Beauty Tips For Body Care
Day One's Post if you missed it! This is my once daily Skin Care Advent Calendar of tips that will go throughout December!-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Day Two: How to gently do a "double cleanse" of your face! Hint: It doesn't just mean cleansing twiceTL;DR- Using an oil based cleanser helps break up hydrophobic molecules on your skin, surrounding them for easier cleansing. Used as the first step in a two step cleanse will help cleanse your skin throughly, but gently.-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------So I've wanted to do tips on aspects of skincare that aren't really talked about on here and are maybe more "niche" tips that are going to be helpful to both beginners and people who maybe have been following a routine for a while but are looking to kick it up a notch. However double cleansing is one of those aspects of skincare that is so widely talked about, but really never on like... a fundamental level, you know? Shoutout once again to r/AsianBeauty for having more content, but still when I do a Google search on double cleansing I find more people asking questions and short back-and-forths than I do any actual guide format explanation.I also received a lot of questions/DMs after my post yesterday about double cleansing, and it has been a constant worry for me every time I see someone using a harsh cleanser twice thinking that is what double cleansing means. So let's unpack and make sure that, whether a beginner or advanced, we all come together in understanding, and realize the true double cleanse, were the friendships we made along the way.Now let's dispense with the term "Double Cleanse" for the rest of this post, because I feel as though it gives people a false impression. This isn't just "cleansing twice", we're doing a two-step cleansing process by first using an oil based cleanser and then following with a water based cleanser. Let's call it Two Step Cleansing.First Step: Oil Based Cleanser\**Right off the bat I'm just going to say that I'll be discussing oil cleansers and not the other common product inserted here: Micellar water. Personally I hate Micellar water. I find them to be incredibly irritating to my skin, even 'gentle' ones. They have ingredients in them meant to help break down dirt and oil so they are I suppose acceptable for a First Step Cleanser, but for myriad reasons (irritating surfactants, their annoying insistence you can leave them on without washing them off which has lead to a slew of eye infections) I would recommend trying an oil based cleanser first. If you love micellar water that's totally fine, but for general use I think that an oil cleanser is a better recommendation.Why use an oil cleanser first?"Like dissolves like" is the heart of the matter here. Scientifically speaking, oil won't dissolve oil, the oil molecules are attracted to, attach, and surround the oil molecules on your skin, making them easier to wash away with water (another reason no-wash micellar waters are dumb). A lot of the products we use (makeup, sunscreen) have molecules that are hydrophobic (oils and products that love oils, i.e. water haterz). When we only use a water based cleanser we may be leaving behind these molecules to clog up our pores, burn our wells (? don't know how you do that but ok), and carry off our children. By using an oil cleanser first we ensure that we snag all of the hydrophobic molecules with the oil, before coming in hot with a Second Step Water Based Cleanser which has hydrophilic (aka water loverz) molecules.In short, it's a great step to ensure that you're properly cleansing your skin, and can go a long ways towards helping those who suffer from acne, sebastian filaments, blackheads, or general congestion.Do I have to use an oil cleanser if I'm not wearing make-up or sunscreen?Yes- well, kind of. You still have hydrophobic molecules (dirt, grime, excess sebum) on your face, so if you're looking to improve your skin and have one of the conditions listed above then you're a prime target for an oil cleanser. However if you don't suffer from any of those issues then I probably wouldn't worry about it as you don't need to address problems you don't have! I will say that- pure anecdote here- I have seen people say it helps with fine lines as well. I personally think that this is likely because an oil cleanser replaces more harsh steps like using (*shudder*) makeup cleansing wipes aka the Devil's Toilet Paper, and therefore makes their skin look more plump.What to look for in an oil based cleanser? What does Emulsify mean?An oil based cleanser should have its primary ingredients be oils, but there will also be some chemicals in there to help it emulsify, i.e. break down on your skin. A product that emulsifies will break down when it comes into contact with water, causing it to lightly lather and easily wash away.Now I've noticed from the comments that a lot of you are around from the good ol' OCM (Oil Cleanse Method) days where there weren't a lot of legit oil cleanser options on the market outside of Asian countries and so your best bet was to saddle up and head