Washing without soap and water!

So of course with acne I want to keep my skin as clean as possible, but with having skin so sensitive that water will dry it out, finding a product that I can use that won't make my face feel like it is flaking off shortly afterwards is a bit of a nightmare.

Like every acne sufferer, I have tried a tonne of different spot treatments over the years (Clean and Clear, et al.), and I have not ever found even one that I have been able to use. I've learned that if a product makes my skin feel tight after the first use, I should just stop using it immediately! It's just not worth continuing onto the later problems of itchy skin, then red skin (lumpy too if I am lucky), and then flaky skin. Moisturising afterwards does not solve the problem either, that will relieve the tightness usually, but the itching will carry on, and then I'm just constantly touching my face, returning the dirt I've just cleaned away...

I've found now that a cream type cleanser followed by a toner is my best bet (And then of course a moisturiser!). And I imagine there will be a lot of people that will be yelling at me that is the sort of skin care regime I should have been doing from the start! However this is not perfect, I was recommended the Seaweed skin clarifying cleanser on a visit to Body shop. It did not give me the problems I listed above, but after a few uses, it started to sting around my eyes sooo bad! It was still too harsh.

What I DID discover from The Body Shop at the end of last year though is their Cucumber Cleansing milk and Freshening Water, and what a God send!! 

I love how smells, after around 8 months of use it has not given me any of my usual skin complaints, and it still manages to keep my skin clean! Annnnd....

.... they don't sell it anymore. 

I found it whilst browsing a sale Body Shop were doing and it had amazing reviews, so I gave it a try. Sadly it seems it was on sale it was being discontinued. Thankfully I managed to grab myself about a years supply before it disappeared, and there is a bit on eBay still, but I'm not sure what I will do when it disappears! I might try their Aloe Vera cleanser next.

I am very disappointed in you though Body Shop. :(

I had been going to say earlier that normal soap is out of the question also, though thinking about it, I think I jumped mainly to the usual spot treatment products without trying many, so maybe there is a soap out there somewhere that is gentle enough for me to use? 

Finally I'm going to end with the absolute worst product I have ever tried, and it's this Deep Action Cleansing Lotion by Superdrug. PURE EVIL in a plastic bottle. As soon as I put it on it felt like my face was on fire, tried to wash it off, but it was too late, I just had to wait for the pain to subside. I checked the ingredients after and it contained both Salicylic acid and alcohol. Really should have checked that first I guess.