Cleansing the skin in the morning and at night is the norm but it's not the rule. Cleansing in the evening before bed is most important because you want to remove the surface dirt, impurities, perspiration and make-up from the day. You'll also have a clean slate to then apply your serum/moisturizer/eye cream of choice. Using a cleanser that has alpha or beta hydroxy acid or glycolic acid are going to deepen the cleanse so your nighttime products will absorb deeper and thus work better for you while you're sleeping. To ensure that it's not too harsh try using those ingredients every other night or every third night. Fill in with a foaming, milky or oil wash on the other nights. If you're a new mom, had a rough night out or just feeling lazy bones, at least grab a baby wipe (clean ;) ) or a soft wash cloth (baby wash cloths rock!) and wipe your face, neck and chest with tepid water. Keep a moisturizer next to your bed so you can slather it on before turning out the light. Zzzzzzzzzzzzz
Good morning! To give your skin a deep cleansing in the morning may be unnecessary because you've just cleansed the night before. If you feel like you have to wash your face in the morning, choose a gentle cleanser. One that is a micellar water, milky or an oil version would be great choices. Or you can just gently wipe off your face, neck and chest with your soft cloth rinsed with tepid water or apply a spritz with your alcohol free toner and go about the rest of your moisturizing routine. It's not absolutely necessary to do a thorough cleanse in the morning.
Whenever you're cleansing always remember NOT to use too hot or too cold of water. The myth is the hotter the water, the pores will open up and colder the water the pores will shrink. Not so. In fact, the extreme temperatures will potentially break the capillaries and upset your face. As we age, the amount of sebum (oil) that our skin produces lessens and we need that oil to preserve our elastin in our skin. So remember that we do need to kick it up a notch with our P.M. cleansers a couple times a week but then we need to also help allow our skin to build up those natural oils as well. Happy cleansing!
As always, feel free to email me with your confidential questions: shelley@shelleyskin.com
