Anyone who’s reading beauty blogs regularly and is familiar with the natural beauty scene, has probably come across Adina Grigore’s book ’Skin Cleanse: The All-Natural Program for Clear, Calm, Happy Skin’. Grigore is the Founder and CEO of skincare brand S.W. Basics, a New York based company promoting natural products containing 5 or less ingredients.
In her book, Grigore talks about how she brought balance back to her skin after struggling with severe skin problems.

“I just felt so ugly and itchy and frustrated, and I couldn’t do it anymore. I couldn’t keep up using these products that were meant to help but were turning my life into a nightmare. So I quit. I stopped using every single skin-care product and medication. Cold turkey. […] It was my last, desperate attempt at finding some relief. And, shockingly, relief did come.”

Some parts of the book won’t be anything new to people who are already well versed in skincare and nutrition, however there were a few things that were informative and interesting that really stuck out to me. For instance, Grigore suggests that the ethnic background and the particular climate you are living in can have a big impact on the skin.
Throughout the book, she continuously advocates the mindset of “I’m doing something good for my body with the right nutrition because I want to and not because I have to.” Grigore preaches that healthy and beautiful skin comes from within. With a variety of healthy and simple recipes, she also shares recipes for natural and self-made skincare products.

I’d recommend this book to everyone who has problematic skin or is not happy with the state of their skin, or for anyone who is interested in natural ingredients. However, the heart of the book is, as the title already suggests, the actual skin cleanse.

Within chapter 6 “The Skin Cleanse”, Adina explains the three different levels or methods of skin cleansing.
The levels don’t necessarily build up on each other, it’s more about choosing one of those levels that fits your skin condition.

Level 1: Supplement
Length of time: Three days or longer
Who is it for: Beauty Junkies who are seeking for extra nourishment

Level 1 is for those who don’t want to give up their current skincare and cosmetic products, but still want to try something new. For example she recommends to mix a few drops of a nourishing oil into your usual moisturizer, or to try honey as a cleanser/mask.

Level 2: Eliminate and Nourish
Length of time: One day
Who is it for: Experiment lovers with nagging skin ailments

In Level 2 you stop using every single skincare product and replace it with a natural alternative that can be found in the kitchen. In the book there are a lot of recipes for this part. And let’s be honest, sometimes it’s really fun to mix your own little potions.

Level 3: Detoxify
Length of time: Three days to two weeks
Who is it for: Courageous truth seekers, the super-sensitive and Skin Cleanse converts

Level 3 is probably the most difficult of them all. Here you forego all your skincare and cosmetic products. And I mean ALL. Your skin comes into contact with nothing but water. If you also suffer from skin problems on your body (e.g. eczema, back acne, psoriasis etc) also shower with nothing but water.

I was really intrigued, so of course I chose level 3, even though I don’t have huge skin problems. I have combination skin often prone to dry patches that has a slightly oily shine throughout the day. Blackheads are always accompanying me and my chin is also more prone to spots. I was really curious whether going cold turkey would change my skin and if the skin cleanse would be the solution. Here is how my experiment turned out:

Day 1: In the evening I started with my self-experiment and removed my makeup with coconut oil (in the meantime I completely converted to coconut oil as a makeup remover). That’s it. The next morning I cleansed my skin with water. At first I was skeptical about this cleansing method that Adina suggested because people with combination or oily skin tend to have this oily layer on top of their skin, would it really remove the excess oil? After about 20 splashes of water to the face, my skin felt really clean and that was my morning routine, finished. On one hand it felt liberating on the other hand it felt odd to not apply any sort of nourishing or concealing products. This must be how men feel all the time or women who follow a super simple routine.
I have to say that I had some dry patches in my chin area before I started the skin cleanse. They were still there and it didn’t feel pleasant. But Adina explains that the skin can feel a bit dry throughout the skin cleanse because it is trying to bring back balance and therefore sebum production adjusts. I had the feeling on the first day that a few of my blackheads were gone or just less visible than usually. In the evening I cleansed my skin with water again and my skin still felt a bit dry.

Day 2: Next morning, same routine. I definitely could tell that my blackheads on my forehead and my nose were less visible. I was really getting used to this routine. The dry patches in my chin area were still there, but they were really stubborn and I knew that even with the richest and most hydrating products I wouldn’t have had a big success.

Day 3: The third and final day. In the morning and evening I cleansed my skin with water again. I was feeling as if my skin is getting more and more back into it’s balance. Except for my dry patches, my skin felt pretty good.

Conclusion: If you are doing the skin cleanse for more than three days, you’ll probably notice a bigger difference in your skin, however these three days already showed me something in particular. Less is more. Or should I say: Less is definitely enough. Sometimes we overload our skin with products because we think, the more the better. I am still skeptical about this trend of layering on a lot of skincare products as a routine. Although it’s rare that I don’t apply any skincare after removing my makeup, after the skin cleanse I intend to do this more often.
Every time I did that and went to bed straight away, the next morning my skin still looked recovered and not completely dry like I thought it would be. I don’t want to take all the work from my skin, in the end it can and is supposed to heal itself as well as hydrating it if we just let it.

Would you also try a skin cleanse or did you already tried one? If so, I would be really interested in your experience!