It's been a couple of years ago when I first heard of double cleansing. And at that time it sounded too much extra effort so I never really tried it.
But after a couple of years, I started liking the idea and decided to give it a go.
This is how it went for me.
I Started A Double Cleansing Routine And It Did Wonders For My Skin!
1st step - Oil Cleansing
With double cleansing, an oil type of cleanser is used as the first cleanse. Or you can use just plain oil.
Cleansing oil uses the “good oils” in your skin to remove the “bad oils.” ... “Some of these oils can either be naturally produced sebum or those from makeup and other products. When you rinse it all off, the 'good oil' takes those 'bad oils' and dirt along with it.The huffington post; read more here.
I started using the Etude House Real Art Mild Cleansing Oil for my first step.
At first, the lemony scent burned my eyes, but after a couple of uses the scent is almost completely gone and now there's no weird sensation.
But the oil step got me to experience a thing I never experienced before ...
They're called "grits". Those are plugs from your pores. Mostly they're made from dirt and sebum.
The oil cleansing step (I massage the oil into my skin and then wash it off) helped me get rid of grits!
I really didn't know what was that when I first saw it. It felt like sand pieces and looked odd, but once I realized what those were I was grossly happy!
I like this sort of packaging that Etude House uses because the stopper is useful for us old folks with kids. My kiddo loves playing with soap and I think that if this oil didn't have the stopper, I'd be left without any oil in a matter of days!
The design is nothing similar to their other cutesy lines, but I don't mind. It does its job well and it's not too harsh on the eyes.
I paid about 15$ for 185 ml. It's been about 8 months since I started using it and it will last me a good two months more. I use it once per day as part of my night routine.
2nd step - Gel Cleanser
A water-based cleanser can be either foaming or non-foaming and is used to remove water-based impurities, including sweat and dirt. Peach and Lily; Read more here.
As a second step, I use a gel cleanser. This one is from Balea, called Ultra Sensitive Waschgel. You want to be sure it has the right pH because a too basic pH will wreck havoc on your skin. Maybe not right away, but sooner or later it will.
I really like this gel cleanser from Balea. It was inexpensive - about 2,40€ for 150 ml and it's been going strong for 8 months as well. I still have it for about 2 months which makes this duo a great pair!
It doesn't lather very well, but I don't mind that. I actually don't care if a gel doesn't lather. On the other hand, I love soft, fluffy foams, but I don't use them because they mostly have the wrong pH.
If you want to know how to pick the right cleanser, Bonnie Garner wrote a lovely post about it.
What did Double Cleansing for my skin?
Well, I must say that before double cleansing I used several cleansers. At some point, I even tried using a frigging soap! Yes, A SOAP! Of course, it didn't go well. In the end, my skin was dehydrated and oily (what a bad combination that is!).
But then in Autumn 2016, I started getting more into skincare. I wanted not only to make myself look awesome with makeup, but I wanted to have a clear and lovely canvas for that - my skin.
That's when I had all the acne from milk and milk products and I looked like this.
But it wasn't just what I ate as I later found out. It was also my cleanser that was making my skin dehydrated. And you know what's the worst part? I didn't even know it!
At the time I loved the Snail Mucin serum because it helped me combat the dehydration I caused myself.
What about now?
Now my skin doesn't feel dry or tight after I wash it. It feels fine. No tugging, no oily parts.
And during the day it doesn't get extremely oily even if it's super hot outside. It gets a bit shiny. That's it.
I love double cleansing and I don't think I'll ever go back. At least not back to basic cleansers with the wrong pH.
What about yourself - Do you double cleanse? Let me know in the comments below!
