From The Beauty Brains Forum Member: Karen
What’s pink and white and vibrates all over? If you’re Sarah Bellum, you probably have an X-rated answer. But if you said the Neutrogena Wave Power-Cleanser, then you may have discovered a fun and effective brand new gadget you can use to clean your face.
According to Neutrogena, it’s called the Wave because it’s “the next wave in cleansing.” Like the Clarisonic, this product is the next generation of washcloth. Information 
from its marketing company says it will “take your skincare routine to a new level” by sweeping away layers of dead skin cells. But do you really need to go to the next level? What’s wrong with simply washing your face to maintain healthy skin as you age?
Exfoliation Nation
To answer these questions, we have to talk about something today’s beauty-conscious woman thinks about as part of her personal skin care regimen that her mother probably didn’t. That something is exfoliation. Exfoliation, simply put, is the process of removing dead skin cells from the outer layer of your skin. That might sound harsh but exfoliation is actually a natural process of the body.
When you’re under thirty, your skin sheds its dead epidermis about every 25 days on its own. Once you hit 30, however, this process slows down. That’s not a good thing if your goal is beautiful skin. If that top layer of dead skin cells stays put for too long, your complexion may appear dull and uneven. It can also feel rough or dry to the touch.
Exfoliation is an important step in your cleansing routine to expose younger skin underneath. If you do it regularly, you can improve your skin’s texture and help stimulate the production of new cells and collagen. The shedding process also unclogs pores to prevent blemishes from forming and allows your skin care products to reach deeper into the epidermis for better results. Additionally, it provides a smoother surface for your foundation to glide evenly over your face. Simply put, if you want healthy and radiant skin, you need to exfoliate.
Scrub-a-dub-dub
But who should do your exfoliation? You have choices. You can go to an esthetician and pay for her professional services. You can also do it yourself at home using a microdermabrasion kit or a facial scrub. Putting your skin in the hands of an esthetician might be a safe choice but it’s also an expensive one.
On the other hand, do-it-yourself microdermabrasion kits can be intimidating if you don’t have the confidence or experience using them. I use facial scrubs, the simplest of the choices, but I’ll admit that I haven’t always had good results. That’s because my skin is prone to redness and excessive vascularity. My experience has been that if I apply too much pressure, my skin becomes red, blotchy, and hypersensitive. This is sometimes referred to as “Angry Face Syndrome,” and believe me, it’s nothing to smile about.
Love the Wave!
Recently, Neutrogena’s Wave Power-Cleanser with Deep Clean Foaming Pads came into my life. I’ve used it every night for one week and now I’m hooked. Here’s what I like about it:
- It delivers the perfect degree of gentle exfoliation that never damages my skin
- It’s fast and easy to use: I just attach a pre-dosed, single-use, textured pad to the top of it, run it under water, press the button, and glide it gently over my skin
- The gentle vibrating motion and tingly-cool foam gives my skin a nice, healthy glow rather than excessive redness
- My skin immediately feels softer and the dead skin cells that were problematic near my nose and chin are now gone
- It’s ultra light and comfortable to hold
- It can be used at a sink or in the shower
- It only takes up as much space as a bar of soap
- It’s been gentle enough for me to use every day
On the back of the box, Neutrogena says this device is clinically proven superior to manual cleansing in three ways:
- 100% of women showed significantly deeper pore cleansing from its penetrating cool foam
- Its massaging, vibrating action opens pores to remove dirt, oil, and makeup and stimulates the skin’s surface
- You’ll see immediate softer, smoother skin after just one use
While I can’t substantiate their claims, I did find the Wave to be one cool little gadget for consistent and gentle exfoliation with a click of the button. It requires a single AA battery included with the starter kit, as well as a two week supply of single-use, disposable cleansing pads. It comes in pink, turquoise, or apple-green color schemes. And the price? The starter kit sells for $12.99 and a 10-pack of refills pads is $7.49.
So now you know why I’m excited about my new pink and white vibrating gadget. Sarah Bellum, on the other hand, might have an entirely different story to tell you.
Have YOU caught the Wave? Or do you like the Clarisonic system better? Leave a comment and let us know. Or, you can start a thread and talk to Karen directly in the Beauty Brains Forum.
