My Picks for Summertime Facial Cleansers

It was officially the summer solstice yesterday. And whether you are just starting to to truly feel the heat or have been baking for a hot minute as we have where I live, a change of season's often can call for a little bit of a skincare overall. While winter is the season to transition to luscious night creams and hydrating masks, going into summer is often the time to focus on skin cleansing. Regardless of our skin type, or even our age, our oil production does increase during the warm weather months, and the balmy humidity around us often leads us wanting a refreshing splash of clean at the end of the day, Here are three wonderful products that I truly feel fit the bill for a summertime cleanse.

Blissoma Free and Rejuvenating Herbal Gel Cleanser: We start off the list with my personal number one favorite from the organic and fairly affordable Green Beauty Brand Blissoma. To be fair, I would use this cleanser year-round, but its light and watery consistency and clean-rinse feel, really make my skin feel fresh, But as someone with chronically dry skin, often cleansers that give that type of effect leave me feeling, or actually being stripped in the long term. Not so with this. My face feels incredibly smooth and not at all tight and instead is super soft after using. And the calming alfalfa extract, a prominent part in the formula, I think really contributes to my skin's calmness and comfort. Yerba mate, a type of holly that is often used in herbal teas with astringent and cleansing qualities, also provides a pore-refining and mildly clarifying effect that, again, I think would be welcome for any skin type especially in summer. There is a mild fruity-herbal smell that I think comes mostly from this ingredient, but it is hardly noticeable, and even if you don't like smells (even completely natural one's as this one is) in your products, you might still enjoy this You can find a 4 oz bottle of this cleanser on the Beauty Heroes website or on Blissoma.com for $39 USD.

Youth to the People Superfood Antioxidant Cleanser: I have previously tried and reviewed the Youth to the People Superfood Moisturizer, which is a beautiful airy, whipped watery facial moisturizer that is a a great choice for both hot weather skincare and anyone looking for powerpacked natural-based skincare but without the heavy feeling of so many oils left on the face. The Superfood Cleanser has similar properties to its companion moisturizer, and I feel is an excellent choice for oily and combination skin for regular and especially summer use. It features the classic Youth to the People cocktail of spinach, kale, and green tea and other green and antioxidant rich ingredients that leave the skin fresh and super, super clean-feeling and smooth. This cleanser is a little bit thinner of a gel texture than the Blissoma and seems to have a greater effect in refining pores and soaking up excess oil than it. For this reason, it is not a cleanser I can use regularly and would not recommend as a daily cleanser for those with dry skin. If, however, you do lean oily or to the oily side of combination whether always or seasonally, I could see this becoming a real favorite. Also, the green tea- jasmine scent of this, while more prominent than the Blissoma's smell, is among the most beautiful of scents I could imagine for summer and I really wish they would make it into a perfume or bath product someday! This cleanser also comes in a variety of size options. The standard 8 oz size retails for $36 USD at both Sephora online and in certain stores and also on Youthtothepeople.com , but there is also a $12 USD travel size available that is great for trying it out. A super size 16 oz size is also available at Sephora online and in select stores for $64 USD.

Alba Botanica Hawaiian Cleanser: Alba Botanica's Hawaiian Cleanser is a great drugstore-priced skincare option for a plant-based cleanser or exfoliant. The cleanser is a creamy-feeling lightweight gel rich in pineapple and papaya enzymes that really help to address acne breakouts and stubborn dry patches. This is really an "occasional use " cleanser and with my skin type, but if you have skin that is both very oily and acne-prone I could seeing this being a great option to have in your routine daily, though do to the amount of enzymes in this product, steer clear of the eyes with this one. The zippy papaya and pineapple scent is also super uplifting and zesty and is like an island getaway in a bottle and could not be more perfect for a vacation or the feeling of a vacation anytime at all. With this being a drugstore-priced item the availability and cost of this cleanser does vary, but the brand is often found at Walmart, Target, and certain grocery and other similar stores as well as on Amazon as an official retailer and Vitacost. The 8 oz bottle can usually be found with prices ranging from &8-$12 USD.

The act of cleansing the skin is one of my favorite daily activities and becomes even more of a refreshing, relieving pleasure in preparation for or when recovering from a long, hot day. I hope that these products help you find your skin's summer bliss.