A skincare routine is often personalized to your tastes, which means you select products based on texture, smell, and, of course, efficacy. You might also try replacing your moisturizer with a facial oil or eye cream with an eye serum. However, one procedure can’t be skipped if you want to have good skin: cleansing your face. It may appear straightforward — even monotonous — compared to the rest of your routine, but it’s not as easy as picking up the next trendy release. There is no such thing as a one-size-fits-all cleanser. In reality, the best cleanser for you is determined by your type.
The cleanser is the basic of skincare; its goal is to remove any dirt, oil, makeup, and impurities that could have settled on the outer layer. If you do not use the correct cleanser, you may leave your skin either too oily, causing acne, or too dry, causing flakes. So, you may guess that using the incorrect cleanser can disrupt your whole routine.
There are many forms of cleansers available; you can easily get lost; foam, bar, gel, cream…it is the whole world. Nowadays… there are even more, and the new terms you may have come across are ‘sulfate-free’, ‘oil-cleansing’, or things like that. So knowing your skin type and buying your cleanser can eliminate many problems.
How to know your skin type:
Wait for a minimum of 30 minutes and examine your face. If it is dry, you have a dry type; if it has developed oil all over the face, you have an oily type. If it has developed oil only on the T-zone (forehead, nose, and chin), you have a combination type. Wash your face with a mild cleanser that does not claim to do magic wonders something basic; once done, do not apply any other product on your face.
Oily Skin
If you have an oily type, you want to use a gel clean; you may even top it up with some lactic acid to effectively break down the oil without irritating. When choosing your cleanser, however, make sure that it is not too harsh; your skin needs a little bit of oil, and if you use something very harsh, it will strip all the oil, and thus your face will only overproduce oil, making it even more oily.
You may use a product that contains a low-strength salicylic, lactic, or glycolic acid.
Dry Skin
Dry can be very prone to flaking and eczema. Using a very mild cream cleanser without any acids, exfoliating beads, and clay is better. If even the mild cleanser is drying out your skin, you may opt for only water and micellar water instead of a cleanser.
You may use humectants such as hyaluronic acid or glycerin as they withdraw water from the atmosphere and attract it to the skin, leaving it hydrated.
Combination Skin
For combination, you have to use a gel-form cleanser but not any gel-form cleanser; look for one that is very light and does not contain any stripping ingredients. Look for a cleanser that contains vitamin E or Aloe Vera as it can address both types. You will want to look at terms like ‘balancing cleanser’ or ‘gentle formula’.
Keep in mind that your type may change. Sometimes it’s the weather; for example, many people have oily skin in summer and dry in winter. So, you may have to switch between your cleanser. This is not a problem, but you will have to make sure that you are using the right one for you. Let us know in the comments below what type you have…