Cleansing - The First Step of Skincare

Face Washing Isn't as Simple as You Think

As we all know, the first step in skincare is cleansing your beloved skin, with facial cleansing being the main task. If you wash your face twice a day, you'll wash tens of thousands of times in your lifetime - that's a staggering number! Since we wash our faces so many times in our lives, we must not take it lightly.

Don't think washing your face is just splashing water on your face or rubbing some facial cleanser and calling it done. Some careless women always think face washing is the simplest thing, but actually, you might not know how to wash your face properly.

Did you know that many skin tissues like sebaceous glands, sweat glands, and keratin can easily form dirt due to daily metabolism, especially with today's increasingly serious environmental pollution - more and more waste accumulates in pores. If you only rinse with water daily without using proper washing methods, it's like washing for nothing.

This waste hidden in the skin will gradually cause sebum acidification and pore blockage, leading to skin inflammation and other adverse symptoms. Over time, our faces could become quite frightening. Therefore, proper face washing is the first and most crucial step in daily skincare.

The Importance of Face Washing

1. Remove dirt and keep skin in a pollution-free state
   Just like window cleaning requires technique, proper cleansing methods can remove facial sweat, oil, foundation, dead skin, etc., keeping skin in as pollution-free and damage-free a state as possible.

2. Promote skin metabolism
   The face washing process is also a skin adjustment and relaxation process. It can effectively stimulate skin vitality, make pores fully transparent, and fully utilize the skin's normal absorption, breathing, and excretion functions, maintaining healthy skin condition and good metabolism.

3. Adjust skin pH to normal range
   Under normal conditions, skin should be slightly acidic, generally around pH 6. External climate, diet, or emotions can disrupt this state. Cleansing can adjust skin pH and help restore normal acid-base balance.

4. Avoid negative effects from cosmetic use
   No matter how good the cosmetics you use, if cleansing isn't thorough, long-term damage to skin can be quite serious. Especially alkaline harmful components in cosmetics remaining on skin can put skin in a dangerous state - the consequences are unimaginable over time.

How Many Times Should You Wash Your Face Daily?

Many oily-skinned girls find their faces become "mirror-shiny" in summer, so they love washing their faces frantically - four or five times a day, wishing they could wash away all the oil. Some girls find that their acne seems to worsen after each wash, and their faces become flushed. The root cause is over-washing.

Under normal circumstances, washing twice daily is sufficient. However, washing frequency varies by season and skin type.

For those with oily skin, frequent washing doesn't actually solve oiliness. Normal skin needs to maintain water-oil balance, and over-cleansing causes surface dehydration. To maintain water-oil balance, the body accelerates oil production, ultimately creating the "oily outside, dry inside" phenomenon typical of oily skin.

Sensitive skin is naturally delicate and reacts strongly to external stimuli, so washing frequency shouldn't be excessive either. Otherwise, washing away the protective layer makes skin more prone to allergies.

Therefore, during mild seasons like spring and autumn, washing twice daily (morning and evening) is generally sufficient. But in summer when skin produces more oil, oily skin types can moderately increase washing frequency. In winter, overly sensitive skin should reduce washing frequency - cleanse with a facial product once at night, and use just lukewarm water in the morning.

Tip: How Oily Skin Can Avoid "Oily Outside, Dry Inside"

Don't think using more cleanser on your face will make it cleaner. Actually, using too much cleanser can damage the skin's lipid film, causing tightness or even dry, flaky skin. If not rinsed thoroughly, cleanser residue can remain on the face and irritate skin.

Water Temperature Matters

Cleansing and skincare both depend on water. Don't underestimate this washing water - even with the best facial cleanser, if the water temperature is wrong, you won't achieve the desired results.

Hot Water or Cold Water

The debate about face washing water temperature has existed for ages:

• View 1: Use hot water. Hot water opens pores for better deep cleaning, and steam helps moisturize skin.
• View 2: Use cold water. Cold water contracts pores, prevents skin loosening, and improves cold resistance.

