How to up your cleansing game for 2022

How to up your cleansing game for 2022

When it comes to your skincare routine, dermatologists are in agreement that no matter your skin-type, cleansing is (alongside SPF) the most important step. Get your cleanse right and it generally is key to ensuring your skin remains, on the whole, problem-free. Without an adequate cleanse your next steps - serum, moisturiser, oil - won’t work as effectively, so it really does pay to ensure your primary step is always an effective cleanse, using the correct technique, products and timing. 

Here’s a dermatologist’s guide to getting this step in your routine spot-on. It’s a new year, so what better time than to up your skincare game? So let’s start with your cleanse: follow these three simple rules and we guarantee you’ll be reaping the benefits by the end of the month. 

Step 1: Build your cleanser ‘closet’

A good routine starts with good products. Ideally your cleansing wardrobe will contain a mixture of three products - all different formulas that perform specific roles. You’ll need a micellar water, cleansing oil or balm: this will form the initial part of your cleanse, with the oils attracting and pulling away the first layer of grime on your skin, which tends to be pollution, SPF, product build-up and make-up. We currently love cult cleanser Oskia Renaissance Cleansing Gel*: the silky gel-to-oil texture makes it a joy to use, plus it melts away grime, make-up and SPF, deeply cleanses pores AND gently lifts away dull dead skin cells. Secondly, you need a water-based cleanser. This can be something you use in the shower, if you wish, and generally will perform a secondary cleanse of your skin. It will also help remove any residue left from your first oily cleanse. Lastly, choose an exfoliating cleanser. You will use this two or three times a week, in place of your water-based one, to help break dull older dulling skin cells. Look for something that contains acids - AHA’s, glycolic, lactic - and fruit enzymes (papaya, pineapple, pumpkin…) for a non-abrasive gentle exfoliant (*click through to link on guide to chemical exfoliants). We don’t want to overwhelm your skin with too many products, but as a general guide, with the right products for your own skintype chosen from each of these three categories, this should be ideal. 

Step 2: If you don’t already, introduce a double-cleanse

Double-cleansing is nothing new - the Koreans introduced us to this way of cleansing years ago - but still, not enough of us commit to it. It’s worth the extra time and extra product. Why? If you live in a polluted climate or if you wear a lot of sunscreen (that's everyone, right?) these often leave deposits that are hard to remove with a single cleanse. Ditto, if you wear makeup every day. Double ditto for fans of fake tan. Remember if your skin is thoroughly cleansed, it’s easier for serums and creams to be absorbed: so look at it as a time-saving money-saving step in the long run. Always start your double cleanse with a cleansing oil, balm, or micellar water. Apply it onto dry skin to break down makeup, toxins, pollution, SPF, and sebum. Be sure to massage it in for a minute before rinsing with lukewarm water. After rinsing away your cleansing oil, move onto your second cleanser, which should be a water-based one, and wash as normal. This step cleans deeper. It also removes residues of the preceding step of oil-based cleansers and ensures all impurities are removed. Twice a week, use an exfoliating cleanser in place of your daily second cleanser. 

Step 3: Time your cleansing well

Like many things in life, timing is crucial. It goes without saying to cleanse on an evening - even better if you can do it as soon as you step inside your house after work - but also, please don’t skip your morning cleanse. Personally, I can’t fathom why anyone would: for me it’s so ingrained in my morning ritual it’s almost religious. There is little in life more refreshing, revitalising and cathartic on a morning than a deep skin cleanse during my morning shower. But my own personal feelings aside, there are many genuine skin-related reasons to cleanse first-thing. Firstly, no matter how well you wash your skin at night, your skin enters repair mode as you sleep, which causes it to secrete toxins and sebum: these need gently removing, on a morning, so they don’t clog your pores or prevent your morning skincare from working. Not only that, but if you touch your face at night (or use an eye mask, or sleep on a pillow…which basically covers everyone) you are introducing bacteria. Again, this needs to be cleansed away. Finally, some of the ingredients in nighttime products (like retinol) need to be cleansed from the skin the next day to avoid any potential reactions. 

So, there you have it. Three simple ways to uplift your cleansing game. Pretty easy as far as new year’s resolutions go: and we promise, it will be so worth it. 

*find one in your January Roccabox

By Sarah Edge