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After reading all of the comments, I get the impression that many people don’t understand their own skin, or the fact that this is an exfoliant. I would only use such a product once a week or so, because the average person doesn’t need to exfoliate every day. Doing so would only irritate your skin and then you will have a worse problem.
i have known my skin, for 21 years now to be exact… i know that the wave is an exfoliator, however, it does say it is safe to use daily. which i dont, i have been using it every other day now. my big zits (caused by the wave) went down for the most part, and my forehead still has bumps, and i am more prone to breaking out on my forehead now. i have been using it for 2 weeks now.
i was excited when i went to try out my wave. it took a while for the actual foam to appear onto my face, and it wasnt like how the commercials made it seem like, but there was foam none-the-less.
the box didnt really say how long you should be using the wave, like how many minutes, so i ussed it for about 6 minutes.
when u finished, i touched my face immediately after. i couldnt believe how SOFT my face was! i ran into my cousins rooom and told her to touch my face as well and she was blown away. so i let her borrow mine. when she was finished, she was super excited, and she went to buy her own.
but, i used it for about a week, and then i stopped because i got lazy, ha. but then my left cheek broke out like crazy.
like, sure, ive had pimples before, but they were borderline never noticeable, and were spread out seperately over my face, but i actually counted; THERE WERE 15+ PIMPLES AND BUMPS ON MY LEFT CHEEK. and ive NEVER before had so many at one time… and never on my cheeks!
but, besides making me break out (a day before school starts, i might add. grr, it made my skin ridiculiously soft, but i suggest you use it every night after you sleep, and dont stop or else you’ll break out horribly.
hey (:
i’m 14 and i’m from germany. i read the comments. now, i wanna have the wave too. but i can’t find the wave in germany. what a pity!
but.. godd luck with your waves! (:
(i’m sorry if there are any mistakes but i’m not very godd at english)
hi ive used many product like clearasil and proactive. most break me out bad within 2 weeks because im allergic to most cleansers. but im not allergic the salicylic acid so this product is great for me. as for people who are breaking out a few days later, its just the acne thats deep down in your pore trying to surface. thats why it gets all inflamed. so just ride it out for a week or so. itll get better.
also, no suds doesnt mean it isnt cleaning, the suds dont make the clean face the soap does. the suds just help glide it over your face better.
I really want to try this product! Personally, I love all of Neutrogena’s products. I use their Daily Acne Scrub, which worked miracles on my acne when proactiv couldn’t… I’m just looking for something to make my skin less oily… think this would work?
If you want to make the pad sud up more, use the first side to go over your face once, then flip over the pad and it’ll give more suds.I am clearing up a little better after a month and enjoy the clean feeling i get after i use it.My face doesn’t feel too much softer after i use it, because i have always had virtually soft skin so yeah….but love it!!!
I just tried it tonight and I love it so much! It did make my skin so much softer, I have really sensitive skin and it didn’t irritate it one bit. It will definitely be a part of my daily skin care routine!
Mine stopped working after about a week. When I went to change the battery, there was water inside and it had started to corrode the battery. Even once I dried the inside and put in new batteries, it wouldn’t work. I am very disappointed because $12 is a little pricey for an item to work less than 2 weeks!
i have completely stopped using the wave after my face broke out terribly. my face is now back to normal, and so are the bumps on my forehead, but i would rather deal with them and not having those terrible breakouts from the wave, than to have to walk around with big ass puffy zits on my forehead, although i plan on using it maybe once a week bc it keeps my skin soft. i just cant afford to have my face break out since i am signing on to become a model! yaya.
I have been using the wave for about a month and a half now, and i never use to get pimples on my cheeks, just my forehead, but now i have them on my nose and cheeks, like five on my cheek and four on my nose!!!! help!!!
this product is amazing.
i jsut bought it about 3 days ago and my skin feels soo soft. even some marks on my face from previous pimples have disapered.
i dont have the greatest skin, and this defanetly clears it up. for a 15 year old, i love it/
oh, and to answer the question with the breakouts, mabye your skin is a bit more sensitive and doesnt react well to that particular face wash.
you can buy your own cleansing pads and put your own face wash on it, it will still give you the soft and clear skin.
but if i wanted to use my own face wash from before then why waste the $12 on the wave in the first place?!! i was very disappointed in the wave. i liked it at first, but after 2weeks i couldnt take it anymore, my face looked so much worse, ive never broke out that terrible in my life!!!
Try astringents instead of water, if your acne is bad or you have many blackheads. Works much better than water and it does lather after awhile.
