Use warm water
As nice as that feeling of hot water on your face can be when cleansing, I’ve noticed that it’s really not ideal. Hot water will leave you feeling dry and tight because it’s stripping the skin of its natural oils. Warm water is your friend when it comes to achieving a fresh clean face.
Moisturise during cleansing
I always used to think that because I had combination skin (quite oily at times actually), that I didn’t need to moisturise – wrong! In later years (I’m getting on a bit now!) I’ve really noticed how my skin type can change and some days my skin feels so dry it’s unbearable. This very often changes depending on the time of year – winter dry skin really is a thing!
To balance this out I’ve found that if I moisturise whenever I cleanse, I get a much better balance throughout the year. I once read somewhere that “beautiful skin is nourished skin, and hydration should be at every step of your regimen”. Sounds obvious really but I’m sure I’m not the only one who misses this out from time to time.
You can moisturize the skin with different products, such as lotions, face creams, and soaps. When it comes to ingredients, try to choose ones that apply to your skin the best way possible. There are a lot of types of natural soap containing vegetable oils, cocoa butter, olive oil, aloe vera, jojoba, avocado, and goat milk. For example, goat milk soap regulates the oiliness of the skin and restores the skin. Just keep in mind that the need to moisturize the skin increases along with air pollution. Although human skin acts as a biological shield against chemicals and physical air pollutants, exposure to these pollutants may have profound adverse effects on the skin and create a number of diseases. This is why skin hydration is so important․
Exfoliation
Again, something I never used to do. Silly really as I’ve always had very open pours. If you don’t exfoliate, you’re really missing out on an amazing deep clean feeling. It refines the surface of the skin by getting rid of all of those pesky dead skin cells (eew, who wants them anyway?!) and gets rid of oil and dirt that the naked eye wouldn’t see. It also makes your moisturiser work better. Win, win!
Suss your skin type
As I mentioned earlier, my skin type varies from spring to summer and back again. This means that I need to change up my products. In the winter I need a moisturiser for dry skin and in the summer, a product for combination skin – it’s important to use the right one so that you can get the best from them and your skin. Also, be careful that the products you choose aren’t too harsh on your skin. If in doubt, choose something for sensitive skin, especially if you’re new to a skincare routine.
Don’t go crazy
It’s the same as anything – start something new and you want to do it all the time. Don’t do this with cleansing. Once or twice a day is more than enough. Any more and you’ll risk stripping the essential oils from your skin causing more of a problem than you had before. You can get too much of a good thing!
A skincare routine doesn’t have to be a longwinded process. Yes, there are cleansers, toners and moisturisers galore on the shelves and this can be overwhelming for many. But the crux of it is this – a simple beauty bar and a moisturiser are good enough and certainly better than nothing. Throw in an exfoliator once or twice a week and you’re already doing enough. You can do all of this in the shower – simple!
Cetaphil is soon to be releasing an ebook titled “The ultimate guide to cleansing your skin”. Check out their website for tips on skin types and for more top tips.
I hope this has helped you if you find yourself ashamed of not having a skincare routine. If we’re lucky we can get away with it for so long, but really deep down, we know we need to look after our skin and these simple tips will help towards doing just that.
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