Clear Skin Starts With How To Use Cleansers The Right Way

There is one thing you have to do the first thing when you wake in the morning and the last thing you do before going to bed is cleanse your face. This is undoubtedly the most important part of your skincare routine. Regularly cleansing your face with the right ingredients, potent formulation, and clean water can do wonders for your skin. When you sleep with a cleansed face, that means no makeup, no sweat, and no sunscreen residue, your skin gets the time to heal itself from the stresses of the day. On the other hand, a morning cleanse ensures all the dead skin cells, bacteria, and microorganisms that work at night on your face are gone so you have a clean slate and a fresh canvas for any skincare product or makeup to sit well on your skin.

We know you know the importance of a face cleanser but do you know the right way to use cleanser on the face, fret not we have an entire guide at your disposal teaching you just that. From a step-by-step guide on how to use cleansers to what cleansers really do, from the best product recommendations for each skin type to answering burning questions, this handbook to cleansing is going to be your holy grail. So, without further ado, let’s get cleansing.

What Is A Cleanser

A cleanser is a skincare product that is formulated to offer your face a cleanse from makeup, sweat, dirt, and other impurities. They are often tailored to suit different skin types depending on the needs and desired results. Cleansers help prevent acne, sebum buildup, and excess oil that prevents acne and pimple breakouts. On the other hand, cleansers for dry and sensitive skin are designed to hydrate and repair your skin barrier. Let’s deep dive into what cleansers actually do to get you these results.

What Do Cleansers Do?

Cleansers enter your pores and offer a deep cleanse removing makeup, dead skin cells, sweat, oil, grime, dust, and other pollutants that water alone can’t. It is designed differently with different ingredients for different types of skin. They help you unclog your pores so it doesn’t create a build-up that leads to clogging, breakouts, or even tears.

Depending on your skin type, you need to select a cleanser that works for you. If you have oily skin, look for cleansers with salicylic acid that have antimicrobial and astringent properties that help control oil and acne. If you have dry skin choose cleansers with hyaluronic acid that hydrates your skin from within. If you have combination or normal skin you can pick a pore-cleansing or a brightening cleanser that evens out your skin. If you have sensitive skin, look for a mild and gentle cleanser that is made of non-toxic, skin-loving ingredients.

Types Of Cleanser

Before we get into how to use cleansers on the face, let’s see the different types of cleansers you can choose from depending on your skin type and needs.

• Oil Cleansers: A lot of people think oil-based cleansers are not meant for all, but in fact, it works for all skin types, even oily skin. As the phrase goes, diamonds cut diamonds, and thus the best way to remove makeup and other oil-based impurities such as sunscreen, serums, sebum, and excess oil is through an oil-based cleanser. It emulsifies the underlying dirt and effectively unclogs your pores. It is ideal for a double cleanse and for a completely hydrating after-effect go in with a water or foam cleanser to get the job done.

  Nykaa Recommends:

• Cream Cleaners: Cream cleansers are luxurious, moisturising, and hydrating. They are great for sensitive skin types as they don’t strip away natural oil from the skin and improve the moisture barrier. It effectively removes dirt and makeup while keeping your skin moisturised and non-greasy. These cleaners are meant to be soothing and moisturising.

  Nykaa Recommends:

• Water Cleansers: Water-based cleansers such as micellar water are lightweight cleansers that are great for double cleansing. It is gentle, rinse-free, and convenient. The tiny oil particles mixed with the water-based solubles make them more powerful than water but less heavy than oil or cream-based cleansers.

  Nykaa Recommends:

• Gel Cleansers: Gel cleansers are again suitable for all skin types, as the gel-like texture goes inside your pores to offer a deep cleanse. It removes all the dirt, makeup, and other impurities by emulsifying the product underneath and simultaneously hydrating the skin.

  Nykaa Recommends:

• Clay Cleansers: Clay-based cleansers are perfect for oily and acne-prone skin as it enters your pores and pulls out all the dirt from within. With ingredients such as kaolin clay and bentonite clay, these highly absorbent ingredients refresh your pores and tighten your skin to avoid any further buildup.

