I had been wanting to try something from Origins for quite some time. I had read some great things about Checks and Balances so I picked up a tube from a blog sale. I've got to say though, this isn't my favorite cleanser, but I don't hate it either. I love the way that it lathers up so much and I love the smell also. But I don't like the 'tight' feeling that it leaves me with afterwards. I can't say anything about it's ability to take off makeup since I always take mine off before washing my face. Also, I don't have terrible acne but my skin certainly looks better when I'm using a face wash meant for acne-prone skin. There was a short period of time, maybe about two weeks, where I was only using this cleanser to wash my face and I noticed that I had started to break out more. I don't believe that this cleanser caused the breakouts though; I think it was the fact that I stopped using a medicated wash. Now, I use this face wash almost every day but I use it in conjunction with a medicated wash. Meaning, if I use this product in the morning, I will use a acne wash in the evening or if I use a acne wash in the morning, I will use this in the evening. Overall, it's a nice face wash but it seems too expensive for what it is. If I can ever find a cheap tube off of a blog sale again, I would repurchase, but not for it's normal price.

I got this as a sample tube in my Birchbox and I absolutely fell in LOVE. It smells okay (not bad but not good. it's tolerable) and didn't irritate my sensitive skin. it's fairly sudsy and really gets every smear of makeup off of my face. I wish this was available in the drug store or something because I hate that I have to order it online. It's a little pricy at 20$ for a tiny thing but I think it's worth it because it's so great.

This product was terrible for me. I used it for a couple of weeks and within the first few days I was already getting a pimples. I rarely get pimples but this product made me break out worse than I've had in 10 years. Just days after I stopped using it, my skin started clearing up. This product also made my skin really dry and flaky. Again, this was never a problem for my skin. My skin is still trying to get the moisture back. This was honestly the worst face wash I have ever tried. The only pro is that it lathers nicely.

So... There's so much I could say on this product.
For starters, the smell is absolutely fantastic! I always love facial cleansers that have that somewhat herbal, lemon, mint scent! It just seems to scream at me that it's all natural, and will do what it claims: Cleanse my skin! And the best part? It foams immensely! I had read the review on this product prior to purchasing it, so I was already partially informed on what was to be expected. But I was completely blown away when I actually washed my face with it. It smelled fantastic, it foamed nicely, in which I could actually feel it deep within my pores, and then it washed away relatively quick and easily, unlike other cleansers which stick to your skin, or leave behind those irritating exfoliant beads.
Secondly, I adore the packaging. It's simple and neat, with their brand logo on the front, and the name of the product below. I enjoy how the color of the font is in a beautiful green color, which makes it more attractive, for what ever reasons are unknown to me.
And lastly, the price. Most would complain that $20.00 is a lot for a 5 oz. bottle, but I believe that it was worth every penny! I purchased my cleanser at the Navy Exchange, so there was a military discount for me, which made it only $16! It thoroughly helped balance out my oil, helped clean deep within my pores, and helped get my skin back to it silky softness!
Oh golden days are back again!

this leaves your skin oh so soft it smells delightful! i love this stuff. it's amazing. i had to go backand get the fullsize b/c i adore itsomuch, i got the united state tonic as well.

I really wanted this to work- the blurb on the back of the bottle sounds so perfect! Ive given it a good go, have been using it every day and its nearly all gone now. Buts it has dried out my skin so badly AND made my spots worse :( Needless to say I wont be buying this again and im sad I wasted my money on such an expensive product. Oh well.

This product is the equivalent of toothpaste for my skin- white, foamy, and leaves it feeling squeaky clean. Seriously... squeaky clean. I have super dry skin, so I am not sure why I was given a free sample of this one.
I must admit, I don't actually use Origins' stuff, but I do drop off my expired/used up/hated cosmetics to be recycled there- and it's absolutely awesome that they have that program. Anyway, when I drop off my products I tend to get a lovely freebie from the girls there, and this was the last one I netted.
Anyway, for me it strips too many of those important skin oils and causes my skin to react defensively, trying to rebalance itself. I do like the thick white moussey texture, but I won't buy this one.

I have combination/dry skin that is super sensitive and this cleanser has worked pretty well so far! I used to break out every 2 weeks, but now I only breakout during the ''bad time'' of the month.I like that it leaves my skin feeling literally squeeky clean, the smell is divine, and the foaming action you get out of barley any product is amazing. I would say as a suggestion though to remove your makeup before hand with a makeup remover because cream cleansers in general will not be able to penetrate your skin while trying to remove your makeup. This really product is for combination skin, any oil I used to get on my nose, and the dry patches on my cheeks are gone!

