Cleansing Do’s and Dont’s: Your Pathway to Beautiful Skin

Cleansing Your Way to Beautiful Skin

Cleansing is the first part of your skin care regime and the foundation stone to having great skin. It is more than just washing your face because how we cleanse plays a major role in how effective the next steps such as moisturizing and toning will be. So here are a few things you should keep in mind when cleaning your skin:

DO’S

Do Use a Cleanser Targeted Specifically for Your Skin Type

Avoid using cleansers that are “suitable for all skin types”. Instead buy one that is exclusively made to cater to oily, dry or combination skin. This is important because every skin type has its own unique requirements and those requirements cannot be met with a generic all-purpose cleanser.    

Do Use Lukewarm Water

Never ever wash your face with hot water as it strips your face of all its natural oils and leaves skin dry and tight. Use lukewarm or warmish water to cleanse you face as that will help absorb the cleanser into your skin and thoroughly clean the dirt and bacteria.

Do Wash Your Hands Before You Touch Your Face

Cleanliness is the first rule of the game so wash your hands before you wash your face.

Do Keep Hair off Your Face

Use either a terry cloth headband or a plastic hairband to keep your hair off your face.  

Do Use Separate Face Towels for Yourself

Keep small face towels near the sink to dry your face. Avoid sharing them with anyone in the house and change them at least thrice a week. This will ensure that proper hygiene is maintained which goes a long way to avoiding acne and other skin related problems.

Do Pat Your Face Dry

Never rub your face or drag the towel along your skin when drying it. Always pat softly with a face towel as our facial skin is thin and very sensitive, especially around the eye area, which makes it vulnerable to sagging.

DON’TS

Don’t Use Soap to Wash Your Face

Never EVER EVER use soap to cleanse your face no matter how gentle or moisturizing the company claims it to be. Soap has a naturally high pH balance of around 7-10 whereas our skin has a pH level of around 5 which makes soap very harsh for our skin. When you use something that strong for your face, it leaves your skin parched and dehydrated resulting in irritation, redness and more oil production as the skin works overtime to rebalance itself.

Don’t Use Cleansers with Sodium Laurel Sulfate and Fragrance

Always read the ingredient list before purchasing your cleanser. Stay away from ones that have sodium laurel sulfate (SLS) and “fragrance” listed because SLF has a pH level of approximately 10 and “fragrance” or “parfum” is very drying and irritating for sensitive skins.

   

Don’t Use the Same Cleanser All Year Long

Have a separate cleanser for summer and a different one for winter because your skin behaves differently in both seasons. You may need a foaming gel or facial cleanser during summers to zap away the oil but the same cleanser could be too drying during the cold winter months and you may need to shift to a gentle cleansing lotion or milk.

Don’t Over Cleanse

Don’t wash your face more than thrice a day. Unless you have been out digging ditches during the night, this is more than enough to keep your skin clean and healthy. Overdoing it will simply rob your skin of its natural moisture and leave it dry and thirsty.

Skin care is all about commitment and persistence. You may look at the above list and think that this is unmanageable but trust me - it’s all about cultivating proper habits. Once you start doing these little things on a daily basis, they will soon become second nature and you will start doing them without a second thought. And it’s these small things which bring big changes to your skin.

Remember, good skin is the ultimate requirement towards a more beautiful YOU and no amount of foundation or concealers can make up for the lack of a healthy and supple complexion. So start taking these baby steps towards good skin care and be patient. It’s all worth it!

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