Forget the days of using a makeup wipe to clean your face. And, a quick rub of cleanser is no longer enough to cut the mustard. While deep cleaning your skin might usually be reserved for those days when you’re wearing a lot of makeup (like weddings or events), many people are actually doing it on the daily.
Double cleansing refers to washing your face twice in a row with two different products. This simple skincare practice helps to thoroughly remove oil, dirt and dead skin cells that accumulate on your face during the day. If you’re new to the concept of double cleansing and you’re wondering if it’s really necessary, please keep reading.
Why double cleansing?
As the name suggests, double cleansing refers to washing your face with two different cleansers, one after the other. Double cleansing originally became popular in Japan and South Korea, before becoming common practice in the Western world.
While there is no real wrong or right way to double cleanse, it usually involves using an oil-based or balm cleanser to wash your face first, then followed up with your regular cream or gel cleanser.
The benefits of double cleansing
Much like when you shampoo your hair twice, the oil or balm product in the double cleansing routine removes dirt and grime on the surface of your skin as well as makeup and sunscreen. The second cleanser can then penetrate your skin deeper and both nourish and clean without having to break through a barrier of makeup and SPF.
“The oil-based cleanser in the double cleanse method is a great way to remove sebum (overproduced in acne) and makeup and sunscreen at the end of the day,” Ellinor Quay Coyne, a dermatologist based in Washington, DC, told Vox. “You can then penetrate the pores more deeply with the water-based cleanser.”
Letting sebum, makeup and SPF build-up can also have a negative effect for your skin’s health, so removing this daily will keep your skin looking and feeling happy and healthy.
“Basically, buildup of residue, oil, dirt, cosmetic products left on the skin can leave the skin looking dull in appearance, and it also contributes to clogging your pores, which then can lead to acne or enlarged pores,” dermatologist Megan Rogge told Vox.
Plus, if you’re wearing sunscreen every day, which is recommended to protect your skin, using an oil or balm product will thoroughly remove all traces of the SPF — a product which is notoriously hard to budge.
Once all of these layers of grime and product are removed, it also helps your skincare products penetrate deeper into your skin and hopefully, achieve what is promised on the packaging.
“Think of your skin like a canvas,” Dendy Engelman, a New York City-based dermatologist, told Allure. “You need a clean canvas to start your work. Clean skin will allow active ingredients to penetrate better and work more effectively.”
And, if you’re still working from home and not wearing makeup all that often (or not at all), double cleansing will help to remove the impurities on your skin and is still a worthwhile exercise.
To give double cleansing a go for yourself, invest in one of our favourite cleansing oils and simply wash your face with it, before rinsing off and cleansing with your favourite water-based gel or cream cleanser. Too easy!
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