In a previous article, we talked about and focused on cleansing and exfoliating of the outer skin as being the 1st step to feeling and looking like a million bucks. In this article we will talk about techniques to cleansing your skin.
But before we go into that, people often spend a lot of money purchasing and changing their cleansers in search of the best cleanser for their skin.
There are a lot of cleansers on the market and they are basically made up of a wetting vehicle, oil to dissolve grease and water to wash away dirt. The safe cosmetics video talks about the number of toxins that are in a lot of our everyday cosmetics. The bottom line is that it’s important to read the food labels and it’s just as important to read the cosmetic labels. Here are just a few chemicals that you should watch out for:
1. Sodium lauryl (or laureth) sulfate
2. Triclosan or Triclocarban
3. Phthalates
4. Parabens
Simple cleansing techniques
In the first article here, we talked about removing your make-up before you cleanse you wear make-up, you must remove your make-up first before you can properly cleanse your skin. I tend to use Chizu Saeki’s methods. Take a nickel size amount of cleanser in your hand, allow it to warm up and then apply to cheeks, forehead, nose and chin. Starting on your chin spread the cleanser from your chin towards the base of your ears. Next, with your hands on each side of your nose, work your way outward towards your ears, then to the inner corners of your eyes and spread toward your temples. Alternating your hands, slide from the tip of your nose up along the bridge of your nose to your forehead and then outward from the middle of your forehead to your temples. Return to your forehead and work your way back down your nose. Afterward, gently cleanse the sides of your nose, the wings of your nose and around your nostrils. Finally, cleanse around your mouth and wipe your face with a wet cotton pad.
Taking off your make-up
Taking the time to take your make-up off before you cleanse your face can really work in your favor and not doing so can cause your skin to become clogged and breakout. You can use natural baby wipes or a good make-up remover. Using make-up remover moistened cotton pads that have been folded into a triangle, apply the fold along the bottom of your eyelid and with another moist sheet (eyes closed), brush the eye make-up down toward the cotton sheet at the bottom of the eyelid and away from the top eyelid. Next, use a cotton swab soaked in make-up remover and remove mascara with the same movement as the eye make-up. Then wipe away any excess that remains. Use the same care to remove lipstick and you will get more thorough in your make-up removal.
Monique Baskin
