Best Facial Cleansing Brush For Soft Clear Skin

There are so many benefits from using an exfoliating brush on your face, that everyone should own a face brush and use it regularly.

Facial brushing is particularly great for those of us on a budget who want our skin to look its best.

Expensive anti-wrinkle and anti-aging creams contain chemical agents such as retinol and alpha hydroxil acid which have an exfoliating effect, revealing new more youthful skin by getting rid of the uppermost layer of dead skin cells.

But you can obtain the exact same effect with much less expense by using a facial brush followed by ordinary moisturizer.

Using Facial brushes brings all these benefits:-

• speeding up cell rejuvenation giving you younger more vibrant looking skin and reversing the effects of aging
• giving you a brighter complexion which looks refreshed rather than gray and dingy by improving circulation to the surface of the skin and giving you a rosy glow
• strengthening the skins structure
• giving you softer smoother skin by removing dead skin
• preventing clogged pores which can leads to blackheads and other skin problems. Your skin will be less prone to breakouts

There are many facial brushes on the market made of all kinds of materials, including simple manual facial brushes costing just a few dollars as well as high end electric facial brushes costing over a hundred.

If you’re not sure which is the best facial cleansing brush to buy, then here are the things to look out for when choosing one as well as the best face brushes in each category.

Best Face Cleansing Brush (Budget Buy)

Many of the best products are simple cheap and cheerful facial cleansing brushes made from plastic and nylon or wood and natural bristle.

Many beauty pages will tell you natural is best but when it comes to your face the most important thing is that the brush doesn’t scratch at all and feels pleasant to use without being too soft when you want to add a bit of pressure.

Is a Cheap Facial Brush Good Enough?

If your beauty budget is not huge, stick with a cheap facial brush to start with as it can do as good a job as many of the electric versions and it keeps you more in control of the process if you are new to facial brushing. You can always upgrade later once you see the benefits for yourself.

Wet or Dry Brushing?

Some of these brushes can be used wet or dry. My preference is for dry brushing as the upward sweeping movements we use in the technique give the most benefits but I would rather that you used a brush wet than not at all! (See Dry Face Brushing Technique below, if you want to know more about dry brushing your face).

How to Use a Facial Brush With Water

If you want to use a wet brush

• Use a good foaming cleanser with your brush.
• Wet your brush and apply a very small amount of cleanser (a little goes a long way)
• Cleanse your face from your neck to the hair line moving the brush in small circles covering every part of your face except around your eyes. Avoid getting any soap in your mouth too.
• Apply just the right amount of pressure to give your skin a workout without making it sore!
• After brushing make sure that you rinse and dry your face thoroughly.

Good Facial Brushes To Use With Water

If you are going to use a wet brushing technique or have sensitive skin, these are the two brushes I recommend. They have softer bristles than the natural brushes and will work best with a foam cleanser. The bristles are too soft however for dry brush enthusiasts.

1. Happy Face Complexion Brush by Earth Therapeutics

This is a soft non abrasive brush recommended for those who like a soft brush. It is great if you are new to facial cleansing with a brush or if you have sensitive skin. It’s a very low cost product (around $6 with free shipping) and you can’t go wrong at that price given the enormous benefit you will get from skin brushing. If you haven’t tried using a cleansing brush then it’s a great place to start. Click here for more details.

2. Facial Cleansing Brush by For Pro

This is a low cost brush with good reviews scoring an average of 4 out of 5 in the ratings on Amazon.

Those who scored the brush lower seemed to be either looking for a firmer brush and they would do better with one of the natural bristle facial brushes or they thought it not soft enough for sensitive skin.

Click here for details.

Facial Brushes for Dry Brushing

If you want to have a go at dry brushing, I would start with one of the natural bristle facial brushes below. They have firmer bristles and have been endorsed by those who already love the dry face brushing technique.

If you have sensitive skin or any problem skin condition however, you need to start with a softer manual brush or an electric brush used with water and cleansing foam, because dry brushing is a little harsher on your skin until you get used to it. You can always graduate to dry brushing later.

1. Earthline Natural Bristle and Wood Face Brush

This brush seems to offer a good deal at less than $10 including shipping.

But a number of buyers say that though the bristles are firm and excellent for dry face brushing, they don’t stand up to wear and tear very well.

You can get details of the Earthline facial brush here.

2. Wooden Face Brush by Platinum Skin Care

This facial brush is also made from natural bristles and wood.

