Review: Ole Henriksen African Red Tea Foaming Facial Cleanser - and Some Thoughts on Washing Your Face

Sorry about the break between posts - life can get in the way, and I wasn't feeling inspired to post. But, I am resolved to post again, as well as take a break from posting on my 'Cruise Planning' series.(More coming on that - if you have any questions on cruises, or cruise planning, please let me know!)

This is the face wash I'm currently using, and I'm not quite sure how I feel about it. I mean, don't get me wrong - it's a nice face wash. It smells HEAVENLY - a blend of orange, grapefruit and tangerine extracts give a bright, citrus aroma. I wouldn't spend $30 on a nice smelling ANYTHING* unless it had some other benefits.

Why is there a picture of a blood orange? Maybe that's the type of orange essence in the fragrance blend in this face wash?

* Except perfume. One of my favorite fragrances is Clinique Happy. That's also a bright, citrus, blend, and it smells LOVELY. Now back to our review.

Okay - so it smells good, and has a nifty pump container that deposits the cleanser (in foam form) in your hand. According to the review of this product at Sephora, it's designed to 'melt away dirt, oil and makeup'. How? The only way it does this is when I add copious amounts of warm water, and go at my face with my Clinique Sonic Cleansing Brush or a washcloth. (So, did my face get washed because I used a cleanser, or because I used manual removal methods with warm water? Or maybe a combination of both?)  My face does feel soft after using this, but again, I don't know if it's actually cleaning anything. What confuses me, however, is that sometimes my face will feel dry and tight after using certain face washes, and I feel that those types of cleansers get my face cleaner than this cleanser does. I wonder if it's because you're doing a bit more work with cleanser - you apply it, work the cleanser onto the skin, and the lather forms that way. 

Using this facial cleanser leaves me with a few questions: Am I just overly used to foaming face washes that I have to work into my skin? Do I equate 'clean skin' with 'dry, itchy, tight, skin'? Am I using my facial washes correctly? Heck, am I using my BODY WASHES correctly? Am I thinking too much about this? Am I reading too much into this? 

Rather than whipsawing myself into confusion, I'll leave it at this: According to the listing for this product at Sephora.com,, this is supposed to gently clean your face without stripping it of moisture. I don't know if it's actually cleaning anything, but it smells great, and my face doesn't feel like sandpaper after I use it. Would I repurchase it? Not sure - I still have half a bottle to work through, though, before I decide.