For the past two or three months I've been hot cloth cleansing every evening without fail, and the difference it's made to my skin is incredible. I don't have perfect skin by any means and I'm still on a long running quest to vanquish blemishes and soothe occasional patches of dermatitis; but since double cleansing with a muslin cloth and cream cleanser every night before bed my skin has really started to improve.
For years I relied on face washes and scrubs marketed at 'problem skin' and while they can be great when used sparingly, my face was starting to suffer from a constant bombardment of such strong and varied lotions and potions. I came across an article in a magazine suggesting that cleansing with a warm muslin cloth is far more effective at unblocking pores and boosting the skin's radiance than using just a plain old face-wash which simply lifts surface dirt without doing much else to help rid skin of spots. With this in mind I decided to start using a hot cloth cleanser every evening to remove make-up and it really does feel different to using a regular wash or cleansing water on cotton wool pads. Don't even get me started on the damage caused by face wipes..! My skin overall has never felt better.
My routine consists of washing my face lightly with Simple's Refreshing facial wash gel to remove initial make-up and grime, before massaging a cream cleanser on to dry skin. This ensures the cleanser is making good contact with clean skin rather than simply massaging old make-up around my face! I pay extra attention to my chin, which gets rather clogged and spotty, and my nose and forehead, where blackheads tend to congregate (urgh, I hate those suckers). The great thing about cream cleansers designed to be used with a muslin cloth is that they generally don't strip the skin of moisture at all, meaning they work well on all areas of the face; I also massage my slightly dry cheeks. I then rinse the muslin cloth in warm water and begin wiping off the cleanser, making circular movements to massage and remove simultaneously. I then rinse with warm water and pat dry before applying moisturiser (at the moment I'm using Superdrug's Naturally Radiant night cream, which is working wonders at evening out my skin tone).
The difference hot cloth cleansing makes? My skin feels miles smoother and softer than when I use just a face wash or cleansing water; it feels exfoliated but not at all dry, tight or rough. I look healthier, with more of a glow, I'm guessing as a result of the regular massaging. My dry patches have almost completely gone and flare up far less often, and while I'm still struggling to control existing blemishes on my chin I'm having far less breakout attacks overall. Moisturiser sinks in easily and in the mornings foundation applies smoothly without clinging to flakes or dry blemishes like it often used to. I am a total convert to hot cloth cleansing! It's a gentle yet effective way of unclogging pores, freeing your skin of grime and dead skin and enhancing radiance. It works well at tackling both dry skin and spot prone skin, a balance I've found so difficult to achieve with other products. Try it for a month and I promise you'll start to notice and feel a real difference.
I've been using two hot cloth cleansing products, both produced by Superdrug. I'm a huge fan of Superdrug's range of own brand products as the quality is always brilliant, and although I've also used Liz Earle's infamous hot cloth cleanser I'm more than happy to stick with the following, cheaper, versions: Naturally Radiant Hot Cloth Cleanser, designed to brighten and even out skin tone; and Vitamin E Hot Cloth Cleanser, designed to soothe dry skin.
I've been Naturally Radiant in conjunction with the matching day and night creams, which have really helped reduce pigmentation patches left behind by dermatitis attacks. I love the texture of this cream cleanser; it feels thick but not at all clogging and it's very soothing. It also smells lovely, quite fruity.
While the Vitamin E Hot Cloth Cleanser is marketed towards normal/dry skin types I've found it works just as well on oily/blemish prone areas.
The texture of the Vitamin E Hot Cloth Cleanser is similar to Naturally Radiant; thick and creamy, yet not at all clogging or cloying. It has a creamier scent, which I think I prefer overall, although they both smell great.
I started off using Naturally Radiant and then grew curious after seeing the Vitamin E cleanser in store during a shopping trip. Of course, I couldn't resist! I like to swap around every so often to mix up my routine a little, and doing so doesn't seem to have any negative effects on my skin. Naturally Radiant has slightly less product in the tube than Vitamin E and costs a pound more (£5.99 for 150ml compared to £4.99 for 200ml) I'm assuming this is because Naturally Radiant contains targeted ingredients aimed at brightening and evening out skin tone, whereas Vitamin E aims just to soothe dry skin. I don't mind the difference in price and size as they both work brilliantly and are really reasonably priced compared to other hot cloth alternatives.
The muslin cloths provided are excellent, generously sized and soft but firm on the skin; you can feel them exfoliating gently as you cleanse. I chuck them in the wash after a few uses to keep them nice and clean, especially if I've been removing heavy make-up or a thick face mask. If I have a particularly sore or swollen blemish I have a mini hot cloth facial trick; I press the warm cloth against the affected area for a minute or two and it really helps to open up the pores and calm down problem areas. I seriously cannot rave about hot cloth cleansing enough! If you haven't tried it yet, get yourself down to Superdrug and pick up a box because I can guarantee your skin will thank for you for it, whatever your skin type. As well as being an annoying blend of spotty and dry, my skin is also very sensitive, yet these cleansers but have been nothing but gentle every time I've used them. My skin feels toned, supple, soft and it has a much more noticeable glow than before. It's also steadily getting clearer, thankfully. I'm well and truly hooked!
Are you a fan of hot cloth cleansing? Would you try it if you haven't already?
