The 'abc' of cleansing the skin
Which product is the best depending on each type of skin? What should be the cleaning routine? We answer your questions about the care of your skin.
The Seaweed Bath Co. Exfoliating Detox Body Soap, Unscented, Natural Organic Seaweed, Coconut Oil, Vegan, Paraben Free, 3.75 oz.
The cleaning of the skin is the first step and the most important one for your care, as explained by our collaborator Meritxell Martí. And there is no doubt that to boast a healthy skin, you have to start with a clean skin. Let's try to summarize, in a clear and simple way, the keys about cleaning your skin. Point!
Why should we clean the skin?
The skin is the organ that is most exposed to the outside and, consequently, its function is to act as a barrier against external agents.
- -External substances (from the environment), in addition to dirtying the skin, can attack it, which will give older skin appearance.
- -It must be cleaned for pure hygiene. Especially if the skin has a tendency to injury such as acne or eczema we should be more strict, since dirt can infect them.
- -It is important the hygiene before going to bed, since during the night is when the skin repair occurs, it is when the DNA is repaired, when the biggest quantity of collagen is produced and when the skin is purified. If we go to bed with dirty skin, both polluting agents, as the makeup itself or the remains of cosmetics that we have been applying during the day, they will block the oxygenation of the skin, which will hinder the process of purification.
- -When cleaning the skin, we allow the products that we apply later to be more effective, it will not work like a cosmetic on top of a layer of dirt that directly on the skin.
- -It is essential to clean the skin to reduce the size of the pore, since it dilates due to excess fat, dead cells and external dirt, which includes cosmetics, makeup and external dust. The pore also becomes greater when the skin is dehydrated, it is as if it wanted to absorb the water from the outside and when the production of collagen is diminished, as it also happens with the passage of time.
- - A dirty skin will sweat much more and this will cause dehydration of the skin. That is why sometimes when we go to bed with a dirty face or make-up, the next day it feels much drier and dehydrated.
- -In the morning it is also important to wash your face, because while we sleep, especially in oily skin, more lipids are produced, which we will need to remove. In addition, with the natural renewal of the skin that has occurred at night, there is a greater number of dead cells that we must eliminate with the morning cleaning.
When should we clean the skin?
- -We should clean the skin at night before going to bed and in the morning when we get up on a routine basis.
- -Also in the case that we have exercised and sweated.
- -After having been in an environment with a lot of pollution or dust we must also clean the skin.
- - Before any specific beauty treatment including makeup, the skin should also be cleaned.
How should we clean the skin?
We must clean the skin in a different way depending on its type, which is influenced by age, the thinness of the skin, its fragility or sensitivity and the contribution of natural lipids that it has.
Whatever the type of skin, we should clean it tomorrow and night and all the other times indicated by Meritxell Martí in the previous question. However, we should take into account the type of skin the amount of lipids that segregates or assaulted that this skin is normally doing when doing it.
It is clear that if a skin has a pore much closer, the dirt is much more superficial and therefore much easier to drag with a softer product.
However, in a skin that is fat, the same lipids will form a film with dirt, so it will cost much more to drag it and in that moment we need a product or a much more astringent and effective method.
1. The first step for cleaning the skin in all types is to remove makeup from the eyes (if we do not make up, obviously we can skip it). I advise to do it with a specific product for it, with a cotton, first remove the mascara, this should be removed depending on the mask used, but in general with a cotton carefully from the bottom up not rubbing the eyelashes. Once eliminated, with a cotton and circular, until dragging it to the end of the eye, do it several times until there is no trace of makeup.
2. Dry skin. Although we must clean it equally, at night it is the moment that must be cleaned more thoroughly and a product that is rinsed with water can be used. In the morning, the lipids secreted during the night are very precious and will protect the skin, so it is preferable to clean it gently, without needing to rinse with water. Micellar water for sensitive and dry skin is a good product.
In this group of skin we can include atopic skin, which is very devoid of natural lipids and skin with eczema, which will irritate easily. The micellar water should always be applied with a cotton ball and not with a tissue.
The pore of this skin is very closed and easily irritated, so we must be very careful and not assault it, do it gently, with the cotton in continuous strokes from the inside out.
3. Mixed or normal skin. The mixed skin allows to use products that are rinsed with water, although we do not need to be very astringent, since this skin is normalized, we must not break the balance of it. If we used a very astringent product, we could cause an increase in fat and irritation of the skin in the drier areas. However, if we use a very soft product, too much, we will not be able to clean the skin properly.
That is why the ideal is a cleaning foam that is emulsified with water, massage in a circular way and then rinse in water.
If we notice the drier skin in a punctual way someday, it is preferable in the morning to also alternate punctually with micellar water for normal skin.
4. Oily skin. It is the one that needs more cleaning. If we do not do it deeply, it thickens and dulls the tone, it is essential to wash your face as many times as necessary and always with a soap or cleansing gel for oily skin, clearing it with plenty of water later.
We should apply the soap mixed with water and in a circular way until foam comes out, repeat the operation twice and rinse abundantly. If the skin is acne, it is preferable to try to do so without the acne lesions breaking to prevent them from being reinfected.
What products should we use for good skin hygiene?
The cleaning products we use must be appropriate according to the type of skin and when it is used.
-Demaking or cleansing milk and tonic. These products are not removed with water. They are lotions with a high water content and with an aqueous exterior finish so that it does not give a feeling of fat on the skin. They carry in their composition soothing, moisturizing and nutrients to keep the skin hydrated and to be as soft as possible with the natural lipid mantle of dry skin, which is very fine. It is usually necessary to use a tonic to remove the remains of this lotion and for the skin to feel clean and fresh.
