Merumaya melting cleansing balm – a non-drying cleanser

To me, January means extra pampering and time on my skin – inevitably it gets dry from the cold weather, hotter showers, central heating, drinking more tea, and not enough water, etc. I have a number of cleansers on the go at any one time, but in winter I search out the thicker and creamier ones that are non-drying and don’t contain any SLS (if a rinse-off one).

I was given this Merumaya cleansing balm at a talk I attended a few months back, and love it already. If you’re after something that you can use in a hurry, then this is probably not for you. The balm is thick, which you massage into skin to melt away make-up and then add a bit of water to emulsify before rinsing. I didn’t need to do a double cleanse, and didn’t need much face oil afterwards either because it is not drying at all.

It contains sweet almond oil and echium oil, both great for not drying out skin, and making it suitable for sensitive skin. I like the smell of it too, although lots of reviewers online don’t seem to. I guess it is the mangosteen fruit extract that perhaps some are not used to smelling.

Omegas 3, 6 and 9 work to reduce wrinkles, improve elasticity and help repair skin. And anti-oxidants from the mangosteen fruit extract help to protect skin. It helps too that not much more is needed to moisturise skin afterwards, making this an ideal night time cleanser.

100ml costs £15.50 which is about average for a mid-market cleanser. A little goes a long way and ends up being quite economical because of its moisturising properties.