But I only want to go to bed. Don't make me get up and wash my face!

SKINCARE SERIES

Part 2 - Washing your face

 

 In our last skincare post (you can find that here - I'm supposed to do WHAT with my face?!) we covered the basics of what steps you should be taking and in what order you should take them. Now, let's dive into a little bit more detail about the first and most important step in any skincare routine, washing your face!

The simplest way to explain to someone why they should be washing their face is this, if you wash your hands/body after they are exposed to something (dirt, public areas, intense sweaty workout, dirty children’s tissues…) why would you not want to wash your face too? The skin on your face not only presents you to the world, but it also presents itself to all of the dirt and pollutants out in the world that you are exposed to. Washing your face is not only going to remove all of the visible signs of makeup and dirt, but the non-visible things, like sweat, oil and pollutants (shall we continue about all the other grimy things out there? No, thought not.)

Using water to wash your face is a simple, super basic way to remove the visible signs of dirt and yuck-stuff (that’s a technical term by the way, yuck-stuff) but to really get all of the grime off, using a cleanser designed for the face is ideal. There are different cleansers out there to wash with, so take a look and see what type of cleanser would be best for you. Are you oily or acne prone? Look for a face wash that contains oil controlling or other “deep clean” style ingredients. Are you prone to dry skin? Look for more moisturizing face washes that contain no additional additives to minimize potential skin irritation or excessive dryness. Are you normal or combination skin? Look for a product that contains gentle exfoliators to help keep skin glowing and hydrated. Are you a sensitive skin type? Look for an incredibly gentle cleanser that contains minimal to no added chemicals.

Regardless of skin type, the main goal of cleansing is to remove all of that ucky, yucky, dirty stuff that your facial skin is exposed to daily.  Here are some tips to really get the most out of your cleansing routine.

• DO Use warm water to wash your face. Do not use cold water (which will shrink the size of your pores and make it that much harder for your cleanser to do its job) and do not use hot water (using hot water will deplete the skin of moisture and dry out your skin), use lukewarm water to help open pores up to be able to cleanse thoroughly. 
• DON’T use a washcloth to wash your face. You may think, why wouldn’t I use a washcloth to help wash my face? It is soft but abrasive enough to help exfoliate my skin, why wouldn't I use it? The answer is in the latter part of that question. The washcloth is soft, but still abrasive enough to pull and “scratch” the skin. Scratching the skin leads to little tiny tears in the skin's surface which can become a point for bacteria to enter and cause breakouts or other bacterial invaders to take residence in your skin. Also, the pulling motion on the skin's surface will help in the collagen breakdown of the skin, which in turn leads to (oh, don't make me say it... please, don't make me say the dreaded word…) wrinkles. GASP
• DO Pat your face dry using a clean towel. The purpose of patting your face dry after cleansing is the same reason we do not want to use a washcloth to wash our faces...wrinkle causing potential! Patting your face dry is much more gentle on the skin than wiping it dry. Using a clean towel is important too. Now, imagine with me a moment, you washed your face in the morning and dried it on your towel. That towel sat in a ball on your bathroom counter all day, never really drying, being used to dry hands after handwashing, wiping sticky pancake syrup off of tiny little faces (Not your towels? Only me?) Now take that towel after you washed the day away from your face and put your face right into it, go ahead, do it. Doesn't seem too squeaky clean, does it? THAT is why you should be using a clean towel to dry your face after washing it. 
• DO wash your face twice a day. Washing your face at the end of the day and before starting your day is going to help maintain your skin's cleanliness and help it look it’s most refreshed and healthy. (Maybe it is just me, but washing my face after waking up in the morning not only helps me to wake up, but it helps to wash all the dried up “sleep drool” that is still on your cheek. Oh come on, admit it, you drool when you sleep!) 
• Do use a cleanser formulated for your skin type. If you are a dry skin type, do not use a face wash formulated for acne prone skin! By using products not formulated for your skin type, you run the risk of increasing the chance of breakouts,and also increasing the risk of dehydrating your skin (dehydrated skin causes the skin to show signs of aging much sooner than properly hydrated skin.)

Well, did you think there was THAT much information involved in simply washing your face? See, washing your face really is that important!

What do you use to cleanse your face, good old fashioned dial soap or a specialty, high end face wash? Let us know what you use!

XOXO
Gaby

Have you checked out our post on.... Get a gorgeous golden glow with these tips!

Do you enjoy Hot Mess Mayhem? Follow us on our Social Media Pages and see what else we are up to! FACEBOOK | INSTAGRAM | TWITTER 

Visit Gaby's YOUTUBE Channel for great tutorials and a little silliness!

Have suggestions on products we should review? Email us here!

If you are a company or brand owner and wish to collaborate, please send us an EMAIL HERE.