Yes, your cleansing routine is crucial to how your skin looks and feels. There are many benefits to cleansing the skin, but it must be done with respect for its natural functions. We explain what this means in this article. 

There are manybenefits to cleansingyour face

Cleansing your skin is one of the most important steps in achieving well-balanced and well-cared-for skin. We recommend cleansing your skin thoroughly every evening, regardless of your skin type. 

On the other hand, a gentle cleanse with micellar water, a washcloth or a konjac sponge in the shower in the morning is sufficient to cleanse the skin after a restorative night’s sleep. 

Would you like to know which cleansing products are right for your skin?

Read the article ‘Which cleansing products should I choose? 

· Cleansing your skin can be a moment of respite in your daily routine, where the focus is on DO YOU: prioritising that vital self-care. When we prioritise ourselves, it boosts our self-esteem. It’s an added bonus when your self-confidence also gets a boost from your skin looking its best.

·Cleanse your skin to remove dirt, pollution, product and make-up residue, excess sebum and dead skin cells, and more.

· When you cleanse, you stimulate the skin’s activity. Do take the time to give yourself a facial massage, working deeper than just the surface. This way, you reach the underlying tissue and can achieve more supple connective tissue, as well as releasing tension and blockages in the skin.

· When we cleanse the skin and then apply nourishing and stimulating skincare products, the skin receives the nourishment that helps ensure optimal care. Evening cleansing is important, as the skin regenerates at night whilst we sleep. 

· Try turning cleansing into a little ritual – something you enjoy. With a nice cup of tea, music playing and lovely, invigorating scents, you can turn a chore into a lovely moment. It feels so good afterwards.

Cleanse with respect for the skin’s natural functions

The skin has a natural protective barrier consisting of the skin’s own moisture-retaining oil, also known as sebum, as well as sweat, bacteria, dead skin cells and other secretions from the skin’s microscopic pores.

This barrier is called the acid mantle and forms part of the skin’s immune system. It preserves the skin’s vital bacterial flora and protects the skin against inflammation, damage from free radicals and dehydration. 

When cleansing your skin, you should do so whilst respecting your skin’s natural acid mantle.

You can do this by:

• Use a cleanser that suits your skin’s needs.
• Use a washcloth as an alternative to a cleanser. A muslin washcloth can easily be used instead of your usual cleanser in the morning – cleansing with a washcloth even gently exfoliates the skin.
• Avoid washing your skin too often with water – especially hot water and soapy cleansers.NOW micellar foam is a natural, soap-free facial cleanser developed for combination/oily skin and as a deeper weekly cleanse for all skin types.
• Help restore your skin’s balance after cleansing with oil-based and moisturising skincare products that replenish the protective sebum you removed during cleansing. 

It is the cleansing routine that is the root cause of many skin problems

If the skin is washed too often with water that is too hot, or cleansed with a facial cleanser that is too stripping, this can result in the natural barrier being broken down and the skin’s pH balance being disrupted. If this happens daily over a period of time, the skin becomes stressed, and it will show this by becoming dry and tight on the surface, producing more oil and/or becoming clogged. One sign of this might be that your skin feels tight, or you might experience a tingling, itchy sensation, as if your skin is a size too small. It isn’t meant to feel like that.

Well-intentioned, persistent facial cleansing can therefore end up throwing your skin out of balance and giving you the opposite result to what you want. It is therefore in your cleansing routine that many skin problems originate.

Help your skin do its best

In reality, your skin can do the most important cleansing work all by itself, but facial cleansing is necessary for your skin’s well-being, radiance and regeneration in a daily life where we use make-up, sun cream and are exposed to pollution and bacteria. We recommend cleansing the skin to remove product residue, dead skin cells, unwanted bacteria, pollution and dirt that can clog the pores and damage our cellular DNA. However, very few skin problems can be cleansed away. The appearance of the skin is undeniably linked to our gut health and the complex hormones in the body. If there are imbalances in the body, they will often manifest on the skin of the face. That is why we always recommend looking at your skin with a holistic and inquisitive eye to identify the cause of any problems or the needs your skin has.

We call this ‘check in with your skin’. A holistic approach to your beauty
– because you and your body know best.

Would you like to know which cleansing products are right for your skin? 
You can achieve good, fundamental results for your skin by re-evaluating the way you cleanse it, taking into account your skin’s changing needs as the seasons change and as you and your body change. The same cleansing product may not be suitable for your skin all 365 days of the year. 

Read more in the article “Which cleansing products should I choose?”

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All the best

Christina Düsterdich, skincare expert and product developer at Karmameju