A good cleanse is the first step of every skincare routine, and the wrong face wash can undo the rest. Too harsh, and skin feels tight and dry; too rich, and oily skin feels heavy. Here is how to choose a face wash for your skin type, what the different textures and ingredients mean, and how to cleanse.
First, know your skin type
Wash with a mild cleanser, pat dry and wait about an hour without applying anything. Then look and feel:
- Dry: feels tight, and may look flaky or dull.
- Oily: looks shiny all over, especially on the forehead, nose and chin.
- Combination: shiny in the centre, normal or dry on the cheeks.
- Sensitive: easily stings, turns red or reacts to fragrance.
Face wash for dry skin
Dry skin needs a cleanser that lifts away the day without stripping. Look for creamy or milky textures and soothing, moisture-loving ingredients.
Deyga Oat Milk Face Wash (£12.99, 100ml) combines oat milk with provitamin B5, kaolin and mild cleansers made from coconut and corn. Deyga makes it for dry, sensitive and normal skin. Vilvah Fragrance-Free Cream Face Wash (£9.99, 100ml) is a soft cream with banana fruit extract, hydrolysed wheat protein and glycerine. Shop every face wash for dry skin.
Face wash for sensitive skin
If your skin reacts easily, keep the ingredient list short and skip added fragrance. The Vilvah Fragrance-Free Cream Face Wash is made without fragrance, and Vilvah describes it as pH-balanced. The Deyga Oat Milk Face Wash is mild too, but it does contain fragrance, so patch test it first. See more for sensitive skin.
Face wash for oily skin
Oily skin likes a foaming or gel wash that leaves skin feeling fresh but not squeaky. Over-washing can make skin feel tighter without making it any less shiny, so twice a day is enough.
- Vilvah Honey Face Wash (£12.99, 100ml): 10% raw honey with papaya and blackberry extracts, witch hazel and gotu kola, and a citrus-vanilla scent. Vilvah makes it for normal to oily skin, with a medium foam.
- Vilvah Milk Powder Face Wash (£13.99, 50g): a water-free powder that turns to foam in wet hands, with rice powder, rice milk extract, oat flour, hyaluronic acid and papain, a papaya enzyme. Fragrance-free and made for normal to oily skin.
Shop every face wash for oily skin and more for oily skin.
Tea tree, charcoal and vitamin C face washes
Tea tree and charcoal
Deyga Charcoal Face Wash (from £12.99, 100ml) is a gel built on tea tree hydrosol, with activated charcoal from coconut shell and gentle coconut and corn-based cleansers. It is a popular pick if you are looking for a tea tree face wash: fresh-feeling, and made for all skin types.
Vitamin C
Deyga Vitamin C Foaming Face Wash (£15.99, 100ml) uses ascorbyl glucoside, a stable form of vitamin C, with citron, bitter orange and lemon hydrosols in a light foam. A bright, zesty wash for the morning.
Cream, foam or powder?
- Cream and milk washes feel the softest: good for dry and sensitive skin.
- Foams and gels feel fresh and light: good for oily and combination skin. Shiseido Complete Cleansing Microfoam (£29.99, 180ml) is a fine, lightweight foam for everyday use.
- Powders are mixed with water as you use them, and travel well.
- A luxury cleanser: Highborn London Crystal Cleanser (£24, 100ml) contains co-enzyme Q10 and is made for morning and night.
How to wash your face
- Wet your face with lukewarm water, not hot.
- Use a small amount, about the size of a 5p coin, and work it into a lather in your hands.
- Massage gently for 30 to 60 seconds, including the hairline and jaw. Keep it away from your eyes.
- Rinse well and pat dry with a clean towel.
- Follow straight away with toner or moisturiser while skin is still slightly damp.
Most people do best washing twice a day: morning and night. If you wear make-up or sunscreen, cleanse twice at night: once to lift it, once to clean the skin.
After cleansing
A cleanser is only the first step. Add a toner if you like one, then a moisturiser: see our moisturisers for dry skin, or read moisturiser for your skin type. Once or twice a week, add a mask: see our face mask guide. Light, soothing layers such as aloe vera gel suit oily skin; read how to use aloe vera gel. Not sure which natural brand suits you? Compare them in Deyga or Vilvah.
Good to know
- Patch test any new face wash on your jaw or inner arm first.
- Change one thing at a time, so you know what suits you.
- Breakouts, redness or itching that last are worth showing to a pharmacist or your GP.
Browse every cleanser and the full skincare range, all dispatched from the UK.
