Cleansing your face is the first step in your home care routine, and I think it is the most important. This is to not be overlooked. It sets the foundation for beautiful skin.
What to Look for in a Cleanser
Your cleanser should be formulated for the facial skin. Do not use bar soap or body wash on your face, they tend to have a higher ph and are drying to the skin. They strip the skin of its natural oils and disrupt the barrier. Face wash should be ph balanced as to not over dry your skin and should contain gentle plant derived surfactants.
My favorite type of cleanser to use at night is a cream based cleanser such as Replenish Cream Cleanser.
Cream based cleansers remove makeup and sunscreen while leaving conditioning oils on the skin. They are formulated to emulsify with the oils in your skin care products, while rinsing the skin off clean. They do not strip your skin of its own natural oils and are great for dry and dehydrated skin.
For more oily skin, a gentle gel based cleanser such as Gentle Cleanser, will leave your skin clean and balanced. If you have oily skin and tend to wear a lot of makeup, performing a double cleanse with a cream based cleanser first then following with a gel cleanser, will give you the best cleanse and keep your pores clean.
Cleansing Should be Done Both Morning and Night
Some people think that since they washed their skin at night, they don’t have to wash again in the morning. Or they are too tired to wash at night so they skip their nighttime facial routine all together. Here are the reasons that I think cleansing is a must in the morning and at night regardless of what skin type you have.
- At night you tend to use products that contain oils. If you don’t remove them in the morning that can impede the penetration of active serums (vitamin C, antioxidants) used in the morning.
- If you use AHA’s or retinol containing products at night, you’ll want to make sure that they are completely removed in the morning. These are products that should only be used at night because they can make your skin more prone to sun sensitization.
- At night your skin regenerates and detoxifies. It is important to cleanse your skin of the waste products as well as excess oil it excretes at night to ensure your pores stay clear. For me this is the biggest reason to cleanse in the morning. I see this in a lot of my clients that have congested pores, they are only cleansing once a day. Once they switch to twice a day cleansing, their pores clear up.
- Cleansing your face at night is essential to remove makeup, oil, pollution and sunscreen. It also sets your skins foundation to be able to receive the benefits of the next products applied. At night your skin repairs and regenerates, which is why using powerful products with vitamins, antioxidants, peptides and nurturing oils is beneficial to assist in the process of repair.
Is Oil Cleansing Good for the Skin?
To put it blank, I am not a fan. I tried it, and I ended up at the dermatologist office thinking that I had a rash on my face only for him to tell me that it was acne. I’m an aesthetician and know what acne looks like, but my skin was a mess and I couldn’t tell what was going on.
For starters, it takes too long. You also need to use a wash cloth, which I don’t recommend to use on the skin. Not to mention the extra laundry it makes. It strips your skin too much of its own natural oils and can be harsh on the face. I also don’t think that it really cleanses your skin well. Hence, my acne experience. It can leave an oily film on your face which will block beneficial ingredients in serums from penetrating. I love the way my skin feels and looks from using a proper facial cleanser and I didn’t like how it looked or felt from oil cleansing.
Are Facial Wipes Good to Use?
Similar to oil cleansing, I am not a fan of this either. I feel like this method just smears your makeup and sunscreen all over your face and doesn’t thoroughly cleanse. The facial wipes also leave a film on your skin of the ingredients that are in wipes. These wipes are generally made up of chemicals and fragrances, both of which should not be left on the skin. I don’t believe that you get a thorough cleanse from this method and it certainly doesn’t leave your skin clean enough for the active ingredients in creams and treatment products to work effectively.
Is Micellar Water Good For Cleansing?
I feel just the same on this method as I do makeup wipes. I don’t think that it works as well as a good facial cleanser and I think that a lot of these waters are made up of ingredients that I wouldn’t recommend being left on the skin.
How to Properly Cleanse Your Skin
- Tie your hair away from your face.
- Wash your hands.
- Use warm water, not hot.
- If your using a gel cleanser, splash your skin with water then apply a dime size amount to your hands and gently massage your skin in small circular movements all over your face, neck and decollate. Pay extra attention to the sides of the nose and chin, where clogged pores tend to occur. Take your time with this. You want to really work the cleanser into your skin. Removing by splashing your skin with warm water until all traces of cleanser is off your skin. Pat dry.
- If your using a cream cleanser, apply this to dry skin first. Gently massage into face, neck and decollate. Apply some warm water to your hands and emulsify the cleanser by using a small circular pattern all over the face with damp hands. Remove with a soft, warm, wet cloth. Pat dry.
Final Thoughts
Personally, I use a cream cleanser at night and a gel cleanser in the morning in the shower. I find that this works really well at keeping my pores clear and my skin balanced. When I travel, I just bring my Gentle Cleanser (gel based) with me because it’s so easy to use. I hope that this article inspires you to cleanse both morning and night. By following these steps, it sets up your foundation to healthy, beautiful skin.