The Skin Nerd: How to cleanse your face like a pro to get healthier skin
The Skin Nerd: The way you clean your skin matters.
I’ve said it once and I’ll say it again - the way you cleanse your skin MATTERS! At the end of the day (and at the beginning of it too), cleansing is the cornerstone of your skincare routine, laying the foundation for your serums to be absorbed to their best ability. This makes this often-overlooked regime more than worthy of some time and thought on a twice-daily basis. To help guide you towards a winning routine, I’ve noted down the cleansing commandments I always abide by. Simply follow the below and healthier skin will be yours...
Pre-cleansing helps to ensure that most of the dirt, sebum, makeup, and SPF are removed from the skin before cleansing. Why is this step deemed so crucial? Well, our cleanser itself can treat, nourish and hydrate the skin with active ingredients and removing the day from our skin prior to cleansing allows our cleanser to do this most efficiently - this is what we call double-cleansing. A super simple way to do this is to add water to a Cleanse Off Mitt, glide it across the skin, and follow it with your cleanser.
If you double-cleanse religiously but still see spots in some areas (especially around the jawline and sides of the nose), it is more than likely that you are not cleaning thoroughly enough or that you are not using the correct ingredients in the area! Don’t forget easy-to-miss nooks and crannies like the eyebrows, the edges of the nose, under the jawline, and behind the ears.
A “splash and dash” is a term I coined for the hurried rub-on and frantic splash-off motions many people employ when cleansing their faces. This super speedy method may make you feel like you are being productive but it’s not a thorough removal of your cleanser and leaving traces of your cleanser on your face can cause irritation. One way to check that everything has been removed is to use a white towel to pat dry your skin post-cleansing. If it has traces of makeup of it, you’re not cleansing thoroughly enough.
Every third night, I use a cleanser with an exfoliating acid. This “unsticks the glue” that keeps dead skin cells attached to the skin which subsequently reveals a smoother, brighter complexion. Those with oily skin might like IMAGE Skincare Clear Cell Clarifying Gel Cleanser (€34.43, theskinnerd.com) as it contains 2% Salicylic acid, an exfoliating acid to help dissolve debris in the pore, reducing congestion to minimise future breakouts.
Do not take away without giving back
Your daily cleanser should not only cleanse your skin of impurities but should also leave the complexion soft, comfortable, and nourished. Skingredients PreProbiotic Cleanse Hydrating Cleanser (€29, theskinnerd.com) is a smart choice for all skin types as it is formulated to help give back to the skin with a prebiotic-probiotic complex for balance and hydration and polyhydroxy acid for a hint of mild exfoliation. Put simply, it’s the yin to the yang that is your active, exfoliating cleanser.
You would not be the only one guilty of rushing your cleanse but I always advise spending at least 60 seconds massaging your cleanser into your face. This allows for a more thorough cleanse and as a bonus, the mechanical action of cleansing helps to stimulate blood flow and lymphatic drainage, bringing benefits such as added radiance and depuffing! These 60 seconds can additionally be used as much-needed self-care or “me time” especially when accompanied by some deep, calming breaths.
On the other hand, it’s crucial to not “overwash” your skin – especially during the cold winter or if you have dry or sensitive skin. Additional cleansing whenever your skin feels greasy means you may be having a negative effect on your skin by stripping the barrier of the oils it needs to protect itself and keep itself hydrated. Cleansing twice a day is all you need, but if you are a gym-goer, you should cleanse post-workout too.
If you have sensitive skin, I recommend looking for a cleanser or body wash that’s pH neutral. This means that the product is formulated with a pH similar to healthy skin. This may surprise you to learn but our skin is naturally acidic with an average pH between 4.5 and 5.5. Some harsh soaps are very alkaline, which can disrupt our pH balance and wreak havoc in the form of skin enemies such as dehydration or inflammation.
Wipes are a big no-no at The Skin Nerd HQ for both sustainability and cleansing reasons! Although face wipes have advanced over the past few years, I do not regard them as a mode of cleansing at all! In fact, they don’t even make it into the pre-cleanse category. Many skins find them drying and irritating, and even in the best-case scenario, they don’t remove makeup completely, instead smearing it across the face – cue panda eyes and the need to reach for an actual cleanser anyway!
Cleansers should not cause irritation, although if your cleanser contains acids, it may do if it is used too often. This is why care needs to be taken regarding the frequency of use of these products. Acid-based products are great for boosting cell renewal but are not typically designed to be used every day unless the manufacturer states this explicitly on the product guidelines, making it crucial to check these before using.
I recommend that everyone patch tests new products on a small area of their face to minimise the chances of a negative response. Often when you see irritation at the cleansing stage, it will be down to over-cleansing rather than the cleanser itself. This is such a common problem that I often refer to it as the ‘epidemic of over-exfoliation,’ where many over-cleanse and frequently expose the barrier to harsh ingredients in a quest for a radiant complexion.
Make sure that you are cleansing the skin respectfully and according to guidelines to avoid stripping the skin of moisture.
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