Cetaphil Gentle Skin Cleanser
I can't believe I haven't written about Cetaphil already. It's basically the only thing I've used to wash my face since I was 13. If you have sensitive skin, or just want to wash your face with something super gentle, Cetaphil is the miracle you've been waiting for.
Like I said, I've been using Cetaphil for, uh, forever. A few months ago my dermatologist gave me a prescription for Prascion cleanser, a sodium sulfacetamide and sulfur cleanser that is supposed to help with breakouts and oiliness (because I am a greasemonster). It didn't make much of a difference, but I stuck with it, although I did miss my beloved Cetaphil. Now that I've moved I've started seeing a new derm, and he put my right back on Cetaphil. In fact, this is the conversation I had with the nurse:
Nurse: You are to use Cetaphil Gentle Skin Cleanser. Not the face wash. The skin cleanser.
Me: Yeah, I used that for most of my life. It's just the past few months I've been using this other stuff.
Nurse: You need to use what we tell you. Your face belongs to us now (this is a direct quote, btw)
Me: Yeah, like I said, I know about Cetaphil. I probably still have some in my bathroom cabinet. I'm actually happy to go back to it.
Nurse: I'll get you some samples.
You know if a dermatologist's office pushes a product that hard it's got to be one of the greatest things ever. I don't know about you, but I trust dermatologists more than anyone else. I've never met a dermatologist that didn't seem like they completely had their shit together. Cetaphil is a dermatologist favorite because it's super gentle, but also gives your skin a good cleaning. For years I've only used Cetaphil to take off all my makeup, and it works like a charm. I also regularly get Cetaphil all up in my eyes, and it never stings. In fact, you can use Cetaphil on even the tiniest of babies. Pour it in their eyes if you want! They'll be fine.
There are a lot of generic Cetaphil's out there, and I've tried quite a few of them, but the only one that comes close to Cetaphil quality is Target's. Don't mess around with Walgreens or Wal-Mart or wherever. If you want to save a few bucks you need to haul ass to Target and get the good stuff, otherwise just spend the extra $2. Cetaphil may seem expensive if you're used to using Clean & Clear or Neutrogena, but you get a huge bottle and it really does last a long time. Plus it's worth it to have a gentle cleanser that gives you a good cleaning. Plus, Cetaphil is one of the most recommended cleansers to use with a Clarisonic.
Cetaphil Gentle Skin Cleanser: Around $10