The importance of cleansing

 

In the cardinal sins of skincare, not cleansing properly is one of the biggies. The importance of taking our make-up or impurities off each night has been drilled into most of us, but sometimes it’s just too easy to slip straight into bed with a mug of cocoa and ignore that little nagging voice in your head.

Now, I for one am all for getting a bit grubby on occasion. I think kids should play in the mud, and, as a gardener, my fingernails leave a lot to be desired sometimes! Dirt is good; it helps to build our immunity up and there’s just something so therapeutic about sinking our toes into the grass, or our fingers into the soil. But, it’s also important to cleanse the grime away properly.

Cleansing helps to rid the skin of dirt, makeup and pollutants. If you don’t get rid of them, they can block pores, cause irritation and make skin puffy, congested and generally lacklustre. Not cleansing properly also makes it much harder for skincare products to do their job. Applying moisturiser over make-up just helps your cosmetics to work their way further into your pores. And who wants pollutants from car fumes soaking into their skin?

Ideally, you should cleanse morning and night. If you struggle to find the energy just before bed, why not cleanse early evening instead? You only need a small amount of my cleanser, as it’s quite rich. Massage it into your skin using circular, upwards movements, which helps to relieve congestion and get the blood flow going. It’s designed to be gentle, so doesn’t give you that tight, ‘stripped’ feeling that some cleansers do. It also contains the wonderfully fragrant neroli oil, to improve the health of your skin. Remove the cleanser with the muslin cloth supplied and rinse with warm water.

I do recommend following with a toner, particularly if you use cosmetics. It helps to remove any last traces of foundation and, in the case of my toner, has a whole host of other benefits, including promoting collagen production, increasing elasticity and firming the skin. Unsure whether you really need a toner? Check out last week’s blog post.

Along with cleansing, regular exfoliation is vital. Exfoliating gets rid of dead skin cells, smooths rough patches and leaves skin better able to renew itself. Many of the face scrubs on the market are quite harsh though, and can irritate your skin. Our Face and Body Scrub is much gentler; bamboo stem grains remove old skin cells, while kaolin clay draws out impurities and soaks up excess oil. Finally, rice grounds gently polish the skin, to leave you with a more radiant complexion.

Of course, deep cleansing isn’t only vital for your skin, as anyone who’s ever suffered from lank, dull hair caused by product build up knows all too well. I also think cleansing is good for the soul; helping you to wash the day away, and face the world anew.

Do you have any burning skincare questions? Drop me a comment below, fill in our feedback form, or get in touch via Facebook or Twitter. I’d love to hear from you and will do my best to answer your questions directly, or in my blog.