Clean your face – Why do we do it!
Hope you have a cup ot tea and a comfy seat as this is a long one! Why do we do it, well firstly the world we live in is dirty – so we need to remove that dirt/bacteria from your skin that is in the air ie pollution which mostly is oil based and attracts bacteria.
Secondly a clean skin – means your products will work better as there is no barrier.
So I mentioned the world being dirty in addition to that our skin is covered in a layer of dead skin cells, bacteria, pollutants, viruses and dirt. And that layer will get thicker over time unless you wash your face twice a day. This not only gets rid of dirt, it also provides our skin much-needed hydration – and WATER alone just won’t do the job.
What happens if we don’t cleanse?
We have a barrier that protects us from the dirty world around us. If you stopped washing your face entirely, your pores would become clogged (likely end up with a mix of whiteheads, blackheads and cysts), maybe blotchy skin, redness or irritation, and skin that looks,oily and greasy. WHY!! When external dirt builds up this leads to a mix of sebum, sweat and dead skin cells which creates a traffic jam in the follicle and the blockage grows bigger. Once bacteria arrives on the scene and inflammation occurs, you’ve got acne. Without washing, acne breakouts and blemishes occur. So simple when we wash, we clear out our pores, preventing the excessive buildup and future breakouts.
Plus your skin would be itchy, causing you to scratch it and risk infection.
Top tips to choosing a cleanser
When it comes to facial cleansers, there are as many to choose from as there are faces to be cleaned — creams, lotions, soap bars, gels, and self-foaming cleansers, Clearly, there’s no “one size fits all” product. Our facial skin takes a battering – Some women cover it with makeup or use stripping products and men use shave. Our skin’s job is to protects us from the elements, wind and cold to heat and rain, and we thank it by touching it with our oily or food stained hands all day. If you choose the right facial cleanser (or combination of cleansers), your face will regain a more youthful and healthy appearance. Likewise, before you can pick out the right facial cleanser for your skin, you need to know your skin type. Using the wrong cleanser for your skin type can make matters worse causing dryness, irritation or oiliness. PLUS our skin type changes as we age, so the cleanser you used in your teens is not the one you use in your fifties!
Which skin type do you have?
- Normal skin -This skin type has a proper balance of moisture, oil.
- Oily skin Your face look shiny, or oily a few hours after washing it, you will need to re-apply make up mid day.
- Dry skin – Meaning dry to touch, plus pores are hard to see a few hours after cleansing.
- Lidpid dry skin – Look dull,dlaky and tired, tendency to naturally produce low amount of natural oil.
- Sensitive skin. – Often feels tight or itchy, and prone to allergic reactions.
- Combination skin – Some parts of your face are oily while others are dry or sensitive.
This is important to know when buying a facial cleanser – so if you have dry skin, you’ll want to avoid products with a heavy alcohol. If you have oily skin, you may want a cleanser with a low pH level, which will be gently washing away that oil. If you have sensitive skin, you can avoid fragrance.If you wear lots of makeup or wear it daily, you’ll want to explore the options for facial cleansers with an nod toward makeup removal.
Remember that different people have different skin types, so what works for your dry, menopausal Mother may not work for your oily or sensitive skin.
Ingredients to avoid – when shopping!
- Sodium Lauryl Sulfate (SLS) – a common ingredient added to face wash to make it foam, can be found in shower gel and shampoo. But it’s not just your beauty products SLS is also used in car washes, garage floor cleaners and engine degreasers.The problem with SLS is that it strips the skin (and scalp, in the case of shampoo) of natural oils.
- Fragrance – From detergents to face wash – you’ll see “fragrance” on the ingredient list but this is a chemical so be wary. Just can’t live without fragrance? Opt for products that use essential oils or fruit and plant extracts to add scent.
- Alcohols – Can be damaging to the skin, especially if your skin texture is fairly dry – it’s drying and irritating since it strips the skin’s natural barriers . Look out for -isopropyl alcohol, SD alcohol 40 and ethyl alcohol. Can’t really finish without mentioning two specific cleansers:- ! “Face wipes (my pet hate). They will remove part of your makeup or surface bacteria but they’re not able to breakdown makeup, oil and dirt> So you end up smearing the day’s grime around your face
- ‘Micellar waters (My second pet hate) Not great if you have congested skin that’s prone to breakouts,’ ‘They can also cause problems for people with sensitive skin as many contain high amounts of alcohol which dries the skin and they can be highly fragranced which can often irritate sensitivity. ‘ The thing with micellar water is its not just water – I can tell you what is good about them it the MARKETING!
Listen if you use these on the occasional camping trip or weekend away, fine but using them daily is not great for your skin it’s just lazy. So now you know – I truly believe cleansing is the first step to great skin.
Chat to me, or your facialist, the local beauty counter but please do speak to someone who can actually see your skin.
Thanks for reading, Mary