Choosing a cleanser, to suit your needs
Our skin is a living, breathing organ and is the first and most obvious sign of a good cleansing routine.
If you use a cleanser that your skin doesn't like, your face will quickly feel taut and uncomfortable, and your complexion will look flaky, shiny or even dull and grey.
That's why old-fashioned soap and water just aren't good enough.
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Normal soap (the kind you wash your hands with) has a different pH balance to the skin on your face and neck, so it can disturb the skin's defenses and cause irritation.
"Your skin's pH balance is 5.5 — products with higher or lower pH balances will distress your skin and cause dryness, oiliness or blemishes"
Cleansers that are specially designed for facial skin are a better option and, with such a wide range on the market, you shouldn't have a problem finding one that helps you look and feel really clean.
Skin type is an important factor when choosing a cleanser, but don't forget personal preference - if it feels good on your skin, it's more likely to suit your needs.
Special Ingredients
Different ingredients benefit different skin types.
When you're shopping for cleanser, look for these on the label:
DRY SKIN:
Look for milk proteins, which effectively 'seal' in water and help to keep dehydrated skin feeling moist.
SENSITIVE SKIN:
Look for camomile, which has soothing, anti-inflammatory properties.
OILY SKIN:
Look for witch hazel, which is used in skincare products for its astringent and oil-reducing properties.
NORMAL SKIN:
Look for sweet almond oil, which effectively dissolves grime and also gently moisturises the face.
COMBINATION SKIN:
Use products with witch hazel on your oily T-zone and products for dry, normal or sensitive skin elsewhere.
Muslin Wash Clothes
This weave exfoliates make-up and leaving skin feeling fresh and hygienic and effective than a flannel, can harbor bacteria and dirt.
Cotton Wool Pads
The classic way to wipe away cleanser. They work better if dampened, as dry cotton wool is more likely to leave strands behind.
Organic cotton wool is best and is worth paying extra for, because cotton fields are sprayed with chemicals, which could be transferred to your skin.
Cleaner Types
- Cream
- Milk / Lotion
- GEL
- LIQUID
- FOAMING WASH
- wipe
- BAR
Formula:
A rich formula - usually a combination of oil and water - that feels thick and creamy on the skin.
Melts away make-up and grime; very moisturizing.
Can leave a residue if not cleansed away thoroughly
Best for dry skin type
Cleansing Routine For Your Face
Fresh, clean skin is the basis of a beautiful face - get your cleansing routine right and your skin will glow with good health.
If your skin feels sticky after you've cleansed, you haven't washed your cleanser off properly
The biggest favor you can ever do for your skin is to cleanse it properly.
A regular cleansing routine:
- last thing at night and first thing in the morning - removes the dirt, sweat, make-up, pollution, dead skin cells and bacteria that coat your complexion, block your pores and result in whiteheads, blackheads, dryness, oiliness and blemishes.
- Plus, proper cleansing enables your skin to renew itself more quickly, giving you a radiant glow.
- It also ensures that your skin is more receptive to moisturizers, toners and other facial treatments.
Do I really need to cleanse in the morning, as well as before I go to bed?
Surely I haven't picked up any grime overnight?
Cleansing before you go to bed is most important, as your face is coated in the daily grime.
You don't need to spend so much time cleansing in the morning, but don't skip it.
While you sleep, your skin is active, producing sebum and shedding dead skin cells.
So if you don't cleanse when you get up, your make-up will go over the top of already blocked pores, inevitably resulting in spots.
Anyway, cleansing softens your skin, preparing the way for moisturizer and make-up.
How to Cleanse
Before you begin, make sure you have clean hands and pull your hair back off your face. In the steps below, we use a cream cleanser, but the same technique can be used with gels, foaming facial washes and cleansing bars.
Warming them in your hands first makes them easier to smooth over your skin
Smooth a small blob of cleanser onto your cheeks and sweep up and out towards the hairline (where make-up can build up).
Avoid the sensitive eye area, but don't forget the neck and behind the ears, which often get neglected.
Now use the pads of your fingers to gently massage cleanser into your face and neck.
This helps to dislodge deep-seated grime and it stimulates the flow of blood and oxygen to the skin's surface, giving your complexion a healthy flush.
Using a muslin wash cloth or soft face towel that's been dipped in warm water and wrung out, gently wipe cleanser away.
Sweep it over the face using brisk, circular movements. This will help to exfoliate away any remaining impurities.
To ensure that all traces of your cleanser have been removed (residue can block the pores and cause spots).
Gently wipe your face with cotton wool pads soaked in cool (but not icy) water.
This also acts as a refreshing skin toner.
Handy tips on using your cleaner
The way conventional facial cleansers are formulated is to give you that squeaky, clean feeling when you use them but that feeling means that you've actually drawn too much moisture out of the skin.
With natural facial cleansers you're lifting away the dirt and debris but you're leaving the natural oils in the skin that keep it balanced and hydrated and prevent aging.
Natural Skincare Cleansers can be concealed soap based, coconut based, any kind of oil based and that may be counter-intuitive as to how we think about cleansing the skin but, in fact, uh, like attracts like, and oil is the ONLY thing that can remove access oil and dirt from the skin.
In fact, water is NOT able to remove dirt that's trapped in oil in the skin, so, oil-based natural cleansers are some of the best kind that you can use.
When you are shopping for a natural face cleanser, make sure that it is 100% natural because there are a lot of products out there that are marketed as natural facial cleansers but they still contain the same sulfates and detergents that conventional cleansers contain that are actually going to over dry or irritate the skin.
