The Art of Cleansing…….What’s all the fuss about?
Hello everyone!
I hope you have all had an amazing week and thankfully the weekend is almost here!!!!!
I have been thinking all week about what the topics should be for our first few blogs and I thought - there is one thing that everyone has an opinion on and one thing that no one seems to take much notice of.
And that thing is cleansing!
Over the years we have all heard those three words: Cleanse, Tone, Moisturise, Cleanse, tone, Moisturise…….like a mantra.
But actually how many people stick to this? How many people actually clean their skin properly? If everyone did clean their skin properly would a lot of skin issues just disappear??
Well, firstly I can tell you for a fact that not everybody cleans their skin. one recent study showed that only 52% of people clean their skin with a third of people only using water!!!! To make the situation even worse 1 in 4 women openly admit to sleeping in their makeup.
These statistics leave me often in a state of anxiety - imagine the dirt, oil, pollution, sweat, skin products and makeup we have on our faces every day. then imagine leaving that on and just slathering more lotions and potions on top of all of it……again…….and again………again. I know - I am not going to sleep tonight either!!!!!
Although the “cleanse, tone moisturise” mantra has been expanded and edited over time - the fact that “cleanse” is still the first step in any routine is not by mistake.
using a high quality cleanser is an absolute fundamental step in your skincare routine. the aim is to cleanse once in the morning and twice in the evening. the principle behind washing your face twice on an evening is simple; the first wash removed the grime and the second cleans the skin underneath the grime. It really is just that simple!
There are plenty of different cleansers on the market so i will not bore you - especially now that a lot of cleansers also now come with active ingredients in them. However to make it easy and simple to follow as I know we all have different levels of knowledge when it comes to skincare; I keep to these simple rules when picking a cleanser:
Keep it fuss free
keep it fragrance free
keep it pH neutral
keep it hydrating
keep it purse friendly
The reason I keep to these rules is to reduce irritation, maintain a healthy skin barrier and provide a prepped platform for the rest of your routine. Now I can go into depth about all the different options but this is best discussed at length at another time.
What we should concentrate today’s blog on is ensuring that now you can get the correct cleanser, you actually know the best way to clean your skin. Yes, I am aware I might be teaching some of you something you already know but a study from the USA recently showed that 80% of people were cleansing their skin incorrectly.
So courtesy of Alumier MD I have a lovely diagram for you so you all know how to cleanse properly! it may sound boring but if you want to invest in your skin then start by perfecting the basics. There is no point going for fancy treatments if your skin is in no fit state to handle it!
Love Dr Victoria xxx