Just make sure you moisturize maybe 5 minutes after.
i don’t have the wave but my cousin does and i just used it last night and right after the use, my skin felt so smooth and soft,i love the way it makes your skin feel and i’m gunna try it again tonight or later to see what it does next! i also have blackheads on my nose and i’m trying so hard to get rid of them and hopefully this works.
I’m a dude and I use this every morning and it is amazing. chicks tell me all the time how amazing my complexion is. highly recommended!
hey it’s me again, and after 4 days of using the wave, it made my skin horrible! i just thought it was gunna make my face smoother! my skin started peeling and it started burning and wow i feel horrible having to go to school like this,but that’s just me, i really thought it was gunna work but i was way off.
Im a guy, and I just recently got this product, and I’m loving it.
I add my other facial cleanser, and it really works my pores deep.
I love how I can feel my skin tingle when I rinse off the suds.
Its made my skin A LOT less greasy looking, and I got this product for $10.99, and a pack of 30 pads for $8.99.
I’ve tried tons of other products, but this seems to be the best.
Its made my skin so much smoother, and Kinda’ given me some more confidence around girls.
I recommend it to everyone.
I cant wait for other colors to come out in stores.. lol
valerie, ive had a very bad experience with the wave too, so dont feel like youre alone, i had documented the experience on this review site, and no one had the right answers for me. i never break out in acne, i only used it for a normal skin regimen, and it messed my face all up! i had huge painful zits and i continued to use it for 2 weeks then gave up. it never helped. i even cut back on using it but every other day. it still irritated my pores. and my skin is normal. ive never had reactions to anything, other than this, but it did help with the blackheads on my nose,and your skin is a lot softer. but i would not recommend this product.
yea i hated it, and i rarely ever get breakouts i just wanted my face to get smoother and wanted to try it on my blackheads, but it didn’t work at all for me, i just bought the clean and clear blackhead eraser and i’m gunna try that and see if it works for my blackheads,and hopefully it’s way better than the wave.
I bought the Wave at Wal- mart and I have had the worse acne for 3 years and now its gone thanks to the wave my skin is softer and smoother. I actually glowed for the first time and I keep getting compliments on how good my skin looks. My dark circles have actually disappeared too. I am so happy with the results and I have been using it for only a week. I highly recommend it. Hope it works
I understand that the price of using the wave on a daily basis may seem a little steep, but it is honestly the best at home treatment I have ever used on my face. I do not have acne, but I seem to have permanent blackheads on the sides of my nose. Since using the wave I have NO blackheads, have not had a breakout once, and even my pores are noticeably smaller. Trust me the wave is amazing!
Hey. i hava a solution. i got my Wave about three months ago. I started using it, at the sink. It worked great completly cleared my skin. Then i started using it in the shower, in a month the vibrattions stopped. Here’s how to fix your Wave.
1. open battery compartment.
2.take battery out.
3. use a clean towel, wipe this inside of the compartment dry.
4.replace the battery with a new one, durrecell is best.
5.close this compartment.
6.turn the power button on.
7.there will be no vibrations, but just make sure its on.
8. go do something, and take the wave with you. After about 2 minutes of silence. Your Wave will turn on and start vibrating.
9.You can now use your Wave, if this happens again in a few weeks. Repeat step 6 and 7.
10. Remember to change your batteries when they go dead.
HOPE THIS HELPS!
AND WORKS FOR YOU!
TRY IT OUT!
Thanks, Chels
Neutrogena wave is a hottie hot hot. I love it it attracts guys and i am only seven cool
so i am thinking about buying it but i only have a problem with oily skin and i have a lot of the like under-the-skin pimples. they are just little bumps for a while but they hurt when pressure is put on them and usually will turn into pimples later. Does the wave get rid of those?
If you’re a teen, understand that acne doesn’t only come from dirty skin. Hormones and diet also play a large role. You should ask a dermatologist what you should avoid. For me it’s chocolate(I love chocolate). Also try to sleep regularly and not too late. If you sleep at very different times, then you have a good chance that you will break out which is why many people get acne while traveling on airplanes. As a teen, you can only hope that this product will reduce the amount of acne you have. There is no miracle solution that will zap pimples and give you super model skin. Hope this helps!
hey evryone im 13 nd i really wanna try th wave but i hav quite sensitive skin so im not sure if i shuld try it… HELP!! i dont hav acne [yet] but hav bumps and pimples on my face.. someone tell me if i shuld buy it or not??
Hey everybody
I’m thirteen years old and I have moderate acne not awful but ya I do get some on my chin, nose, and forehead.
