As my search for an acid toner suitable for my skincare concerns continues, I reminisce today on a product that was almost perfect: Rhonda Allison All Purpose Cleansing Pads.
{I purchased Rhonda Allison’s All Purpose Cleansing Pads from my local spa. It costs $32 for a jar of 60 pads, or $17 for a jar of 30 pads. Photo Courtesy Rhonda Allison}
After a visit to a Rhonda Allison spa several months back, I decided to give these cleansing pads a go. Though not necessarily marketed as “green,” the formulation is quite clean and features many familiar ingredients.
What got my attention was the inclusion of salicylic acid, which my 30-year-old “teen skin” tends to respond very well. It also includes witch hazel, another ingredient the helps with clearing breakouts. No-brainer, right?
Here’s the full ingredients list:
Aqua (Water), Hamamelis Virginiana (Witch Hazel) Water, Alcohol Denat., Alcohol, Salicylic Acid, Menthyl Lactate (L), Mentha Piperita (Peppermint) Oil, Eucalyptus Globulus Leaf Oil, Citrus Grandis (Grapefruit) Peel Oil, Epigallocatechin Gallate (EGCG), Totarol, Camellia Sinensis (Green Tea) Leaf Extract
RANT: So many green beauties are annoyed by the term “anti-aging” and 30-year-old Kim is annoyed by the phrase “teen skin.” Can we please stop with that? Teenagers aren’t the only ones who experience breakouts.
As noted in the naming, Rhonda Allison’s Cleansing Pads are actually designed to be a simple way to wash on the go, but I prefer using them post-cleanse as an acid toner to deep clean. The ingredients are incredibly powerful, so I concentrate these pads only where I need them: my chin and neck.
I’ve alluded to this before, but I have an annoying hormonal acne problem on my chin and jawline. Around my neck, I have tiny little bumps that I’m still figuring out the root cause of — several aestheticians have been baffled by them, and I’m THISCLOSE to turning in to the derm for further analysis.
Until I admit defeat, I’m doing everything I can with diet, stress and acid toners to kick these mini bumps to the curb. And Rhonda Allison’s All Purpose Cleansing Pads did a very nice job of calming this entire area, but the formulation was a little much for regular use.
Because the pads contain strong essential oils — peppermint and eucalyptus, to be exact — these pads felt extremely active on my skin. Think fiery and cooling … and kinda uncomfortable. #HurtsSoGood
These aren’t pads for sensitive skin types, and I only used them on my chin and jaw. I couldn’t imagine swiping them across my combination skin cheeks. I only used them on my nose and forehead after the majority of the formula went onto my chin and neck.
It’s this strong formula that makes me call Rhonda Allison’s All Purpose Cleansing Pads almost perfect. I’d buy them again in a heartbeat because they did seem to work at killing the hormonal and funky acne on my neck and chin, but I’m still hunting for a formula that feels just right.
