Skin Cleansing Secrets: How to Properly Wash Your Face for Your Skin Type!

Stress, tiredness, and pollution can dirty our skin and cause shininess, pimples, and a dull complexion. To avoid these issues and maintain youthful, healthy skin over time, a thorough cleansing routine is essential. To make it effective, adopt a gentle yet efficient routine tailored to your skin type. Here’s how to do it.

Cleaning Oily or Combination Skin

When your facial skin is oily, it tends to produce a significant amount of sebum.

• To purify it, wash your face morning and night (after removing makeup) using specific products. There’s no need for harsh lotions or gels as they might only worsen your skin issues. “Like with other skin types, I recommend washing the face twice a day, morning and evening, before moisturizing,” says Dr. Marie-Estelle Roux, a dermatologist. Use a gentle cleanser, such as over-fatted soap, a soap-free gel, or a micellar water specifically designed for oily skin, perhaps with zinc.
• Even if your skin feels oily after washing, it still needs moisturization with a light cream. Once you’ve completed your daily skin cleansing, don’t overlook the next step: even oily skin needs hydration! If you have combination skin, meaning oily in the forehead-nose-chin area but dry on the cheeks, use products intended for oily skin. It’s unrealistic to clean your face with two different products based on the area.

Exfoliation and Gentle Actions

In general, avoid rubbing your skin too hard with your cleanser. Your actions will be effective even if they are gentle. Also, do not assault your face with your towel. Gently dab the area to dry it. Twice a week, also use an exfoliant to deeply cleanse your skin. These treatments help remove impurities. Several times a year, you might also consider visiting a dermatologist for a professional skin cleaning to help manage blackheads and other blemishes.

Beware of Pimples!

If your face has acne, schedule an appointment with a dermatologist so they can recommend a cleanser suited to your skin. Above all, do not pick at your pimples, as it could worsen the condition!

Cleaning Dry Skin

Does your skin feel tight when you clean it? Chances are your cleansing gel is too harsh for your face. Dry to very dry skin types have specific needs. Choose a special “dry skin” product, a very gentle cleanser. When drying your face, be careful! Gently pat your face with a soft towel.

Cleaning Mature Skin

“The main advice is to understand that mature skin tends to be dry. Therefore, we must respect this characteristic, explains Dr. Michel Le Maître, a dermatologist and scientific advisor for La Roche-Posay. The products used should be as gentle as possible. Generally, the feedback is very positive for micellar waters, which cleanse gently. Typically, I recommend cleansing once a day, in the evening, after makeup removal. In the morning, a spray of mineral water is enough before applying moisturizer.“

Cleaning Normal Skin

After the essential step of makeup removal, make sure to cleanse your skin. Gel, foam, lotion, or soap… You have plenty of options! Choose products labeled “normal skin” and wash your face without scrubbing too hard. In the morning, before applying makeup and starting your day, wash again. After each of these cleansing sessions, be sure to moisturize with products designed for normal skin. Once a week, use an exfoliating product to deeply cleanse your skin of impurities. Again, be careful not to overdo it with these exfoliating products to avoid irritating your skin.