the importance of double cleansing

Okay, I'll admit it; I have become obsessed with skincare over the past few months. I used to be a girl that would take off their make up at night and cleanse and moisturise in the morning, just because I 'had to'. I sometimes even wouldn't take my make up off before I went to bed, which showed of course in my skin- it looked horrible. I have talked about my acne in the past on this blog, and those bad habits certainly didn't improve it! However, since I discovered more and more beauty blogs I became more interested in skincare and I do now have a proper cleanse, tone and moisturise routine. I also scrub my face twice a week and put on face masks, and god, I'm enjoying it! My skin has been looking better than ever, so I thought it was about time I would share something I recently discovered with you and which has, without a doubt, definitely made my skin feel and look a lot better, more cleared up, brighter and just generally great; double cleansing.

It has been common in certain Asian countries for women to double cleanse in the evening, and I even read that some women use 17 (!) products every night, just to cleanse their face! Now, seventeen products might be a little bit too much, but it's still really important to cleanse your face well, and since it has improved the condition of my skin so much, I'm going to share the reasons you should double cleanse and 'how' you have to do it with you! I also want to stress that I'm not a dermatologist; everything I'm sharing with you I've learned purely because of reading blogs/doing my own research.

Why should I do it? I once read somewhere online that 'You wouldn’t take a shower with your clothes on would you? No, you have to remove your clothes first before you can wash your body', and honestly, that's the best quote I've ever read regarding the importance of double cleansing. First removing your make up with an oil based cleanser or a micellar solution (NOT make up wipes!) and then thoroughly cleansing it with a facial wash, a balm or a milky cleanser will make your face cleaner than ever and thus results in more beautiful skin. It's not that hard; with only removing the make up, dirt, sebum and other not so nice things on the surface of the skin, there will always remain some nasty things on your skin. You can't get all of it off with just one cleanse! The second cleanse will not only remove the nasty things on the top layer of your skin, but will also remove dirt out of your pores so you're all things nasty will certainly be gone.
I know what some of you are thinking right now; if I just remove my make up and then use a toner, will it also remove the excess make up? The answer is NO, it will not. A toner doesn't cleanse your pores, it only cleanses- again!- the surface of your skin!

How should I double cleanse?
That's simple, but first you need to understand the difference between a make up remover and a facial cleanser. It's easy; you use a make up remover to remove all of the make up and dirt of that day- doh!-, and you use the cleanser afterwards, to cleanse your skin and pores. It mostly says on the bottle. Make up removers are mostly oil based or milky, or you can use my favourite type of make up remover- a micellar lotion! There are plenty of them, my favourite being the blogging-famous Bioderma Créaline/Sensibio H2O. It basically 'eats' away all of the make up, and you practically don't even need to use water, however I do recommend rinsing your face afterwards because I personally feel like the dirt is still on your face if I don't! Just soak a cotton with make up remover, whipe it all over your face and eyes and rinse. It's not that hard and only takes 30 seconds!
A cleanser can also be milky, but it can also be a balm, a facial wash etcetera. Don't use foaming cleansers though, as they are breeding ground for bacteria thus spots and break outs! You just use your hands (be sure they're clean though!) and massage the cleanser onto your face. Massaging it in will not only be more effective, it will also stimulate your circulation thus making your skin look brighter and clearer! Rinse it off and you're ready to tone and moisturise. The cleanser I'm currently using is Originas A Perfect World Antioxidant Cleanser, which is great as it doesn't make my skin feel too stripped, but also removes all things nasty perfectly.

And there you go, you have double cleansed your face! The routine should be taking 2-3 minutes, and then you're ready to hop into bed with freshly cleansed skin and have a well deserved beauty sleep! I also want to stress that you only need to double cleanse in the evening, when you're wearing make up or sunscreen on your face (however I personally do it even if I don't wear any make up, but that's not necessary, it's just something that I like to do!) and you can use the same cleanser to cleanse twice, like only a milky cleanser. That's perfectly fine, but I personally prefer using two separate cleansers! It's up to you in the end!

Sorry that this was such a rambly and long post, but I just thought I would share my personal findings and experiences with you. I hope you liked it!

Do you double cleanse? Is it something you haven't really adapted into your skincare regimen and did this post make you change your mind?

xoxo,
Charlotte