Is your face really clean after you cleanse? How do you know for sure?
Believe it or not, the answer isn’t so simple, and it may be part of the reason you keep breaking out.
While overwashing can cause problems, especially if you have dry skin, the newest trend -- double cleaning -- may actually become your best friend. Here’s why.
We wash our faces to remove dirt, makeup, dead skin, and more, right? We must keep our pores clear and breathing freely to prevent breakouts, blackheads, blemishes, irritation and other effects. But if you’re using a single cleanser, however, you’re likely only fighting half the battle.
Water-based cleansers are excellent, but they do not work on oil-based products like makeup. They also aren’t very effective in removing excess oil from your face.
Oil-based cleansers will do the trick when removing makeup, but they may leave you feeling a bit “slick” instead of giving you that satisfying post-cleanse matte freshness.
Enter double cleansing.
With this process, you wash your face first with an oil-based cleanser to dissolve and remove your makeup and/or grit, excess oils, sweat residue and the outer layer of impurities peppering your face. Then, you follow up with a water-based cleanser, which is suddenly far more effective because it has free access to penetrate your skin and deep clean your pores.
Simple, right? So, how do you know if double cleansing is a good idea for you?
First, if you have oily or combination skin, wear makeup and/or sunscreen, work out frequently, or simply sweat a lot, double cleansing should be on your “must-do” list. Ideally, you’ll do it morning and night. Even if you have drier skin, you may still be able to get at least some of the benefits by double cleansing once a day, at night.
Pay attention to how your skin responds, and if you need to cut down to once daily, then do so. Just be sure to splash your face with water and monitor your skin in the morning -- you only want to apply makeup to a clean, dry, face.
Ready to get started with double cleansing? Here are the basics.
1. Round 1 -- Oil Cleanser
Basic oil cleansers also include eye makeup removers, micellar waters, cream cleansers, balms cleansers. If you have dry skin, you will love cream cleansers because they are rich, dissolve makeup and sunscreen easily while they sit on your skin, and wipe away easily with a warm damp towel.
2. Round 2 -- Water-based Cleanser
This is where you pull out your favorite “regular” cleanser, whether its a foam, gel, cream, balm or even another oil-based product (if you have extremely dry skin). You can also use cleansers with built-in exfoliants, like combo wash/scrubs, or ones with active incredients like salicylic acid.
Don’t let budget break you down, however. If you’re in a pinch, just focus on finding solid products that can do the job. What’s important is making sure that your first cleanse dissolves and removes the outer layer of “muck” so that the second cleanse can do the real work on your skin. Even using the same cleanser twice will help you get closer to that goal, if need be.
Remember -- beautiful face is made first and foremost of beautiful skin. Love her right and she’ll glow for you endlessly!