Apply with a tissue across the face, massage and remove with a clean tissue paper again dragging the dirt that has been attached to the lotion. Some may have a high content of oils or be itself oils, when massaging with the dirt the skin is emulsified, so when dragging it we eliminate it.
These are ideal for dry skin, sensitive or with problems, they can even be useful for baby's skin.
-Microlar water. As the name itself indicates, they are waters with micelles. These have two poles and ability to attract excess fat from the skin and substances external to it (dirt), in its composition depending on what type of skin is designed will carry one or another component. They have a PH physiological and do not contain soaps or aggressive surfactants with the skin, they are very soft.
The micelles or particles in suspension are responsible for cleaning the skin, and since they are very respectful with the epidermis, they can be used on very dry or problem skin, before and after medical treatment.
It can be used as a make-up remover as a first step in the cleaning of combination and oily skin. It is important to apply them with a cotton ball, massage in a circle and repeat the operation changing the cotton as many times as necessary. Since they contain a lot of water in themselves, it is not necessary to clarify them.
-Washing foam with rinse in water. The cleaning foam is the product that should be rinsed in water. However, due to its composition, very little quantity is required and it is much softer than a soap or cleaning gel, which will form the foam once it comes into contact with water.
In fact, some cleaning foams are soft like micellar water. However, these should be rinsed with water. I advise them as an alternative between micellar water and cleaning gel. "Personally, it's the cleaning product that I like the most," explains Meritxell Martí.
-Gel or cleaning soap. It is the most powerful cleaner that we have and it is the one that will clean in more depth. It is the necessary product when the skin is oily, the pore is dilated or when there are acne problems.
We must bear in mind that not all soaps are the same, some are more aggressive than others and this has nothing to do with whether they are natural or not. For example, a glycerin soap can be very natural, but if it is high in sodium or potassium hydroxide, it will be very astringent and may even be too aggressive on the skin. The ideal is when they also contain moisturizing agents. like some oil, or components like oats, which will compensate for its strength. When these soaps have been buffered or decreased, they are usually much more liquid.
In acne, these soaps can also contain antiseptics and anti-inflammatories, many of them contain triclosan or tea tree oil, which has natural antiseptic properties. If the PH is very acidic, it will also have an exfoliating action.
These are used mixing with water, emulsifying until forming the foam, finish massaging again forming circles and rinsing abundantly with water.
-Syndet. These cleansers are eliminated with water, foam but nevertheless they do not carry detergents, they are soaps in which instead of natural soap they carry other synthetic ones that do not attack the skin, they are very soft with the lipid mantle of the skin.
These have a PH similar to the physiological, so they are very compatible with our skin. We usually advise on skin with problems such as atopic, or eczema that need to be cleaned more thoroughly and in which the water drag is necessary for proper hygiene. The floors advise more as body cleansers than facials.
-Cleansing wipes. They are great for cleaning the skin, but only as a matter of urgency and not as a daily routine, since they can not clean in depth. These wipes are impregnated with cleansing milk or micellar lotion which, when in contact with the skin, acts as a dragging agent, but can not be emulsified as a product applied directly to the skin.
Depending on the brands they contain more or less astringent properties for the skin and even some are exfoliants. They are a good option if we are going on a trip, or if we want to use them as a first step to remove make-up, even the eyes, but later it is preferable to use another method of deeper cleaning.
- Lotion to remove makeup from eyes. For proper skin hygiene if we wear our makeup, it is best to eliminate this makeup with these specific lotions. Depending on the type of makeup, especially if it is water resistant, you will need to contain more fatty components, such as an oil or if it is softer, the lotion can be more watery.
Some make-up removers for eyes are biphasic, and with them the makeup is more easily removed. They may contain azulene or chamomile to soothe and not irritate the eyes if they enter by mistake inside. They should be used with a cotton and not with a tissue.
And the cleaning brushes?
Lately all or almost all brands have a cleaning brush, depending on each will be more or less powerful or the bristles more or less smooth. It is essential to follow some guidelines so that this is effective:
- -We must keep it clean, after each use you have to rinse it and let it air dry.
- -Preferably not sharing, if it is for personal use is ideal, otherwise we must be very strict in its cleanliness, as there may always be some small remainder. I would consider it as the toothbrush.
- -It must be used without pressing too much, the brushes have already a fair power so that it is effective cleaning and therefore it is not necessary to press. With this we will only manage to cleanse worse and spoil it before.
- -The time that is programmed must be used, an abuse of time can attack the skin.
- -Use the appropriate bristles for each type of skin.
- -If it is used very often, it should be very soft. If we use it too often, it is as if we daily exfoliate the skin and if it is too intense, it can provoke a resistance of the skin, and it will become stronger, as if it were acting defending itself. So it is preferable to do it in the right way, I prefer to use it every other day.
- -Use them with damp skin and you can also use cleaning products that later clarify.
What mistakes do we make?
Some of the mistakes we should try to avoid to keep the skin clean, which will always look younger and brighter.
- -Do not wipe your hands before wiping your face.
- -Do not remove the makeup before washing the skin.
- -Over exfoliate the skin, too much will attack the skin.
- -Use very hot water, it will eliminate too much the layer of natural lipids and it will dry more easily.
- -Do not rinse the skin well, the remains of soap or make-up removing dirt again on the skin.
- - Drag the rest of the makeup with the towel, it will not be cleaned well, the towel will be dirty and the skin can attack.
- - Do not wash your skin morning and night.
- -Use the inappropriate product.
