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Most brands in the industry provide quick 'bullet point' references for use by counter staff/telephone customer services peeps to help them quickly highlight key points that are applicable to that customer or their needs. I started blogging because of the bad/zero cleansing advice that was prevalent on social media - these Cheat Sheets are my attempt at redressing the balance.. So without further ado:
- Cleanse your face every night. Without fail. You have enough time.
- Cleanse your face in the morning - a splash of water will not cut it. You can use a teeny amount of cleanser - but use it...
- Apply your cleanser to DRY skin. Don't dampen the skin first. I don't care what it says on the pot. Add water afterwards to loosen if not using an oil-based cleanser. (When was the last time you went for a facial and the therapist wet your face before she cleansed?)
- As a rule - stay clear of 'foaming' on the bottle (there is the odd exception, but they are few and far between) - to get foam you need to use a surfactant - and a surfactant in general can push your skin into the alkaline ph. Bacteria prefers an alkaline skin. The irony being that so many cleansers pushed on to acne/combination skins are foaming.
- If you are wearing makeup with sunscreen in it or just good old sunscreen you need to double cleanse. If you aren't, one cleanse is more than sufficient.
- Use a face flannel and water to remove. There is no need to cotton/tissue off. This is 2011, not a Doris Day film. Wash your face properly. Imagine only ever using tissue or cotton on your bum. Exactly.
- Use fresh running water from the tap - do not fill the bowl and splash off. It just splashes the dirt back on to your face.
- If you are wearing waterproof eye makeup, it is more gentle on your face to remove it first with a dedicated product. Otherwise, use a cleanser that removes (normal) eye makeup and apply the cleanser to the eyes first. You'll get most of the gunk off at the beginning and your second cleanse will clear the rest up. Massage with the second cleanse, not the first.
- Use tepid/warm (not hot) water and ring the flannel out - if it's the right temperature for your fingertips it will be fine for your face.
- Use a fresh flannel every day. You can find affordable ones. Multiple retailers sell great quality flannels/facecloths starting at 35p. Buy 8 packs and you're good for a week and a spare....You don't have to use muslins or a special cloth. Trust me. I've done treatments with the lot and the thing we always went back to? Plain white facecloths. HOT, plain, white facecloths. Lovely.
If you want more info on facial massage you can read my first ever post here. Skin Rocks - The Cream Cleanser
