Is It Necessary: Cleanser

Just a few weeks ago, we wrote a blog post about the proper order of skin care. In that post, we talked about starting a new series on the blog. We realized that there are still a lot of people out there who question skin care. Are all of these steps really necessary? That’s why we decided it would be fun to break down each step a bit further. We’ve never actually done a post like this! Obviously, we’ve talked about this stuff before but never actually dedicated a full blog post to each step. So today is the first day of this fun new series. We are going to go in the proper order — starting first with, arguably the most important step, cleansing.

Let’s start off with the obvious. On a daily basis, our skin encounters a ton of dirt, pollution, and plain old nasty stuff. Think about it for a minute. From sweating in spin class to the pollution in the air, it’s a lot. On top of that, if you aren’t cleansing daily, you are going home and transferring all of that dirt and buildup onto your bed. Then you are sleeping ALL night and allowing it to soak in even more. Guys, it’s a vicious cycle. It’s pretty gross when you think about it that way, right?

So let’s say you are on the same page as us and think cleansing is important. That’s great. But you think using water and a bar of soap cuts it. STOP IT RIGHT NOW. We don’t mean to be forceful but we are here to help you, even if it takes some tough love. Guys, this is probably one of the biggest skin care mistakes people make. We honestly still have some friends (you know who you are lol) who still do this every day.

The first thing we want to touch on when it comes to bar soap is the ingredient list. The majority of the most popular brands have nasty chemicals that do nothing but strip your skin of its natural moisture barrier. Even if you might not notice anything, we promise it’s doing damage. These brands use cheap chemicals (sulfates, parabens, phthalates, alcohol) to “clean” your skin and contain nothing good. A lot of them even contain artificial colors (usually listed last in the ingredient list). When it comes to properly cleansing your skin, you want to be gentle yet effective. It’s important to be kind to your skin. What’s the one thing we always say? Show your skin love and it will love you back. It’s really that simple. The first thing you should ALWAYS look at is the ingredient list. A good cleanser should be free of sulfates, parabens, and any other nasty chemical additives. You don’t need those ingredients to cleanse your skin. Stay far away from anything that contains that nasty stuff.

Another reason why cleansing is so important deals with the steps that come after. If you aren’t properly ridding your skin of all of the dirt and grime from the day, it’s pointless to use other products. You aren’t actually helping your skin. Your pores are continuing to clog up and anything you apply is just staying at the surface of your skin. Think of your skin as a canvas and the products as the paint. If you want to create a beautiful portrait, you need to start with a clean canvas. If there is dirt and dust all over, the portrait is not going to look its best. The paint is never going to stick and your artwork is ruined. That’s the same idea for skin care. Also, the more your pores become clogged, the more breakouts, blackheads, and irritation you are going to be dealing with. Seriously, who wants to deal with that? Not us!

Now, there is such a thing as over-cleansing. If you wash your face at 10 PM right before bed and then wake up at 6 AM, don’t wash your face again. There is no reason to strip your skin even more. We usually rinse with water then follow with toner and the rest of our products for the day.

If you are feeling a bit overwhelmed with picking a cleanser, don’t worry! We’ve got you covered. We’ve linked a ton of cleansers that we’ve used and love. No matter which one you choose, you’re already on the right track to healthy, beautiful skin.

CLEANSERS WE LOVE