Skincare Ingredients Week Day Five - Dermalogica Dermal Clay Cleanser

Today we going to go away from the anti-oxidants and look at an ingredient that is not as much for protecting but made for correcting.  In addition to the fact that I have been looking at anti-oxidant ingredients, every single skincare ingredient that we have looked at this week is a form of hydrator.  Being that I have such dry and easily irritated skin, I am very concerned that certain ingredients will be effective in protecting my skin and reducing the redness but will make the dryness even worse than the before.  Today we are going to look at an ingredient that is very effective for oily and acne-prone skin that I have to use in only the smallest of doses, Kaolin Clay.  I first used this ingredient in the beloved (but sadly discontinued) DDF Sulfur Mask and lately I have tried it in the Dermalogica Dermal Clay Cleanser.

Kaolin Clay is most often used in skincare products that are targeted toward oily and acne-prone skin types, I have neither of these types but I still find it be a very beneficial ingredient for any type of skin.  Kaolin Clay is most often found in treatment masks, this is one of the few times that I have seen it in a cleanser form.  This ingredient is used to draw oil out of the pores and then to absorb the excess oil that it sitting on top of the skin. Once the oil is absorbed, acne is prevented.  Oil moves the bacteria around the face and will cause the acne breakouts, if the oil is removed, the problem is headed off.  People with oily and acne-prone skin can use this ingredient two or three times a week however I am only able to use this ingredient once a month.  I will use this ingredient once a month to make sure that i am getting any excess oil out of my pores before they can become breakouts.

"A skin-perfecting formula that provides deep-cleansing to oily, congested skin. Water-soluble Kaolin and Green Clays combine with purifying extracts of Sambucus, Ivy and Lemon to remove excess oils and refine the skin's texture. Anti-inflammatory Cucumber and healing Sage soothe irritation, while refreshing Menthol revitalizes even the most tired skin." 

This cleanser is designed for oily skin and that is the only type of skin that should use this product on a daily basis.  This product is best used at night, it will clean all of the day's oil and debris and allow the skin to be completely free of debris before a treatment product is applied.  I would not recommend use more than once a day, it has the potential to over dry and then the skin will only react by producing even more oil and the cycle will only worsen.  I recommend using this product sparingly and then working up to using it once a day is the best method of use.  Personally, even if I had oily and congested skin, I would alternate this with another cleanser to make sure that I didn't over dry my skin.  This is a gel-based cleanser and it is very effective is cleaning off the skin and preventing acne blemishes but it has the potential to be drying (if used too much).

Kaolin is a very effective ingredient for oily and acne-prone skin though I cannot say that I get very much use from it.  I do like to use this cleanser once a month just to ward off skin issues.  If I had oilier skin, than I bet that I would rely on cleansers and treatments with this ingredient in it but it is not the best for skin type...

photo courtesy of Dermalogica