Y’all, it’s time to get back to the skin care basics… and that’s why today’s blog is dedicated to the importance of cleansing!
Especially when it comes to tackling your skin goals (such as reducing pigmentation or clearing acne) long-term, cleansing is your secret weapon. Keep reading for an overview on what counts as thorough cleansing, why it’s so important, and what we’d recommend to get the best cleanse possible!
Let’s jump in:
What is Cleansing?
As a crucial component of gently removing dirt, oil, bacteria, and, of course, creating a nutritionally-sound palette, cleansing is the simple act of washing your face with a Skin Therapist-approved product…more specifically, a non-pore clogging, non-irritating acne-safe cleanser!
The basics of cleansing include:
- Wetting your face with warm (not hot!) water to avoid over-stripping your skin’s natural oils
- Applying a pea-sized amount of your Skin Therapist-approved cleanser to your face with gentle circular motions
- Rinsing the product from your face and drying your face with a clean towel
- Following with the remainder of your skin care routine
Easy, right? Well, as with any good habit like exercising or making healthy diet choices, keeping consistent can be a challenge for most. And, if you don’t have the advice of a Skin Therapist on hand, you could actually be going about your cleansing routine completely wrong without even realizing it. (And, as a result, be wrecking your skin’s barrier and preventing your skin from clearing!)
Common Misconceptions About Cleansing
“Nyki, how could there be a wrong way to wash my face?” you may be wondering, dismayed.
The fact of the matter is that cleansing incorrectly is more common than you’d think! The act of cleansing is easy: it’s the “knowing” or “not knowing” what your current cleanser is doing to your skin that’s more crucial than you think.
Are you guilty of any of the following?
- Buying a cleanser just because your friends raved about it (because you assume that what works for one person, works for everyone)
- Only cleansing once a day vs twice a day, once in the AM and once in the PM
- Cleansing too many times a day (we’re talking more than twice, or twice in rapid succession!) or adding in harsh ultrasonic scrubbers
- Picking a cleanser based on the most recent TikTok review you’ve watched because it seems like the next “magic bullet”
- Not removing your makeup before cleansing, meaning that your skin barrier isn’t getting the deep clean it deserves
- Bouncing between the types of cleansers you’re using without the guidance of a Skin Therapist
- Not moisturizing after cleansing
- Using cleansers with astringent and/or sudsing ingredients (or, even worse, using a bar of soap)
…The answer is probably “Yes” to at least one of these, right?
Especially if you struggle with acne, incorrect cleansing is one of the main reasons why your acne isn’t clearing, and not realizing your skin barrier is getting stripped is usually directly tied to using the wrong type of cleanser for your skin type.
The Benefits of Consistently Cleansing Your Face
While we all know that consistently cleansing your face works to remove the build-up of dirt, makeup, and oil that collects on your face during the day, there are a multitude of other benefits that you may not be factoring in.
These are:
- Increase hydration levels: when done right, cleansing helps to balance the natural pH levels of our skin. This is key in regulating our skin’s hydration levels and, in turn, keeps your skin barrier functioning at its best.
- Boosting product absorption: how can your products truly benefit your skin if they’re blocked by a layer of makeup, dirt, and oil? By cleansing before going through the remainder of your at-home skin routine, you’ll make sure that you’re getting the most bang for your buck. On the other hand, having your products get absorbed too quickly is also a problem… which can happen when your skin barrier is stripped by harsh cleansers and other skincare products. Using the right cleanser ensures that you’re getting that thorough product absorption without the risk of inflammation and skin sensitivity.
- Mitigate the appearance of acne: if you’re on your acne journey, then cleansing should be one of your priorities. By removing the build-up of dead skin cells, sweat, and bacteria on the topmost layer of the skin, you then reduce your chances of future breakouts. When cleansing properly, your skin barrier remains intact, which brings down inflammation even further.
Looking to Cleanse the RIGHT Way? Here’s What You Need to Know
On top of having a consistent cleansing routine, the secret to benefiting from cleansing boils down to one thing: choosing the right cleanser for your unique skin.
If you have dry skin, for example, you will want to avoid cleansers with high alcohol content (…scratch that: even if you don’t have dry skin, avoid cleansers with high alcohol content! They’ll sap the hydration from your skin and result in itching and pigmentation thanks to their ingredients stripping your moisture barrier.) Dry skin loves cream cleansers for their ability to both soothe and repair a damaged skin barrier.
We start everyone, oily or not, on our Essential Cleanser, as we are looking to change the pores by adding in the serums with the ingredients with lower pH.
Reap the Benefits of Cleansing Today
Who knew choosing the right facial cleanser could be so complicated? If you’re at a loss for where to start, we recommend starting with our Essential Cleanser: nutrient-dense, gentle on all skin types, and packed with science-backed botanical ingredients, this is the go-to cleanser that we start all of our Acne Virtual Skin Program patients on due to its high effectiveness of soothing and repairing skin damage.
(And, if you need to tackle both face and body acne, you can’t get a better solution than the Calm & Clear Face and Body Cleanser!)
As a bonus? Make an account with Clear Skin Solutions and enjoy 20% off any of our in-stock cleansers, including our top-selling Calm and Clear and Mandelic Face & Body Cleansers, by using our code CLEANSE20!