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How To Use Facial Cleansers

Here’s the simplest way on how to use cleansers:

• Pull Your Hair Back:

  Although it may seem like a redundant or unimportant step, it is actually crucial to keep your hair and face clean by separating them during a facial cleanse. One of the fundamental reasons is that wet skin and wet hair make everything messy and secondly, you don’t want the dirt from your hair to transfer to a freshly cleansed face. So, use a headband, hair band, clips, or anything to keep them away from your face.

• Wash Your Hands:

  It is crucial to wash your hands before you wash your face so you can start with a clean slate. Dirty hands can never let the face fully clean, and thus washing them keeps external grime, dust, and other contaminants at bay.

• Rinse Your Face:

  If you want your product to activate well, rinse your face first. If you have the time, opt for some lukewarm water that will open your pores and help the dirt and dust to unsettle. Moreover, a hydrated face helps the product to emulsion better.

• Apply The Cleanser:

  Take some product onto your fingertips or palms, around two pea-size worths and gently rub it to your face. It is a cream, oil, or gel cleanser you can first rub it onto your hands to activate or create a lather. Make sure you cover every part of the face and don’t forget the jawline, neck, and back of the ears.

• Massage & Rinse:

  Massage the product into your skin and use some pressure to get the full dirt out, especially from places such as the side of your nose, your cheekbones, and your neck. Rinse it off with cold water and dab lightly with a soft towel.

• CSMS:

  Once you have cleansed your face, you can go in with your skincare routine. We recommend a simple CSMS routine that will get you out the door in just a few minutes. It's minimalist, it’s comprehensive, and more importantly, it’s inclusive to almost all skin types.

How Often Should You Wash Your Face

Most skin types can wash their face twice a day. Once in the morning, when you wake up to have a fresh, clean face for the day, and once at night, when you are done with the day and need to clean off the impurities of the day. Now this is when it comes to a normal day, but when you have makeup on and you come back home, you don’t have to wait for the night to wash off the makeup, do it as soon as you are home so your skin can rest the rest of the day. This ensures your skin has the time to rejuvenate and heal.

If you have oily skin you might feel tempted to wash your face more than twice a day to get rid of the greasiness and oiliness, but over-washing can actually strip away the natural oils of your face, causing your skin to over-produce oil that can lead to acne and pimples.

If you have dry skin, you can still wash your face twice a day but make sure you use a gentle cleanser that doesn’t strip away the natural moisture from your skin. Also, ensure to use products that are free from fragrance and toxic chemicals.

Parting Thoughts

We hope this guide has helped you learn how to use a face cleanser. Choosing the right type of cleanser, formulation, and ingredients to wash your face the correct number of times are important factors in naturally, healthy, glowing skin. Cleanse your face the right way to keep acne, dry skin, and dullness at bay.

FAQs

1. What is a cleanser and why is it important?

   A cleanser is a skincare product that cleans your face that is laden with dust, dirt, grime, makeup, oils, and other internal and external pollutants. A cleanser is important to keep your face clean and thus reduce the appearance of whiteheads, blackheads, oil, dry and flaky skin, and dullness.

2. How often should I use a cleanser?

   Almost all skin types can use a cleaner twice a day, once at night after coming home from the stresses of the day, and once in the morning when you wake up.

3. What type of cleanser should I use for my skin type?

   If you have oily skin use an oil-based, gel-based, or water-based cleanser.

   If you have dry skin use a foaming cleanser,a water-based cleanser, or a cream cleanser.

   If you have combination skin use a gel-cleanser followed by a water-based cleanser.

   If you have sensitive skin use a foaming cleanser.

4. Should I use hot or cold water to cleanse my face?

   You can use lukewarm water before you cleanse your face to open up your pores and after the product is applied and massaged, rinse it off with cold water. As a rule of thumb never use hot water on your face as it can strip your skin of its natural oils and cause microtears.

5. What is double cleansing and how do I do it?

   Double cleansing is a Korean skincare habit that involves washing your face with two cleansers, first with an oil-based cleanser that removes impurities, stubborn oil-based products, and makeup. This is followed by a water-based cleanser that removes any excess oil and hydrates your skin for a smooth and velvety effect.