How to Wash Your Face. Proper Facial Cleansing: More than Just A Splash of Water!

I recently had a wonderful chat with Glamour Magazine (see February issue on newsstands p.44) about "Great Skin...a few basics right at your bathroom sink" and I wanted to share with you the steps to effective at-home skin care for your skin type.

The foundations for any skin care regimen consists of cleansing (which includes the removal of makeup and dirt as well as exfolation), protection and hydration. It is crucial that you learn your skin type and develop a  skin care program accordingly. Below are my skin care tips to glowy, healthy skin:

Cleanse:

No matter what your skin type, you should always choose a cleanser that is soap free. Soap does not belong on your face! That being said, all cleansers are not created equal. Be sure that you are choosing the right cleanser for your skin type.

Oily and acne/ blackhead-prone skin types should choose a gel, foam or mousse cleanser with a neutral pH and mild salicylic acid, no more than 2%. Repêchage Hydra Medic Foaming Gel Cleanser deeps cleanses without causing dryness and uses Triclosan to help control problem causing bacteria. Repêchage Hydra Refine Gentle Cleansing Mousse helps eliminate pore-clogging oil, minimizes shine and fights blemish-causing bacteria.

Dry skin types should use a cream cleanser with a pH of 5 to 6, which is slightly acidic. Repêchage Hydra 4 Cleanser is a gentle creamy cleanser designed to remove debris and makeup while protecting skin. Olive Leaf, Olive Oil and Seaweed formula calms skin and gives superior protection to the skin’s moisture barrier.

Work the cleanser in circular motions. Mousse cleansers should be removed with about 6 splashes of water. Remove cream cleansers with cotton. Pat dry with facial tissue or a clean, soft face towel. You don’t want anything too abrasive on your skin.

Exfoliate:

There are so many over the counter facial scrubs with abrasive ingredients. These tend to cause invisible tears to the skin and do more harm than good. The purpose of exfoliation is to remove dead skin cells, renewing the surface of the skin. This should be a gentle process.

Repêchage Honey and Almond Scrub uses almonds which are rounded for gentle exfoliation that won’t damage skin. It is excellent for dry skin as honey naturally hydrates.

For Oily types, Repêchage Hydra Refine One-Minute Clarifying Mask deep cleans and absorbs oil without drying. Tiny spheres of rice bran wax exfoliate gently.

Repêchage Rapidex Marine Exfoliator with Phyto-Marine Actives is a unidose program that rids the skin of dead cells. Rapidex is what I like to call “measured exfoliation” because it comes in safe and effective pre-measured swabs. Excellent for all skin types.

Toners and astringents are an additional part of cleansing. Toners work to restore pH balance to skin and astringents help to control oil and breakouts. Dry skin types are more likely to use toners, such as Repêchage Hydra Dew Smoothing Toner Pads, which are saturated with seaweed to bind and restore proper moisture and reinforce the pH balance of skin. For oily, choose an astringent like Repêchage Hydra Refine Astringent Pads which helps to control oil and minimize pore size.

Moisturize:
Those with dry skin should choose moisturizer that contains humectant ingredients to attract moisture and/or lipid ingredients to bind moisture. Humectants include hyaluronic acids, mucopolysaccharides and glycerine. We use seaweed in Repêchage products because it has a high sugar content which attracts moisture.

Repêchage Hydra Dew Moisturizing Day Cream makes skin visibly dewy with an exclusive seaweed-based formula that restores the skin’s natural Hydra-lipid layer for long term hydration.

Oily skin should use oil-free moisturizers with humectants. Repêchage Hydra Medic Mattifying Moisturizer uses a micro alga to help control excess oil and shine.

Apply moisturizer with light, long strokes- do not rub in!

Now that you have the basics, I wish you happy cleansing. Here’s to beautiful skin!