Some cleansing mistakes you could be making

Washing your face. It’s something you’ve been doing every day for, well your whole life… But recent research shows that you might be doing it wrong.

Some tips from Huff Post that shed some light in the not-so-straightforward ritual of cleansing.

• Break the 20 second rule. Apparently people only cleanse for 20 seconds, doesn’t seem like much but time yourself, 20 seconds while cleansing can actually feel like longer. If you’ve invested in a cleanser promising the world but you slap it on then rinse it off you’re not going to get the benefits from those wonderful ingredients. Take at least 1 minute to massage your cleanser in to your face, I like to do sections – neck, cheeks, chin, nose, forehead, eyes (make sure the product is suitable for the eye area) don’t see cleansing as a task, enjoy this mini pamper. Massaging your skin is going to stimulate the removal of toxins, get the blood flowing and oxygen circulating, all awesome things for your skin.
• Cleansing in the morning is wiping away all the good things that happened to my skin in the night. No, cleansing in the morning is wiping away the sweat and dead skin that’s accumulated while you slumber. If you’ve thoroughly cleansed as above the night before, one cleanse should be enough in the morning.
• Water is not cleansing! I hear it regularly, I cleanse with water. Imagine if you took a white tshirt covered in dust, cream and makeup then splashed it with a bit of water, would it be clean? No it would not and neither is your face.
• Cleanser makes my skin worse. That’s because you’re probably using the wrong cleanser. Choose a PH balanced cleanser for your skintype and not by it’s brand/pricetag. And ditch the cleansing wipes, they don’t do the job well enough.
• I use soap but it contains moisturisers. It’s also very drying and has a high PH. If you have dry skin this is just going to make your skin worse, if you have oily skin, to overcompensate for the soap stripping off your natural oil, your skin is going to create more oil, leaving you oilier with flaky skin; yes even oil skin can become dehydrated. And the high PH? A great breeding ground for bacteria.
• Face flannels are smelly and mouldy. When they’re left in the corner of the bath for weeks yes they are. Fresh, clean flannels are heavenly and will help to give you a much deeper clean, they’re also a tired person’s best friend. Once you’re done, leave it to air dry and pop it in the wash the following day, always use a clean flannel.

For a really effective cleansing product, Babor Cleansing CP Photoactive Sensitive is a caming herbal extract. Used in combination with HY-ÖL, it removes oil- and water-soluble dirt, and conditions the skin, even as you cleanse.

It provides gentle, deep-pore cleansing. Selected herbal essences and apple water revitalise and refresh the skin during cleansing.

Agrimonia eupatoria, a detoxifying extract exclusive to Babor, moisturizes the skin, even as you shower. Selected herbal essences of lime blossom, hops and lemon balm calm and relax the skin. Apple water enriches the outer layer of the skin with moisture and loosens the compact network of the dead skin cells on the outer layer of the skin.

Gently massage 3 pumps of HY-ÖL® over the face, neck and décolleté. Immediately apply 2 pumps of Phytoactive Sensitive on top and blend together. Add water, massage until a milky emulsion forms then rinse off with plenty of water.