Washing your face is a no-brainer, right? Well, not exactly. A recent study by Olay found that only 50% of women wash their face regularly. And even if you are among the half that does, most are not using the correct product rinsing properly, or treating their skin with the TLC it deserves. Read on and discover the secrets to proper face cleansing and watch your skin glow!
1. Treat Your Eyes With Care
Before you can start washing, you need to remove makeup — or else the cleanser can’t really reach your skin. If you’re left with raccoon eyes after washing, you need to take the extra step of dissolving mascara and other eye makeup. To remove eye makeup use a vegetable oil-based cleanser, such as Dermalogica PreCleanse, or an eye makeup remover. These oil-based products liquefy stubborn liner and makeup without rubbing or tugging on the delicate eye skin. And with your mascara down the drain, your cleanser can really do its job on the rest of your face.
King offers up her technique for gently wiping away eye makeup: put cleanser on a damp cotton pad, lightly press it on the eye area and wait a few seconds, and then sweep the cotton pad down over the eyelid and eyelashes (this is also the best way to prevent makeup from getting into the eye). Repeat as needed, circling in towards nose but always sweeping down over the lashes. Open the eye, fold the cotton pad, and gently swipe under the eye. Rinse off the makeup remover to get rid of residue.
2. Choose Your Cleanser Wisely
The first step to achieving clean, dewy skin is finding the right cleanser (and yes, you do need to use something besides just water). Your cleanser doesn’t need to be expensive, but it does need to be gentle and preferably non-foaming. “The majority of body soaps and liquid soaps are very drying on the skin. The face needs something that’s less drying and more gentle,” King says. The type of cleanser that is best for you depends on your skin type. “Oily skin tends to do better with a gel wash, which helps dissolve oil, makeup, and sunscreen,” says Jessica Wu, MD, assistant clinical professor of dermatology at USC Medical School and a dermatologist in Los Angeles. We recommend Glytone Acne Gel. If you have normal skin, use a foaming lotion cleanser, like Elta MD Foaming Facial Cleanser. If your skin is dry or sensitive try a gentle creamy cleanser – PCA Skin Creamy Cleanser is our favorite!
3. Rub Your Skin the Right Way
For a gentle but thorough cleansing, your best tools are at your fingertips — in fact, they are your fingertips. “Your fingers do a terrific job and can actually provide a light massage during your cleanse that can stimulate circulation and promote lymphatic drainage,” says Jill Bucy, owner of Jill Bucy Skincare in Seattle. While over-washing and over-scrubbing can irritate sensitive skin, make redness and rosacea worse, and aggravate breakouts, some facialists do use facial sponges to help cleanse more thoroughly without the abrasiveness of a scrub or washcloth. This is especially helpful for acne-prone skin, which tends to get clogged, says Dr. Wu.
The SkinMedix Team are fans of the Clarisonic Skincare Brush. It cleans with sonic waves to gently exfoliate and it beeps at intervals to ensure you spend enough time washing each section of your face. (Click here to learn about the new Clarisonic Aria!) If you don’t invest in a brush, Dr. Scola recommends singing “Happy Birthday” to yourself twice while applying cleanser, which should roughly come out at 30 seconds.
4. Keep Things Lukewarm
When you are done cleansing, rinse thoroughly and repeatedly to remove cleanser, using your hands to cup water and bring it to your face. Experts recommend using tepid or lukewarm water to remove your cleanser. Water that’s too hot or too cold will only irritate skin and could cause broken capillaries.
5. Don’t Stop at the Sink
Cleaning involves more than just cleanser! Wash your hands thoroughly before you begin washing your face. And resist the urge to dry your face with the family hand towel that’s been hanging over the rack for several days. Bacteria can breed on the towel and be transferred to your clean, dewy face. When drying your face, Bucy urges you to be gentle and pat your face dry, as opposed to rubbing it with a towel. Use a soft, clean cloth that you only use on your face.
Washing your face is a part of your daily routine, but are you doing it the right way?
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