down to ye olde drugstore and pick up some unscented baby oil AKA mineral oil and go to town. I definitely partook in OCM and let me tell you- that shit is work to remove. If you're still hanging on to your straight oil for cleansing can I just say: try out an oil cleanser that emulsifies! They have come such a long way in the past few years and are becoming so ubiquitous they're at the drugstore now. Just give them a try.Pure oils do not have any emulsifiers added to them, so when they come into contact with water (as you'll recall oil is hydrophobic i.e. hates that shit) the oil molecules are just like NO MAKE ME BITCH. And so there is a lot of wiping and rubbing involved to get them off. Oil cleansers however have chemicals in them (emulsifiers) that cause them to emulsify (breakdown and wash away) when they come into contact with water, taking all of the hassle out of straight oils.So what to look for in an oil cleanser?Well there should be a base oil, sometimes a mixture of a few different oils, and then some emulsifiers. I personally stay away from fragrance because it's unnecessary, but it's not as big of a deal in an oil cleanser since you do rinse it off. I'm not all about specific product recs since I don't know what's available to you, but let's take my personal favorite cleansing oil, DHC Deep Cleansing Oil, a Japanese brand that's pretty widely available worldwide. The main ingredient is Olive Oil, a cheap but fine cleansing oil, followed by some emulsifiers (and in last place is Rosemary oil which is unnecessary but frankly I never knew it was there? weird). As long as the product is oil based and none of the other ingredients are particularly offensive to you then you should be good to go.Let me give you an example of a product that is just awful ingredients-wise despite its promising name. This is frankly one of the stupidest products I've ever seen: Bioderma Cleansing Oil, targeted towards sensitive skin. First off it has fragrance in it so like, wow well done Bioderma that was necessary, but there isn't any freaking oil in it!!! It's like a repackaged version of their micellar water but with more surfactants to make it oily-er. The first ingredient is water and just big middle finger to Bioderma for that stupid product. A good example of making sure to look at the ingredients and not just the name.How to use an oil cleanser?Ok so you have an oil cleanser in your hands, now what do you do with it? This might seem silly, but I feel like a lot of times we're told what products to use, and maybe when to use them, but the "how" part is glossed over, so let's go over it now.If you're wearing mascara: I usually use a dedicated eye makeup remover to break up and remove my mascara first, but many people remove it with their oil cleanser- totally personal preference. I soak a cotton ball in eye makeup remover, hold it on my lashes for about 10 seconds, and then gently swipe right (left? idk never used Tindr, Tinder?) and repeat until it's mostly gone.I usually just do a two step cleanse at night, but if your skin feels particularly congested you can absolutely do it twice per day. That's the great thing about oil based cleansers- they're very non-stripping and non-drying.So at night I get my hair out of my face, wash my hands, and then pump the oil cleanser into my hands. I then begin to rub it over my dry face, making sure that it's sliding and gliding and never tugging. Having a dry face is important, because if you recall the product emulsifies when it comes into contact with water. To get that dope ass hydrophobic property we want to use the oil cleanser sans water to begin with. I like to give myself a good rubbing (lol get it cause sex) with the oil, and I make sure that I massage it down my neck and up to my hairline. Once I feel like I've gotten that covered I'll wet my hands and then bring my wet hands to my face, and repeat the massaging motions. This will create a bit of a weak lather that means the cleanser is emulsifying! Yay! Once I've emulsified the product I'll bend over and wash my face like I explained in yesterday's post.I will then dry my face with pats (again, see yesterday's post) before going in for Step Two: Water Based Cleanser, because I like to start that dry as well.I will go over Step Two: Water Based Cleanser tomorrow!Final parting thoughts: I am loathe to give too many direct product recommendations because it's all about the ingredients. My best advice would be to start with Asian brands if possible- they're really ahead of the game here. I will say that it's important to check out a products ingredients rather than just the name, as we saw with the Bioderma "cleansing oil".Please let me know if you have any questions or want to dissect some oil based cleansers! I love looking at ingredients and formulations and would be happy to help you find one. Note that this is not a product you need to break the bank on, and that a little goes a long way so they last quite a while. Some search terms are "cleansing oil", "oil cleanser" and "cleansing balms".Thanks for reading!
Girls Blog 2015
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