I’m probably going to Target tonight to buy the Wave…
I’m kinda nervous about what the results are going to be but after reading most of the comments on this site, I’d say that I think its going to work well. Wish me luck!! -Jenna
i just bought the wave and it is the best product ive ever used. my skin feels and looks so much softerits unbelivable. THE WAVE ROX
Hi,
I’m 27, just got off accutane about 6 months ago due to nothing else helping my skin. Of course, I am one of the lucky few that will have to repeat the treatment because while my skin isn’t as bad, it’s kinda going back to where it started.
Anyways, that said, I also have super sensitive skin, with an oily and dry mix which doesn’t like moisturizer… I am allergic or have reactions to most products (I don’t burn in the sun or anything though) so I tend to buy things and they’ll either work for a few days or not at all. I purchased the Wave out of sheer desperation, I am vegan and Nutrogena is not a good company for vegans. However, I ran out of choices for my lifestyle and broke down and got one since everyone said the damned things actually worked.
What do you know, it does, which is shocking and I use mine twice a day since it’s supposed to be gentle enough for even that, so far so good. My bumpy whiteheads are gone, and my face is super smooth. I’ve still got some healing blemished areas which are going away quickly.
Due to the severity of my skin condition and how crazy I was going I put a little mini super regime together for my face for the time being. I start by using the wave, then using some of Biore’s heating deep pore cleanser (my brother gave me some to try), then I use the Bare Minerals Bare Vitamins stuff, spot on some Nutrogena Benzoyl Peroxide on the two biggies on my cheek, then use my Boscia moisturizer, so far so good everything is healing quickly.
The first night I got the wave I used it alone and it did help, I just had to get a little extreme because I couldn’t stand it anymore. Once things clear up I’ll update to just using the wave and let you know.
Oh and if anyone can recommend an excellent vegan cleanser I’d be interested in trying it (provided I’ve yet to do so). I’d like to use the wave itself but maybe make my own pads, you know, cruelty free stuff.
Cheers all!
i stopped using the wave, my skin cleared up! and i am now using noxema, the best thing out there on the market! i would recommend that stuff to anyone, my family used it while i was growing up, but i saw while researching about bumps on your forehead that someone said to try noxema, and it worked! never had a problem with them since! so if you have normal skin, try original noxema! works.
I’m 12 and have acne on my nose, chin, and forehead. i’m going to buy the wave tonight. I really hope it works!will keep my face clear for a long time if i use it on a daily basis? plz tell me!!
I just used the wave a little while ago. I love it! my face feels so clean! i really hope my acne goes away.will it keep it clear if i use it on a daily basis? how long will it take to see results? plz tell me every thing u know!
Hey guys, i heard alot of possitive comments on it so i decided wat the heck i’ll try the thing, but i tryed the predoes soap pads on the 1st time i used it, and it was great i got this thingly feeling in my skin but i decide on the next day to use my own skin care cleanser cuz i do not have that my zits and my skin was drying out from allt he sulfate in the soap, but with my own cleanser i felt like my face has been scrubbed raw, and my friend who also had this for a few weeks and threw it away said ur skin get so immuned to this. i only use this once a week with my own cleanser, and it is like a exfoiliator,u should break out alittle more after this because ur skin is revealng all the hidden acne.
but recently i got the clarisonic brush and i have to say every penny is worth it on that brush, i used it for 5 weeks every other day, and in the beggining i broke out alot because my skin was purging and then i had the softest skin and clean pores with i never did with the wave.
i used The Wave, but instead of experiencing the “positive” effects, my skin became extremely dry, its horrible.
but i do agree with the statement of it leaving soft skin
hey i am 16 turning 17 soon
i didn’t break out with acne till i was like 13 or 14 but it wasn’t as severe or anything like that
i got proactive out of desperation because my face started breaking out when got my period.. but when i used proactive it made my face sooo much WORSE rather than better xD
it had NO HELP WHATSOEVER and left DEEP, DARK SCARS on my face… hopefully the wave will help me… if not then i don’t know what i will do..
Lynette,
Not to be rude or anything but the stuff at the salon is way more expensive than what you can be over the counter. Some people don’t have the money for that.
You don’t have to pay $21 a month. Just try it for a week and if you life it than keep using it. If you don’t than stop. It’s not a huge deal.
