In the search for the most effective first step in creating healthy, radiant skin, there has been micellar cleansing, oil cleansing, double cleansing, and dry cleansing, each taking their turn in the spotlight. Whichever method is used, it is important to cleanse every morning and every night to remove makeup, pollution, and other environmental stressors leaving their mark on skin.
With this in mind, is it possible to over-cleanse? If so, does over-cleansing necessarily increase oiliness? When it comes right down to it, the issue is not the process of over-cleansing. Rather, it depends on what is in the cleanser.
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MAKE A CLEAN BREAK WITH SULFATES
Sulfates used to provide the answer to clearing away debris, since they function as foaming agents that decrease the surface tension of water and give cleansers a foamy, bubbly consistency.
However, high-lathering soaps containing sulfates dissolve natural oils in the skin’s protective barrier, stripping skin of natural oils and causing dehydration and transepidermal water loss. Skin feels squeaky clean at first, but when skin gets over-dry, sebaceous glands go into overdrive and compensate for the loss of natural skin oils by triggering excess oil production. Check ingredient labels for the following: sodium lauryl sulfate, sodium laureth sulfate, ammonium lauryl sulfate, and ammonium laureth sulfate. If they are there, just walk away.
STRAIGHT UP CLEANSING
In the past, no sulfates meant no foam. However, now that micro-bubbles are being incorporated into formulations, sulfate-free cleansers can create a foaming action that will not dry out skin.
There is still a potential problem. Although gentle, non-sulfate cleansers prevent dehydration and excess oiliness, they make it harder to completely remove remnants of micronized makeup, BB creams, and other debris stuck between skin cells.
Cleansers that are too mild may result in under cleansing, which increases the potential for developing milia or tiny white bumps.
DOUBLE AND DRY
A skin care routine that cleanses effectively and thoroughly without under-cleansing or over-cleansing would be double cleansing incorporated with dry cleansing.
Step 1: Use an oil-based or micellar water-based cleanser for dry, normal, or combination skin or a mild cleanser for oily or sensitive skin. Apply to a dry (not damp) face, which allows the cleanser to spread evenly, lifting off dirt and makeup that remain in unseen crevices. Massage in circular motions and rinse.
Step 2: Use a sulfate-free, gel-based cleanser, which leaves skin clean and hydrated without stripping away natural oils essential to maintaining a healthy skin barrier.
OVER-CLEANSING IS ALL WASHED UP
The key to effective cleansing is removing all the debris stuck between skin cells, without lowering hydration levels in skin. It is also important to apply the next products as soon as possible, in order to optimize moisture retention and product absorption, ideally a toner, serum, and moisturizer.
The bottom line is that over-cleansing and increased oiliness will not occur with the proper cleanser and appropriate routine – and that is refreshing to know.
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