Tea Totaller Naked Facial Cleanser

At the risk of repeating myself, the few weeks I spent in Africa were tough on my skin. While I didn't go over there thinking about how the climate change would affect my face, it only took me a couple of days to realise that I had made the right choice bringing over an army of facial products to review. The dry heat, intense sun and dusty atmosphere meant that my pores were battling by the minute to retain their moisture, and I won't begin to describe just how much grime I removed from my face on an almost hourly basis.

Tea Totaller Naked Facial Cleanser was an absolute godsend during my time over there, not only because it was super compact and could be taken anywhere during the daytimes, but because the ingredients used to make it were just what my face needed, and continues to need even to this very day.

Firstly, this naked facial cleanser contains castor oil, which is the perfect ingredient if you're looking to add some much needed moisture to your face. Working with the skin's natural oil production, castor oil ensures that there's enough present to keep your skin supple, radiant and smooth, whilst removing an excess oils if the skin is too greasy or oily to begin with. This is not an ingredient that will try to mask the oils already there, so you don't have to worry about using this if you normally have a fairly oily complexion.

The inclusion of the tea tree, clary sage and rosemary oils not only gives this limited edition a clean and slightly herbal aroma, but also offers antibacterial properties that will help to cleanse your pores thoroughly and leave your complexion clear and smooth. There is something rather clinical yet natural about the scent of this naked cleanser, so when you wipe it away with warm water, it leaves your skin feeling much the same as a toner tab would.

What I will say about Tea Totaller is that this is perhaps one of the heavier naked facial cleansers from Lush. While it won't leave your skin feeling particularly sticky or clogged up afterwards, it does remain on the skin for a long while. If, like me, you wish to use this as an intense moisturiser instead, you'll find that there is still a thin film of oils on your skin two-three hours later. Having said that, if you have a very dry complexion like myself, you'll appreciate just how vibrant and pert your face will feel if you choose to keep this on longer than recommended.

The idea behind each of the naked facial cleansers is that you massage the disc across your skin; leave it on for a few minutes; and then wipe away the product with a slightly damp cloth or cotton wool pad. The oils and butters work at not only nourishing your complexion a little, but they’ve been specifically designed to give your face a gentle cleanse whenever you feel the need to refresh your face.

Tea Totaller definitely left my skin feeling moisturised, and my face felt really smooth to the touch. Usually in the winter months I find that my face develops a few dry patches that I need to moisturise daily. However, this cleanser has stopped this from happening so far. In regards to Africa, this facial cleanser helped me to remove so much grime from my pores after a long day out in the dust and heat. I could really feel how much better my complexion felt after using this each evening, and I really feel as if this product stopped me from having an outbreak of spots. 

Overall, I would definitely use this as a regular product - perhaps alongside Sleepy Face as they are both very calming for the skin, without being too heavy or over-bearing on scent. This particular disc has lasted me almost three weeks in Africa, and then another three in England, and I would probably estimate that it's about half the size it was to start with. This makes it good value for money in my eyes, and one that I hope will remain a regular item in the near future.

Quantitative Ingredients: Organic Illipe Butter, Safflower Oil, Witch Hazel Extract, Sunflower Wax, Japan Wax, Lemongrass Oil, Rosemary Oil, Sage Oil, Tea Tree Oil, Thyme Oil, Benzoin Resinoid, Hand Harvested Sea Salt, *Citral, *Limonene. 

Vegan?: Yes.

2018 Price: £4.95 each.

Year Of Original Release: 2018.   

Melt between the fingers before massaging over the skin or simply glide the bar over the face, then wipe away with a damp face cloth. As a bonus, adding water activates a toning phase composed of witch hazel, spring water, and hand-harvested sea salt to clarify and lightly hydrate.