“Do I really need it or is this consumerism convincing me to get it?” That was the burning question in my head whenever I would see someone use a cleansing brush on their face.
You see, I follow beauty vloggers and Instagram influencers who have shared their skincare routines, and a couple of them use electric cleansing brushes (Clarisonic to be exact). They’d rave that the product is perfect for deep-cleaning and equally distributing your go-to facial cleanser onto your skin. Think of it as a big electric toothbrush for your face.
Likewise, there are also non-electric cleansing brushes that allegedly work just as well—it may or may not give you carpal tunnel, but at least your face will be clean. Kidding aside, I’ve debated whether I should buy this tool for a long time and I finally got an affordable brush from Daiso for trial purposes. I’ve been using it during my nighttime skincare routine for more than a week now, and here are my thoughts on it.
Usage
The cleansing is dual-faced—the soft bristle part is for cleansing and the pink silicone part is for exfoliating products. Touching the brush bristles, they feel dense enough to hold their form while scrubbing the skin. I also liked that they’re soft so it wouldn’t feel like I’m using sandpaper on my skin. Plus, it’ll hurt if I used a too-abrasive brush every night.
The first time I used it, I liked how it distributed my foamy daily cleanser. It did a good job of removing dirt, as well as the remaining makeup I missed with my cleansing oil or micellar water. And who doesn’t love a product that’ll rid you of pollution at the end of the day?
As for the silicone side, I’m not a fan of it. According to the directions, it’s intended to distribute your exfoliator and also massage the skin. I’d rather apply my apricot scrub using my fingers because at least I could get to the side-nook of my nose.
Did it do wonders, though?
Aside from removing makeup and other debris, cleansing brushes are said to improve one’s complexion. But based on a Huffington Post article, this benefit is common among brushes that have dense and slightly abrasive bristles.
Obviously, it’s too early to say if my complexion has changed after using a cleansing brush for a week. I also feel like the bristles are too soft to act as an exfoliant to even buff out the dead skin. But then again, my skin is a bit sensitive when it’s scrubbed too much—like I get what I call “mosquito bites” on my face sometimes after getting my monthly facial and/or diamond peel.
But did it actually do wonders and improve my skincare routine? Yes, in terms of making it easier and faster to clean out the gunk out of my face. Other than that, it’s something I could live without—not really an “OMG, I have to bring this everywhere when I travel now” type of tool. Or, you know, maybe I just haven’t found ~the one~. So if you’re a fan of cleansing brushes though, let me know the brands you like and where you bought them. You might just help out other curious skincare junkies (like me).
Art by Marian Hukom
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