Do you know if you’re cleaning just enough, or if you’re cleaning too much?

It can be said that the number of people suffering from "sensitivity" and "dryness" is increasing day by day, but are they "naturally dry and sensitive skin", or are they due to acquired "excessive cleansing"?

Do you have any of the following thoughts or habits?

○ I don’t wear makeup, but using makeup remover products can ensure that my skin is clean. ○ Use a facial cleanser to clean the skin, and it can also improve the skin quality. ○ Deep cleansing must be done once a week. ○ My cuticles are very thick and produce a lot of oil. I need to use A product with strong cleansing power ○ I have oily skin, and washing my face can wash away blackheads and acne.

If you have at least one of the above thoughts, be sure to read on and save your face!

Why wash your face?

I believe that most people have the habit of washing their faces every day. Before understanding the science of face washing, let me ask you a simple but not necessarily clear question: " What is the purpose of washing your face? "

Answer:
Excessive sebum secreted naturally on the face, or residual dirt (such as cosmetics, sunscreen) adhered to the skin surface, are all oily substances. Since oil does not dissolve in water, rinsing with water alone cannot completely clean it. Therefore, we need to use facial cleansers containing surfactants (a general term for ingredients that have the effect of connecting water and oil) to take away oily dirt.

Do you over-clean?

To determine whether you are over-cleansing, you can follow your daily face-washing habits, and then try not using any skin care products. After washing your face normally, it should feel fresh and not tight, and there should be no stinging, itching, redness or peeling. If the above situation occurs, it may be that you are using a cleansing product that is too powerful, or there are too many unnecessary steps in cleansing your face.

Deep cleansing is just a term for facial cleansing products

Everyone knows that "excessive" is bad, but they don't know what situations are "excessive" and what causes "excessive".

The reason why many people over-cleanse is because there is a lot of information on the Internet: "Amazing makeup remover and cleansing product! Good skin depends on it", "Secret technique for female stars to have fair and translucent skin - 5-minute facial cleansing method", "It's terrible that makeup will remain on the skin" and "deep cleansing can wash away blackheads and acne", making people think that we need to clean our face diligently, remove makeup every day, deep clean regularly, or use a facial cleanser to be clean enough, otherwise "the whole body" Don’t gather wealth."

Everyone must know this important skin care concept : One of the important functions of the skin is to block foreign substances from invading the body and protect us from infection . If dirt and cleansing ingredients can really appear in the "deep layers" of the skin, what you need to worry about is no longer whether the skin is clean, but that your skin is at risk of infection! Therefore, deep cleansing is just a term for facial cleansing products, not an actual skin care function.

Over-cleansing can cause dryness and sensitivity!

We need to "clean the skin", but we don't need to "clean the skin 100% completely" because the skin is inherently equipped with a mechanism to block foreign substances and automatically maintain cleanliness. The unique structure of the stratum corneum provides physical protection against foreign substances. The symbiotic bacteria on the skin surface can maintain the skin in a slightly acidic environment and chemically inhibit the growth of harmful bacteria. In addition, dirt and residue on the skin surface will be peeled off along with the natural metabolism of cutin, so you really don’t have to worry too much about cosmetics and sunscreen remaining and accumulating on your face.

On the contrary, forcing the skin to wash away all the oil and dirt and washing the skin too clean will cause dryness and sensitivity! Facial cleansing habits, such as frequent use of makeup removers, friction from the face wash machine, and frequent washing, will wash away the lipids and natural moisturizing factors between epidermal cells, causing damage to the stratum corneum, making it dryer and tighter with more washing. On the one hand, it will cause dry skin; on the other hand, it will increase the chance of invasion of foreign objects, making the skin prone to sensitivity and inflammation. (To learn more about the importance of the stratum corneum, please read this article: " Is the stratum corneum really thick, old, and useless? ")

How to wash your face appropriately?

Washing your face basically removes excess sebum and residual dirt, but at the same time, you need to retain an appropriate amount of natural sebum.

Therefore, if your skin is not very oily, you have dry skin, or you do not have the habit of wearing makeup, you can generally just wash your face with water. For those who secrete a lot of sebum, wear makeup or use sunscreen, they basically only need to use facial cleansing products once or twice a day. Please refer to the following pictures for how to clean your face:

Moderate skin care is king

Our skin is born with a strong ability to regulate itself and maintain the body in a normal state. If you are constantly disturbed by external forces, it will affect the skin's ability to regulate. For example, excessive moisturizing and excessive cleansing are the causes of skin problems. If your daily skin care routine is too complicated, you might as well try simplified and moderate skin care to protect and repair the stratum corneum, so that the skin can maintain a good dynamic equilibrium and return to its original healthy state.