Why Face Cleansing is very important?

BASIC SKINCARE STEPS SERIES: CLEANSING

I’m sure all of you out there know that one of the most important basic steps in a skincare routine is cleansing. Even those who do not have a routine clean their face at least when they take a shower. But, did you know that cleansing can be one of the most damaging part of a skincare routine? When it’s not done the right way using the right products, cleansing can over strip your skin, damaging your skin barrier moisture. A compromised moisture barrier can lead to redness, flakiness, tightness, roughness and increased breakouts. Definitely something we all do not look forward to!  

Cleansing is usually the most straight forward step in a skincare routine but it is an essential step that prepares our skin for the next steps in our routine. If not done properly, think of all the dirt and oil accumulation on the surface of your skin! Yikes! 

Why Cleansing is important

Our skin goes through a lot throughout the day. We are exposed to so much, even if we stay indoors all the time our skin still produces oil and sweat that need to be cleansed off, not to mention dead skin cells too. Oil and smoke from the kitchen, pollution from outside, second hand smoke, dirt, debris and makeup are just some of the things that are left on our skin when we are running around doing the things we do during the day or night. These things need to be removed or cleansed from our skin so that our skin can be clean and healthy. 

Cleansing skin is part of maintaining good personal hygiene and is critical in maintaining healthy skin. When skin is not cleansed, it will be covered with a thick layer of dirt and grime and will make it difficult and ineffective for other products to penetrate the skin properly. Excessive buildup of dirt and oil will lead to blockage of skin pores, trapping all those nasties causing inflammation and serious breakouts. Not only that, the skin would appear dirty, oily, greasy, dull, and just ew. 

There is just so much information out there on how we should clean our skin. Some swear by micellar water, doing a double cleanse, using makeup wipes, cleansing tools, plain water, hot water, cold water, once a day, twice a day…the list goes on. In this post I’d like to highlight the classic tried and true act of cleansing using a wash off face cleanser product. 

About Skin

Our skin is protected by what is called the acid mantle, the protective barrier on the surface of skin made up of sweat, skin oils and dead skin cells. It protects our skin from bacteria, fungi, viruses, environmental pollutants as well as maintains the integrity of our skin’s moisture barrier and microbiome (healthy bacteria that live on our skin). Now this acid mantle has a pH range of 4-7 and can be disrupted by many things including cleansers! Generally, the higher the pH of something the more it disrupts the acid mantle and therefore the moisture barrier. A disruption of the skin moisture barrier can have negative effects such as inflammation, atopic dermatitis, dehydrated skin, dry skin and acne. 

In order to maintain skin barrier integrity, it is advised that a gentle pH balanced cleanser is used. pH balanced means similar to skin pH which is 4.5-5.5, and is in the range of 4-7. This isn’t an issue these days since most commercial products out there are pH balanced anyway although there are some products out there that are outside the pH balanced range of 4-7. Furthermore, skin barrier disruption is inevitable BUT your skin is amazing! It can easily remedy mild disruptions in pH and balance itself, with the exception of those suffering from conditions such as eczema. In any case extremes are never a good thing so never opt for strongly acidic or alkaline cleansers. 

One of the sign that your cleanser might be too harsh for your skin is when your skin feels tight and dry after cleansing or as they say “squeaky clean”. This means that the acid mantle has been overly disrupted and your skin has been overly stripped from its natural oils. I used to think that that feeling was a good sign and that it meant that the cleanser was working…oh how very wrong I was. And I’m sure there are many out there who had the same thought.

About Cleansers 

So, what are cleansers anyway? They are a substance that come in many forms, most commonly gel, cream and foam and they emulsify dirt, oil and microorganisms on the surface of the skin so that they can easily be removed. While its true that water can remove approximately 65% of dirt and oil from the skin, using just plain water is not effective at removing oils from cosmetics, sunscreens and some environmental allergens. Because of this, using a cleanser is a more effective way of cleansing the skin.

Cleansers come in all sorts of colours, textures, formulations so picking one for yourself can be confusing! Especially when you’re treated to looking at enticing packaging and all sorts of claims that can be quite convincing. Its important to know your skin type in order to pick the right cleanser for your face as cleansers formulated for oily and dry skin are different. There are also cleansers out there targeted for those with skin conditions such as acne and sensitive skin. 

Now, just as a shout out from me, I’d like to stress that body soap is not the way to cleanse facial skin. Please avoid using body soap on your face because it is not formulated for facial skin. They’re usually much too alkaline and too harsh for your face and can dry out your skin, and I can vouch for that!

Generally, for dry and sensitive skin types, it is advised to use gentle cleansers with added humectants such as glycerin and hyaluronic acid. Moisturizing ingredients like plant oils (jojoba oil and sunflower seed oil for example) are also great additions to replace that oil that has been stripped from the skin.  Those with sensitive skin in particular might want to avoid products with fragrance and essential oils as they can potentially be irritating. Aloe and soy may be ingredients to look out for to reduce redness and calm down inflammation. 

Those with oily skin can handle stronger ingredients and might even look for ingredients like salicylic acid to target oily and acne prone areas to cut down oil production and kill bacteria, but be reminded that they might dry out skin. Don’t be too obsessed with removing oil from your face because that tight and dry feeling I mentioned above is not a thing you want to experience.

There are so many great cleansers out there, to cater to all sorts of skin types and conditions, offering different textures and pleasant scents. You just need to find one suitable for your skin. It all depends on your personal preference balancing between whether you value the consistency of a product, the sensorial experience. A good cleanser will clean your skin, get rid of all the nasties and won’t leave your skin dry and tight afterwards. 

How to cleanse your face

Here is just a basic guide to cleanse your face using a face cleanser. It’s not the only way to clean your face, and you are free to wash your face however you like! There are some obvious things like using the right amount of product because why would you waste unnecessarily? As well as not over washing as it can leave the skin too stripped. Using gentle movements and not being too rough with your skin, not tugging and pulling too much. 

• Splash water on face sufficiently
• Put an appropriate amount of product on your palms and lather it up
• Gently glide across face around 20-60 seconds (too short won’t clean your skin enough, too long will overly strip your skin) 
• Enjoy the experience don’t go too hard, use nice gentle movements
• Rinse well
• Don’t wait too long to apply rest of your routine

It’s a good idea to not wait too long to apply the rest of your skincare routine after cleansing because the moment after you cleanse your face is when your skin is most permeable allowing for products to be absorbed more efficiently. Not to mention you want to seal all that hydration in as well to avoid further loss of moisture from your skin.

All skin are different, so sometimes you just need to give things a try. For some, cleansing twice a day (morning and evening cleanse) is too much and just once is more than enough. Climate and environment can affect your cleansing habits as well as age and hormones due to the effect they have on the condition of your skin. 

Final Note

At the end of the day cleansing is the simplest step but can be ineffective no matter how great of a cleanser you use because it must be followed up with other products to keep your skin nice and healthy. Without using a moisturizer afterwards, your skin will eventually lose moisture and become dehydrated or will produce too much oil. Cleansers are not magical products that are the solution for all skin problems and will leave you looking like a glass-skinned goddess! But it can be a part of a routine that can help you achieve healthy, fresh, beautiful skin!

Skincare is selfcare and it should be fun and enjoyable. Even if you take a functional approach to skincare let it be a moment where you relax and pamper yourself. So, go ahead and cleanse your face if you haven’t already! 

Much Love, 

Fathin A.