I’ve never tried a cleansing oil before, but I had heard good things about them. Usually they are only available from more high end brands, so I was definitely interested when I learned about the Garnier Clean+ Nourishing Cleansing Oil*. However, because this is targeted at dry skin, I wasn’t sure how it would work for my combination face. Still, given that it’s winter time, and the wind and cold are drying my skin out a bit more than usual, I thought it was a good time to test it out.
My first impression of Garnier Clean+ Nourishing Cleansing Oil was a good one. I’m not quite sure what the scent is, slightly fruity maybe, but I really like it– and it’s quite light so definitely not something I mind putting on my face, and should be okay even unless you are incredibly sensitive to those kinds of things. I use two pumps of the cleansing oil on dry skin to cleanse my face and I do absolutely nothing before using it, it works perfectly even with a full face of makeup on.
As you rub the cleansing oil into your skin, it breaks down your makeup. If you have incredibly stubborn eye makeup like mascara, you may have to go in afterwards as I did find I sometimes had trace amounts of eyeliner or mascara left, but the vast majority of my makeup is removed. I make sure to keep my eyes shut as I’m rubbing the Garnier Clean+ Nourishing Cleansing Oil over them and I have no had any issues with irritation even when rinsing afterwards.
The Garnier Clean+ Nourishing Cleansing Oil is pretty runny, even though it’s mean for dry skin I don’t find it to be very heavy or thick. After its removed my makeup, I simply rinse off the oil with warm water. Unlike a lot of normal cleansers, I don’t find this leaves my skin feeling tight or squeaky clean, so if you like that feeling this product is probably not for you. I also prefer to use this before bed because of its ability to remove makeup and leave my skin feeling hydrated. You could use an additional cleansing step afterwards, and I sometimes do, which I recommend if you’re using a product targeted at dry skin on oily skin.
However, after using the cleansing oil I also often simply tone and moisturize. Adding in those steps to helps to remove any residual oil, and possibly because of that I haven’t found that the Garnier Clean+ Nourishing Cleansing Oil makes me break out (…more than usual).
One nice consequence of using a less drying product like a cleansing oil is that I find the areas of my face that can get quite dry in the winter, especially around my nose, are a little less so after using this instead of my traditional cleanser. Another benefit is that it cuts down on the number of steps I do since it also acts as a makeup remover, or if you do cleanse afterwards then this is the same number of steps as it removes most makeup I wear quite easily. One negative is that because it needs to be used on dry skin, you can’t use it in the shower.
Overall, Garnier Clean+ Nourishing Cleansing Oil has definitely got me interested in cleansing oils. In particular if you have dry skin, I do recommend this product. If you’ve got a combination or oily skin type it might also work for you, especially if you cleanse afterwards, and it’s a nice, affordable drugstore alternative if you have wanted to try out a cleansing oil. I will definitely continue to use this and I’ll be curious to see how I feel about it and how it’s worked with my skin by the time I’m done the bottle!
Have you tried a cleansing oil before?
