Cleansing Lessons
By Marie Calica for Yahoo! Southeast Asia
Come on admit it. You've done it. A lot of women I know are guilty of it, and hey, I've done it too. But I vow never to do it again: I've learned that going to sleep without cleansing your skin from the day's grime can make you break out.
Cleansing the skin on our face is, like any other hygienic practice such as brushing your teeth or taking a shower, should be a part of your daily beauty routine. Every day, we're exposed to vehicle emissions, dust from nearby construction, smoke, humid temperatures that cause us to sweat and produce oil. This mixture of debris and oil settles on the skin, and if not taken away from the surface, sinks into the pores, hardens and turns into blackheads. Once you reach this stage, they will be more difficult to eliminate, and will take time to clear.
The cleansing process is easy. First, wet your face with lukewarm water (veer away from hot water, which can dry or irritate you skin), then massage your chosen cleanser on your face in gentle circular motions. This motion helps dirt adhere to your cleanser as well as promote circulation in your skin. Lastly, rinse with lukewarm water and gently pat (not rub!) skin dry with a clean towel or tissue. Once a week, use a gentle scrub to carefully exfoliate dead skin cells to reveal a fresher, softer, and brighter complexion. If your skin is very oily, you can up your exfoliation to two, even three times a week.
Not just soap and water
Gone are the days of washing your face with ordinary soap and water. Over the years, studies have shown that the skin on our face needs something more gentle than that regular bar of soap that you've been using since you were a kid. These days skin cleansers are tailor-fit according to your skin type, so identify if you have oily, combination, dry, or sensitive skin, then read the product label to see you get the right product for you.
I personally clean my skin twice a day—once in the morning and once at night. One can probably go with cleansing at the end of a day, but because I sleep sans air-conditioning and live in a high-rise building that's next to an active construction site, my skin absorbs dirt and oil overnight. If you sleep in more controlled conditions, then you can probably skip the morning cleansing ritual.
No one is exempt from the evening routine, though. At the end of the day, your skin has surely picked up city filth that must be washed, scrubbed, rinsed, or wiped away.
If you're too lazy to do all that, think about this: the few minutes you "save" to skip cleaning your face can turn into hours of sitting in traffic going to and from the skin clinic, waiting outside the dermatologist's office, lying down on the clinic bed while your blackheads get extracted. Not to mention the days it takes for your skin to clear up after the treatment.
Marie Calica is a beauty writer, makeup artist, rock climber, and runner. When she is not busy climbing rock faces, running on the road or trails, or traveling, she edits Runner's World Philippines, does makeup, and acts as beauty editor at large for Women's Health Philippines.
