Is your face still dirty, even
after you wash it?
Today, most of us use toothpaste, mouthwash, and even
chemical sprays to freshen our breath. We use bleach to
whiten our teeth. We use all kinds of anti-bacterial soaps
and deodorants on our bodies after showering. And
yet.... we spend about twenty seconds washing our faces!
Research has actually shown that the
average woman only
spends about
twenty seconds washing her
face. How much time
do you spend on hair and makeup in
the morning? How much time do you take
to purify and refresh
your skin at the end of a long day?.
Twenty seconds is not
enough to get the skin clean.
Our skin is actually 'dirtier' than it
was generations ago due to pollution, water-proof make-up
and heavy duty sunblock. These elements combine with your
skin's naturally sticky sebum (oil) and form a thick, slick,
waxy coating by the middle of the day. (Nice thought, isn't
it?)
A little water and your average
cleanser doesn't penetrate this oily debris-filled layer.
Neither does a tough cleanse with a sudsy cleanser. This
layer remains, preventing that expensive moisturizer (that
you may have hoped would give you a more youthful look) from
being absorbed into your skin. This leads to dull skin,
comedones (blackheads), and premature aging. Some of you
will resort to those pore-wrenching nose strips that would
make your Esthetician cringe!
So what do we urban warriors do to
keep our skin clean? It's actually quite simple.
Double cleanse with an oil-based cleanser. Basic chemistry,
"like attracts like" applies here. The old-school thought
was that we needed an alcohol-based cleanser to remove oil.
When in fact, it is an oil-based cleanser that will dissolve
oil. If you feel you need to, you can then use a
surfactant-based cleanser. However, if you are at all dry or
dehydrated, or concerned about aging, oil-based products are
gentle as well as effective. Look for products which contain
oils such as organic apricot kernel oil, safflower oil, and
jojoba oil.
Consider seeing your Esthetician a few
times a year. You know that feeling you get after you get
your teeth cleaned? Well, you get that sparkly, brand new
skin feeling after a facial - and it's much more fun than
going to the dentist! And while you're there relaxing,
notice how she cleanses your skin. You won't spend that much
time at home every day on yourself - but you can copy her
techniques. Who better to learn from?
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