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Would you go a week without your face cleanser? It sounds like crazy talk, but if you have sensitive, dry, or acneic skin, it may not be as nuts as you think. In recent years, traditional foaming cleansers have gotten some heat for being overly drying and irritating. (So much for a clean reputation, right?) So, to get to the bottom of this cleanser-is-evil debate, we asked the lovely ladies here at R29 HQ to ditch their favourite face washes for a full seven days — and, to our surprise delight, five of our brave staffers volunteered to forgo the foamy stuff for five face-wash alternatives.
For their cleanser-less week, these ladies used oil, wipes, and even vinegar (for real!) to remove their makeup and freshen up their complexions. And, of course, they recorded every detail — so you can know exactly what it's like, for example, to wash your face with coconut oil. (Note: Do not, we repeat, do not get that stuff in your eyes.) To make sure we weren't going to wreak havoc on the visages of our intrepid coworkers, we spoke to dermatologist Dr. Elizabeth Tanzi and aesthetician Joanna Vargas, who told us which face-washing alternatives were A-okay and which were better left on our kitchen counters. (Lemons, we're looking at you.) Then, once we were armed with ample info, we sent our testers off into the great cleanser-free unknown.
Have you been curious about oil cleansing? Wonder if raw apple-cider vinegar might solve your acne woes? These ladies will tell you what it's really like — read on for their full reviews!
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