I got this as part of a free gift. This is the rare product from Origins that I don't really love. Its a very thick and foamy cleanser, does not remove makeup, cleanses pretty well.

I've been using this product for a very long time. 3 years?
It's a great cleanser because it's tailored for combination skin.
People probably don't like it because they aren't combination.
Nevertheless, this is a great cream cleanser.
Doesn't strip the skin of it's essential oils and doesn't dry it out either.
Definitely a great product.

I have normal t-zone and little dry at the cheeks area and this cleanser is dry my skin out. I feel tight all over my face after used. It remove makeup,dirt very well but not for my skintype. This cleanser will suited people with cobination/oily skin better. This is not a bad cleanser for others but for myself it not good.

If you noticed, I choose not to purchase this product again. And that is for one reason: It's for COMBINATION skin. The all caps may be misleading; I'm not angry, but this product is truly not for oily or dry skin. I, myself. have dry skin. I actually question the sales associate if this product suit well with my dry skin and she advised me to use the "A Perfect World" instead. I dismissed this advice because all of the great reviews. Despite this product not being designed for my particular skin type, this product is awesome. The minty scent wakes you up in the morning and its rich lather is just right. And another thing: it's natural. No parabens! The only thing is that there are sulfates. Nonetheless, I highly recommend this product to those who have combination and are a search for wholesome ingredients.

I bought this whilst on holiday in America and I am completely obsessed! It smells amazing, lathers up really well, so you don't need a lot and leaves my skin completely clean.
It takes off makeup and leaves my skin not too dry (I use A Perfect World toner and moisturiser afterwards) my skin has been glowing and I feel it really has prevented breakouts. I look forward to washing my face morning and night, IN LOVE.

Checks and balances is a good cleanser for combination skin that is not in the least bit hormonal. It doesn't have a lot of preservatives but it isn't completely organic. $19.50 for this 5 oz cleanser is pretty affordable and you need only a pea size amount to get a rich foam. This cleanser really does what it claims, it absorbs excessive oil while not stripping the oil your skin might need in the drier areas. It controlled my oily tzone and didnt give me dry spots at all. Unfortunately for me my skin is hormonal and need something that cleanses a little deeper.

I got this sample in my Birchbox a few months ago and I decided to try it out after running our of my Clean & Clear Morning Burst cleanser that i usually wash my makeup off with. I should have probably stopped after using it the first time because as soon as i rinsed it out, i noticed this film, weird layer on my face. I noticed that my face was unusually dry after washing as well. I continued using it for a few more days thinking my face would get used to the product but instead I kept on waking up with a dry face, pimples, and worst of all a rash. I have stopped using this and hoping this clears up. Went out and got my C&C. I'm not straying ever AGAIN! continued >>

I used this entire bottle. I loved the suds, because it made it easier to wash my face with the tiniest amount and made my bottle last longer than any other cleansing product I've used.

Unfortunately, the last few months I used it I realized I wasn't a big fan. While it's super frothy, I feel like it's not cleaning my face. It would smear around left over makeup, which made me wonder if it even removed dirt or oils. Worst of all for me was the feeling left after washing. It leaves a "squeaky clean" skin feeling, which is completely artificial because I get that same residue-like feeling on my hands. Is just not what I want in a cleanser, so I replaced it with FAB's cleanser, which actually removes my make up and leaves my skin feeling naturally bare.

Huge fan of Origins, but this was a miss for me personally. It's an average cleanser, but on the plus side purchasing the full size will last you for months and months.

This is nice cleanser. I received a sample size in the Birchbox and I think it'll last me for a long time because a little of this goes a long way.
Pros: It lathers beautifully and one of the few cleansers I've ever used where I don't feel like I need to wash my face a second time.
Con: It does have a soapy cleanser after feel.
Overall, I like the cleanser.

I recieved this in my January Birch Box, and with my sensitive skin i was very skeptical. My cheeks are normal while my T-zone is oily and the area between my brows in flaky. I decided to use this on a whim, and the next morning my skin didnt feel too greasy and my acne redness was considerable less. I ve onoly been using it for 2 days so i cant say if it is really great or really bad, but thus far its a very nice cleanser.

Not for me. Does lather really well and skin feels more matte. I felt like my skin was getting better, but stopped and was breaking out again :(

This is my favorite cleanser. Ive been using it for years. It lathers nicely, smells good, and really gets all my makeup off. The thing I love most though is the fact that it does not leave your face feeling tight or dry as some cleansers tend to do. One bottle lasts a really long time. It has a minty smell so it wakes me up in the morning too :)