I’ve been using the wave for about a week now. At first, I loved it. My skin was much softer and looked cleaner for the first few days. But now, I’m starting to get small red bumps…the kind that you see before it turns into a pimple…I’ve never had a problem with being allergic to soaps/cleansers, (with the exception of one specific type of clean and clear pads) but I think I’m allergic to this one. Does anyone know if there are unscented pads for this thing? I think that’s where my problem is. I’ve used others with salicylic acid and benzoyl peroxide and all that other stuff that everyone says irritates their skin and have never had a problem with it, so I think it’s the fragrance.
Maybe I’ll just use those small cotton pads that you get at Walmart for maybe 2 or 3 dollars and apply a cleanser that I know I’m not allergic to then apply the cotton pad onto the wave and use it that way.
I also agree that it’s hard to get into the corners and rounded areas. I would’ve thought it would’ve had some for soft squishy thing to help it contour to your face better, but I guess I was wrong…Maybe in a new version? Wave2? Wave Ultimate? I can see great potential in this product with a little more ingenuity and engineering.
this pice of shi* sucks a$$. it gave me a pimple on my lip and thats not even fu*kin possible!!! i only used it 4 times and guess how many MORE pimples i got??! 6!!! 6 fu*kin pimples. i swear to god neutragena i will hunt your a$$ down and make you pay for face surgery cuz i look like a fu*kin pizza!!! U SUCK GO TO HELL!!
I like the Wave, but there are some Pros & Cons to it.
First off, If you use it to much. You can like.. I don’t really know how to say it but it makes your skin kind of tender, makes you face turn red. I only used to wave twice in one day, and it gave me this burning rash on my cheeks.
It does make my face a lot softer, and I don’t have many zits on my face as I used to.
Just try not to use it a lot or your get that burning rash, and it sucks.
THIS PRODUCT DID NOT WORK!!!!! IT DOESN’T LATHER ONE BIT, AND IT DOESN’T CLEAR UP ACNE!!! Melina-
you are leading everyone to the wrong product. This is one of the worst I’ve tried!!! It does absolutely NOTHING to my skin and it is definitely not worth the money!!! BTW, GET A LIFE!! You reply ALL the time. No one cares what lies you tell them!!
Annisa-
Try Skin iD.
It’s personalized and is awesome!!! Go to their website!!!
As for everyone else-
I know it doesn’t lather AT ALL!!! It’s a total waste of money and time. It is just an expensive makeup remover.
Bottom Line-
DON’T SPEND YOUR TIME AND MONEY ON THIS PRODUCT!!!
everyone is complaining about the wave but you have to take into consideration the fact that alot of things get worse before they get better….you people who say your acne got worse need to understand that those pimples were going to come out eventually and that the wave is simply drawing out the problems so that it can successfully eliminate them….btw love this product!!! =)
~alyssa 15
Oh, I got WAVE not long ago, cause I heard so much about it. It made my skin feel so soft, just like that!
But, for my skin I like to just use hand soup like Dial(Thermatologist recommanded that Dial is the cheapest and the best cleansing product) everyday use, and twice a week I use WAVE.
I don’t want to over exfoliate my skin. But it works for me!
I have some acne, but mostly just lots of blackheads and HUGE pores. Can’t decide between the wave and clean&clear blackhead eraser. Does anyone know which works better? Don’t really like clean&clear products, but I’m desperate for something that works!
i stopped using the wave i am a model, and was told to just mask 2-3 times a week, and sure enough, all the bumps on my forehead finally went away, no thanks to the wave, it really sucked~! i never had acne either, you guys should try to mask for 10 min, if you have sensitive skin, dont use any with mint scents or strong odors, this is the best advice you will ever get if you get those damn bumps on ur forehead, now im stuck payin $1400 for training classes to be a model just to find that out, lmao.
do not get this product it turned my face red my face is now red puffy itchy red and it looks horible i hope target will take it back my friend said they wont just bc i used sum of the pads but i only used one per day like the box said to it also says it is soft enouf to use every day but wat ever also i say that they the pads have a strong floor cleaner in them so idk just dont get it is a waste of money
ok i made sum mistakes in the reply the box says it is gentle enouf for every day and i heard and did research on the floor cleaning thing
Im 13, and I was using Clearasil Ulrta Pads for 2 or 3 months, and now I just started using the wave. After the first two days, whenever I used the pads, my face would burn so badly around my chin that I almost started crying. Now I have a really bad rash and my skin keeps flaking up. I don’t want to go to school and I have no idea what to do. Will someone help me?
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