Although it is a little more expensive than the Earthline brush (once you take shipping into account), it has a higher rating in the reviews so it is the one I would choose if looking for a natural firm facial brush for dry face brushing. (I have had mine for years. I know I bought it in a health food shop but I haven’t got a clue who made it otherwise I would recommend that one!)

You can get more information about this brush here.

Best Electric Face Cleansing Brush (Great Value)

If you are ready for an electric cleansing brush solution then these two battery operated facial brushes offer great value and as much power as you get from the high end systems at a much lower price. I am particularly impressed with the reviews of the first one (which you can see in full here) and it’s definitely the one I would put on my Santa list if I was looking for a wet facial brush.

1. Olay Professional Pro-X Advanced Cleansing System

Nearly 300 buyers have given this an average of 4.5 stars out of 5 on Amazon and that’s a sign of a much loved quality product.

This facial brush is part of the Olay Professional anti aging system and comes with a sample of the Pro-X Exfoliating Renewal Cleanser recommended for use with the brush.

As this facial cleansing brush works on 2 AA batteries, the batteries are cheap to replace making the running cost low. You can get replacement heads too which means the machine will last much longer. Click here for more details and to see a video of the Olay facial brush in action as well as read why tests show and buyers think it’s as good as the Clarisonic Pro facial brush costing many times more.

2. Pretika Sonic Dermabrasion Facial Brush

Whereas the Olay Pro facial cleansing brush works on batteries, the Pretika Sonic facial brush is rechargeable so you may prefer it for that reason though it is a little bit more expensive (just a few dollars though last time I checked on Amazon).

It doesn’t get such a good rating from buyers as the Olay cleansing system but it still comes in at a creditable 3+ stars out of 5.

The problem with this one though is that it seems unreliable – a number of buyers have mentioned that their Pretika brush broke down after a few weeks or months of regular use.

So on balance I think I’d just buy an Olay Professional brush and put up with changing the batteries. If you want to know more about the Sonic facial brush you can check out the details and reviews here.

Best Luxury Facial Cleansing Brush

Clarisonic Pro Sonic Skin Cleansing for Face and Body

The Clarisonic Pro system seems to be the one everyone looks to when talking about the ultimate electric facial cleansing brush. And the system gets very good reviews with over 4 out of 5 stars from a lot of buyers with very few complaints about it.

Buyers love the difference it makes to their skin and enjoy using it too though it can be a little messy to use if you wet the brush too much before using.

You have to be ready to make a sizable investment if you want a Sonic brush however as this product is priced at $225 though significant discounts and free shipping are usually available here on Amazon.

Still, it is so much more than the Olay brush that you really wonder if it is worth it.

The main thing to note is that this brush is suitable for use on your body as well as your face so if you are also looking for an electric brush for your whole body this may be the system for you.

This product will work well and your skin should improve if you use it properly but if you’re only looking for a facial cleansing brush that will refine your skin I would recommend you treat your skin to other luxuries with the money you save and go with the Olay Advanced Cleansing System.

Dry Face Brushing Technique     If you want to have a go at dry brushing, invest in a natural bristle facial brush with firm, non-scratchy bristles and the follow the steps below. Wash and thoroughly dry your face and neck. It is important to get rid of oil, dirt and makeup before brushing as it can result in clogged pores if you don’t. Use your facial brush to make upward sweeping movements from the base of your neck up to your chin. (Always brush upwards in a lifting movement and avoid pulling down on the muscles – they are already dragged down enough by gravity). Brush several times from your jawline up to your ears along the contours of your face. Repeat from the corner of your mouth to your ear. Circle around your cheek muscles in the direction of your ears. Sweep from the center of your forehead to the temple on each side two or three times. Brush down the side of the nose to the cheek bone a few times on each side avoiding the eye area. Be careful not to stretch skin or apply too much pressure. Start with a light touch and just 30 seconds and work up to applying slightly firmer pressure for 2 or 3 minutes for your whole face. Never scrub the skin. Continue to be gentle. The experience should be enjoyable like a facial massage and not at all painful. Avoid brushing if you have an infection, rashes, cuts or other open wounds. You will just make your face sore. After brushing cleanse your face again to remove any debris (dead skin cells) created by the movement of the brush and apply moisturizer. Wash your brush then leave it to dry naturally so that it is clean ready for use again.