Double Cleanse

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No, this isn’t about detoxifying your body. This is about washing your face. I can only remember a handful of times in my life where I didn’t wash my face. When I was a teenager I didn’t rebel, but my skin did. I learned early on about the significance of cleansing. As a 13 year old, I remember purchasing an aloe gel cleanser from Bath & Body Works and feeling like I just bought a car. It seemed so expensive to me and yet that’s what I spent my money on because it was important to me.

It still is important. My skin has gotten better over time and some of that comes with age (the balancing of hormones) and also a better understanding of how to properly clean my skin.

I’m talking about a two step, allover the face, cleanse. This really is for anyone who wears face makeup like foundation, base, concealer, etc. This needs to be removed with a makeup remover and then followed with a separate cleanser. None of this 20-in-1 cleansing stuff.

I’m sure a lot of you are thinking, “well, I use a makeup remover for my eyes, and then wash my face, so I’m already doing a two step cleansing, right?” Wrong! Think of the foundation on your face at the end of the day. You may feel like it’s mostly faded, but there is still a lot stuck in the pores and crevices of your skin. If you just start washing your face with a cleanser without using a makeup remover first, you’re leaving a lot of product behind. This can cause a lot of problems, especially to anyone acne-prone. Even if you rarely break out, that makeup left behind means your other products can’t fully absorb. What. A. Waste.

Let me give you an example of what my current routine is:

1. Simple cleansing toweletts are used all over my face and eyes to remove the makeup

2. Then I follow immediately with Caudalie Foaming Face Cleanser. Done.

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I used Philosophy’s Purity 3-in-1 cleanser for years, but only as my makeup remover. I still followed with another cleanser afterwards. I’ve switched to the towelett wipes lately. Ole Henricksen Truth to go wipes & the Korres Pomegranate & Milk wipes are more of a splurge. I’ve been happy with the Simple wipes though and my mom and sister love the Target brand wipes.

Now if you use the Clarisonic cleansing brush (I have the original Mia) then you would use it in step 2. You don’t want the Clarisonic pushing makeup further into your pores.

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I really feel like my skin is clearer and healthier since I started doing this two-step cleansing.

As a side note, if you wear any waterproof makeup make sure your step 1 product can take that off. A fantastic waterproof makeup remover is Sens’eyes from Makeup Forever. This stuff takes off any type of waterproof makeup. Use it on dry skin first, gently rubbing it through the lashes, before you wipe or rinse it off.

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What’s your cleansing routine consist of? Any favorite products?