By Corinna Joy Kavanagh
The first step to healthy, radiant looking skin is proper cleansing. We all know to brush our teeth for about three minutes morning and night, but few of us spend more then 20 seconds on cleansing our face and many go to bed without washing our face at all. As a result skin is left dull, dry and missing the “glow” we all desire.
Why?
When we are out all day we are exposed to about 6 million pollutants every day. We also sweat (and sweat includes toxins and urine that your body exposes of), and some of us wear make up. All of this needs to be taken off the skin so that our skin can be fresh and clean and has a chance to repair and rejuvenate when we sleep.
Often I hear from my clients that they fall asleep before they have a chance to clean their face, or that once they finally are ready for bed, they do not want to go and wash their face.
Here is what I suggest in that situation: Clean your face as soon as you get home, when you change your clothes, or after dinner, when you brush your teeth. Make it a routine – it really only takes 5 minutes to wash your face and to apply your serums and moisturizer.
Here’s How to Achieve Radiant Looking Skin in Just One Week:
1. The right cleanser makes all the difference! Your cleanser needs to be ph balanced, be right for you skin type and your skin condition. Only then will you see the best results. Do not use soap! Soap strips your body of the important acid mantel that we need to keep the skin healthy and to be able to ward off bacteria.
2. Ideally you want to cleanse your face twice morning and night! If that seems too much, at least wash your face twice at night. Think about it – your laundry or dishes need to be cleansed more then once to be squeaky clean, the same is true for your skin.
The first cleanse takes of all the “grime” from the day, the second cleanse deep cleanses your pores. Depending on your cleanser, you may need to mix it with a little bit of water before you begin. Work the cleanser in small circles and massage it from forehead to the neck, take at least 30 – 45 seconds per cleanse. Next thoroughly rinse with tepid water – not too hot, not too cold. The skin on the face is sensitive and does not do well with extremes. Especially if you have concerns with redness stay away from extreme temperatures – that includes the Sauna.
3. Use a sponge cleansing cloth instead of a wash cloth. In order to have the best results, I highly recommend using a sponge cloth to cleanse your face, like the one from Dermalogica, instead of a wash cloth. Overall, you’ll have better results with a sponge cloth because they are gentle enough for even the most sensitive skin and remove make-up/debris without irritating the skin. A wash cloth, on the other hand, has a rough texture and can be full of bacteria.
4. Pat your skin dry and follow up with your serums and moisturizer after each cleansing. Once you try this for a week you will see how much better your skin looks and feels!
