AH! You’re amazing, you’ve finally got your cleansing routine down to a fine art and you’re living that badass, “I’m so organised, I have time to cleanse” life. Well done, you truly deserve that medal.
Now for the awkward moment. No one likes delivering bad news, but your bubble might just be about to burst. There are some serious common cleansing mistakes that you’re likely making, and subsequently doing harm to your skin.
Here are the top 7 most common cleansing mistakes you could be making, and how to avoid them!
Not removing your makeup before cleansing
Always remember to wash your make-up off before you begin your cleanse, this will yield the best results for your skin and save your precious cleanser from foaming up into a soapy, make-up-filled concoction on your face.
Forgetting to wash your hands first
Public Transport. Shoes. Food. Pets. Dirty dishes… think about all the things you touch in a day. Please wash remember to wash your hands, BEFORE you wash your face. You remember to do it before sitting down to eat, so it should be easy enough to remember to do it before you whip out your skin care routine.
Over exfoliating
Yes, exfoliation leaves you feeling great and silky smooth, but too much of anything can be bad for you. If you over exfoliate your skin, you might be left feeling red and raw. Exfoliating gently twice to three times a week is plenty to remove the dead skin and any other nasties without damaging your protective layer of top skin.
RELATED: 8 Things your dermal therapist wishes you’d stop doing
Using scorching hot water
Stay away from any extremes, too cold or too hot water is less than ideal for your lovely skin. Ideally, you’ll be using lukewarm water to wash away your day’s make-up, cleanse and rinse. Using water that is too hot means you’re at risk of bursting capillaries and irritating the natural balance of oils in your skin.
Using the wrong skincare products for your skin type
This one is pretty straight forward, but worth the reminder. If you’ve got oily skin, get a cleanser for oily skin, and if you’ve got dry skin, make sure you’re using a cleanser that’s going to combat that problem for you. And while you’re in the shops examining the cleanser bottle for dry or oily, flip it over and have a quick squiz at the ingredients. Avoid any sulfates and parabens, as they are notorious skin irritants and jump on the products that have natural hydrators. We recommend the Balense skincare range for products to suit all skin types.
Drying you face enthusiastically
Rubbing your face aggressively with a towel after cleansing is not going to benefit you like exfoliation does. So please, pat, and pat gently with a clean towel. Save your skin from irritation, inflammation, and, yep you guessed it, wrinkles as a result from the dreaded towel rub.
Forgetting to moisturise afterwards
If the above no-no has you worried about drying your face immediately, don’t fall into the trap of allowing your face to air dry, either! While your face is damp with the fresh moisture of a recently cleaned face, apply your moisturiser then! Trap in the moisture to ensure your skin stays nice and hydrated.
If these 7 common cleansing mistakes have you wondering what else you could be doing to take better care of your skin, come in and visit one of our trained dermal technicians at your local Australian Skin Clinics. All of our consultations are free!
