If you’re into skincare, you’ve probably heard of it: double cleansing. It is a must, if you want to cleanse your skin to perfection and keep it young for longer… at least if you do it right! But what is it exactly and how do you do it right the first time? Our beauty expert Keshia explains it to you in today’s Beauty Talk. 

Good things come to those who double cleanse.

Double cleansing is what the name implies; cleansing the skin twice in a row. “Yes but Keshia, I barely have enough time to do it once,” I hear you say. No worries: you’re at your sink for your first cleanse anyway and this only takes 30 seconds longer. Tell yourself, what’s half a minute in exchange for glowing skin? By the way: you only need to do it in the evening! So you get into bed with a clean skin so it can recover optimally at night.

How do you do it?

Thanks to this step-by-step plan, double cleansing becomes child’s play:

1. Apply a pump of your cleansing oil to your still dry skin. Massage it in for at least 30 seconds with small circular movements. You’ll see that the makeup on your skin loosens and adheres to the oil. Add some water: the texture now becomes milky and liquid.

2. The final step of your first cleansing: rinse your face well with lukewarm water. You shouldn’t see or feel an ounce of makeup or SPF now. Is there still some present on your face? Then repeat the first step with oil again. Maybe you wore a lot of (waterproof) makeup with a primer underneath and a fixing spray. If so, chances are you’ll need to repeat the oil cleansing step again.

3. On to cleansing phase number two! Pat your face, but make sure it stays slightly damp. Now take your usual cleanser and cleanse your skin as you normally would.

4. Rinse your skin well again and pat dry with a clean towel or tissue. Yes, a clean one, preferably not the same one you used before. Complete your routine with your toner, serum, eye cream, day cream,…! Now you’re all set to enjoy your evening. 

Products: Timexpert Vitamine C Eye Cream – Antioxidant & Fine Lines, €49,00 – Rides Record Serum Lines/Wrinkles, €90,30 – Balancing Toning Lotion Travelsize, €12,50

Why is this such a good idea?

Your skin makes sebum. You may initially associate it with pimples, but this oily layer is really indispensable! After all, it keeps our skin supple and hydrated. But, as always, too much is never good. Then it accumulates and clogs your pores. At the same time, dust particles and bacteria also stick to it very easily.

“Simple,” you may be thinking, “then I’ll just cleanse with water, right?” Good guess, but alas! Maybe you remember it from chemistry class in school: oil and water don’t mix. So the water does not remove the dirty layer of sebum. Moreover, water is also very harsh on your skin, which just makes it dry out. Do you use strong cleansing detergents on top of that? Then you are damaging your skin even more. We don’t want that! And that’s exactly why we work as gently as possible with oil.

Do you often wear waterproof makeup? Then oil is also your best friend. Makeup is water-resistant and therefore difficult to remove. The oil particles, on the other hand, break down the makeup, adhere to the particles and you can easily rinse them away. The same goes for your SPF protection and the filters in your sunscreen.

Oil on oily skin? 

Wholeheartedly: yes! At least if you’re going to cleanse. Your mild usual cleaner is often not strong enough to break down the excess oil. Therefore, many people turn to a stronger cleanser that often contains drying ingredients. This does more harm than good: your skin loses its natural protective layer and, as a counter-reaction, produces even more sebum (and therefore oil) to protect your suppleness and hydration. 

“Cleansing with an oil removes the dirt and

makeup residue without destroying your natural barrier.”

What about micellar water and cleansing wipes?

Very briefly: don’t use cleansing wipes! They do remove some makeup, but they don’t completely remove the residue. You actually smear your makeup more, than you cleanse your skin. They also often contain drying alcohol and irritating preservatives to keep the wipes moisturized. That doesn’t exactly sound like a treat for your skin.

“Micellar water can be a first step, but my preference

is for oil to maintain your natural balance.” 

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Happy cleansing! Need more beauty tips? Be sure to come back every week for more Beauty Talk or read the previous articles.