue off. We just try to keep our skincare simple but effective at Wild Venus, so our cleansing balms just need to be applied once with water to be activated and then rinsed off.
Thirdly, we provide these excellent handmade products, packaged in an easily recyclable, travel friendly and lightweight container.
Lastly - longevity and value. Using this balm twice a day will last approximately 3 months and possibly longer. Compared to other balms on the market, we think we’re offering this incredible range at a very affordable price. Our formula doesn’t contain any water - you’ll notice that many large brands will list Aqua in their ingredients and this helps keep costs down for them. There’s no water in our recipe as you can add that part yourself. When you add water, the formula will emulsify into a beautiful creamy and silky texture. It’s just lovely!
Check out all Cleansing Balms here, or follow each link to your preferred cleansing balm.
Creamy Oat Cleansing Balm - Best for dry, inflamed, irritated, ageing skin.
Fine Lines Cleansing Balm - Best for mature and normal to dry skin.
Gentle Cleansing Balm - Best for sensitive skin and combination skin.
The Best Cleansing Balm for Acne Prone Skin
We have two cleansing balms which we would recommend for acne prone skin and these are the Exfoliating Balm and the Creamy Oat Cleansing Balm.
If you’re looking for a cleansing balm for oily skin then I would definitely recommend the Exfoliating Cleansing Balm whereas if your skin is inflamed, suffers redness, rosacea or seasonal dryness then the Creamy Oat Cleansing Balm will be the best cleanser for your skin type.
The Exfoliating Cleansing Balm
Personally, I use this cleansing balm a couple of times a week as I have combination skin, in my 40’s so it does tend to get dry but also oily around my T-zone.
The Exfoliating Cleansing Balm works in a number of ways to help reduce your oily skin, clear pores and also tighten them which will reduce the amount of oil that will get clogged up in them.
This wonderful handmade cleansing balm contains a touch of gentle Kaolin Clay which helps draw out impurities in the same way that a face mask does. Not only does the clay draw out bacteria, grime and excess oil build up, but the ground Apricot kernels act as our excellent natural exfoliant which gets deep into your pores for a gentle but thorough exfoliation. Due to the clay in this formula, I would recommend using a serum or moisturiser after - especially if you're using this balm on a daily basis.
Our base of oils includes olive oil, apricot kernel oil and grapeseed oil, all of which are full of essential fatty acids that help you maintain a healthy complexion. Grapeseed oil is lovely, lightweight, leaves a satin dry touch finish and is rich in anti-bacterial properties too. Apricot oil also contains lots of natural retinol which is often used in skin products that target acne and scarring as it works on both the surface and middle layers of the skin, effectively unclogging pores, smoothing scars and improving texture.
The essential oils used in the Exfoliating Cleansing Balm have also been thoughtfully curated to help even out skin tone, tighten pores and keep oil production under control. The unique combination of Orange (anti-bacterial, antiviral, anti-inflammatory), Pink Grapefruit (astringent oil which tightens your skin, reduces appearance of pores and helps improve complexion) and Peppermint (controls oil production, antibacterial) create a beautiful and light, fresh, cucumber like scent.
UPDATE: I've discontinued this exfoliating cleansing balm as I'm working on a new formula which will be more suited for every day use.
The Best Cleansing Balm for Mature Skin
I’ve created two different cleansing balms in mind for mature skin. These are the Creamy Oat Cleansing Balm and the Fine Lines Cleansing Balm.
Both are absolutely magnificent at what they do, so read on if you’re still wondering ‘what is the best cleansing balm for my skin type?’.
The Creamy Oat Cleansing Balm 50ml
I suffer from redness, rosacea and weathered skin, especially in the Winter and using the Creamy Oat Cleanser calms down this redness and dryness so much!
The Creamy Oat Cleansing Balm Ingredients include an essential oil blend of cinnamon, orange and frankincense, these gently warm the skin which forces blood to the surface of the skin and speeds up healing. These essential oils are also rich in antibacterial, anti inflammatory and antiviral properties which helps prevent any acne breakouts and just generally keeps your skin in great health.
A combination of oils including hemp seed oil and sweet almond oil are rich in omega and oleic acids which provide excellent moisturisation and soften rough skin as well as soothe irritated skin and dermatitis. Finely ground colloidal oats also work hard to provide soothing relief to skin as the oats lock in moisture, soften skin and the anti-inflammatory powers help regulate and rebalance your skin's natural pH level.
