Washing your face might seem like the simplest thing in the world to do, but believe it or not there are certain techniques that you should be using, and other things which you should be avoiding altogether. At the risk of us sounding like we’re trying to teach grandma how to suck eggs, we’ve put together a list of the most common face washing mistakes to help you to avoid them in the future:
Avoid Face Wipes
There are literally hundreds of brands of face wipes on the market, ranging in price from a few pence to a lot more, but generally speaking, face wipes aren’t that great for your face. Most of them are packed with chemicals which will dissolve your makeup, but surfactants and emulsifiers can irritate the skin. We recommend Elemis Luxury Cleansing Cloth Duo, which is designed to be much kinder to your skin and can be used with your choice of cleanser.
Keep Water Lukewarm
Using hot water to ‘open’ your pores and cold water to ‘close’ may be one of those things that you’ve been hearing since you were old enough to have a beauty routine, but it’s actually a huge myth. Pores don’t open or close and using extremes of temperature can cause dryness, so using lukewarm water is a much better idea.
Go Easy on Oily Skin
When your skin is naturally oily, there’s a temptation to use highly abrasive products so you can feel super clean, however this can actually make things far worse. Many people’s oily skin is caused by over-sensitised skin which needs a gentle touch, so opting for something like Jan Marini Bioglycolic Oily Skin Cleansing Gel means that your skin will be properly cleansed without being too irritated.
Don’t Scrub Yourself Too Much
Using a facial scrub is a really great way to exfoliate the skin and make yourself feel super clean and refreshed, but doing it every day can be far too harsh. Using Decleor Double Radiance Scrub just once a week to polish the skin will give you the benefit of a proper exfoliation without stripping away vital oils and damaging your pores.
Don’t Stop at One Wash
Often, washing your face just once is only enough to get rid of the surface grime, and the only way to get a properly clean complexion is to double-wash. Elemis Gentle Foaming Facial Wash is gentle enough to allow you to wash twice without stripping away vital oils from your skin and will leave you feeling super clean and refreshed.