Facial cleansing is the part of the evening routine that we often find the least pleasant, the one we want to avoid. However, cleansing the skin is essential for having healthy skin, even if you don't wear makeup!

WHY IS CLEANSING YOUR FACE IMPORTANT?

This hydrolipidic film is essential to the health and balance of the skin since it helps regulate body temperature, eliminate toxins, preserve skin hydration and protect it from external aggressions.

But to this hydrolipidic film is added pollution, surrounding dust and possibly makeup. A nice cocktail that ends up clogging the pores and preventing the skin from breathing. It wouldn't occur to us to apply our evening care on top of all that, would it?

.

Hydrolipidic film = sweat + sebum

= water (hydro) + fat (lipo)

It is therefore important to cleanse your skin properly every evening to remove excess sebum and perspiration and impurities accumulated during the day. The care products that you apply afterwards will thus be able to penetrate much more easily into the epidermis (the superficial layer of the skin) and you will be able to fully benefit from their benefits.

BUT WHY CLEANSE YOUR SKIN IN TWO STEPS? 

Simply because it is much more efficient!

The first step, makeup removal, consists of “removing” the makeup and impurities using an oily product.

The second step, the actual cleaning, eliminates all impurities to leave the skin clean and clear.

2-in-1 products promise to combine these two steps. Sure, they do the job, but not as effectively as when you put them together. It would be like spreading out the impurities and makeup and then roughly rinsing.

IS THIS METHOD SUITABLE FOR EVERYONE?

Yes! This method is suitable for all skin types because while respecting these two steps, we can personalize it and choose the products that suit us best.

Sensitive skin, for example, will opt for particularly gentle cleansing products, while oily skin will choose cleansers with purifying properties.

SO, IN PRACTICE, HOW DOES DOUBLE FACIAL CLEANSING WORK?

^STEP 1: MAKEUP REMOVAL

During this step of makeup removal, we will remove all the impurities accumulated on the surface of the skin: makeup, sweat, excess sebum, pollution, dust.

All of these elements are mostly made up of fat. Now, there is nothing better for removing a fat... than another fat! This is why makeup removers are mostly made up of a fat phase (butters or oils). And now you can probably see where I'm going with this...

What is the best minimalist makeup remover?
A vegetable oil!

You can very well use a vegetable oil (cold-pressed and preferably organic) to remove your makeup. No need to turn to expensive oils here. Classics like coconut oil, jojoba oil or apricot kernel oil do the job very well.

You can also turn to more elaborate makeup removers. There are many choices among textures, scents, ... Choose the one you prefer!

Some ideas for natural makeup removers made in Belgium:

• Make Senz Makeup Remover Balm
• Bobone's make-up remover jelly
• Makeup remover milk: Habeebee
• Cîme, Indigène and Maiwe make-up remover oils

To remove your makeup, you can use two methods:

• Take a small amount of makeup remover in the palm of your hands. Gently massage your entire face, finishing with your eyes. Use the pads of your fingers to gently remove all the mascara. Then wet a cotton pad with warm water and wipe it over your face to remove most of the makeup and impurities.
• Apply the makeup remover directly to the cotton pad and massage your face with it.

I personally practice the ^1st option, because I find it gentler and also more effective, especially for eyes that are more made up.

STEP 2: CLEANING

You are now makeup free. But your skin is not clean yet. You now need to clean your face thoroughly but gently. Here too, several options are available to you.

You can choose the classic cold saponified soap. This manufacturing method produces soaps that are gentle on the skin and are not drying.

You can also turn to cleansing milks or powders.

Some ideas for natural cleaners made in Belgium:

• A cold saponified soap , adapted to your skin type
• Cleansing milks: Likami , Maiwe (sensitive and reactive skin)
• Cleansing powders: Indigène (normal to combination skin) and YUI (sensitive and acne-prone skin)

To clean your face, you have two options:

• Place a little cleanser in the palm of your hands and make small circles on your face. Then rinse with clean water.
• You can also use a konjac sponge with your cleanser. This sponge is made from the roots of the konjac plant. It gently cleanses and exfoliates the skin. It is suitable for combination to oily skin (antibacterial and purifying properties) as well as sensitive skin. Moisten the sponge, place a small amount of cleanser on it and then massage your face in circular motions. Then rinse with clean water.

THE LAST STEP: THE TONIC

This double facial cleansing method is only perfect with a third and final step, that of the tonic lotion. Indeed, this will perfect the cleansing and prepare the skin to receive the care that will follow.

.

The roles of the tonic:

• Regulate the PH of the skin: the PH of the skin is acidic. Especially if you use a cold saponified soap as a cleanser (basic PH), you must rebalance the PH of the skin with a hydrosol (acid PH).
• Remove limescale residue from rinsing the cleaner
• Perfect cleaning
• Tone and tighten pores (astringent action)
• Specific benefits depending on the composition: purify, soothe, heal, etc.

Natural tonics:

• If you want a minimalist version, opt for a hydrosol. Choose it according to your skin type. (an article on this subject is coming very soon).
• Tonic water: the brands Make Senz , Likami and Maiwe offer a mixture of several hydrosols, sometimes with the addition of additional moisturizing agents.

Spray toner on face and pat gently to absorb, or apply your toner to a cotton pad before swiping over face.

Your skin is now clean and clear. It is ready to receive care: moisturizer, eye contour, serum... These will be able to easily penetrate the epidermis and you will be able to benefit as much as possible from their active ingredients and their benefits.

AND IN THE MORNING, SHOULD I ALSO DO THE DOUBLE FACIAL CLEANSING?

No. (good news for those in a hurry!)

As we have seen, the epidermis is covered with a hydrolipidic film, which protects the skin. Cleaning too frequently or with products that are too harsh could disrupt the skin's natural balance. In fact, to protect themselves from overly aggressive cleaning, the sebaceous glands will produce more sebum... This is not the desired effect, especially in combination to oily skin that already produces a relatively high amount.

The key words for effective cleaning are therefore regularity and gentleness.

In the morning, a quick cleanse with a hydrosol or tonic water is more than enough to remove sweat and some impurities from the night. Then move directly to applying your moisturizer.

.............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

Now you know all the steps for proper skin cleansing.

I hope you enjoyed this article and that it helped you establish a natural skincare routine that suits your needs.

Want to take the plunge and make your own cosmetic products to carry out this routine?

Take part in the Evening Facial Routine workshop!

Click here to find out the next dates for this workshop