Clarisonic Skin Care
Clarisonic abruptly stopped selling this device and its brushes in the fall of 2020.
Clarisonic’s electric skin care brush is one of my favorite tools, a tool I draw upon for nearly every facial. Instead of relying solely on a mechanical scrubbing action, the Clarisonic does what its name implies — adds sonic motions for thorough (but gentle) cleansing and massage.
I wasn’t entirely sure I could use the Clarisonic brush myself, because I was head-to-toe rash from an autoimmune disorder when I first implemented it into my skincare routine. No product or tool caused my rash, but nearly everything made it worse. I quickly learned that the Clarisonic is a different breed of facial brush. It helped improve my skin from the very first day.
Quick Look at How the Clarisonic Brush Works
Clarisonic’s brush head has a circular inner section that’s surrounded by outer bristles. If you look at the brush while it’s turned on, you’ll see that the center is moving so fast that it appears to be a blur.
- The brush’s inner section oscillates back and forth at 300 sonic movements per second. Movements cleanse and massage, removing makeup and impurities and exfoliating the skin.
- Outer bristles are stationary and act as a splash guard.
Clarisonic Brush Heads
Clarisonic offers a variety of brush heads: delicate, sensitive, normal, deep pore and the super soft acne brush. A body brush is available for the Clarisonic PLUS and PRO. The company sometimes introduces new devices and brushes.
I recommend that you start with the sensitive brush, or either the delicate or acne brush if you have rosacea or acne, or if your skin is fragile. The deep pore brush is perfect for cleaning blackhead-prone noses.
Clarisonic’s Clarifying Collection is available through skin care pros. The brush head on that device (it fits all Clarisonics) was designed for folks with acne and has velvety soft bristles to safely cleanse problem skin.
Clarisonic Benefits
- Clarisonic says its brushes remove six times more makeup and two times more general grime than a cleanse using the fingers. I’m not privy to those stats, but I do look at people under a well-lit magnifying lamp after cleansing their skin with the brush (and know how skin looks after two manual cleanses). The results are clearly visible.
- A thorough cleanse, along with the brush’s exfoliating action, leaves skin with a fresher surface that’s more receptive to product penetration. It’s the perfect prep for serums.
- Over time, the brush can help reduce the appearance of fine lines, probably due to its exfoliating action and the resulting improved penetration of product.
- Pores are thoroughly cleansed, which makes them appear smaller.
- Patches of dry skin are minimized, or disappear.
- Can be used twice daily if you like; a timer turns the brush off, to keep you from overusing the brush.
- Clarisonic is powered by a rechargeable battery.
A Few More Things About the Clarisonic Brush
- Some people feel a tickling sensation when the Clarisonic is first used to cleanse the nose. Stick with the brush for a day or two and the tickle will disappear.
- Although the outer ring of bristles helps contain products, either avoid cleansers that can irritate the eyes or take extra care to keep them from splashing.
- Be sure to follow Clarisonic’s brush-cleansing instructions.
Bottom Line
I’m sold on Clarisonic and have seen improvement with my own skin and the skin of clients who use the device at home. So far, I’ve personally not worked with anyone who cannot use the Clarisonic brush, but always talk to your dermatologist before implementing a new cleansing routine if you have rosacea, acne or other skin problems.
Copyright Janet Wickell