Neutrogena Deep Clean Facial Cleanser, for Normal to Oily Skin: Review

Recently while looking for a new facial cleanser to replace my Clean and Clear Morning Burst Cleanser, I left the aisle feeling unhappy... there were just too many goddamn products to weed though.

I swear I wasted nearly 30 minutes reading up on which cleanser would be best. I knew for one that I didn't want anything that contained any acne fighting ingredients. I have dry skin around my nose, and anything with salyic acid destroys that already dry area.

I wanted something simple. A cleaner without any harsh ingredients. Sadly just about everything I picked up contained some sort of ingredient with the word 'acid' included.

I went with Neutrogena Deep Clean Facial Cleanser, For Normal to Oily Skin because it promised to clean my skin, while gradually improving my complexion. I was willing to look past the fact that the word 'acid' appeared in the ingredients.

Nearly nothing else available promised any long term effects quite as boldly as this one. I couldn't turn it down.

I have a love hate relationship with Neutrogena. I either love it or hate it. I had been hooked on Morning Burst, but because that tends to dry my skin out during winter months, I wanted something a bit more 'normal'. No harsh beads or exfoliating scrubs included.

Packaging:
 
Neutrogena Deep Clean Facial Cleanser, For Normal to Oily Skin comes in a standard stand up bottle with a pump applicator. I have never been fond of pump applicators when it comes to facial soap. The tip of the pump always builds up with left over residue and it just looks nasty.

The gel in the package is a burnt yellow in color, as is the bottles label.

My Use:
 
I planned on using Neutrogena Deep Clean Facial Cleanser, For Normal to Oily Skin in the morning, and at night before bed. The first time I used it though was simply to wash off my makeup.

I pumped a dime sized amount into my hand, dashed some water into the mix, and worked a small lather. The lather was pretty pathetic compared to other facial cleansers I have used, but no worries.

It's just freakin soap. I wasn't expecting a ton of suds from it to begin with.

I scrubbed the gel into my face and noticed the horrible smell right away. It wasn't horrible to the point that I wanted to rip off my nose...but it was bad enough. It had a very old stale hotel bar soap stink to it.

 I didn't like it, but whatever... no use in crying over a scent that would leave as soon as I dried up.

My Skin:
 
After rinsing my skin felt extremely clean. I liked the results. However as my skin began to dry, that infamous 'tightening' feeling became present. That tee'd me off because I didn't want anything that would tighten and dry my skin. Low and behold that's exactly what Neutrogena Deep Clean Facial Cleanser, For Normal to Oily Skin did. It tightened my skin, and left me feeling parched.

Long Term Use:
 
So I could live with dry skin, so long as I have a good moisturizer on hand. I was willing to look past this if in fact the cleanser improved my complexion over time; like it promised it would.

I have been using Neutrogena Deep Clean Facial Cleanser, For Normal to Oily Skin for about a month, and I can't say that break outs still don't occur, because they do. I can say though, that my skin is looking a lot better than before. The improvement is not that huge though, and only I recognize it's outcome.

Recommended:
 
Yes and no. Neutrogena Deep Clean Facial Cleanser, For Normal to Oily Skin does in fact improve the appearance of skin over time. However it has a harsh hotel soap scent, and it does leave skin feeling dry. Those with severe dry skin may want to skip.

Pricing: 

I picked my bottle of Neutrogena Deep Clean Facial Cleanser, For Normal to Oily Skin up at a local department store for $6.99. You can buy it by clicking here for less.