Facial Cleansing 101

When it comes to facial cleansing do you ever wonder if you’re doing it right? Most of us have grown up with the orders to “Wash your face and hands and clean your teeth”. Twice-yearly visits to the dentist probably have you flossing and brushing with the proper technique, but who’s there to supervise your facial cleansing habits?

The fact is that many of us don’t spend enough time or use the right products to cleanse our faces properly. Regular soap will likely irritate your skin and plain water won’t remove make-up and dirt. So what’s the right facial cleansing procedure? Just 3 basic steps and you’re done:

Step 1: Apply a make-up remover/oil based cleanser. These are specially designed to break down oilier make-up and excess oil on skin. Massage into skin, paying special attention to areas that are oily, congested or contain make-up. A product like La Roche Posay Physiological Eye Make-up Remover is gentle enough for the most sensitive of skin. View all make-up removers here. (If you don’t wear make-up or your skin is very dry, you may be able to skip this step)

Step 2: Wet your hands with water and work in with make-up remover/cleanser from Step 1. Rinse skin thoroughly with tepid water.

Step 3: Wash skin with a cleanser suited to your skin type. If skin is oily, you may want to select an exfoliating wash that contains alpha hydroxy acids (AHAs) or beta hydroxy acid (salicylic acid). Choose from a range including M2 Exfoliating Cleanser or Neostrata Oil Free Foaming Cleanser. View our full range of cleansers here.

The benefits of a proper facial cleansing aren’t just to remove make-up and debris that may clog pores, lead to breakouts and accentuate fine lines and wrinkles. A well cleansed face also will better absorb serums and treatments that you may need to keep your face looking its very best.