Do You Know How to Wash Your Face?

Washing your face is one of the most essential steps to maintaining proper skin hygiene. It is the first and foremost step of all skin care regimens.. Washing your face removes impurities like dirt, debris, make-up residues and excess oil particles from the skin pores that could have otherwise caused severe skin problems like acne, clogged skin pores and even promote premature aging of the skin.

There are a plethora of cleansers and face-washes available in the market that cater to the requirements of all skin types, be it normal, oily, dry, sensitive or combination skin. Cleansers gently clean the skin and remove impurities without irritating the skin. Thus it leaves the skin fresh and clean without making it excessively dry.

Choosing the Right Cleanser
It is very important to choose a cleanser that suits your particular skin type and caters to its specific needs and requirements. Only then can you seek clean and fresh skin with no side effects. Women with oily or combination skin should use lightweight and oil-free cleansers that contain stronger oil-absorbing ingredients. On the other hand, women with dry or sensitive skin should use a milder cleanser that contains skin moisturizing ingredients. Make sure that the skin care products you use are non-comedogenic (doesn't clog skin pores), hypoallergenic (doesn't irritate the skin or cause allergies) and non-acneic (doesn't cause acne).

Ideally, wash your face twice a day, once in the morning and once at night. However people with excessively oily skin can wash their face once in the afternoon as well to avoid excessive greasiness.

Steps to Wash your Face

Step1 – Wash your Hands
Before you attempt to clean your face, wash your hands with a good anti-bacterial soap and lukewarm water and make sure they are good and clean. Otherwise, the bacteria from your hands may get transferred on to your face when you wash your face with dirty hands.

Step2 – Remove the make-up
Get hold of a mild make-up remover and remove all the make-up from your face. Though facial cleansers remove most make-up residue it’s always better to remove the make-up beforehand. Start by removing the eye make-up and then gradually clean off the entire face.

Step 3 – Wet your face
Splash lukewarm water on your face and prepare the skin for cleansing. Lukewarm water opens up the skin pores and facilitates deep cleansing

Step 4 – Apply the cleanser
Take out a small amount of the cleanser on your palms and gently rub evenly all over your face with your fingertips. Make sure you apply the cleanser all over your face including forehead, nose, cheeks, chin and even the neck. Massage with circular motions for a couple of minutes so that it gets absorbed by the skin effectively.

Step 5 – Rinse the face
Again, splash water on your face several times and rinse off the cleanser completely. Make sure you have washed off the cleanser well and there are no visible residues left on your face. You can also use a facial sponge or cotton pads to remove the cleanser.

Step 6 – Dry your Face
Gently pat dry your face with a soft towel. Never rub the towel against the face to dry it. Patting it gently will ensure that your face is not dripping wet, yet is moist enough. Leaving some moisture on the face is beneficial in the skin care process.

Step 7 – Toning
The cleansing process should immediately be followed by toning. Toning is especially important if you have oily or combination skin. It removes any traces of impurities that wouldn't have been removed by the cleanser (including the cleanser itself) and normalizes the pH levels of the skin. The skin becomes tighter and ready for moisturization.

Step 8 – Moisturization
Apply a moisturizer on the face to hydrate the skin and replenish the moisture that may have been lost during cleansing and toning.

Obagi Nu-Derm Gentle Cleanser – Especially formulated for normal and dry skin types, this cleanser cleans the skin effectively and removes all traces of impurities like dirt, debris, pollutants, dead skin cells, make-up residues and excess oil particles.

Obagi C-Cleansing Gel - It contains hydroquinone and potent Vitamin C that cleans the skin effectively and removes all impurities. Moreover, it improves the penetration of active ingredients contained in other skin care products.

iS Clinical Cleansing Complex - This cleanser by Innovative Skincare is great for resurfacing, deep cleaning and is anti-acneic. It is powerful but can be safely used on sensitive skin. It cleans the skin without leaving it dry. It also contains antioxidants to fight free radicals.