Washing your face with a gentle cleanser is a great first step to any skin care routine, but what about the technique known as “double cleansing”? Is it necessary or a waste of time and money? While it can be helpful in some situations, double cleansing is not absolutely necessary for everyone. It depends primarily on your skin type and the type of makeup or sunscreen you wear. We’ll help you decide if double cleansing is right for you.
What is double cleansing?
The concept behind double cleansing is to use a cleansing oil, cleansing balm, or similar products to first remove your makeup and sunscreen and follow that up with a regular water-based cleanser. The initial emollient cleanser clears the way for your regular face wash to cleanse your skin instead of having to work its way through layers of other products, resulting in a more thorough cleanse.
Not everyone needs double cleansing—today’s best cleansers are already formulated to easily break through and wash away makeup, sunscreen, dirt, pollutants, and other surface debris. However, those who wear tenacious sunscreen and/or transfer-resistant makeup may find double cleansing helps break down those formulas more easily for thorough removal.
Double cleansing can also help if you have very oily skin and find that your regular cleanser doesn’t remove enough excess oil, but a stronger single cleanser leaves your skin feeling tight and dry. It’s far better to use two gentle cleansers than one harsh, drying cleanser.
The bottom line, double cleansing is a personal choice based on your individual needs.
Here are the double-cleansing steps to follow:
Apply your fragrance-free cleansing oil or cleansing balm to wet or dry skin, massaging in gentle circular motions, including around the eyes, for 30–45 seconds. You will likely find you do not need to use a separate eye-makeup remover (make sure your cleansing products are fragrance free because fragrance is especially problematic when applied around the sensitive eyelid skin).
Rinse or gently remove the cleanser with a soft, wet washcloth.
Next, dispense a nickel- to quarter-size amount of your regular facial cleanser and apply it to damp skin, massaging in gentle circular motions.
Rinse away the second cleanser with lukewarm water, and pat your skin dry with a clean, soft towel.
Should I double cleanse every day?
Double cleansing isn’t necessarily something you have to do every day—you can choose to do it just the times you need it. For instance, there might be some days that you wear heavier makeup, in which case the double cleanse proves to be helpful. Other days, you may not need to. Simply put, it’s ok to double cleanse every day if you want to but it isn’t a necessity.
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