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What is the most important thing in a skincare routine? Treat fine lines and wrinkles? Fade dark circles? Blitz away spots? It probably depends on what your skin concerns are. BUT, I think most people will agree that the first step, and possibly the most important part in a skincare routine, is the cleansing stage. Why? Why do anything to dirty skin until it’s clean? How effective will various lotions and potions be on top of dirt and grime? It’s logic really. So a good cleanser for me is important. When a current cleanser is on it’s way out or the seasons change, I’m very open to trying out new ones. I’ve recently picked up Aldi’s Lacura Original Hot Cloth Cleanser. It’s £3.99 for 200ml.
Why did I buy this one?
I’ve ALWAYS wanted to try this product! I’m a massive fan of hot cloth cleansers, ever since using Liz Earle’s iconic and possibly ‘the original’ hot cloth cleanser many moons ago. But with my local Aldi store, the stock of this is hit, miss or maybe. I thought now would be the perfect time to grab one as my current cleanser was running low, and there seemed to be a good flow of stock of this product every time I’ve been instore recently.
What is a hot cloth cleanser?
A hot cloth cleanser is designed to be used with a muslin cloth, so providing not only the the initial cleansing stage but a light exfoliation too. Hot cloth cleansers tend to be rich in moisturising ingredients so not only are they meant to clean the skin, but also nourish the skin. Lacura’s Hot Cloth Cleanser contains Cocoa Butter, Rosemary, Chamomile, White Tea and Eucalyptus which are designed to hydrate, clean, smooth skin and make it feel refreshed.
Packging.
The product itself is housed in a plastic tube with a flip top lid on the bottom. Off white in colour, mint green with silver detailing. The design is simple, clean looking and does the job! The tube comes in a cardboard box mirroring the design and colouring of the tube. In the box comes a muslin cloth.
Look & Texture
White in colour, smooth but quite thick in texture. When I squeeze this out of the tube it holds its shape like a really thick body lotion.
Fragrance.
I quite like it. The fragrance isn’t strong but has a slightly antibacterial element to it because of the eucalyptus. It does have a softened herbal smell to it too. But the scent overall is pleasant, fresh and non offensive.
How to use.
Take a small amount and massage onto dry skin. Pop the muslin cloth in warm water and wipe cleanser off skin. Splash face with water. Allow cloth to dry naturally and wash regularly.
In use.
I used this pretty much as suggested and over a 10 day period (still using this now by the way). Sometimes morning and night, sometimes just night time. I took a decent amount of the cleanser and rubbed it into my face and neck for roughly two minutes. Easy to do and the fragrance was nice enough and not overpowering. What I did notice was this cleanser started to lose slip, and it felt as if it was sinking into my skin rather than sitting on the surface. Looking into the mirror, the once white residue on my face was disappearing and pretty much got drunk up! At this stage I wet my muslin cloth and wiped it off hoping it would still do the job of being a cleanser rather than a moisturiser.
What was left on my skin was removed quickly and easily. Skin felt ok after removal. It felt clean but a touch on the tight side, which I sometimes get when using a product for the first few times. This seemed less noticeable the more I used this.
My face after.
It looked ok. It didn’t look dirty, but it didn’t look or feel particularly fresh either. Normally when I use a cleanser, especially one with a texture to it, I enjoy the process. Not with this. It was just ok and I found it slightly underwhelming if I’m honest.
Did it clean my skin though?
Most definitely! I used a toner to swipe over my face to check and no dirt on my cotton pad, clean as a whistle!
Would I buy this again?
For myself? No. If I use a hot cloth cleanser I want to enjoy the few minutes I use it and I didn’t when using this. I also didn’t like the idea of this soaking into my skin so quickly, so felt as if I had to rush this stage. That wasn’t something I wanted to do because Summer is the time you are sweaty, have more product on your face like sun cream, so more time maybe is needed to cleanse the face and neck area. So overall not for me.
Recommended?
Although this wasn’t for me this does have some good points to it so definitely worth a go if you want this type of cleanser. The price. £3.99 for 200ml and a muslin cloth is good value. Decent hot cloth cleansers I’ve noticed are available from £3.99 up. So if you check around you can get something comparable in price or a little more dearer but still won’t break the bank. If you shop in Aldi anyway it’s an easy purchase to make while grabbing your milk and bread so convenient. Scent was fresh and texture was nice. Easy to use, cleaned well so did what it was designed to do. This is a decent hot cloth cleanser for many people, just not one that I felt was the best for me.
Not available online at the moment, but if you want to add this to your Summer skincare collection, visit your local store to purchase.