Even people who don’t have an elaborate skincare routine wash their face. But are they doing it properly? It turns out, washing your face can do more harm than good if you don’t follow a few simple rules. Today, let’s figure out how to wash your face properly in order to keep your skin healthy and glowing.
Choose the right facial cleanser
People who wash their face with soap until it feels squeaky clean are wrong. Soap might be the oldest facial cleanser known to man, but this doesn’t mean that it is the best one. Soap has an alkaline pH level, while your skin’s protective lipid mantle has an acidic pH level, which means that soap strips your skin of its natural protection and upsets its pH balance.
Gentle facial cleansers with a natural pH level are much better for your skin than soap. Make sure that your cleanser has a pH between 4.5 and 7 and does not contain SLS/SLES or other harsh surfactants. If you’re a hardcore soap fan, opt for soaps based on natural oils (for example, olive or coconut oil) and infused with moisturising and softening ingredients.
Don’t over-cleanse
It may seem that the more often your wash your face, the cleaner and healthier your skin will be. Well, things are a little more complicated than that. When you wash your face, the cleanser not only removes impurities, it also affects your skin’s protective hydro-lipid barrier. If you don’t wash your face too often, the barrier has enough time to repair itself, but if you over-cleanse, your skin is left without its natural protection. Because of this, you shouldn’t wash your face more often than twice a day, in the morning and in the evening.
Use just enough cleanser
There are two extremes when it comes to the amount of facial cleanser one uses to wash their face: some people like to use almost half a bottle of cleanser at a time, while others try to use as little product as possible, pumping or squeezing just a drop or two. Of course, like most extremes, they are not particularly beneficial. You should use enough cleanser to remove all impurities from your face, but not too much, otherwise it will strip your skin of its natural protection.
Make sure the water temperature is right
Room temperature water (about 22-25 °С) is considered the best for washing your face. However, a lot of people are used to washing their face with the water that’s either too hot or too cold. Wrong water temperature can lead to skin dryness, flaking, redness, and other problems. Of course, nothing bad is likely to happen if you wash your face with too hot or too cold water once or twice, but if you’re doing it regularly, it will definitely take a toll on your skin.
Don’t exfoliate too often
Regular exfoliation is important for skin regeneration and renewal. However, it is very important that you do not use scrubs or chemical peels more often than recommended (once a week for normal skin, once or twice a week for oily skin, every other week for dry skin) because over-exfoliating leads to skin dryness, irritation, and other problems.
Remember that things you do after washing your face also matter
Some people vigorously rub their face with a towel after washing it. However, it may damage your skin and lead to premature wrinkles. To dry your skin after washing, gently blot it with a soft towel. Make sure that the towel is clean and never use the same towel for your face and body. Once your skin is dry, apply a face toner to remove any cleanser residue and restore the natural pH level of your skin.
Proper daily washing is the cornerstone of an effective skincare routine, and you need to invest in a good facial cleanser regardless of your age and skin type. In our online shop Organic Store, you will find a great selection of natural and organic facial cleansers produced by reputable brands. We offer high-quality products without aggressive surfactants, which gently remove impurities from the skin surface, help to keep the skin hydrated, and take good care of it due to containing natural extracts and oils.
