The battle of the cleansers

     Most of us are lucky if we can get our cleanse in before bed. Am I right? How many times have you laid down, exhausted after a long day and remembered you're still wearing makeup? I get it, and Im guilty of the same. Actually getting up and washing your face through, is way more complex task than just a quick once over with soap and water. Clients often ask the following questions...

1. Im overwhelmed by all the cleansers, which one am I supposed to be using?
2. Does it really hurt to sleep in my makeup?
3. How often should I be washing my face?
4. I just splash my face with water does that count?
5. How often do I exfoliate?

Have no fear, Im here to help. Let me address these concerns, and if you still have additional questions, don't hesitate to reach out...

     With so many professional and over-the-counter cleansers, finding a one that works for your unique skin type can be a daunting task. What I find mostly, is that clients are using a “gentle” cleanser that will avoid breaking them out, but is loaded with toxic chemicals, disrupting their hormones and causing more breakouts. An “acne” cleanser (avoid all cleansers with alcohol) that is stripping the skin of all of its natural oils, leaving the skin super dry, and creating a fight or flight situation, producing more oil to replace itself. If you tend towards dry skin, like myself, try using a cream or oil cleanser, it takes a few applications to get used to not feeling squeaky clean, but it does the job alright, without exacerbating your dryness.

Using the right cleanser balances the oil production; PH levels, and removes cellular buildup permitting the moisturizing, anti-aging, brightening, clearing, and calming products to absorb more efficiently. No matter what type of skin you have, be certain the ingredients list does not contain fragrance, which can be irritating. Parabens and harsh soaps can be super drying, as well as known hormone disruptors.

Here are my general recommendations. If Eminence Organics isn’t your thing, or not quite in your budget, I suggest an app called “Think Dirty” which will tell you all the ingredients in your products and why they are good or bad.

• Oily/Acne – Clear Skin Probiotic Cleanser, Eucalyptus Cleansing Concentrate
• Dry – Monoi Age Corrective Exfoliating Cleanser, Stone Crop Cleansing Oil
• Sensitive – Stone Crop Gel Wash, Coconut Milk Cleanser

Sleeping in your makeup once in a while won’t kill you, but I wouldn’t make it a habit. In fact we loose 2% more epidermal water when we sleep so, not only do you want to wash all the free radicals of the day off before we tuck in, but you want to make sure you’ve got some superhero serums and moisturizers on while your body resets. Which brings me to the frequency question. Cleansing twice a day is not necessary, unless you have severely oily skin. Instead, skip your morning cleanse and make sure to cleanse at night, makeup or not. Splashing your face with water, or using a cleansing wipe is unfortunately not effectively cleansing the skin. Especially before bed or after a workout, you’ll want to steer clear of these methods.

And on to exfoliation. It takes the skin over 20 days to restore itself organically by shedding dead cells + producing new cells. This cellular build-up accumulates on the surface of the skin, clogging pores and leaving it looking and feeling dull. Exfoliation speeds up the shedding process revealing vibrant skin and allows for greater product penetration, as mentioned before.

Exfoliating regularly can give us great results, but if we’re using a scrub with particles that are too large and abrasive, it can actually make tiny micro-tears in the skin, ultimately harming your beautiful skin. Since each of us is different, so too is our skin. I recommend starting with a gentle exfoliant 3 times a week and working your way up as needed. You really have to listen to your skin, it will tell you what it needs.

For a milder substitute, I recommend our Strawberry Rhubarb Dermafoliant. Which uses gentle and environmentally friendly rice powders to absorb oil, while plant sourced lactic and salicylic acids exfoliate to reveal a brighter and more radiant looking complexion. Got sensitive skin? Try the Yam & Pumpkin Enzyme Peel. The pumpkin enzymes & lactic acid in this yummy treatment gently dissolve build-up so you’re left with a healthy glow, without the irritation.

Ok, now that you're a cleansing expert, do what you gotta do to talk yourself out of that cozy bed.... It's cleansing time.