Are face wipes really so bad?

[TheUrbaneFox]

I only use cheap ones as well! They take the tiny bit of make up that I wear off. How bad can they be for me? I keep reading how bad they are but maybe that's because they aren't very expensive and the beauty industry could sell you more expensive ways of taking off make up.

No we live in a flat. Face cloths get thrown in with regular white wash. They are thin ones and dry quick once out. We use about 8 a day between the four of us. Use for the kids after eating also as faces a mess!

Hot cloths are definitely the way to go. I don't have a tumble drier but I do have a heated aired rack from Lakeland and they dry in no time on there.

I used micellar water and cotton pads while on holiday and my skin felt crap! Was so glad to get home and back to usual routine of frankincense balm, hot cloth and black soap. Follow with acid toner, hyaluronic serum and moisturiser = skin that would put a baby's bum to shame.

Apparently micellar water is almost as bad as wipes. I also noticed a huge difference when I went back to proper cleansing. Flannel/muslin just gets lobbed in the washer with whatever is already in there.

Another one here for flannels - I have very thin, cheap ones which are perfect. I've also got some men's white hankies which I use - both wash and dry really easily and quickly. If you find flannels a PITA then you are probably thinking of the big thick fluffy ones - those aren't what you want at all. Thin cheap small white ones are the way to go. Ikea have a thin white cotton baby cloth at £3 for 10, which aren't bad.

Facewipes are so expensive and leave a weird feel on your skin.

Imo they are no substitute to a proper cleanser and will only use them if I have no other option and that's mainly if I go swimming or to the gym after work....but then I will use a cleanser later on as well

Face wipes will remove make-up but they won't clean your face. They leave a residue.

I once came out to my car after an appointment to find that it had been covered dust from building work. All I had in the car was a pack of simple wipes and I used them to clean the mirrors, they looked sparkling as I drove off. But as the mirrors dried a white residue appeared- it totally covered them and I couldn't see anything!

So now if I use wipes I always at least rinse afterwards except when I'm pissed .

Aside from whether they are good for your skin or not, they are definitely bad for the environment. Imagine the amount you use in just one week then imagine that multiplied in a landfill.

Stop being lazy and use a flannel ;). Seriously, the skincare market has had us all duped for years with all these products, there is nothing better than warm water, a cheap cleanser of some sort to suit your skin type and a flannel for cleaning and exfoliating our skin.

son, this is exactly what I do, most of the time anyway. I find simple wipes much better than other brands. I then use Superdrug radiance hot cloth twice, afterwards. At the weekends, my cleansing routine is usually non existent though. At night anyway

I have to say, I didn't notice a massive difference when I started double cleansing. I just do it because it makes sense and when you see how much dirt/makeup comes off on the second cleanse, it feels weird not to.

I hate face wipes and would only use them as a last resort. They're very drying and they aren't very effective at cleansing at all. Plus environmentally they're not great.

Hot face cloth and an oil or balm cleanser is a much better way to clean your face. There's something so joyless about a grim little wipe, my skin likes a bit of luxury at the end of the day.

p.s. No staff here!

My skin started looking really dreadful and I had no idea it was the wipes I'd been using.

I now cleanse and wash with a flannel and my skin has completely transformed for the better.

I use baby wipes tbh. I have no dryer and no hot water unless I put it on for 2 hours beforehand. Boilers shite and it's rented. I will use flannels when we buy our own home next year though. But I don't think it's causes drastic damage. Bit drying but some cleanser and soap are also bad. In fact when simple came out I couldn't believe they got away with calling it that! The crap in it was unbelievable. Hopefully it's changed since then!

Oh, and I don't have a tumble dryer for my flannels (or for anything else). They are so small and thin that they dry really quickly by the radiator.

I use Liz Earle cloths and it says not to tumble dry them as it makes them too soft so they don't have the same effect.

If you're going to use wipes, don't, use micellar water and cotton pads instead, your skin will notice the difference

I don't use make up regularly so i wasn't aware that face wipes were a no no. I use them once in a blue moon when I actually wear foundation and need to take it off.

I thought this thread was about environmental concerns surrounding the habit of flushing them down the WC

I hate how they make my face feel. That is enough to put me off.

Invest in some Clinique take the day off. Removes every inch of my makeup no problem.

No to wipes here too.

I use cotton wool and would use a facecloth / flannel next .

Whenever I have used wipes I've ended up with sore/dry patches on my skin and blackheads.

I thought this thread was about environmental concerns surrounding the habit of flushing them down the WC

Well, that, too! (I think those people who have to shovel the fatbergs out of the sewers after they've been concreted into place with baby wipes/facewipes ought to be eligible for an automatic OBE or summat, once retired. That has to be one of the worst jobs out there, but SO essential, as people are SO stupid with what they flush!)

I think people flushed wipes down the toilet!

'didn't think'

they are bad for sewer back ups and clogging filters in water treatment plants if you flush them . Even if they print flushable on the packet, they are clogging our water systems.

I put them in the bin, honestly!

I bought some today but I looked on the back and I couldn't see 'alcohol' on the label. So I'm hoping there's no alcohol in the ones I bought.

It's sometimes referred to as ethanol or isopropyl. There are some other names too that I can't remember.

"I suspect people advocating flannels/washable cloths have tumble-driers or some other method ("staff"? proper laundry rooms?) of avoiding taking up loads of space on the airer drying flannels."

Exactly. I don't see how it can be cheaper to use hot water (I have to leave the tap running for a few minutes before it gets hot so it's a waste of water as well) and to be washing so many facecloths all the time.

"hey are definitely bad for the environment. Imagine the amount you use in just one week then imagine that multiplied in a landfill."

If I add 7 cloths to my weekly machine wash, that's a lot more clothes washing over the course of the year so could be worse for the environment. Lots of cloths are white so would need to be washed at a high temperature. Also, people who use cloths probably use a cleanser that comes in a bottle. How is that any better for the environment than a wipe?