Earth-friendly face wash: Desert Essence Thoroughly Clean Face Wash

In honor of Earth Day, I thought I'd share with you a face wash that has me head over heels -- Desert Essence Thoroughly Clean Face Wash with Tea Tree Oil and Awapuhi. My skin, which is normally dry to normal/combination (depending on the weather), has recently experienced a bout of breakouts (as you probably know from reading this blog). After trying a few avenues, I stumbled upon some information: tea tree oil works as a natural antiseptic that helps battle acne. Of late, face and body washes with salycilic acid weren't really doing the trick, so I figured I'd give this a shot. I have to say, I really like it. I only have two caveats: (1) This is probably best for oily skin, and (2) the solution is a bit watery.

Because of issue #1, this will probably be my Spring/Summer face wash, since my skin tends to be more on the combination side during this time of year. I do have to say, it does make my skin feel a bit dry, but not so much so that it's not resolved when I apply moisturizer. I use this cleanser once/day, and my Clearasil cream cleanser at the end of the day. I think in the winter, it might dry out my skin a bit too much though.

As for the solution being a bit watery, I can live with that. It does create suds, you just have to make sure your hand is cupped and fingers together when you pump it into your hand, this way, you'll catch the solution. I read somewhere that someone put one of those foaming pumps on theirs and it helped alleviate the watery issue.

The online description for the product (at DesertEssence.com) reads:

Desert Essence Thoroughly Clean Face Wash is a gentle cleansing solution that leaves your skin feeling silky and smooth. This unique face wash contains natural Organic Tea Tree Oil, a natural antiseptic that cleanses without making skin feel tight or dry. Also included are soothing extracts of Goldenseal, Hawaiian White Ginger (Awapuhi), and essential oil of Chamomile. Mineral-rich Bladderwrack, harvested from the sea, nourishes the skin to leave it looking vibrantly healthy. Thoroughly Clean Face Wash ever so gently helps improve the texture, clarity, and radiance of your skin.

I do have to agree, my skin feels silkier, but most importantly, it did gently treat my breakouts. So, I'm digging the tea tree oil solution.

I purchased my bottle at my local Whole Foods for about $7. It is also available at Desert Essence and Drugstore.com for roughly $9-10. Not sure why I got it for less, maybe the price just recently went up?

Best of all, these products are both eco- and animal-friendly. Next, I plan to test out their body washes.

Note: If you want to use tea tree oil as a spot acne treatment, do not apply the oil directly onto your skin. Alone, it is too strong and can cause irritation, redness, overdrying, and possibly blisters. You must first dilute the oil in water. Here is an article from eHow on proper tea tree oil dilution and usage. You can also find tea tree oil at Whole Foods and other natural shops, health stores, and Drugstore.com