This maybe a few parts to actually talk about all the things that are out there and really could even forget all of it. I would like to hopefully have a conversation to educate you a little about your options. In most cases you are going to want a cleanser that cleans, which even saying that is a big thing to find and one that washes off all together. Why is this important? It really happens to be the foundation of all the steps that are there to come. When it comes to cleaners that are available, there are simply oil based, foam, gel, foam gel, scrubs with beads or shells parts, liquid soaps, lathering cleanses, nolathering cleanser, acid cleansers, enzyme loaded ones, and creme cleansers to name a few. I don’t know about you, but where do you even begin or how to you crack the code on what is right for you?
For the sake on this piece, I am going to have a little conversation about 3 of them.
1. Oily Cleansers – The theory is that oil attracts oil and by using this substance that we already have in our skin that we then are going to attract the oil that is the problem and whisk it away. However, what I have witnessed is that it doesn’t seem to whisk it away, it does seem that it leaves a film on the surface of the skin which then means we need to use a second product to whisk away the oil. So then how clean is it? Does it really capture on the oil and dirt from the skin? Maybe for some this is the right choice. I also now adays here that this keeps your microbiome intact and it will because it doesn’t all come off. Maybe for dry skin having that barrier feels like the right choice. At present I ask, as a foundation, do you think everything applied after this step is getting absorbed?
2. Bar Soap – When you use bar soaps, have you found one that you don’t have to use a fair amoint of elbow grease to then remove the soap scum from tha place that you were using the soap in? I find that at least with bar soaps you are also leaving a residue on the surface of the skin. What is left in the tub is only part of it, maybe it is less with better oils, however the ph of bar soap is more alkaine, when the ph of the skin is 4.5 to 5.5 on the acid scale. Apparently now there are new ph balanced bars that are closer to the skins ph and I have no direct experience with these as it was not an option as I was learning. This eleavate ph creats driness and disrupts the skin barrier and then with the added residue that doen’t come all the way off.
3. Acid clearnser – If you are very oily these to me can service a purpose. There are so many acids these days. Really the break down of these maybe should be put together in a different article. I use then however I use them with a purpose and as a vehicle for correction. With oily skin, you do need a little acid to move the oil out of the way, in order to get good absorption of the product that is going to help create movement to allivate the problem. Long term acid use can also be drying and over striping to the skin, creating the shiny effect in the tissue. For those with sensitive skin, it can also create irritation or inflammation which is also a problem.
I have leaned toward gel cleanser and mild sufacant cleansers. On the rare occasion I have found some really good crème cleansers. I usually find that they clean the dirt off the skin and rinse clean from the surface, reducing the skin care routine by a step, which is the toner. I usually lean to a less is more or if you really meet the skin where it is and support it with what it needs to be healthy than it will self correct.
