drunk elephant cleansing balm
A balm cleanser is perfect for step one of a double cleanse. A great balm cleanser will melt away makeup and prepare your skin for a gentle second cleanse. I must admit, I love balm cleansers. They are my favorite part of my skincare routine.
I was introduced to balm cleansers after the double cleanse concept became popular, mostly due to Caroline Hirons, the renowned UK beauty blogger (whose fantastic blog I’ve spent hours reading over the years). There is something just so satisfying in seeing your makeup melt away after a long day, knowing that you are removing build-up, dirt, eye makeup, sunscreen – everything!
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A recent cleansing balm launch that I’ve enjoyed is Drunk Elephant Slaai Makeup-Melting Butter Cleanser with kiwi-strawberry extract blend and virgin marula oil. Right out of the box, I really appreciate the attention to detail, starting with the magnetized plastic spatula which sits atop the lid. Genius! Even the thickness of the spatula is well thought out, as it makes it easy to scoop out the rich unscented balm full of antioxidant-rich oils. The cleansing butter is unscented, which is great for those with sensitivities to scent. It is also silicone-free, PEG-free, and essential-oil free.
Drunk Elephant Philosophy
I truly respect Drunk Elephant’s philosophy on product creation. They are committed to developing their product range with safe and healthy ingredients while avoiding what they call the “Suspicious 6”. These ingredients are essential oils, drying alcohols, silicones, chemical screens, fragrance/dyes, and SLS. Their thought is that these ingredients are at the root of most skin issues.
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The Oils
The oils! This butter cleanser contains virgin marula oil, an ingredient found in many of Drunk Elephant’s products. Drunk Elephant even gives this star ingredient it’s own product in their Virgin Marula Luxury Facial Oil. Their proprietary extraction and filtration process retains the polyphenol antioxidant and fatty acid compounds of the oil. These characteristics provide protection from pollution and environmental factors that cause free radical damage in our skin cells.
There are also a plethora of African oils in this butter cleanser including marula, baobob, kalahari melon, mongongo, and ximenia. Even though I’m familiar with many different oils from making soap from scratch for years, a few of these oils are new to me.
These African oils are rich in antioxidants and monounsaturated fatty acids, which are skin-balancing and non-clogging oils. They also help fight inflammation, battle UV rays and stop overproduction of oils in the skin.
Application
The instructions stress the importance of applying the balm with dry hands onto your dry skin. You can add warm water after massaging your face and eyes. This transforms the oil into a creamy milk.
I usually massage the milk into my skin a bit more and then rinse my face with a damp warm washcloth. The cleanser targets water-proof eye makeup without any irritation.
Once water is added, you can really feel the richness of the oils. After I rinse off the cleansing balm, I can feel how my skin retains some of the oils. This is a huge plus in winter months when dry skin is prevalent, yet I might opt for a lighter daily cleansing balm in the warm weather months. Overall, I find this to be a really enjoyable and relaxing cleansing experience.
Related: Drunk Elephant Haircare Review: Shampoo, Conditioner and Tangle Spray
Bamboo Booster
Included in the box is a small vial of their Bamboo Booster. If you add the Bamboo Booster to the balm, it transforms into a gentle exfoliant. You can use the Bamboo Booster one or two mornings a week, but special care should be taken if you are using retinol, since it may irritate your skin. I tried it in the morning using only a small amount of the booster. I found it to be a nice scrub/cleanser all in one.
A tip that comes with the instructions suggests using the booster to create a lip scrub. I added a small amount to the balm and applied it to my lips. It was really lovely. I really appreciate the fact that I didn’t worry about what I was putting on my lips since the product is clean and formulated without any irritants.
Drunk Elephant Slaai Makeup-Melting Butter Cleanser feels like a luxury from the packaging to the texture to the rich oils. Its name really describes the product perfectly. While not all cleansing balms meet my expectations, this cleanser really hit the mark. You can purchase this luxe butter cleanser at Sephora.com.
Thanks for reading!