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A Guide to Cleansing

Skin cleansers are designed to rid your face of any excess dirt or oil that could clog your pores and cause nasty blemishes. By cleansing your face you're in essence starting with a fresh canvass.

Cleansing should be part of your morning and bedtime skin care ritual. The face should be cleansed each time any makeup is applied and each time any makeup is removed. Women who moisturize before bedtime need to cleanse in the AM to remove last night's moisturizer. And women who wear makeup all day need to remove 12 to 16-hours of makeup. You should also cleanse your skin after you've exercised or worked up a sweat in a hot environment.

Before you cleanse, you first need to find a good cleanser that flatters your skin type. For example for combination skin that suffers the odd blemish, look for a cleanser that will soak up oil, but doesn't dry out your skin. For sensitive skin use a cleanser made with mild, all-natural ingredients.

To properly cleanse your face:

• If you don't moisturize before bedtime, simply cleanse your face with cool to warm water when you rise and towel dry.
• If you do moisturize before bedtime, use a cleanser to remove all traces of moisturizer.
• Never use soap to cleanse your face. Soap made for the body, is too harsh to use on your face. Cleansers are made from a much milder combination of oil, water and surfactants (agents that allow oil and water to mix) so they won't dry out your skin.
• Never cleanse using extremely hot or cold water. Both extremes stress the skin and can cause broken capillaries.
• Apply a dime-sized amount of cleanser into your palms. Rub them together to create lather and apply to your face. Massage your face gently focusing on areas that could accumulate dirt and makeup - for example the forehead, chin, around the nose and gently around closed eyes.
• Rinse thoroughly with lukewarm water making sure all traces of cleanser have been washed off.
• Follow with toner if you think makeup and dirt have been left behind.

Remember - Never, ever go to bed without first removing your makeup. Wearing makeup while sleeping directly results in blemishes and irritated skin.