Skincare Saturday: Double-Cleansing

Skincare routines can be complex or simple, depending on your skin needs. While an extensive routine is not always necessary (nor helpful depending on your skin type), you’ll generally need these 3 steps: to cleanse, to moisturize, and to protect (wear sunscreen everyday!). Today, I will be talking about cleansing your skin, but more specifically, double-cleansing. This is such an important step in taking care of your skin, especially at night. So, let me explain the art of double-cleansing.

Illustrations by Kirsten Lam

Double-cleansing means cleansing your face twice by using two different types of cleansers. Primarily done at night (but can also be done in the morning), this helps make sure all the dirt, excess oil, sunscreen, impurities, and anything else that could be clogging your pores is removed from your skin. First, you start with an oil-based cleanser. Cleansing oils help melt away makeup you may be wearing, any sunscreen you put on, and attract the oil and debris that build up on your skin throughout the day. Here’s a little chemistry background: if you try to mix oil and water together, what happens? They separate and never mix with each other. While oil is nonpolar, water is polar, and the only way to separate the two is by attracting water with water, and oil with oil. Using only a water-based cleanser wouldn’t be able to clean everything, especially if there is oil on your skin. That’s why cleansing oils exist, and why it’s important to use them in your skincare routine.

I love cleansing my skin with Banila Co’s Cleansing Balm. This is a solid-form cleansing oil, so I use the little spatula that comes with the balm to scoop out a small amount and massage it all over my face before I rinse with water. This is fantastic for removing sunscreen and makeup (even waterproof makeup!), so I don’t have to use makeup wipes anymore.

Available at Ulta

If cleansing balm is not your thing, then I would recommend trying cleansing oils! Neogen’s Real Cica Cleansing Oil is a great one that does the same things as the cleansing balm. The only difference is that it comes in a liquid form in a bottle like any other face oil. 

Available at Sokoglam

After finishing with an oil-cleanser, the next step is to use a water-based cleanser. This is a common type of cleanser for your face that you can find at both drugstores and high-end makeup stores. These types of cleansers help clear the water-based impurities, like sweat and dirt, that build up on your skin. An oil-cleanser won’t be able to attract these properly, so that’s why water-based cleansers are needed. By double-cleansing, your skin will be properly cleansed, and there should be nothing oil or water based remaining that could irritate and break out your skin. 

My favorite water-based cleanser is Cosrx’s Low Ph Morning Cleanser (which I use in the morning, but it can work for at night skincare routines too). This gel cleanser is great for attracting all the sweat and dirt that build up on my skin after a long day without drying and damaging my skin’s natural moisture barrier. Specifically, this one contains tea tree oil, so it works well battling acne and calming redness/inflammation on my skin.

Available at Ulta

Another great cleanser I’ve used is Neogen’s Real Fresh Foam Cleanser Green Tea. This is infused with ACTUAL green tea leaves, so it’s great for calming down irritated skin and hydrating your skin. Because this is a foam cleanser, you massage the cleanser all over your face, wait for the foam to eventually disappear, and then rinse off the remaining white residue with water. 

Available at Sokoglam

Double-cleansing is such an important part of taking care of your skin, so I recommend this to anyone and everyone. I don’t believe that a skincare routine needs to consist of numerous products, but simply the ones your skin needs. Everyone’s skin type is different, so everyone’s routine is different, but every routine will always need to consist of: cleansing, moisturizing, and providing protection. By doing these three things, you will begin your skincare journey to achieving healthy, radiant skin.