Correct Approach: Both views are wrong. Hot water (above 38°C) has pain-relief and capillary-dilating effects, but regularly using overly hot water strips skin oils, weakens vascular wall vitality, causes pore expansion, and makes skin loose and wrinkled.

Cold water (below 20°C) has astringent effects, but long-term use causes blood vessel constriction, making skin pale and withered. Sebaceous and sweat gland function weakens, skin loses elasticity, and may even age prematurely.

The correct washing method uses alternating warm and cold water: first cleanse with warm water (around 34°C), then splash with cold water. This not only achieves cleansing purposes but also, through temperature changes, makes superficial blood vessels expand and contract, enhancing skin respiration, promoting facial circulation, and achieving beauty effects.

Tip: Use Flowing Water for Face Washing

The best face washing water should be flowing water - in other words, don't use a wash basin. Regardless of basin cleanliness, during washing, basin water becomes contaminated, so cleansing with it only causes "secondary pollution." Therefore, choose flowing water.

Proper Face Washing Methods and Techniques

Face washing is something we do daily, but not everyone knows the proper method. Many women have errors or omissions in their washing methods, and many skin problems stem from this. Proper face washing can make your skin cleaner and more refined, while allowing better nutrient absorption.

Face Washing Steps

1. Wash hands first
   Always remember to wash your hands clean first - dirty hands won't create beneficial foam for face washing. Many people skip this step and directly squeeze cleanser onto their hands. Have you considered that this cleanser is no longer clean, so how could it wash a clean face?

2. Thorough rinsing
   After applying cleanser to your face, many people just splash water quickly and call it done - this habit is quite bad. Generally, rinsing time should be about three times the washing time. Insufficient cleanser rinsing easily causes skin problems. After washing, check in the mirror for any unrinsed foam on your face.

Tip: Don't Wash Your Face Too Long Each Time

Cleansing products should stay on your face for no more than 1 minute. Otherwise, over-cleansing removes protective oil layers, leaving face feeling very dry with enlarged pores.

Good Cleansing Techniques

Since cleansing products have short contact time, they're the basic skincare products with smallest differences, so technique becomes particularly important for ideal results.

1. Take sufficient cleanser in your palm and add water to create foam.
2. Don't rush to apply product to your face quickly - only with enough foam will cleansing be effective.
3. Use foam to cleanse entire face. Ultimately, the cleansing product, not our hands, penetrates pores to clean skin, so fingers don't need to touch the face to clean effectively.
4. During cleansing, don't pressure skin too much with hands. Keep movements small, use fingertips in small circles, with upward force direction - don't pull downward.
5. The T-zone produces more oil, so spend more time massaging there.
6. If T-zone and U-zone skin types differ greatly, use different cleansers or separately cleanse the T-zone again.

Using Cleansing Sponges

Perhaps you've been washing your face with your hands for a long time, but actually, there's a more scientific, safer tool beloved by many celebrity beauties - the cleansing sponge. As the name suggests, cleansing sponges are specially designed for facial cleaning.

Cleansing sponges are very similar to makeup sponges, but have slightly looser surface pores that gently remove skin keratin. Cleansing sponges wash faces clean and refreshing, especially suitable for those who wear makeup or have oily skin. Additionally, cleansing sponges prevent cleanser residue and can clean areas unreachable by fingers, helping you cleanse thoroughly.

Cleansing Sponge Washing Steps

1. First wet the sponge with warm water and add appropriate amount of cleanser.
2. Gently rub the sponge until rich foam appears.
3. Apply foam to cheeks and gently massage for 1 minute (avoid eyes, nostrils, and mouth).
4. Rinse face foam with clean water, then use the clean sponge to gently absorb excess water.

