Double Cleansing
I don’t know about you, but with this lockdown situation (and not seeing other humans) I haven’t worn a scrap of makeup in nearly 11 weeks (yikes!). I’m not one for a full face of makeup but usually I do like to wear some to even things out a bit, but over the last few months I’ve actually enjoyed the bare face feeling. You’d think that as a result my skin would be reaping the benefits and it would be as smooth as a baby’s bottom. But alas, no! Disappointingly, I started to see blackheads on my usually (fairly) clear complexion.
I just couldn’t understand why I was having this issue when my face has been au naturale for weeks and weeks…. and then I had a bit of an ah-ha moment! In normal life I would wear some light makeup every day (nothing heavy, just a bit of tinted moisturiser, concealer, mascara, blusher and lippy) and then at the end of the day I would remove it all and cleanse my face. However, whilst in captivity, sorry, lockdown I didn’t feel the need to wash my face like this if I didn’t have any makeup to remove. Instead, I’d just been using a cleansing wipe at the end of day before adding face cream etc.. To me, a cleansing wipe was enough to clean my (not dirty) face. Turns out I was wrong.
Even without makeup, I still had the dirt and grime from the day clinging to my pores. I use an SPF every day on my face and apparently the only way to really remove SPF properly is with an oil-based cleanser, something I obviously hadn’t been doing! Although I was no longer getting on the grimy London tube, my daily “permitted” exercise involved a walk around the local park which, albeit less polluted than normal (due to the limited traffic on the roads), it’s still London, where the air quality isn’t the best. It may have felt like I didn’t have anything on my face, but I was still “wearing the day” and a gentle cleansing wipe just wasn’t enough.
After I realised where I was going wrong, I went back to my pre-quarantine routine of “double cleansing”. Just two weeks later, my face is back to being clear and smooth, with noticeably less visible pores. Yay!
So, what is double cleansing? It’s a method of cleansing that has been popular in Korean beauty for a very long time (for those who don’t know, Korean beauty and skincare is the holy grail as they are always ten steps ahead when it comes to clear skin and that beautiful flawless look that appears so effortless). As the name suggests, double cleansing is a two-step method to remove makeup and deeply cleanse the skin. I’m not just being OCD, it does actually have a benefit to the skin (and isn’t just another way of haemorrhaging money, I promise!).
Step 1 - An oil-based cleanser is used first. For anyone with oily/acne prone skin this may sound terrifying, but the oil in the cleanser actually binds with dirt, pollution, make-up, sunscreen and excess oil on your face and gently lifts it away.
Method - On a dry face, use a couple of pumps of your chosen oil-cleanser and gently massage it all over your face and neck, not forgetting to go over the eye area to remove mascara and eyeliner. (I always use waterproof mascara which is broken down in seconds without tugging or pulling on the delicate skin around the eyes.) Then wet your hands and massage your face again. By adding water the oil is emulsified and creates more of a milky consistency. Then use a soft damp muslin cloth to remove the cleanser.
Step 2 - Now that all the makeup has been removed, we actually want to cleanse the skin. This is an opportunity to use something gentle and nourishing, rather than something harsh and stripping to the skin. My skin is typically on the drier side, so I opt for a creamy rather than a foaming cleanser, but just choose one that you prefer which matches your skin type.
Method - Apply a small amount of cleanser to damp skin, massage and rinse. Voila! Super clean skin that isn’t tight or completely stripped of its essential natural oils.
Which products?
I have tried quite a few oil cleansers in varying price ranges and quality: Simple, Body Shop, Burt’s Bees etc. (click over the names to see the products), but my two favourite double cleanse systems are from LimeLife and Pai. I like to rotate them, so when one has run out, I switch to the other. These two brands use really good, natural ingredients and I have found that they work so well and my skin loves them. That’s not to say that the others were not good, they still did the job and are definitely on the less expensive side, but I have found a good system now with Limelife and Pai and I am happy to stick with these.
Why not try double cleansing and see if this system can work for you too!
Cheers to happy skin days, even if nobody can see it at the moment (big sigh…)
L x
Have you ever tried double cleansing? Did you like it? What’s your favourite cleanser to use? Let me know in the comments below.