Cleansing is the first, and arguably the most important, skin care step in both your daytime and nighttime regimens. Cleansers are instrumental in removing the dirt, oils and impurities from the surface of our skin. And ladies, they’re great for removing makeup at the end of the day. Everyone MUST wash their face first thing in the morning and the end of the day before bedtime if they want to achieve youthful looking, glowing skin.
Both men and women will benefit considerably from proper facial cleansing. Even if your face looks clean, chances are it’s not! There are things I like to call “invisible impurities” that land on our skin and can cause a lot of unnecessary damage if not properly removed. Pollution, smoke, hair spray and perfumes all have the potential to end up on your skin and must be removed to ensure our skin maintains its healthy glow. There’s nothing worse than dull, drab looking skin—especially when we can fix it with a quick cleansing in just a minute or two!
Its important to remember that bars soaps are generally formulated for the body because they contain stronger detergents and deodorizers than your average facial cleanser. That bar soap has a lot of territory to cover and needs the extra potency to cleanse and deodorize. Think about where that bar soap goes and then think about it touching your face. (Giggle…I knew that would get you!) Please keep the bar soap for the body, and choose a cleanser that is properly formulated for the delicate facial skin.
Choosing the right cleanser for your skin is very important.
If you suffer from dry skin, you want to look for a hydrating cleanser that’s sulfate free. Look for ingredients such as Aloe Vera that will provide wonderful hydrating properties. How do you know if your skin is dry? Look in the mirror! You may notice some dry, flakey patches, your skin will be sensitive to temperature extremes and dare I say it… Any fine lines you may have will be more noticeable. The good thing about having dry skin is you usually have less blemishes and breakouts. The not so good news is that people with dry skin tend to look a bit older than they really are.
If your skin is on the oily side you will notice excess oil build up in the T-zone area. The t-zone includes the forehead, nose, chin and inner cheeks. This is where we have the most oil glands on our face, so the excess oil will be most noticeable in these areas. People who have oily skin tend to be more prone to blemishes and breakouts. The good news is that those with oily skin tend to look a bit younger because fine lines are much less noticeable.
Once you’ve selected the proper cleanser for your skin type, follow these simple steps for glowing skin:
Before you cleanse your skin, you must cleanse your hands. The last thing you want to do is spread germs and other yucky stuff all over your face.
Only cleanse your skin using warm water. Never use water that’s overly hot or cold as extremes in the temperature of the water can damage the capillaries in your skin.
Dampen your skin and hands and squeeze a dollop of cleanser in the palm of your hands. How much product you use is entirely up to you so, experiment until you get the proper amount that works best for you.
Once the product is in your hand, rub your hands together and then gently massage into your skin using a circular motion. Be sure to thoroughly massage your skin including your neck and throat area.
Be careful when washing around your eyes as you don’t want your cleanser to end up in your eyes, as it will most likely be uncomfortable for you.
Once you’ve massaged the cleanser into your skin, rinse until your face is clean.
Gently pat your skin dry; don’t rub, with a clean towel.
Follow the cleansing process by toning, applying your serum, eye product and day or night time moisturizer to complete your daily skin care regimen.
That’s it! Follow these simple cleansing tips every morning and every evening and your skin will look clean and refreshed. If you aren’t too great at following your evening skin care routine, I will cut you a tiny bit of slack. I too have, on occasion, been simply too exhausted to follow my own advice. However I must say, for the women out there, it is imperative to remove that makeup from your skin before you go to sleep. If it means keeping cleansing cloths on your nightstand, then by all means do that. It’s not ideal but it’s better than doing nothing. Also, by removing all of the surface dirt, oils and makeup from your face, your other skin care products such as toner, serum and moisturizers will be able to penetrate more effectively into your skin so you get the maximum benefits from your skin care regimen. Look for cleansers with fresh, natural scents, cleansing jojoba beads and Aloe Vera for a wonderful cleansing experience.
Because our skin type does change on a regular basis, it’s always good to have a few cleansers on hand. Give yourself a quick look in the mirror before jumping into the shower so you know exactly what cleanser you should use. Let’s face it, some days we wake up oily and some days we wake up with dehydrated skin so let’s be prepared for anything by keeping cleansers for both skin types on hand at all times.
Written by beauty expert, Jacquie Carter. Jacquie is Director of Outer Nutrition at Herbalife.
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