Sponge Maintenance is Important

Cleansing sponges are indispensable face washing partners, but sponges accumulate dirt over time. To extend their lifespan, wash thoroughly after each use, or at least once weekly using this cleaning method:

• Place sponge in clean water and gently scrub. After cleaning, press dry with both hands and lay flat in a dry, ventilated place.
• Never place in humid areas as mold can invade, and avoid strong light exposure.

Generally, cleansing sponges last about one year. Daily makeup users should replace sponges every 3-6 months to ensure cleanliness, softness, and skin safety.

Tip: How to Choose Sponges

Use touch and elasticity as primary selection factors. Good cleansing sponges should feel soft and have good extensibility. Another identification method is folding the sponge in half and rubbing it together. If it sheds particles after just a few rubs, it's definitely a defective product to avoid.

Don't Forget These Cleansing "Dead Zones"

Our homes always have some hard-to-clean "sanitation dead zones," and skin is the same. Without properly caring for these easily overlooked corners, your cleansing will be incomplete, and your skin will naturally become temperamental.

Don't Overlook These Cleansing Areas

1. Sides of the nose
   If there were a survey of the most easily missed cleansing blind spots on faces, the nose sides and nasolabial fold area would definitely receive the most complaints. Once cleaning isn't thorough, blackheads and pimples will mercilessly appear, and over time, terrible strawberry nose will find you. So during daily cleansing, be sure to pay extra attention to the nose wings and nasolabial fold areas. If blackheads are severe, use cleansing oil massage once weekly.

2. Near hairline
   Does skin near your hairline always seem darker than elsewhere? Occasional sudden pimples? This is very likely caused by residual makeup or sunscreen products, and incompletely rinsed cleansers may also be culprits. When cleansing by hand, people often don't specifically massage the hairline area, so residual makeup, sunscreen, and fine dirt block pores. Cleansing devices can help solve this problem - their cleaning power is even and deep, doubling cleanser effectiveness with mild exfoliation. Normal skin should use every 2-3 days.

3. Ears
   Though we often say "out of sight, out of mind," the more invisible areas need attention for hygiene, because while you can't see them, others can. Many people master face washing but neglect their ears. Exposed ear areas become unsightly "black ears" from poor care - true "side profile killers." During morning and evening face washing, don't just focus on the face - use a damp towel to gently wipe behind ears and ear areas to prevent dirt accumulation. Additionally, once weekly, use damp cotton swabs to carefully clean behind ears, ear areas, and inside ears.

4. Neck
   The neck is the part that most reveals a woman's age. When facial skin is washed clean and various nutritious moisturizers are applied, the neck gets nothing and suffers silently. Over time, neck lines form as its protest against unfair treatment. Therefore, when cleansing your face, don't forget to care for your neck - use cleanser to wash carefully. To prevent neck lines, use upward massage motions when cleansing to lift neck skin.

Exfoliation for Radiant, Glowing Skin

Cleansing skin isn't just surface work - competent "cleaners" clean thoroughly inside and out. Our skin also needs this kind of "deep cleaning" - exfoliation. Keratin, commonly called dead skin, is a product of continuous skin cell growth and metabolism. When the keratin layer thickens, skin gradually loses luster and may even develop wrinkles and acne, so regular keratin removal is necessary.

Some might wonder: aren't we already using cleansing products to wash our faces daily? Why do we still need exfoliation? That's because cleansing products have limited cleaning power and can only remove surface dirt. For deep cleaning and keratin removal, we need professional exfoliating products.

Know Your Exfoliating Products

Exfoliating products come in many types. Ranked by strength: scrub type, toner type, mask type, lotion type, etc. Since skin growth cycles are about one month, exfoliation cycles are generally once monthly. However, frequency can vary based on individual skin differences. Those with active oil secretion can shorten to biweekly.

What to Use for Different Skin Types

When selecting exfoliating products, always consider your skin type. Generally, the drier and more fragile your skin, the gentler the exfoliating product should be.

