Warning: Are You Washing Your Face The Right Way?

from makeup

If your body's skin is as thick as one hundred sheets of paper, then your face is the thickness of ten sheets of paper and your eye area is like one sheet of pape — so treat them accordingly. If you're seeing a dermatologist, make sure to ask about your cleansing routine as they may require these steps to be in a different order. Remove eye and lip makeup first, and then wash your face. Don't forget to wash your hands before touching your face.

Step 1 : Cleanse

Test the water for temperature; it should be warm, but not hot! Then close your eyes and gently splash warm water onto your face to loosen dirt and makeup. When your face is nice and damp use your fingers to rub in cleanser in a circular motion. Don't forget your jawline and harder to reach areas like the sides of your nose.

Use warm water to rinse cleanser off, and repeat if necessary. I like to do a final rinse with cool water (not cold, as this could pop capillaries, which are the little pink veins you may see on your face). Then gently pat your face with a towel—don't rub!

Step 2 : Treatments

This is usually an evening step. Skip this step in the morning unless directed differently by your dermatologist.

Exfoliate

Apply exfoliant (usually a form of acid derived from fruit enzymes and used to remove dead skin cells) onto a cotton pad and wipe over the face, avoiding the eye area.

Treatment

Do treatments once or twice a week instead of exfoliating. This includes hydrating and clay masks.

Step 3 : Tone

Sometimes exfoliants are called toners. However, toners actually have a different function. Toner is a product not readily used in America, but it should be. It's a watery substance that you gently slap onto the face. It contains various hydrating substances and does a few things—the light slapping brings blood flow to the skin's surface and the product hydrates the skin and creates a deep glow from within.

To apply toner, create a shallow bowl with the fingers on one hand, and pour a dime-sized amount of toner into the bowl. Then clap your hands together a couple of times and gently slap them onto your face, avoiding your eye area. Repeat if necessary.

Step 4 : Moisturize

Seal in the glow and use a moisturizer with SPF in the morning and a treatment moisturizer in the evening. Moisturizer can be light for normal to combination skin or thicker for dry or mature skin. Apply to the skin in circular motions and don't forget to apply to the neck as well.