The Essential Guide To Cleansing Your Face Effectively

Ladies and gentlemen. MOST people get this wrong. I know, I know. You’re probably thinking:

“We’re all adults here! How can people still not be cleansing their skin properly?”

Well, I’m here to tell you that most people don’t. A large majority of people are not, and do not cleanse their skin effectively. You’re probably wondering how I know this. For starters, until I became a working skin practitioner, neither did I! My skin cleansing was poor. I was lazy and very slap dash. I wanted to get in and out of the bathroom, but this really wasn’t the best thing for my skin.

In addition to my own personal experience, I also have clinical experience and have had thousands of conversations about skin regimes. The truth is, cleansing your skin effectively may be the difference between having the skin you want and continued skin health or having skin you aren’t happy with and poor skin health.

Why is cleansing the skin effectively so important?

Cleaning the skin is first step of an effective skin care regime. It’s important because:

• ?It’s the skin first defence against dust, debris and impurities
• Removing makeup from the skin is necessary
• Cleansing the skin increases hydration, maintains pore size and removes excess oil from the skin
• Cleansing the skin also helps the skins natural process of shedding also known as desquamation.

Cleansing your skin effectively has many benefits but it’s also a really nice part in the day where you can spend 2 minutes (hint, hint!) practising self-care and being kind to your body.

So how do I cleanse my skin effectively?

The first thing to really ensure that you get right is using the right cleanser for your skin type and condition. Texture, ingredients, formulations and matching those elements to your skin needs is crucial. If this step is not completed correctly, it has a huge impact on how effective the rest of your skin regime will be. There are thousands of cleansers on the market, it’s important to use brands that work for you. Clinical trials, ethical practice and the scientific basis for formulations are all important factors to consider when choosing a brand to use for your skin, The sustainability of your consistency with your skin regime often depends on this. If in doubt speak to a professional.

Do I need any tools?

This is a frequently asked question, and the answer is:

Your hands are the best tools God gave you

Ensure that you wash your hands before you start washing your face to prevent cross contamination by not introducing bacteria to the face that may be present on your hands. The only other tool that you may want to use is a cotton flannel or a reusable face pad. Please ensure that you use a new flannel every day as its best to prevent a build-up of bacteria on the flannel and transferring bacteria to your face. Hygiene is a very important factor in effectively cleansing your face.

What process do I need to follow?

Generally, it's important to ensure that you have the right cleanser, clean hands and/or a flannel and you use tepid to warm water.?

Step 1

It’s usually better to start working cleanser in wet hands so that the first step. Wet your hands and put the correct amount of cleanser into your palm. If you use a gel or cream cleanser, the amount should be roughly the size of a 5 pence piece. The key here is to not use too much cleanser. This often happens when your cleanser can be poured in a freehand way. Ensure that you buy cleansers that can be dispensed in measurements. Pumps and squeezes are great as long as you can control the mount of product the leaves it’s packaging.

Step 2

Work the cleanser into your skin, pay attention to your cheeks, forehead, cheek, chin and t-zone. Ensure that you cleanse onto your ears and down your neck and on the décolleté. Cleansing the face should take 2 minutes as you need time to work the product in and the skin. Your cleanser needs to be in contact with your skin for 2 minutes for the ingredients in the cleanser to work effectively.?

If you cleanse your skin in the shower, you can lather the cleanser into the skin in all the areas mentioned above and leave it on your face whilst washing other parts of your body in the shower. This is a great way to use your shower time effectively. Be sure to avoid your eyes when you apply your cleanser.

Step 3

Once your cleanser has been applied onto the skin and used for the appropriate amount of time use tepid water to cleanse the skin. The temperature of the water you use to cleanse your skin is important. It must not be too hot. Water that is too hot strips the skin of its essential oil and water balance. A general rule of thumb is if you are a person who likes to take really hot showers, turn the temperature down by ‘two’ (whatever that ‘two’ is to make a marked difference).

If you cleanse your skin in the sink and use a flannel to remove product, the same water temperature applies. Wet the flannel, wring out the water and remove your cleanser. Repeat this step to ensure that you have removed all makeup and impurities from the skin. Once you have completed this step and patted your skin dry, you can move on to the next step in your regime.

Often cleansing your face is the part of the regime that is often taken for granted but it is a crucial step and the first best step for your skin. Cleansing your skin effectively and consistently gives your skin the opportunity to do its best work. Preparing the skin for the rest of your regime is the start of a successful skin journey. Don’t overlook it and don’t underestimate the power of effectively cleansing your skin. Be kind to your body and be kind to your skin.