There are a lot of cleansers out there - from facial washes to foams, lotions to cleansing waters...and let's face it, they all do the same thing: remove dead skin cells, dirt, make-up and excess oil. You just have to find what works best for your skin.
Before using your cleanser, gently pinch the skin around your eyebrows, just below them, along and above your cheekbones and jawline to flush excess fluids away as well as to get an instant glow. For another added benefit, gently stroke the skin in these spots in outwards motions to keep wrinkles at bay. Remember to wash your hands and moisturise them before starting your routine too! It does not really matter whether you do this before or after pinching your face as you are going to cleanse afterwards.
Cleansing is usually the first step of daily skincare routines (you should not cleanse after exfoliating though, use a facial mask instead - find out more here - unless you exfoliate in the morning and cleanse in the evening) and nowadays eliminates the need for make-up removers, unless you wear stubborn or heavy make-up in which case it is best to use a special type of remover after cleansing, particularly for the eyes. It should not remove your natural moisture, yet should make your skin a little taught; this feeling tells you the cleanser has removed the oils on the surface that collect bacteria and dirt, however if this feeling lasts for more than ten minutes, you should find a milder cleanser as it has probably dried out your skin (this feeling is also heightened when using toner and is why you should not use it).
Do you remember these Hello Kitty soaps from my previous post? Well, this is why, sadly, you should avoid them. Surprisingly, bars of soap actually do more bad than good! They have thickeners in which will clog your pores and can remove natural oils that your skin uses to form a barrier against losing moisture (your skin might then overproduce oil to make up for the loss); both of these can lead to possible breakouts. Your skin's natural pH balance is usually around 4.7, whilst a bar soap's pH is 9 or 10, so you can see how this will increase acne-causing bacteria - yuck!
The best way to use a cleanser is as follows: firstly, before using your cleanser, splash your face with lukewarm water and stick to this temperature regularly (even if using a cleansing water, as the warmth from the tap water helps with more stubborn make-up, plus changing temperatures often can shock the skin) - and if you are like me then a cold shock in the morning is not a pleasant thing so any excuse to use warm water is a saviour. Then dab the cleanser all over your face and use soft swipes in an upwards direction (circular or flat) to wipe it away towards the sides of your face (these actions are said to prevent or delay sagging and wrinkles) in the order you put it on your face, because then the cleanser will have had time to absorb a little bit of the surface dirt, but avoid letting cleansers sink in too much or deliberately as they can actually cleanse less by doing this. Finally, if needed, rinse off with warm water (obviously not needed when using cleansing water).
As you probably know, there are different cleansers for each skin type. Normal skin is best off using cleansing waters, but of course anything can work really. Dry skin should use creamy cleansing lotions, combination or oily skin will thank you for using gel-like facial washes and sensitive skin needs to use special cleansers like waters, foams or something that is really gentle. But no matter what your skin type, avoid facial wipes. The texture of the wipe itself can be quite harsh when you swipe it across your face (so if you must use wipes, avoid using them on and around the eyes) and they usually contain harsher chemicals than bottled cleansers.
And there you go! A guide to cleansing. Thank you for reading; until next time~
Love, Miss Emma-Lily xx
Cleansing is usually the first step of daily skincare routines (you should not cleanse after exfoliating though, use a facial mask instead - find out more here - unless you exfoliate in the morning and cleanse in the evening) and nowadays eliminates the need for make-up removers, unless you wear stubborn or heavy make-up in which case it is best to use a special type of remover after cleansing, particularly for the eyes. It should not remove your natural moisture, yet should make your skin a little taught; this feeling tells you the cleanser has removed the oils on the surface that collect bacteria and dirt, however if this feeling lasts for more than ten minutes, you should find a milder cleanser as it has probably dried out your skin (this feeling is also heightened when using toner and is why you should not use it).
Do you remember these Hello Kitty soaps from my previous post? Well, this is why, sadly, you should avoid them. Surprisingly, bars of soap actually do more bad than good! They have thickeners in which will clog your pores and can remove natural oils that your skin uses to form a barrier against losing moisture (your skin might then overproduce oil to make up for the loss); both of these can lead to possible breakouts. Your skin's natural pH balance is usually around 4.7, whilst a bar soap's pH is 9 or 10, so you can see how this will increase acne-causing bacteria - yuck!
The best way to use a cleanser is as follows: firstly, before using your cleanser, splash your face with lukewarm water and stick to this temperature regularly (even if using a cleansing water, as the warmth from the tap water helps with more stubborn make-up, plus changing temperatures often can shock the skin) - and if you are like me then a cold shock in the morning is not a pleasant thing so any excuse to use warm water is a saviour. Then dab the cleanser all over your face and use soft swipes in an upwards direction (circular or flat) to wipe it away towards the sides of your face (these actions are said to prevent or delay sagging and wrinkles) in the order you put it on your face, because then the cleanser will have had time to absorb a little bit of the surface dirt, but avoid letting cleansers sink in too much or deliberately as they can actually cleanse less by doing this. Finally, if needed, rinse off with warm water (obviously not needed when using cleansing water).
As you probably know, there are different cleansers for each skin type. Normal skin is best off using cleansing waters, but of course anything can work really. Dry skin should use creamy cleansing lotions, combination or oily skin will thank you for using gel-like facial washes and sensitive skin needs to use special cleansers like waters, foams or something that is really gentle. But no matter what your skin type, avoid facial wipes. The texture of the wipe itself can be quite harsh when you swipe it across your face (so if you must use wipes, avoid using them on and around the eyes) and they usually contain harsher chemicals than bottled cleansers.
And there you go! A guide to cleansing. Thank you for reading; until next time~
Love, Miss Emma-Lily xx
Hey!
ReplyDeleteI've nominated you for the Liebster Award, find all the questions here!
http://wink-beauty.blogspot.co.uk/2014/04/liebster-award-again.html
Hannah xo
Wink Beauty
Aww, thank you so much! I shall accept the award and write a post about it as soon as I can! I like the Harry Potter question. :)
Delete-Emma-Lily xx