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5 Cleansing Mistakes to Avoid

Healthy looking skin begins with a good cleanse which removes dirt, oil and other impurities from the skin, allowing your skin to breathe. Although cleansing is the first step of your skincare routine, it is sometimes overlooked, especially when rushing to start off the day. Cleansers pave the way for other products to be absorbed into the skin and work effectively. If something feels off after cleansing your skin, it could be that you’re doing one or all of the following:

Using the wrong product
It’s best to carefully look through the ingredients in any product you use in your skincare routine. Anything with harsh chemicals or irritants not only inflames your skin but may cause long term scarring. When buying skin care products, find those that support your skin type. If you’re not sure what skin type you have…

The fix: Read our post on understanding your skin type to discover what works best for you.

Skipping the double cleanse
What if we told you that a soap or face wash will not remove all your makeup and whatever is left could clog your pores overnight. Imagine doing all the work only to realise there’s still some junk left on your skin. Not cool.

The fix: Use a makeup remover before using a soap or face wash. See how to do the double cleansing thing we keep talking about, in this post.

Using dirty cleansing tools
Daily cleansing tools range from washcloths to your hands. Cleansing with a dirty cloth or hand will only transfer dirt and germs to your face leaving you right back where you started: with a dirty face.

The fix: Always wash your hands properly and launder any washcloths or towels used to cleanse your face.

Cleansing with hot water
Hot water stresses and dries out the skin so try to avoid washing your face with very hot water as best you can. The steam from a very hot shower may feel good but in the long run, this will cause wrinkling of the skin and premature aging.

The fix: Turn down the heat and use mildly hot or lukewarm water for a calming and rejuvenating shower or bath.

Scrubbing too hard or cleansing too often
Sometimes we exfoliate our skin as an added cleanse; other times, our cleanser doubles as a mild exfoliator so we get a 2-in-1 feeling. As such, we could get caught up in removing dirt and oil with excessive pressure or unnecessary frequency and end up stripping our skin of it’s natural and essential oils.

The fix: Gently massage your cleanser into your skin in small circular motions in the AM and PM for optimum results.

As an extra tip, always pat your face dry with a towel after cleansing, don’t rub.

Healthy looking skin begins with a good cleanse which removes dirt, oil and other impurities from the skin, allowing your skin to breathe. Although cleansing is the first step of your skincare routine, it is sometimes overlooked, especially when rushing to start off the day. Cleansers pave the way for other products to be absorbed into the skin and work effectively. If something feels off after cleansing your skin, it could be that you’re doing one or all of the following:

Using the wrong product
It’s best to carefully look through the ingredients in any product you use in your skincare routine. Anything with harsh chemicals or irritants not only inflames your skin but may cause long term scarring. When buying skin care products, find those that support your skin type. If you’re not sure what skin type you have…

The fix: Read our post on understanding your skin type to discover what works best for you.

Skipping the double cleanse
What if we told you that a soap or face wash will not remove all your makeup and whatever is left could clog your pores overnight. Imagine doing all the work only to realise there’s still some junk left on your skin. Not cool.

The fix: Use a makeup remover before using a soap or face wash. See how to do the double cleansing thing we keep talking about, in this post.

Using dirty cleansing tools
Daily cleansing tools range from washcloths to your hands. Cleansing with a dirty cloth or hand will only transfer dirt and germs to your face leaving you right back where you started: with a dirty face.

The fix: Always wash your hands properly and launder any washcloths or towels used to cleanse your face.

Cleansing with hot water
Hot water stresses and dries out the skin so try to avoid washing your face with very hot water as best you can. The steam from a very hot shower may feel good but in the long run, this will cause wrinkling of the skin and premature aging.

The fix: Turn down the heat and use mildly hot or lukewarm water for a calming and rejuvenating shower or bath.

Scrubbing too hard or cleansing too often
Sometimes we exfoliate our skin as an added cleanse; other times, our cleanser doubles as a mild exfoliator so we get a 2-in-1 feeling. As such, we could get caught up in removing dirt and oil with excessive pressure or unnecessary frequency and end up stripping our skin of it’s natural and essential oils.

The fix: Gently massage your cleanser into your skin in small circular motions in the AM and PM for optimum results.

As an extra tip, always pat your face dry with a towel after cleansing, don’t rub.

A Routine with This & You  in Mind

Ivory Butter

Hyperpigmentation

This softening whipped shea butter helps to stimulate hair growth, soften and moisture skin and hair, minimise wrinkles amongst others.

Onyx Light

Acne

Described as ‘beauty from ashes’, the resulting ash is especially adept at clarifying skin, hydrating skin and hair and removing excess oil

Glow Oil

Hyperpigmentation

The only ingredient in this luscious daily moisturiser is pure, cold-pressed shea nut oil that nourishes for soft, supple and glowing skin.