Skincare Diary: La Roche Posay Effaclar Cleanser

 

Hello beauties!!!

I haven't done a skincare diary for awhile but I thought it would be a good idea to do one as this is a completely new product and I wanted to see how effective it was. So I recorded my experience every day for 7 days to see if it made a difference to my skin. First I'll give you some background on why I purchased this particular product. I was starting to get bored of my Cetaphil Gentle Skin Cleanser which I've been using for about 6 months. I started to think it was my Holy Grail cleanser as it kept my skin feeling soft and moisturised and my acne started to clear up. However I didn't feel like it was giving me a deep enough cleanse in the evening, so I decided to try something different. It was a toss up between this one and the Cerave Foaming Cleanser. The Cerave had niacinamide and ceramides but I already had niacinamide in my routine and didn't think I needed to add any more to it. Instead I opted for the La Roche Posay Effaclar Purifying Foaming Cleanser as it's formulated for oily and sensitive skin. I figured it would help control my sebum without being too harsh or stripping on the skin. So I thought why not??

Day 1- I applied a pea-size amount to my hands and lathered it before spreading it over my face and neck in circular motions. I rubbed it in for about 30 seconds then used my spin brush to work it into my pores. It had a faint soapy/medicinal scent to it that I could probably get used to. After rinsing away the cleanser my skin felt very clean and it left my skin soft without feeling stripped. I applied my toner onto damp skin and it absorbed super quickly, leaving my skin feeling soft and silky.

Day 2- It lathered really well (pea-size amount is enough) and rubbed it in for 60 seconds with my hands. It felt really nice and relaxing even though it smells abit like chlorine haha. I applied toner whilst my skin was damp and it absorbed like a dream! My vitamin C went abit soapy- not sure if it was because of the cleanser or not. Again my skin feels soft and silky.

Day 3- Didn't notice anything different to when I last used it. Although a spot is forming by my eyebrow and one on my neck (probably maskne). We'll see if the cleanser helps to clear them or not.

Day 4- I used a little less cleanser because it's lactic acid night, so I didn't want to dry out my skin. However TO Lactic Acid has hyaluronic acid so shouldn't be too stripping. The cleanser seems to be gentle enough for my skin so far.

Day 5- The spot by my right eyebrow is getting bigger. My skin is soft to the touch but not as moisturised as when I used the Cetaphil. I just made sure to apply my Isntree Hyaluronic Acid Toner to damp skin, however I needed another layer to hydrate my skin even more. I also applied extra Cerave moisturiser.

Day 6- Spot by my eyebrow is getting smaller! Not sure if it's because of the cleanser or my niacinamide serum. Had to use 2 layers of the Hyaluronic Acid Toner to hydrate my skin, as the cleanser is a little bit drying.

Day 7- Skin felt really soft and smooth after cleansing and not at all dry or stripped. I think it's because my skin is finally adjusting to the formula. I also applied less cleanser than usual which probably helped. I then applied lactic acid and it absorbed really well, with a silky feeling afterwards. There was a slight tingling for 10 seconds but then it went away. My skin seems to be reacting well to it so far.

Conclusion: 

I enjoy the light foaming action of this cleanser and how it leaves my skin soft and not overly stripped. However I've noticed that when I use too much it can leave my skin feeling a little bit dry, so I would then apply a couple of layers of toner for extra hydration. I feel like this cleanser will last me ages as you only need a tiny bit and it comes in a 200ml tube. I decided to move my TO Niacinamide 10% + Zinc 1% to my AM routine as the cleanser also contains zinc, so I didn't want to overdo it and make my skin even more oily. I do feel like my skin can still be abit oily by the evening which might be because of the zinc in the cleanser and serum, so my skin's overcompensating. However I've now switched to the Purito Centella Unscented Serum which only has 3% niacinamide and no zinc, which should help rebalance my oil production. (I will also be doing a review of the Purito serum and comparing it to The Ordinary Niacinamide serum.)

I feel like my skin just needed time to adjust to the formula of this cleanser as it was previously used to a cleanser for dry skin, making it more moisturising. Although the LRP cleanser was slightly drying at first by the seventh day my skin felt really balanced and moisturised. I no longer feel the need for an extra layer of toner and only add more Cerave Moisturising Lotion on lactic acid nights. I love how the cleanser has improved the absorption of all my other products and has gradually reduced my oil levels. It has also helped to clear my blemishes within a couple of days and didn't have the chance to turn into whiteheads, which was a relief! Hopefully it'll help ward off any future breakouts, as well as unclogging pores and regulating sebum production. I'm really liking this cleanser so far :) It felt like a risk to veer away from what I was used to but I feel like I've found an effective cleanser for my skin type that cleans abit deeper... which is what I wanted!

Who Cares, We Care, Skincare :)