Many external factors affect the skin. The facial skin in particular is exposed to environmental influences, as it has to get along without a covering for most of the year. Not only does the sun or airborne dust attack the skin, daily make-up should also be removed from the skin of the face at night. There are a few things to consider when cleaning your face.
Why is facial cleansing so important?
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In order to prepare the face well for the care, facial cleansing should be part of the daily routine. Since the skin on the face is thinner than on the rest of the body, environmental stimuli can act on and damage the skin cells more quickly. Excess sebum, cosmetic and make-up residues should first be removed carefully and gently. This reduces the number of bacteria that promote acne and skin irritation. Facial cleansing is the essential basis for good care, which should always follow afterwards. Because care products can only work optimally on cleansed skin.
What is a proper facial cleansing?
At first you would think that you should wash your face only with water. Indeed, dermatologists advocate cleansing with water, especially on young skin, as the natural protective film is still intact. For demanding, mature skin, as well as skin with residues of day cream or make-up, cleaning with water is no longer sufficient.
Facial cleansing is divided into two phases - cleansing and clarifying. Here you clean the surface of the facial skin with water or a cleaning product and try to remove the dirt. Then you carry out the post-cleaning, also called clarification, and now remove the residues that the cleaning product or water (e.g. lime) left behind. Clarifying can be done with the help of a facial toner. This increases the surface tension and blood flow to the skin.
Clean:
- Remove all make-up residues with the appropriate products (e.g. facial tissues, eye make-up removers, etc.).
- Apply the cleansing product carefully, gently and with circular movements to the face.
- Then the cleaning product is rinsed off with lukewarm water. The water must not be too hot as this could dry out the skin again.
- Then dry the face with a clean towel.
Clarify:
- The toner is applied to a cotton pad
- Massage the toner into the face and neck using light to normal pressure
- The eye area is left out
- The toner is not rinsed off with water. It can simply dry on the skin.
- Then the care products can be applied
How and when should the face be cleaned best?
Facial cleansing is best done in the morning and evening. Then it is optimally prepared for the make-up in the morning and in the evening you can remove all residues so that the skin can regenerate itself at night.
How to use the individual cleaning products can be found in the application tips on the product or you can contact the respective manufacturer directly.
What do you need to consider with different skin types?
1. Facial cleansing for sensitive skin: Avoid products that contain alcohol, such as aggressive cleaners or peelings. Mild micellar water is good for the skin and works in a similar way to facial toner, but it is even milder on skin and does not stress it unnecessarily. Cleansing wipes with the note "sensitive skin" are also an alternative.
2. Facial cleansing for blemished and oily skin: Be particularly thorough when cleaning, as the skin tends to produce increased sebum. This can cause uncomfortable pimples and blackheads. A wash gel specially labeled "Anti-Pimple" could help. In order to refine the pores and give the face a more even appearance, peelings help to mattify the skin and remove the flakes of skin. Another alternative for blemished skin are face masks. The ingredients can work better on the skin and can thus better rid the skin of excess sebum.
3. Facial cleansing for dry skin: Dry skin requires particularly intensive care, since it is here that the most important thing is to provide the skin with moisture. When cleaning with water, you shouldn't use regular soap. Special washing gels, washing oils or cleansing lotions for dry skin are more suitable for removing impurities. These products do not dry out and provide moisture. Rather, let your skin air dry. Too vigorous rubbing when drying the face also dries out the skin.
4. Facial cleansing for combination skin: Combination skin is divided into the slightly more oily area of the T-zone and its surrounding drier areas. The cleaning products should be tailored to this and clarify the T-zone and provide the dry areas with more moisture. To solve this problem, mild facial toner or gentle cleansing tissues are suitable.
The variety of products for facial care
For facial cleansing, you can choose between washing gels, washing emulsions or cleansing milk. The toner is available either on an alcohol basis or without alcohol. Every skin type demands something different. If you have any questions, you should see a dermatologist who can determine the type and needs. He can help you choose the right product.
Since the skin has a protective film that moisturizes and can be broken by cleaning, you should be gentle when cleaning. In particular, conventional soap should be avoided when cleaning, as it is most likely to dissolve the fats on the skin and thus make the skin's waterproof barrier more permeable.
The protective fats from the cornea are the skin's natural defense system. If the skin is more permeable, bacteria or other germs are more likely to penetrate the skin and damage it. Use mild washing lotions with a pH value of around 5.5 so that the skin's natural protective acid layer is retained. With care products you should pay attention to lipid replenishing and moisturizing substances.
Facial cleansing in men
First of all: Do not use products from women! Men's skin needs its own products, as men's skin is different from that of women. The skin is much thicker and the pores produce more sebum, so a greasy cream made by women does the opposite than men want to achieve by cleansing.
The way of cleaning does not differ fundamentally. In men, too, excessive sebum production can clog pores. Men's skin is cleansed and clarified with wax gels and facial toner, thus refining the complexion. To increase the cleaning performance, so-called facial cleaning brushes are suitable for men.
These distribute the soap-free active ingredients of the washing gels particularly well and remove everyday dirt from the skin. PH-friendly products should also be used for men, otherwise the skin can dry out too quickly.
