A couple of months ago, I had to do a complete overhaul of my skincare routine. I had been using exclusively Lush products, but if you've taken a peek at my previous post, you will know why I stopped using their products. After lush, I had a very brief foray into Korean skincare because I had heard glowing reviews about so many products, but my experience ended up being completely frustrating, with the worst breakouts I have experienced in my entire life (which is really saying something, as I have struggled with hormonal acne for the past few years). So after giving K-beauty a fair try, I returned the products that I could, and decided to go back to absolute basics. I wasn't wearing makeup, I cleansed with water only, I toned with a mix of apple cider vinegar and water, and moisturized with a homemade mixture of aloe vera gel and oils. Slowly, my skin started to improve, but I had to admit, I needed a better method of cleansing.
Over the winter when I was very much into Lush, I followed quite a few Lushie instagram accounts, one of which was Erica, @thedirtygoat. I had actually purchased a Lush scrub from her, way back then, but knew she also made her own products for skin, hair, and body, as well as wax melts and even the occasional product for pets! By the time needed a skincare revamp, I had been following her for a few months, and her delectable products would pop up on my feed from time to time, and I knew The Dirty Goat had to be my first stop.
It was really quite difficult deciding what to get on my first visit, because not only had I been depriving myself of new skincare products for weeks at that point, but she just had such an array of beautifully photographed products tempting me on the site. I selected three items for my first order: the Gentle Facial Cleanser, Method Oil Cleanser, and the trial size Probiotic Deodorant in Yuzu scent. The latter two products will most definitely be reviewed in future posts, but today we will focus on the Gentle Facial Cleanser, because it was the item I had initially set out for.

The liquid cleanser comes in a 2.45oz plastic bottle, which is lasting me quite a while, because I mostly only use it in the evening, and you just need the smallest amount. It is a castile soap and shea butter based cleanser, and it does need a good shake before each use. As stated in the product description, it does not contain surfactants, which is fantastic. Surfactants are what make a product lather and foam, and will strip away your natural oils which will leave you face, hair, or whatever you use them on dried out, unbalanced, and will most likely lead to an overproduction of oil (that's how we get caught in the vicious cycle of needing to wash our oily hair everyday, or finding our faces an oil slick by noon- surfactants!). This cleanser, on the other hand, cleanses with castile soap, which lathers enough to get you clean, but won't leave your face a desert. The shea butter offers a lovely creaminess and some extra moisture, while orange extract dissolves sebum, evens out skin tone, and combats acne. Goji berry extract contains vitamin c and amino acids to help the skin retain a youthful, plump glow.
I really like this cleanser. It leaves me feeling clean but not dried out, and it keeps my skin clear and radiant. I really look forward to future purchases from The Dirty Goat, (I've already been back once!) because she has such a great selection, including a soapless cleanser that I would love to try for my morning cleansing.
Overall, I am incredibly happy with the quality and ingredients of everything I have tried, and she gives out generous samples too!


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