This week I'm trying out NeoStrata's foaming glycolic wash. I'm not going to lie to you, I like a foaming cleanser. It just gives me that clean feeling that creamy or oily cleansers don't deliver. Is it psychological? Maybe, but that's not stopping me! So, the biggest thing I look for in a cleanser is the pH. 

Haven't heard about the importance of a cleaner's pH? pH stands for power of Hydrogen. It measures the acidity or alkalinity of a solution from 0-14. Solutions from 0 to 6 are acidic, and solutions from 8 to 14 are basic. What is 7? Neutral, neither acidic nor basic.

The surface of your skin has what is called an "acid mantle." This barrier protects your skin from external irritants (pollution, free radicals, bacteria, etc.) as well as preventing internal water loss. This keeps your skin from getting that wintertime dryness. 

When you use a cleanser without a balanced pH, the pH of your skin changes and the acid mantle is damaged. Ideally, we want to keep the pH of the acid mantle at 4.5 to 5.5. So, if you are washing with a soap with a pH of 12, you're creating an imbalance. Do you ever get out of the shower and feel like your face is super tight? or "squeaky clean?" That feeling you get could be because all of the natural oils were stripped from the surface of your face. I have always wondered how in the world I can have dry skin that is also breaking out (so frustrating). I have finally figured out the answer! 

This is where game-changing pH-balanced cleansers come in. We want to effectively clean our skin, and we also want to maintain that 4.5 to 5.5 pH so we do not prematurely wrinkle. A pH-balanced cleanser will do just that. 

Neostrata offers a soap-free cleanser with a pH of 4.5. This will help balance your acid mantle and avoid those pesky breakouts. Neostrata recommends using this cleanser in the morning and the evening. This cleanser has 18% Glycol Acid and 2% Lactobionic Acid, so make sure to test it out on your skin once a day before jumping straight into two times every day. Our skin always adjusts better to gradual, small changes in routine. If you do not have any adverse effects after 2-3 days, try using the cleanser in the evening as well. Just remember, you can have too much of a good thing.

What else is so great about this cleanser? The Glycolic Acid and Lactobionic Acid gently exfoliate and unclog congested skin to prepare skin for optimal benefits of your beauty regimen (think toner, moisturizer, serums, etc.). This cleanser is fragrance free, dye free and PABA free. Fragrance and dye can both irritate your skin, so it is always best to avoid those in your facial cleanser! What is so great about a PABA free cleanser? Well...one of the side effects of PABA is acne. I am not kidding you. Who would put something that causes acne in a facial cleanser?! 

The Deets:

• High strength, pH-balanced, soap-free face wash
• 18% Glycolic Acid smoothes skin texture
• 2% Lactobionic Acid gently enhances exfoliation
• Recommended for experienced Glycolic Acid users
• Recommended usage: Twice Daily AM/PM, as tolerated
• Key Ingredients: Glycolic Acid, Lactobionic Acid, Arginine-Amphoteric
• pH 4.5
• Size: 3.4 fl oz. pump bottle

If you're having issues with breakouts, dry or flaking skin, or you feel like your skin turns into an oil slick in the middle of the day, it's time to try a pH-balanced cleanser. Want to get your own? Go to Neostrata's website!