There's a very good reason why the Creamy Oat Cleansing Balm is our best selling cleanser.
The Fine Lines Cleansing Balm
Formulated for myself in mind, but suitable for most. I recommend this gentle all natural cleansing balm to anyone who might be Perimenopausal and beyond! As this is such a gentle formula, this cleansing balm can definitely be used by younger people with normal to dry skin.
This Fine Lines Cleansing Balm has a soothing and gentle formula that contains all the skincare heroines we like to use when our skin is starting to lose that youthful elasticity. It’s got rosehip oil and sweet almond oil which are gentle, non comedogenic and pack a punch of vitamins and antioxidants which do a long list of things including: hydrate, moisturise, lock in moisture, tighten pores, boost collagen levels, reduces hyperpigmentation, protects against sun damage, boosts immunity, soothes inflammation and redness, helps reduce the appearance of scars and fine lines… and that is just the Rosehip Oil!
The blend of essential oils include all the fan favourites of lavender, rose geranium and frankincense. These essential oils are fan favourites not just because they smell absolutely sublime but because they do a really excellent job of providing those extra benefits our skin could really need.
Rose Geranium is often found in skin care tailored for mature skin as this oil is known to improve skin circulation and help reduce fine lines and wrinkles as it also has a tightening and toning effect, much like the Frankincense essential oil. Frankincense is another astringent essential oil which helps tighten and tone pores. It’s also strong in antiinflammatory and antibacterial properties which help reduce redness and soothe skin. Frankincense oil is also said to help maintain moisture in the skin's surface, so this is extra helpful if you find your skin dries out easily.
Lavender is anti-fungal, anti-inflammatory and contains a bunch of antioxidants like our other two superstars of the Fine Lines Cleansing Balm formula. These antioxidants help fight the free radicals from environmental stressors such as UV rays and pollution.
I’d also like to add a note here too about the aromatherapy aspect of essential oils too, the FIne Lines Cleanser in particular has an incredibly calming effect with both Lavender and Frankincense being used in many blends to help alleviate stress. What better way to start or finish the day?
Best Cleansing Balm for Sensitive Skin
Without a doubt, if you’re worried at all about sensitivities, then always opt for a fragrance free product if there’s one available. Our Gentle Cleansing Balm is hypoallergenic and completely fragrance free. It doesn’t contain any common allergens such as Linalool or Citronella which are present in many essential oils.
Our Gentle Cleansing Balm is perhaps my favourite balm for when it comes to removing make-up, as although they’re all suitable for removing makeup (apart from the exfoliating balm), this one contains the most gentle, softest formula which feels like utter magic around the eye area and it also does a great job at strengthening your skin.
This fragrance free sensitive cleansing balm ingredients include rosehip oil, grapeseed oil, coconut and oil derived from the lovely camellia tea tree.
This gentle formulation provides your skin with rich fatty acids such as Omega 3 and 6 which help strengthen your skin's defences against free radicals, smooth out fine lines and reduce redness.
Also considered in this formulation are the choice of oils which contain anti-inflammatory properties and rosehip which is a valuable source of natural retinol. Olive oil and coconut oil also work together in improving your skin barrier - this helps prevent unwanted toxins from the environment from entering and causing sensitivity issues.
When incorporated into your skincare routine, you should see some benefit from the Gentle Cleansing Balm as it protects your skin, cleanses and provides essential nutrition too.
If you are looking for a sensitive option but are not particularly sensitive to using essential oils, then the Fine Lines Cleansing Balm also provides a beautifully soft application for delicate skin.
Did you find out which is the best cleansing balm for your skin type? Maybe you can’t decide between two different ones? Perhaps reading some reviews of the products will help you decide.
If you do purchase one of the Wild Venus Cleansing Balms then we’d be so grateful if you could leave a review to help out the next person who might be reading this.
Quick Links Below:
Creamy Oat Cleansing Balm - Best for dry, inflamed, irritated, ageing skin.
Fine Lines Cleansing Balm - Best for mature and normal to dry skin.
Gentle Cleansing Balm - Best for sensitive skin and combination skin.