I have not been shy about sharing my thoughts about the Clarisonic brush. While some people love the results they get with their skin, others find that the brush is damaging their face and don’t understand why. Case in point: I recently had a client who had tried a new product for her face from a line known to be gentle and it resulted in a horrible skin reaction. She said, “I used just one product from the line and it made my skin all red, rashy and irritated. It was awful and the product said it was specifically made for sensitive skin!” Her skin didn’t look particularly sensitive to me so I asked for more details about what the product was and how she used it so that I could better understand her skin before choosing her true skin type.
Come to find out, the product was a facial scrub, a cream with little exfoliating beads in it. She had applied it directly to the Clarisonic brush and massaged it all over her face. The rash occurred because she received double the exfoliation, which is more than most skin types can handle. Her skin isn’t sensitive it’s that the combination of the two was simply way too aggressive for any type of skin.
What most people don’t understand is that Clarisonic, or all rotating brushes for that matter, market themselves as cleansing brushes. However, they are essentially exfoliating tools. The action that occurs when the bristles are oscillating over the face is that of an exfoliant. The bristles physically lift off dry skin cells, removing dirt and makeup in the process. To then add a facial scrub directly to the brush and use both on the face will no doubt cause irritation and redness since too many skin cells are being removed in the process.
Don’t make the mistake of using a facial scrub along with the brush. It’s simply too much and even if you don’t notice a negative reaction, you will be disrupting your skin’s moisture barrier and cause dryness and invisible inflammation over time—which will never result in healthy, balanced skin.
I hope you found this post helpful!
Read my full Clarisonic review.
Read: Dry Skin Vs. Dehydrated Skin: What’s The Difference?
Read: How To Keep Your Pores Clean
Read: Five Ways To Hydrate Oily, Acne-Prone Skin Without Causing Breakouts
Which skin care products are best for you? See our nine skin types or take the Skin Type Quiz and get products recommended.
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Celebrity Esthetician & Skincare Expert
As an esthetician trained in cosmetic chemistry, Renée Rouleau has spent 30 years researching skin, educating her audience, and building an award-winning line of products. Her hands-on experience as an esthetician and trusted skin care expert has created a real-world solution — products that are formulated for nine different types of skin so your face will get exactly what it needs to look and feel its best. Trusted by celebrities, editors, bloggers, and skincare obsessives around the globe, her vast real-world knowledge and constant research are why Marie Claire calls her “the most passionate skin practitioner we know.”
Comments:
Thank you very much for your reply. I truly appreciate the time you take to answer questions.
I’m really considering in making an appt. with you. I don’t live near Dallas so I would have to travel. I thought about the virtual appt but I have to be honest in my feelings of it not being enough since you can’t really touch or examine my skin. I’m just really at my wits end and need some confidence back. I can’t even look in the mirror and smile. I read your post about a client who had red areas on her face and you figured out what it was before a Dr diagnosed her with rosacea. This is exactly what happened to me. I was diagnosed with rosacea and every medicine just kept making it worse and worse till finally I gave up but now I don’t know how to get my skin back to normal and happy again. Can you please tell me if a virtual appt would be sufficient? I would like the appt to be with you only due to this will be my last resort and I want to give the last the best chance of working. Sorry for the long post? 🙁
Thanks for your time!
Posted By: Gail |
I sure hope you can help me! I use a 2% sal. acid cleanser every night to help with whiteheads and blackheads. But my face is always darker then my neck and I wonder if it’s due to the cleanser? I have used it for years and sometimes my face looks good and other days it just looks dark. I just read somewhere that using sal. acid, glycolic acid, or clarisonic everyday is too much and can cause this. But is this the same case with sal. acid in a cleanser? I’ve done some research and most places state that the sal. acid in a face wash isn’t left on the skin long enough to really exfoliate and is just rinsed down the drain. If this is the case and I should stop using it….WILL MY FACE COLOR EVER GO BACK TO NORMAL? DID I RUIN MY SKIN? It really bothers me. What should I be doing? I tried Cerave Hydrating cleanser but my face got dry. I’m 33, female, fair skin, with a darker face! Really a confidence downer! Thank you so very much!!!
Posted By: Gail |
Great question. While every skin is different, if the skin gets too much exfoliation, sometimes it can stimulate melanin cells making the skin look a shade or two darker. I’m not sure where you live, but here in the states it is summer now so you also may notice darkening of the skin because of both heat and sun, even if you’re good about wearing sunscreen. I would suggest you only use that cleanser a few days a week but then get on a natural skin lightener right away. This one is great https://www.reneerouleau.com/products/vitamin-c-and-e-treatment Plus, it provides much needed antioxidants for the skin.
Posted By: Renée Rouleau |