1. Oily, normal, and combination skin should use scrub type, toner type, mask type, and lotion type exfoliating products for better cleansing effects.
2. Dry and mature aging skin should use toner type, mask type, and lotion type exfoliating products, which are gentler and non-irritating.
3. Acne-prone or sensitive skin should use toner type and lotion type exfoliating products, reducing exfoliation frequency to avoid worsening allergies.

Exfoliation Steps

Using scrub as an example, exfoliation generally involves five steps:

1. Pour scrub into clean palms and spread. Start from the chin's U-shaped area, using fingers in spiral motions outward to remove dirt hidden in the chin.
2. From nose wings, gently circle outward to remove blackheads and whiteheads accumulated at nose sides.
3. Move hands slowly to forehead, circling to temple areas at forehead ends.
4. From face center, circle outward from center to sides.
5. Rinse away facial dirt with warm water and promptly moisturize skin.

Moderate Exfoliation

Though exfoliation deep cleans skin, the keratin layer is very important - it protects skin from external damage and prevents water loss. Over-exfoliating easily causes dry, itchy skin, and without keratin layer protection, skin becomes very sensitive.

Common Q&A

Q: My face is very oily and the keratin layer seems thick. Can I use two exfoliating products together for better results?

A: Generally, using two or more exfoliating products simultaneously isn't recommended. Over-exfoliation damages skin's natural barrier and accelerates aging. Usually, choose one exfoliating product suitable for your skin age and condition.

Q: Is exfoliation useful for treating spots?

A: Spots result from excess melanin secretion or uneven distribution of melanin particles, causing dark spots or patches in skin areas. Daily exfoliation only provides cleansing effects and cannot fundamentally treat spots.

How to Choose Electric Cleansing Devices

Today, various electric cleansing beauty devices emerge with hefty price tags and high-tech claims, leaving you dazzled. Good mechanical hands aren't simple hand "replacements" but should offer qualitative differences. If just to save hand effort, you're definitely spending money in the wrong place.

Popular electric beauty brushes mainly fall into two categories: physical rotation and ultrasonic. Let's examine their cleansing principles and characteristics:

Physical Rotation Type

Cleansing Principle

1. Uses high-frequency vibration for cleansing, with adjustable frequency suitable for sensitive skin.
2. Rotates 360 degrees to cleanse skin surface, using friction to help cleansing products work effectively.
3. Rotation frequency: 300-500 times per minute; dense, skin-friendly brush heads are smaller than average pore diameter, reaching micron level.

Characteristics

1. Controlled, even rotation speed reduces uneven manual cleansing that causes over-cleansing or insufficient cleaning.
2. Enhanced cleansing auxiliary tool that can adjust speed based on skin type - smarter than manual cleansing.
3. Can penetrate pores to clean oil while helping remove dead keratin.

Ultrasonic Type

Cleansing Principle

1. Uses ultrasonic vibration above 20,000 Hz in swaying motions that match skin's natural elastic curves, gently removing surface dirt and keratin.
2. 300 oscillations per second during cleansing cause liquid flow that creates countless tiny bubbles. These bubbles rapidly grow and burst in ultrasonic waves, gently penetrating pores to remove insoluble makeup residue.

Characteristics

1. Ultrasonic frequency reduces friction between cleansing device and skin, protecting collagen from damage.
2. Cleansing effectiveness is 2-6 times that of traditional cleaning and makeup removal.
3. Significantly improves skin absorption of subsequent skincare products.
4. Effectively improves enlarged pores, making skin more radiant and transparent.

Compared to physical cleansing brushes, ultrasonic cleansing brushes are smarter and more advanced, with significant price differences. The former suits skin urgently needing keratin layer problem relief, like "safe polishing for the epidermis." The latter fully realizes "letting pores breathe freely," not only promoting natural blood circulation but also benefiting acne-prone skin from pore blockage. Different brush heads suit full-body skin.

From a cost-effectiveness perspective, physical cleansing devices are much more professional than manual cleansing for basic cleaning. You can save considerable salon time and enjoy professional electric beauty pleasure at home.